From this day forward, any nation that continues to harbor or support terrorism will be regarded by the United States as a hostile regime. To fulfill this promise, America and its allies in the war on terrorism must cut off foreign terrorist organizations and the countries that harbor them from international financial flows through greater oversight of and restrictions on official development assistance, both bilateral and multilateral, to terrorist sponsoring states. Nothing could be further from the truth. Poor nations cannot afford to value environmental protection more highly than such basic goods as food or health care. If poor nations are to increase environmental protection, they must first increase their wealth.
Free trade is a necessary component in catalyzing economic growth.
Therefore, free trade is critical in providing the economic means that will enable countries to adopt measures that enhance their protection of the environment. The President made clear that America's arsenal of weapons against terrorism would include shutting down their avenues of financing and seizing their assets. He understands that financial support is necessary for terrorists to project their activities from their base of operations to the United States and other developed nations, and that identifying and cutting off terrorist groups such as Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida from their existing bank accounts and other sources of financing must be a necessary component of a successful war against terrorism. Official Development Assistance to Middle Eastern, Central Asian, and Northern African Nations Terrorists cannot subsist on fanaticism alone. They require financial backing to conduct their activities.