Stressing the need for early adoption of a comprehensive strategy against terrorism, Pakistan on Thursday also called for developing an institutional mechanism to implement it.
Speaking in the UN Security Council after briefings by the chairmen of the Council's three anti-terrorism committees, Pakistan's UN Ambassador Munir Akram backed Saudi King Abdullah's proposal for the development of an international counter terrorism centre to institutionalise the effort.
Those three committees are: the Committee established pursuant to resolution 1373 (2001), the Counter-Terrorism Committee; the Committee established pursuant to resolution 1267 (1999) concerning al Qaeda and Taleban sanctions; and the Committee established pursuant to resolution 1540 (2004) to combat the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
The comprehensive strategy, as called for by the September summit, should include both short and long-term measures at the national regional and international levels, the Pakistan ambassador said. Long-term measures should address the underlying cause of terrorism, citing in this regard President General Pervez Musharraf's doctrine of Enlightened Moderation.
While root causes did not justify terrorism, he said, they did explain it. "In this regard, the need to win the hearts and minds of potential terrorists cannot be over-emphasised."
Ambassador Akram said the conclusion of an international convention on terrorism was held up in the General Assembly due to "unjustified efforts" to exclude from its purview activities of armed forces in armed conflicts, "Granting such a blanket exemption could imply that armed or military forces of a state enjoy impunity for acts that are terrorist in nature," He said. "Indeed, armed forces, especially those engaged in foreign occupation and suppression of self-determination, have often been involved in acts that are terrorist in nature. Various proposals are under consideration to resolve this important issue".
The Pakistan ambassador said the threat of terrorism knew no boundaries. It posed a challenge to all of humanity, without exception. Terrorism had no faith and was abhorrent to all religions, faiths and beliefs.
Pakistan had been a victim of terrorism for over two decades including cross-border and state-sponsored terrorism, he said. It remained at the forefront of the counter-terrorism efforts, and had strengthened its legal administrative and financial controls.
Consistent with Pakistan's strong commitment to prevent non-state actors from acquiring weapons of mass destruction, it had provided the committee with perhaps the most extensive information on a range of measures in place to implement that resolution.
Pakistan had consistently urged the Security Council to evolve a mechanism to associate the larger United Nations membership with the Council's work, ambassador Akram said. That could be done by opening the membership of the counter-terrorism committees to other United Nations members through elections. The 2005 summit had unequivocally condemned terrorism in all its forms, agreeing to consider convening a high-level United Nations conference to formulate an international response to terrorism.
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