Pakistan has proposed an outline for a Comprehensive Counter-Terrorism Strategy that includes short, medium and long-term measures to be taken by UN Member States to combat the scourage.
Speaking during informal consultations in the UN General Assembly on Wednesday, Pakistan's UN Ambassador Munir Akram stressed that any strategy must include the definition of terrorism; the need to address underlying causes, such as foreign occupation and the suppression of self-determination; the issue of state terrorism; the problem of insults and defamation of religions and cultures; the need for vigorous international efforts to promote socio-economic development and employment-creation to end extremism and terrorism.
"If agreement is to be reached on the comprehensive strategy, these and other difficult issues will have to be addressed and agreed approaches evolved," the ambassador said.
The strategy is called for by the 2005 world summit in New York. Since then efforts to draft the strategy have run into difficulties, with the western countries and developing nations sharply divided over how to deal with terrorism.
Under medium-term measures the paper, submitted by Pakistan, calls for initiation of steps to address the conflict situations and political disputes, especially situations of foreign occupation, suppression of the right of peoples to self-determination such as in Palestine and Kashmir.
Long-term measures would include "resolution of major outstanding disputes." The paper also calls for implementation of national strategies to combat and eliminate extremism through promotion of tolerance, eradication of economic marginalisation and financial integration of societies.
Other measures include promotion of religious tolerance and harmony within and among states; dialogue among religions, cultures and civilisations and promotion of related initiatives- Alliance of Civilisation and Enlightened Moderation, as well as implementation of global, regional and national measures to promote socio-economic growth and modernisation that would prevent and eliminate extremism and terrorist recruitment.