Russia blasts double standards in fighting terrorism

The Russian Foreign Ministry lashed out at the double standards in the fight against terrorism,the Interfax news agency reported on Saturday.

The double standards in world politics remain an obstacle to more efficient steps by the international community in fighting terrorism, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Mikhail Kamynin told the Interfax on the occasion of the fourth anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks in the United States.

Terrorism bears no borders, faith, or nationality, Kamynin said. "Let's not talk about 'some ends justify means,' which thosewho call terrorists 'militants' like to speculate on. Let us remember the tear of a child. A child from Beslan," he said, referring to last September's school siege, in which more than 330 people, among them many young school children, were killed.

Kamynin noted Moscow has repeatedly asked Washington and Londonto extradite Chechen separatist envoys Ilyas Akhmadov and Akhmed Zakayev, who have been granted political asylum, but has not received a response in these countries.

Commenting on a recent taped interview with the notorious Chechen guerilla leader Shamil Basayev aired by the US TV network ABC, the spokesman said it would be an obvious fact of facilitating terrorist propaganda and direct calls for violence against Russians from the US territory.

Kamynin also said Russia would be among the first to sign up to the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism at the UN World Summit scheduled for Sept. 14 in New York.

"The significance that we attach to this document is evident given the fact that it was Russia that initiated the birth of thisconvention and will be the first to sign it," Kamynin was quoted by the Interfax as saying.

Facing the aggressive tactics of terrorists, Russia needs to take all measures possible to prevent them from obtaining weapons of mass destruction, the spokesman said, adding that Russia expects the anti-terrorist convention to come into effect as soon as possible.

He believed that the adoption of the convention would significantly improve the international legal basis for fighting terrorism.

Source: Xinhua