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US remains vulnerable to terrorists using false identities: investigators 
US congressional investigators said Tuesday the nation remained vulnerable to terrorists using phony identification documents two years after the Sept. 11 attacks, citing their success in obtaining valid driver's licenses using false identities. 

"Unless action is taken, individuals who want to cause harm caneasily exploit these vulnerabilities," Robert Cramer, director of special investigations office in the General Accounting Office (GAO), told the Senate Finance Committee. 

GAO investigators obtained driver's licenses using forged documents, including fraudulent out-of-state licenses made on computers, in all eight states they visited, they said in a report released by the Senate committee. 

In some cases where the investigators' documents were found counterfeit, the employees in motor vehicle agencies failed to notify security agents, Cramer said. 

Senator Charles Grassley, an Iowa Republican who requested the investigation, said the report lays out a pretty scary scenario. "If the GAO could do all these things, how can we be sure that your department can stop terrorists from doing it?" he asked. 

Youseff Hmimssa, a Moroccan who pleaded guilty to fraud charges, told the committee how he got phony identity papers to enter the United States and how he easily obtained Social Security numbers, driver's licenses and even a US passport after moving to Chicago in 1994. 

Hmimssa was awaiting sentencing for making false documents for an alleged terrorist cell in Detroit which he was charged with being part of. Three were convicted and a fourth was acquitted. 

Asa Hutchinson, the undersecretary for border security at the Department of Homeland Security, told the committee that more uniform licenses and better technology are needed. He said the country has more than 240 different types of licenses, making it difficult for agents to determine what's legitimate.

World Customs Organization urges closer ties at WTO meeting 
The World Customs Organization (WCO) Tuesday called for intensifying international cooperation in economic development to promote investments and reduce poverty. 

In a communique, the WCO said its members will continue their cooperation in the World Trade Organization (WTO), and will expound on their national positions for the 5th WTO ministerial meeting, beginning on Wednesday at the Mexican resort of Cancun. 

It also said that in order to achieve the simplification and harmonization of customs systems, the WCO had drafted a series of instruments such as the modified Kyoto Covenant. 

Such documents offered practical solutions for reaching the objectives of fiscal collections and border controls, as well as finding ways to facilitate trade, it said. 

The 162-member WCO considers investment in developing and modernizing customs offered considerable advantages to governments since they set the foundations of an efficient economy, an adequate protection of society and solid infrastructures. 

It called for more support for international cooperation in trade, which it called a motor of economic welfare and the creation of wealth. 

The WCO is considered a fundamental link in the efficiency of international exchange and is responsible for negotiations on more than 98 percent of world trade.

Los Angeles stages evacuation drill to test terrorism preparedness 
With the second anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks approaching, the second largest US city of Los Angeles conducted Tuesday a major drill at a 67-story downtown building to test its preparedness for terrorism. 

Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), Fire Department and othere mergency personnel evacuated 3,000 to 5,000 people working in the 853-foot, 62-story AON Center Building at 707 Wilshire Blvd, the second tallest building downtown. 

The drill came two days before the second anniversary of the terrorist attacks on New York City and the Pentagon, in which more than 3,000 people were killed. AON, a risk management company, lost 175 people in the Sept. 11 attack on the World Trade Center in New York City. 

Announcing the drill Monday, Los Angeles Mayor James Hahn said the drill was aimed at ensuring safety of all occupants in the AON building and other similar ones in downtown Los Angeles in case of emergency. 

"Evacuations like the one we are conducting are a key component of any disaster preparedness plan and should be conducted in all high-rise buildings on a periodic basis," he said. 

The drill gave the Los Angeles Fire Department a chance to practice high-rise evacuations, including techniques to check dozens of floors for victims, simulate rescues of disabled people and activate its fleet based at Van Nuys Airport. 

During the drill, announcements were made on a public speaker system and employees in the high-rise building were informed to evacuate using the stairwells, instead of the elevators. 

Meanwhile, floor monitors were switched on to keep track of how many people were on each floor. They sent information to a command center informing them who was able to evacuate safely and who was still inside the building. 

"This evacuation exercise gives the opportunity to evaluate the overall evacuation plan and interagency coordination with the benefit of public awareness, education and an increase in public confidence," said fire chief Bill Bamattre. 

Security officials have recommended evacuation exercises for all high-rise buildings as part of an overall emergency preparedness plan. 

"This exercise, like the recent Operation Dark Cloud and Operation Nighthawk, are vital in that they continue to test emergency responder preparedness to all types of disasters," said police chief William Bratton. 

"For the LAPD, the evacuation exercise will test our ability to coordinate and communicate with other agencies and the private sector under simulated disaster conditions," Bratton said.