UN unites on anti - terror steps
UNITED NATIONS, Thursday (Xinhua) - UN Security Council Heads of
State and Government, meeting within the framework of the 2005 World
Summit, unanimously adopted resolutions calling on all states to
reinforce the battle against terrorism and to strengthen the Council's
role in preventing conflict, particularly in Africa.
In Resolution 1624, adopted at what was officially called the
Security Council Summit on Threats to Peace and Security, the leaders
condemned "in the strongest terms all acts of terrorism irrespective of
their motivation, whenever and by whomsoever committed, as one of the
most serious threats to peace and security."
They reaffirmed "the imperative to combat terrorism in all its forms
and manifestations by all means, in accordance with the Charter of the
United Nations."
They called upon all States to adopt all necessary measures,
including prohibiting by law incitement to commit terrorist acts,
denying safe haven to anyone thus involved, and cooperation to
strengthen security of international borders and combat fraudulent
travel documents.
The resolution also calls upon all States to continue international
efforts to enhance dialogue and broaden understanding among
civilizations in an effort to prevent indiscriminate targeting of
different religions and cultures and to ensure that measures taken
comply with all obligations under international law, in particular
international human rights law, refugee law, and humanitarian law.
In Council Resolution 1625 on conflict prevention, the leaders called
for a raft of measures ranging from preventive-diplomacy initiatives,
regional mediation and early warnings of potential conflict to promoting
fairness and transparency of electoral processes and acting against
illegal exploitation and trafficking of natural resources.
"We must be at the forefront of the fight against terrorism,"
Secretary-General Kofi Annan said, calling on the international
community to complete a comprehensive convention that outlaws terrorism
in all its forms.
He called the need to prevent conflict in Africa a "crucial issue,"
adding that "I consider it thoroughly appropriate that at this summit,
you have reflected the priority it deserves - as is the case in the
daily work of the Security Council."
Following Annan, President Benjamin William Mkapa of Tanzania said it
was important that the Council address not only the threats but also
their underlying causes.
"We need to agree on, and pursue an effective strategy that will
address the root causes and underlying conditions of terrorism and
conflict," he added.
Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin said today's session
underlined the fundamental importance of the UN and its Security Council
as the headquarters for the international anti- terrorist front, and
declared his country's readiness to take practical steps to strengthen
the UN's central role in ensuring international security and stability.
Greek Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis stressed that "actions to
combat terrorism and the protection of human rights and fundamental
freedoms are not mutually exclusive," and he called for a more
comprehensive concept of collective security and strengthening the UN.
Speaking next, US President George W. Bush stressed the "solemn
obligation to stop terrorism at its early stages" including freezing
terrorists' assets, denying them freedom of movement and preventing them
from acquiring weapons, including weapons of mass destruction.
"The United States will continue to work with and through the
Security Council to help all nations meet these commitments," he said.
President Nestor Kirchner of Argentina, said tackling terrorism
required a legitimate international response that entailed looking at
the problem in a broader perspective rather than unilaterally, adding
there should be a closer relationship between preserving human rights
and combating terrorism.
Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika condemned all manifestations
of terrorism, calling on all states to work together under UN authority
to combat it.
He also called for an agreed definition of terrorism that recognized
the legitimate struggle for self-determination.
Prime Minister Tony Blair of the United Kingdom said terrorism would
not be defeated until the Council's determination was as complete as the
terrorists', until its defence of freedom was as absolute as their
fanaticism and until its passion for democracy was as great as their
passion for tyranny.
"They play on our divisions. They exploit our hesitations. This is
our weakness. And they know it", he said.
Benin's President Mathieu Kerekou said combating terrorism required a
scrupulous respect for the sovereignty of States and international law,
and the protection of human rights and international humanitarian law.
On conflict prevention, he said the Council could establish a regular
evaluation of risk situations around the world, so as to appraise
existing threats, concluding that Africa required specific attention.
President Traian Basescu of Romania noted that "global anti-
terrorism can be sustained only by action taken at the Security Council
level. It has to be a UN undertaking as a whole."
Echoing the theme of combating both symptoms and causes, Brazilian
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said repression alone will not
defeat terrorism.
"We must prevent terror from breeding in hotbeds of hopelessness," he
declared. "In combating irrational violence, the best means at our
disposal are the promotion of a culture of dialogue, the promotion of
development and the unyielding protection of human rights."
In similar vein, French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin called
for "resolute action on everything that fuels terrorism - the
inequalities, the persistence of violence, injustices and conflicts, the
lack of understanding among cultures," since force alone "does not
answer peoples' frustrations, it does not address the roots of evil."
The meeting, chaired by Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-
Arroyo, whose country holds the council presidency for September, took
place after the opening of the UN summit, attended by 153 heads of state
and government and high-ranking officials from nearly 40 other
countries. |