No 'good' or 'bad' terrorists, as all are criminals: India to BRICS

Beijing: India on Monday urged the BRICS nations to shed their ambiguity on "good" and "bad" terrorists and said that efforts should be made for adoption of a comprehensive convention on terrorism at the UN.

Minister of State for External Affairs General (retd) VK Singh is representing India at the meeting of the foreign ministers of the five-nation bloc.

Besides Singh, foreign ministers of Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa are participating in the meet ahead of this year's Summit in China's Xiamen city.

"Everyone agrees that terrorism is a common enemy of mankind. Everybody is fully concerned about threat of terrorism in various manifestations," Singh said, addressing a joint press conference with the foreign ministers.

"We also ask for expediting the adoption of the comprehensive convention on international terrorism in the UN which has been pending for some time. We have the support of all members of BRICS nations," he said.

Responding to questions over concerns on cross border terrorism from Pakistan, Singh said, "on behalf of India I pointed out that terrorism remains one of the most potent global menace".

"We did bring out that it threatens global peace and terrorists cannot be differentiated by calling them good or bad," he said, without directly referring to China blocking the efforts by India, the US and other countries to bring about a UN ban on Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) leader Masood Azhar for his involvement in the Pathankot terror attack.

"They are terrorists and they are criminals and we need to have a concerted action both in the regional and internationally to curb their activities," Singh said.

A media note of the meeting said the ministers deplored the continued terrorist attacks, including in some BRICS countries.

"They condemn terrorism in all its forms and manifestations wherever committed and by whomsoever. They reaffirm solidarity and resolve in the fight against terrorism, call upon the international community to establish a genuinely broad international counter-terrorism coalition and support the United Nations' central coordinating role in the international counter-terrorism cooperation," the statement said.

The leaders recalled the responsibility of all states to prevent financing of terrorist networks and terrorist actions from their territories and called upon an expedited adoption of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism in the UN General Assembly, it said.

(With PTI inputs)