High-level Security Council Meeting Calls for Urgent Action Against Terrorism

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, January 21, 2003

High-level Security Council Meeting Calls for Urgent Action Against Terrorism

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Foreign ministers meeting at the UN Security Council on Monday called on all countries to take urgent action to prevent and suppress all active and passive support to terrorism, and to comply fully with council resolutions dealing with the scourge.

The call came in a declaration on the issue of combating terrorism that was adopted unanimously at a formal meeting of the 15-member council with the presence of 13 foreign ministers, all council members and UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

In his opening address, Dominique Villepin, council president and French foreign minister, said the UN had a central role to play in the fight against terrorism.

"It was fundamental for the council to give its full support tothat aspect of the fight against terrorism," he said. "The objective must be to maintain and strengthen the mobilization of all nations against terrorism and to find new impetus to that struggle."

"Today's debate should contribute to that and provide an opportunity to reflect on new actions to meet that objective," he noted.

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said the ministerial-level participation in the meeting was a sign of the importance that theworld attached to dealing effectively with that global threat.

"Terrorism was a menace that required a global response," he said. "The tragic loss of life in terrorist acts, such as those inMoscow, Bali and Mombassa, was a dramatic reminder that success incountering that threat remained elusive."

He said the UN must play an increased role in dissuading would-be perpetrators of terrorism by setting effective international norms and issuing a clear message on the unacceptability of acts of violence targeting civilians.

During the open meeting, Jeremy Greenstock gave the senior diplomats an input on his work as chairman of the Counter-Terrorism Committee.

He said in 15 months the committee had received over 280 reports from 178 member states, which showed that the vast majority of governments throughout the world had begun to respond to the challenge laid down in resolution 1373 to prevent and suppress terrorism.

"But there is still much more to do before terrorists find thatthe bar against terrorism has been raised everywhere", he said.

"The Declaration to be adopted today set a final date for submission of 31 March, after which it must be clear that any non-reporting State would be held to be noncompliant with resolution 1373," he said.

On his part, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Germany Joschka Fischer said nations must join forces to counter the brutal challenge of terrorism with determination and prudence.

"The threat to their citizens had gained a new dimension, requiring the defeat of terrorists like Osama bin Laden and his network," he said. "The fight against international terrorism musttake place at various levels involving intelligence, police, the judiciary and, in extreme cases, the military."

At the same time, Fischer was greatly concerned that a militarystrike against the regime in Baghdad would involve considerable and unpredictable risks for the global fight against terrorism.

Khurshid Kasuri, minister for Foreign Affairs of Pakistan, saidhis country had been the target of al-Qaida's retaliation and revenge attacks. "However, despite those attacks, Pakistan had remained resolute and had achieved considerable success in its anti-terrorism campaign, which would be pursued until the terrorists had been eliminated."

In accordance with council resolutions, his country had deviseda legal and practical mechanism to effectively halt financial and other support to terrorist organizations and groups, according to the Foreign Minister.

He concurred with the fear that terrorists might acquire sophisticated technology and weapons of mass destruction. He reaffirmed that Pakistan's nuclear assets were under strict safeguards and credible custodial controls.

"With vigorous security and monitoring, there had never been any danger that his country's nuclear or sensitive technologies might be leaked to others," he noted.

Saying "terrorism had no creed, culture or religion," the Pakistani FM resolutely rejected attempts to identify Islam with terrorism.

At the end of the meeting, the participants unanimously adopteda resolution endorsing a declaration on the issue of combating terrorism. It called on states to take a number of steps to fight the menace, including by becoming a party to all international conventions and protocols relating to terrorism; helping each other in the prevention, investigation, prosecution and punishmentof acts of terrorism; and cooperating closely to implement fully the sanctions against terrorists and their associates, in particular al-Qaida and the Taliban and their associates.

The meeting stressed that continuing international efforts to enhance dialogue and broaden the understanding among civilizations"will contribute to international cooperation and collaboration, which by themselves are necessary to sustain the broadest possiblefight against terrorism."

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