General Assembly Session 56 meeting 16

Mr. Koonjul (Mauritius)

We are thankful to the Mayor of the city of New York, Mr Giuliani, for his inspiring statement on Monday morning. We take this opportunity to reiterate to him and to the people of New York our deepest sympathy following the tragedy of 11 September. We commend the people of the United States for the courage and resilience they have demonstrated and continue to demonstrate following the terrorist attacks.

The terrorist acts carried out on that fateful day in New York and Washington, D.C., remind us of the vulnerability of all countries, regardless of their state of preparedness. No country is immune from this kind of attack. It is a reminder that terrorists can, at the most unexpected moment, hit at the very heart of a free and peaceful society, causing tremendous human and material damage.

In the modern world of freedom, democracy and tolerance, it is simply unimaginable that some people choose to have recourse to such evil methods to express any form of anger and frustration, if there is any at all. In fact, there is no justification whatsoever for terrorism and no concession can be made to those who commit terrorist acts. Terrorism is simply evil and inhuman. It flouts the principles and objectives of the United Nations Charter. As such, it is an ever-present threat to international peace and security. This is why it is important for the international community and all people who believe in freedom, justice, peace, tolerance and democratic values to take a determined resolve to combat and eradicate this scourge.

With the numerous international conventions on terrorism, one would have hoped that we had adequate measures at our disposal to deal with terrorism. Unfortunately, this is not the case. It goes on to prove that either the instruments are not comprehensive enough or that, more importantly, we have failed in implementing them fully and effectively.

Last Friday, the Security Council took a bold and historical step by adopting the comprehensive and far-reaching resolution 1373 (2001) to deal with all aspects of terrorism in a global and holistic approach. The resolution, inter alia, calls upon Member States to become parties to the relevant international conventions relating to terrorism, including the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism of 9 December 1999. We urge all Member States to take immediate action to give effect to the provisions of the resolution.

All States must make a firm commitment to refrain from providing any form of support, active or passive -- including political, moral or diplomatic support -- to any terror group, irrespective of the ideologies and convictions it represents. This is all the more important in order to prevent terrorists from using the territory of one Member State to perpetrate acts of terror in the territory of another State.

Terrorists have no human or moral values, no respect for human rights and, in fact, no religion. The only religion they profess is to terrorize, maim and inflict maximum human suffering and material damage. It is therefore important not to confuse terrorism with any ethnic group or religion. The fight against terrorism is a fight by all nations, and should be undertaken in the framework of international solidarity and cooperation. It must be as comprehensive and as broad-based as possible, in terms of both action and support, if it is to be viable and successful. It must also be carried out in accordance with international law so as to deny terrorists sympathy from any quarter.

It is time for each of us to take action at the national level and for all of us, collectively, to take action at the international level, to pin down all terrorists and prevent them from planning and carrying out their shameful and heinous acts. In this regard, it is essential for all States to be able to fully implement the existing conventions on international terrorism. Likewise, it is important that procedures for international search and arrest be harmonized in order to bring the perpetrators of terrorist attacks to justice. It will also be very important for all States to cooperate at the international and the regional level to exchange information and intelligence on the activities of suspected groups.

It is important, however, to realize that many of us may not have the necessary expertise to frame appropriate legislation incorporating the provisions of international conventions into our own domestic laws. We call on the Secretary-General and those countries which have such expertise to provide the necessary technical assistance to countries in need.

We are fully aware of the close and complex link between terrorism, organized crime, drug-trafficking, the illegal exploitation of natural resources and the illegal trafficking and easy availability of small arms and light weapons. At the United Nations Conference on the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All its Aspects, held last July, many States rightly pressed for the inclusion in the Programme of Action of measures that would stop States from selling small arms and light weapons to non-State actors. Despite our efforts and determination, small arms and light weapons continue to get into the hands of terrorist groups, rebels and other unlawful elements. Coming from the African continent, we daily witness the immense havoc caused by such weapons. The recent tragedy has once more demonstrated that all nations should act in a decisive and coherent manner to stop the sale of small arms and light weapons to non-State actors. We cannot possibly achieve success in fighting terrorism if we do not take comprehensive steps to prevent all kinds of weapons, including biological, chemical and other weapons of mass destruction, from falling into the hands of terrorist groups.

