United Nations: India on Wednesday asked members
of the UN Security Council to adopt an "ambitious" outcome
document that emphasizes "zero tolerance" to terrorism, saying
terrorists have continued to take innocent lives from Moscow
to Mumbai in the decade following the 9/11 attacks.
India`s Permanent Representative to the UN Hardeep Singh
Puri, who is also Chair of the Counter-Terrorism Committee of
the UN Security Council, today told a special meeting here
that 9/11 symbolizes "neither the beginning nor the end of
terrorism."
"It is my expectation that our deliberations today will
usher in a new qualitative and substantive improvement in the
normative framework and we will adopt an ambitious outcome
document that, will introduce a new `zero tolerance` paradigm
in the international community`s fight against terrorism,"
Puri said.
He was speaking at the 10th anniversary commemoration of
the adoption of Security Council resolution 1373 (2001) and
establishment of the Counter- Terrorism Committee, set up in
the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks.
Puri told the high-level meeting that there is hardly any
region of the world that has not been scarred by terrorism
during the past decade.
"The events in Abuja, Baghdad, Bali, Kabul, London,
Madrid, Moscow, and Mumbai?to mention a few?are but footnotes
to the tremendous personal tragedies involved."
While great progress has been made in the past decade to
combat terrorism, more needs to be done "squarely and
decisively" against the terrorist of today who is waging an
"asymmetric warfare against the international community."
"Today, terrorists are ...truly globalised. They recruit
in one country, raise funds in another and operate in others.
They have global logistical and supply chains, they have
developed transnational financial systems, they use the latest
and most sophisticated technologies and have command and
control mechanisms that are able to operate across continents
on a real-time basis," Puri said.
He said among the challenges facing the world community
include the need to effectively address new threats by
terrorist groups, that use new information and communication
technologies for recruitment, incitement and fundraising.
Challenges also remain in the area of countering
terrorist financing, including the need to monitor more
effectively new payment methods, informal money and value
transfer systems and use of cash couriers.
The problem of securing porous land and sea borders
remains another major challenge for many countries.
Puri said there is need for introduction of new counter-
terrorism measures which uphold the rule of law and are
compliant with obligations of the countries under
international laws.
He noted that resolution 1373 brought an increasing sense
of solidarity and intensified dialogue among member nations
concerning the threat posed by international terrorism and the
means to confront it effectively.
As of September 11 2001, only two states were signatories
to all the 12 UN conventions relating to terrorism. That
number has now grown to 111.
In addition, a significant number of countries have
signed the four additional international instruments which
have been added to complement the legislative regime.
Pointing out that a lot of ground has been covered to
deal with the menace of terrorism, Puri said countries have
established Financial Intelligence Units and other mechanisms
to monitor and guard more effectively against terrorist
financing and money laundering.
PTI
