US to be sensitive to Asian concerns over tough security laws

Washington's top anti-terrorist official, in Singapore on the first leg of an Asian trip, said US strategic priorities this year would be "predicated on the strength we gain by building strong partnerships" with other countries.

This cooperation would extend not only to fighting terrorism but also to combatting trans-national crimes, natural disasters and health outbreaks like Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (Sars), he said in a public lecture.

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Stringent US border security measures and tighter controls on student visas after the September 11, 2001 attacks have spawned fears the United States was shutting its doors to outsiders.

Ridge assured Asians that his country remained open to travellers, students and immigrants, and that technological improvements were being implemented to prevent people from being judged based on their nationalities.

Foreigners' civil liberties would be respected by the United States, which would remain a "welcoming nation," he said.

"In that spirit, let me say clearly: the United States is particularly sensitive to the historical, constitutional and cultural differences among countries," Ridge said in a forum organised by a Singapore think-tank.