European Mayors Form Anti-terror Alliance

Mayors of Moscow, Paris, London and Berlin announced the creation of an inter-city alliance to fight terrorism at a meeting in the Russian capital Thursday. Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov said the four capitals had formed an "M4", or a "Mayor Quartet," that will meet on a regular basis to discuss security issues and coordinate efforts to prevent terror attacks. "We must unite our efforts to face challenges together," he said at the opening of the meeting. "Our tragic experience brings us to the conclusion that contemporary megalopolis are particularly exposed to terrorism." Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoë declared that the capitals were joining hands to fight what he called "barbarians" and to defend democracy, freedom and justice. Klaus Wowereit, the mayor of Berlin, said the recent string of terror attacks that have hit Russia in the past three weeks, killing over 400 people, could soon strike Europe. "The terrorist acts in Russia have shocked us. Today, this happens in Moscow, tomorrow in Berlin or in London. Nobody is protected from it," he said. AFP