The United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution on October 8 calling on states to strengthen cooperation in the fight against terrorism, including extraditing and prosecuting anyone who supports, finances and participates in terrorist acts.

The resolution, passed by the 15-nation council after lengthy negotiations over its wording, was introduced by Russia last month after a series of terrorist attacks struck the country, including a mass hostage-taking incident in the southern Russian city of Beslan.

The measure, co-sponsored by France, China, Romania, Britain, the United States, Germany and Spain, calls upon all nations to "cooperate fully in the fight against terrorism, especially with those states where or against whose citizens terrorist acts are committed."

It urges them to "find, deny safe haven and bring to justice, on the basis of the principle to extradite or prosecute, any person who supports, facilitates, participates or attempts to participate in the financing, planning, preparation or commission of terrorist acts or provides safe havens."

It also authorizes the creation of a working group to submit recommendations on punitive measures to be imposed upon individuals, groups or entities involved in or associated with terrorist activities, other than Al-Qaida and Taliban.

The original draft called for the creation of a new list of individuals, groups or entities who would be subject to stiff sanctions, including freezing of their financial assets and an arms embargo. The present list drawn up by a council committee mainly focus on members of Al-Qaida and Taliban.

But some countries, particularly Muslim states, objected to the establishment of such a new blacklist, citing the lack of a universal definition of terrorists and terrorist acts. The provision was then amended, leaving the working group to decide what measures should be taken against terrorist groups apart from Al-Qaida and Taliban.

The resolution requests the working group to consider the possibility of establishing an international fund to compensate victims of terrorist acts and their families. The fund might be financed through voluntary contributions and assets seized from terrorist organizations and their members.

"It is important that we have agreed in principle to consider measures against terrorists other than those linked to Al-Qaida," Algeria's Ambassador to the UN Abdallah Baali told the council after the vote.