Maltese visiting US exempt from fingerprinting

Maltese citizens will not be among those earmarked by the US government to be fingerprinted to register their whereabouts in a new attempt to avert any possible terrorist attack.

A US Embassy spokesperson shot down claims that surfaced over the past few days that Maltese nationals were among those that would be scanned for any possible links to terorrism.

"There is no suspicion or any reason why the Maltese should be included as prime suspects," the spokesman said.

Tens of thousands foreign visitors will be photographed and fingerprinted as they enter the US under the new anti-terror measures proposed by Attorney General John Ashcroft.

This initiative will require fingerprinting, photographing, and registration requirements of all nationals of Iran, Iraq, Libya, Sudan and Syria and certain nationals of other countries whom the State Department and the INS determine to be an elevated national security risk.

Details will be checked against databases including fingerprints obtained from raids on militant training camps and anyone who shows up as a criminal or a threat may be barred from entry.

The attorney general stressed that no country was "totally exempt" from the new regulations.

When asked whether Malta's geographical proximity to Libya could put its citizens under the spotlight, the US embassy spokesman said this was not the case: "Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia were equally close to Libya and they are not included in any lists," he said.

The spokesman said that these changes, if implemented, will only affect a small percentage of those visiting the US.

The BBC reported that the possible checks, could come into effect in the autumn.

Mr Ashcroft said the new measures were a necessary response to the September 11 attacks since 19 of the men who hijacked four planes and crashed them deliberately on September 11 had entered the US with valid visas.

The US government said that the events of September 11 highlighted weaknesses in the current immigration system, which does not provide for the collection of information on the activities and whereabouts of aliens holding non-immigrant visas.

The new regulations are set to affect about 100,000 of the 35 million foreigners visiting the US each year, as well as about 100,000 foreigners already in the country.

Besides, the US government said that the proposed registration system will be similar to those systems already in place in most European countries.

"We will be able to stop terrorists from entering the country. Fingerprints don't lie," Mr Ashcroft said. But the US proposal has outraged several organisations including Arab-American and immigrant rights groups who accused the US of embarking on a witch-hunt for Muslims.

Civil rights groups have said the new measures are discriminatory and will probably be ineffective.

Frank Sharry, executive director of the National Immigration Forum, said the scheme was reminiscent of totalitarian regimes like Iraq.