New York: Seeking enhanced global
cooperation against terrorism, India has said the fight against "one of the greatest scourges" of the modern times should ensure that not only terrorists but those who sponsor, abet or support them are also targeted.
"Terrorism is one of the greatest scourges of our times,"
External Affairs Minister S M Krishna said at a coordinating
bureau ministerial meeting of the Non-aligned
Movement (NAM) on the margins of the UN General Assembly
session here yesterday.
He said the NAM cannot afford to equivocate on this vital
issue and must be at the forefront of combating the menace.
"The Movement should ensure that terrorism is not
condoned or justified on any ground whatsoever: political,
religious, ethnic or any other. The fight against terrorism
must be directed not only against the terrorists, but also
against those who sponsor, abet or support them," the minister
said.
He said it needs to be ensured that the international
cooperation against terrorism is enhanced and gaps in the
legal framework are plugged.
"This requires that the negotiations on a Comprehensive
Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT) in the UN, which
have been going on for over a decade, are finalised and the
convention is concluded at the earliest," Krishna said.
Turning to other serious issues, he said the "central
challenges of our times relate to management of global economy
and finance, securing stable food and energy supplies, poverty
alleviation, eradicating hunger and deprivation, tackling
pandemics, raising literacy levels and coping up with climate
change."
Equally serious challenges are posed by drug-traffickers
and organised crime syndicates and other challenges to
international peace and security, he said.
Besides, Krishna sought reinvigorated efforts towards a
more democratic, equitable and legitimised international
architecture that reflects the contemporary realities.
"The world`s international institutions, in particular,
the UN and its Security Council and the Bretton Woods
Institutions require fundamental changes which only developing
countries can promote. The continuing democracy deficit in the
UN, the parliament of nations, is unsustainable.
"Genuine reform is essential, in particular of the
Security Council. It must encompass expansion in both
permanent and non-permanent categories of membership and
improvement of its working methods," Krishna said.
PTI