We are grateful to the delegation of India for presenting the draft comprehensive convention on international terrorism. We are equally appreciative of the draft convention to combat nuclear terrorism, submitted by the Russian Federation. We support the proposals contained therein and hope that all Members will approach both drafts in a constructive and productive manner with a view to their early adoption.

My country has always been supportive of all international initiatives designed to combat international terrorism. We were among the first few countries to sign the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime last year. We recently enacted the Economic Crime and Anti-Money-Laundering Act, which allows for the screening and constant monitoring of all operations in our offshore sector. We have ratified a number of important conventions dealing with international terrorism, and we are in the process of ratifying the remaining ones.

We once again pledge our full commitment to work together with the international community to eradicate forever terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and make this world a safer place for future generations.

Mr. Fonseca (Brazil)

I should like to reiterate our profound sympathy for and solidarity with all those who have suffered as a result of the tragic loss of life caused by the grievous terrorist attacks of 11 September. Those despicable acts were viewed with outrage in Brazil. Our thoughts go out to the victims and their families.

The attacks on the United States sought to sow fear and paralysis. They failed to do so. The sober but determined response of the American people has inspired respect and solidarity and helped forge a global sentiment that the time has come to deal decisively with terrorism.

The international community is meeting here to reaffirm our categorical condemnation of terrorism and lay out a comprehensive strategy to combat terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. There can be no justification whatsoever for terrorist acts. They are cowardly and barbaric acts that cannot be admitted under any pretext, whether political, religious or ideological. The perpetrators of terrorist attacks must be brought to justice, along with those that provide them with support and harbour them.

The Brazilian position on this issue is clear and unequivocal. The federal Constitution of Brazil establishes the repudiation of terrorism and racism as being among the principles governing our international relations. It also places terrorism among those heinous crimes whose perpetrators cannot benefit from the possibility of bail, grace or amnesty.

As stated by the Brazilian Minister of External Relations, Ambassador Celso Lafer, the terrorist attack on the United States on 11 September represented a direct threat to all civilized nations and to our democratic values.

Brazil endorsed the prompt action taken by the General Assembly and by the Security Council in condemnation of the attacks and reaffirmed our determination to combat terrorist actions with all means at our disposal, as such attacks represent a threat to international peace and security. We welcome the adoption of Security Council resolution 1368 (2001), establishing the foundations for concerted international action, and also the adoption last week of resolution 1373 (2001), encompassing a set of measures under Chapter VII of the Charter to enhance international cooperation in a vast array of areas, including measures aimed at rooting out the far-flung networks of support and financing used by terrorists.

We must spare no effort to ensure the full implementation of those resolutions, as well as to take any additional measures required by the General Assembly and the Security Council. Brazil will promptly take all necessary measures to comply fully with those provisions.

We must also reinforce our cooperative efforts at the regional level in the fight against terrorism. In the face of the aggression against the United States, Brazil supported the immediate convening of a ministerial meeting of the Organization of American States. Specific measures were then adopted to strengthen hemispheric cooperation in bringing perpetrators of terrorist acts to justice.

Additionally, Brazil took the initiative of invoking the Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance. In recognition of the fact that the terrorist attacks suffered by the United States represent an attack on all American States, the mechanisms for mutual assistance were called into force. It was also decided, as a matter of urgency, that a draft inter-American convention against terrorism be submitted to the next General Assembly of the Organization of the American States.

This commitment to strengthening our collective security system in the face of terrorist threats builds on anti-terrorist measures adopted over the years at the regional and national levels. The Declaration and Plan of Action of Lima to Prevent, Combat and Eliminate Terrorism of 1996, as well as the Mar del Plata Commitment of 1998, laid the foundation for enhancing cooperation among the member states of the Organization of American States. At the subregional level, Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay have worked together effectively to integrate cross-border counter-terrorist police and intelligence activities.

