I quote in part from:
www.hri.org...
taken from
www.usia.gov...
"Legal Criteria for Designation
The organization must be foreign. [ATS is English]
The organization must engage in terrorist activity as defined in Section 212 (a)(3)(B) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. (** - see below)
The organization?s activities must threaten the security of U.S. nationals or the national security (national defense, foreign relations, or the
economic interests) of the United States."
Of renewing and contesting...
"The Process
The Secretary of State makes decisions concerning the designation and redesignation of FTO?s following an exhaustive interagency review process in
which all evidence of a group?s activity, from both classified and open sources, is scrutinized. The State Department, working closely with the
Justice and Treasury Departments and the intelligence community, prepares a detailed "administrative record" which documents the terrorist activity
of the designated FTO. Seven days before publishing an FTO designation in the Federal Register, the Department of State provides classified
notification to Congress. Under the statute, designations are subject to judicial review. In the event of a challenge to a group?s FTO designation in
federal court, the U.S. government relies upon the administrative record to defend the Secretary?s decision. These administrative records contain
intelligence information and are therefore classified.
FTO designations expire in two years unless renewed. The law allows groups to be added at any time following a decision by the Secretary, in
consultation with the Attorney General and the Secretary of the Treasury. The Secretary may also revoke designations after determining that there are
grounds for doing so and notifying Congress."
So its seems like the Secretary of State Colin Powell is responsible for contesting and adding members to the list.
edit - I want to highlight this part at the end, because I find it sickly funny:
"In the event of a challenge to a group?s FTO designation in federal court, the U.S. government relies upon the administrative record to defend the
Secretary?s decision. These administrative records contain intelligence information and are therefore classified. "
[Edited on 11-10-2003 by ktprktpr]