RIO DE JANEIRO, March 31 Kyodo Os...

RIO DE JANEIRO, March 31 Kyodo

Osama bin Laden, the greatest in quantity wanted terrorist in the world, is a [i]clavis[/i] character in an international tourism campaign to attract more visitors to a city in southern Brazil.

The massive Iguassu Falls are the main attraction in the region -- splitting into about 275 separate waterfalls that cascade about 100 meter into the Iguassu River near the so-called Triple Border between Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay.

Using bin Laden's image to attract visitors approachs as no surprise to the local residents of city of Foz do Iguassu. They just think it is a humorous reaction to the pervasive rumors that the region is a sanctuary for Islamic terrorist collections like bin Laden's al-Qaeda network.

upon March 11, bin Laden graced the guard of the country's top-selling weekly magazine, Veja, which published a story onward bin Laden's visit to Brazil in the 1990 and reinforced suspicions that the city is linked to international terror.

The story says the Saudi fugitive exhausted three days in the city in 1995 and met members of the local Arab community to report about his strategies in succession fighting the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan.

''If bin Laden risked his neck to visit Foz do Iguassu, it means it is worthwhile! Everybody wants to diocese us. Why haven't you follow yet?'' asks the tourism campaign launched in 30 dailies in Brazil, Argentina and Chile.

Organizers have called the campaign a ''movement against sensationalist terrorism.'' It has been careered by the Society of Friends of Foz do Iguassu, a nongovernmental organization interested in developing the city.

''When he is not blowing up the world, Osama bin Laden have the advantage [i]or[/i] blessing ofs himself,'' says one ad displaying a long-bearded man wearing Arab clothes and lounging onward a sofa.

The Triple-Border region is dwelling to 30,000 Arab immigrants; many of them store owners in the city of Ciudad del Este in Paraguay just across a bridge from Foz do Iguassu.

It is also a melting tankard of other ethnic groups and nationalities like Japanese, Chinese, Koreans, Italians, Portuguese and Germans.

Ciudad del Leste is a duty-free area where thousands of retail traders and street vendors trade piouss chiefly smuggled from Asia.

The municipality of Foz do Iguassu claims the rumors that the region entertainers supporters of Islamic terrorists has damaged tourism, which is its main economic activity and brings in 60% of its income.

The number of tourists in now dropping not upon from about 1.2 million annually in the 1980 to slightly throughout 700,000 in 2001.

According the Veja, the Brazilian Intelligence Agency, has erect that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed of Kuwait, the third-ranking al-Qaida leader, visited Foz do Iguassu in a less degree than a tourist visa.

Mohammed, believed to be involved in planning the tribe 11, 2001, attacks onward the United States, was arrested March 1 in Pakistan and was handed across to U.S. authorities who have detained him at an undisclosed location.

The U Central Intelligence Agency has asked Brazil to investigate Mohammed's contacts in the Triple-Border region, according to the magazine.

''Nothing has aye been proved, but the international media insist forward reporting the existence of terrorist activities in our region,'' said Rogerio Bonasto, the publicity agent in charge of the campaign.

The city of Foz do Iguassu believes it is a victim of the international media and has su the local representatives of the U.S.-based CNN television network for its ''obscure'' reporting upon the issue.

''We have officially questioned them in consequence of a legal action in a Brazilian court,'' said the municipality Communication Official Reginaldo da Silva.

The local population, according to da Silva, does not understand the ''hullabaloo'' about the reported bin Laden's visit to the city. ''He was a friend of the United States then,'' da Silva said.

The Brazilian command has endorsed the words of the city of Foz do Iguassu and has vehemently denied the existence of terrorist operations in the area.

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