...continued from page 2 President Bill Clinton has advised the CIA and FBI to form rapid-response task forces to prevent and respond to "cyberterrorist" attacks on US computers, communications, and secret and confidential communications, which are vital to the defence and economic security of the US, including any element which is susceptible to the US telecommunications power supplies, gas and oil, banking, commerce, water supply systems, emergency services including medical, police, fire brigade and transportation. Cyberterrorists can have other specific targets such as the stock exchange trading floor, the civil aviation air traffic-control computers, power grids and the national defence systems. No country has had a coordinated and concerted cyberterrorist assaults as yet, however, cyber threats had taken place in London where a Russian was caught and fined for his role in penetrating computers of the American-owned Citibank and diverting nearly US$3 million (RM 7.5 million) to bank accounts elsewhere. Many other organisations are keeping quiet about attempts to steal money from their treasuries to save embarrassment and their reputation. It is believed by cyber experts that last year alone nearly US$ 1 billion (RM 2.6 billion) was lost to related cyber-computer tamperings in the US. Encryption does provide secrecy for credit card accounts and other sensitive information but encryption cannot, however, fight aggression intended to disable an entire system through cyber and computer viruses and logic bombs! The US is taking every precaution possible not to unwittingly supply its potential adversaries military or industrial encryptions which it cannot crack. As with conventional terrorism there is no failproof guard against a determined assault, and I believe, the government is taking all possible safeguards against cyberterrorism and frauds. We can largely overcome this. Together with the Americans, Japanese, Europeans and Chinese we will be able to combat this danger. Tunku Abdul Rahman's retirement in 1970 offered Abdul Razak opportunities to re-orientate both domestic and foreign policies. Mahathir enlarged, added, varied, and more importantly innovated many new initiatives and implemented them vigorously and with varied degree of successes. I began my assignment at the UN in the middle of July. Working with Tan Sri Razali Ismail, the Permanent Representative and an old friend and along new colleagues, Ambassador Hasmi Agam, Minister S. Tahanarajasingam and others is relaxed and satisfactory. They made my work very easy with each passing day, Work is easier because Mahathir's conception of national policy and his definitive foreign policy is clear and unambiguous. A diplomat at the UN has less constraints than say a diplomat living in Washington D.C., London or Beijing and I have built-up a reasonably large number of friends contacts and acquaintances from a wide and diverse circles in American and New York society and among the l85-permanent missions. I still have many more universities to visit, especially in the south and the east coast of the US which I shall attempt to do before the next 52nd General Assembly convenes in mid-September where I am expected to remain in New York. I have been invited to visit my alma mater Harvard for a two-day conference in November and last week the Director of the Center for International Affairs Harvard, Steven Bloomfield visited me at the mission.