Within the wider framework of measures adopted over the years by the United Nations, more specifically through General Assembly resolutions 49/60 and 51/210, we have created a network of interlocking conventions on judicial cooperation to ensure that the perpetrators of such crimes are held responsible. Brazil is taking measures to ensure that it is party to every one of these conventions.

Brazil welcomed the adoption of the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism. It provides a novel and much needed approach in addressing the intricate financial schemes that support terrorist activities. The Convention also paves the way for concerted preventive action between law enforcement and financial authorities around the world. We also urge all delegations to decisively move ahead in the negotiation of a comprehensive convention against terrorism.

These initiatives give a clear picture of the significant ground already covered by the United Nations in the struggle against terrorism. Yet this is still not enough. We must guarantee that such atrocities never happen again. And for that purpose, as the Secretary-General stressed yesterday, it is urgent that the United Nations develop a long-term strategy, in which every Member State will have a part to play.

This strategy must encompass actions on all fronts, from immediate repression to long-term prevention, including a comprehensive legal framework, as called for in General Assembly resolution 49/60. It must also rely heavily on the role of the Security Council in conflict resolution, as the sole international body entitled to authorize coercive actions.

The fight against terrorism will necessarily be a difficult, drawn-out battle that goes beyond the repression and prosecution of perpetrators. Repressive actions to crack down on terrorist cells are certainly necessary. In many instances, they are the only effective means immediately available to restore security and remove the imminent threat of terrorist strikes.

But the tragic events of 11 September highlight how essential preventive measures are in dealing with terrorist threats. Cooperative efforts must necessarily involve the sharing of information among intelligence agencies, strict border controls on suspected transactions, the dismantling of the financial network that supports terrorist activities, and enhanced security in transportation systems. The great strides in communications and transportation technology ushered in by globalization have made terrorist groups even more elusive, including in their links to other contemporary scourges, such as drug trafficking and the illicit trade in arms.

We must also find the cooperative ways to cope with the dramatic effects terrorist acts have on the economies of all countries, big or small, as we have witnessed in the past few weeks.

Terrorism will certainly fail and reason will undoubtedly prevail if we ensure that the foundations of international stability are based on tolerance, justice and the pursuit of prosperity and peace for all. As President Fernando Henrique Cardoso recently put it, we must ensure that globalization does not become a synonym for extreme inequalities, but rather a means to ensure greater participation for all.

Ultimately, security lies in building a better, more equitable world around us. A world in which we make full and effective use of the Charter instruments for conflict resolution and conflict prevention.

We fully agree with Secretary-General Kofi Annan that the United Nations is uniquely placed to face these challenges. It provides the forum for building a global coalition that can legitimately develop a long-term response to terrorism and its causes.

This debate offers an opportunity for the international community to demonstrate its resolve to defeat terrorism. It should draw on the vast experience and know-how of the several relevant United Nations organs and specialized agencies, as well as regional and other organizations directly involved at all levels.

The international community should come together at this time to solemnly undertake certain fundamental steps that would signal our resolve to deal decisively with the menace of terrorism. These might include the following: first, ensuring the universal adoption and full implementation of the existing counter-terrorism conventions; secondly, redoubling efforts to conclude negotiations on the draft comprehensive terrorism convention; thirdly, requesting the Secretary-General to prepare a report recommending measures to enhance the role of the United Nations, international agencies and regional organizations in combating terrorism; fourthly, adhering strictly to measures of non-proliferation of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction and, particularly, implementing fully those measures contained in the international conventions on chemical and biological weapons; fifthly, considering additional measures to enhance cooperation in such areas as border controls, financial institutions, information-sharing and law enforcement; and finally, ensuring that the international response to terrorism, in particular, when involving the use of force and the imposition of coercive measures, shall be guided by the principles set out in the Charter and in international law.

Mr. Ileka (Democratic Republic of the Congo)

I would like to add my voice to those of other speakers at this tribune to convey to you, Sir, my keen and heartfelt congratulations on the occasion of your election to the presidency of the fifty-sixth session of the General Assembly. I am convinced that your wisdom, intellectual ability and diplomatic talents will see us through to a successful conclusion of this session tarnished by the terrible events of 11 September.

Allow me to express my regard for the merit of your predecessor, Mr. Harri Holkeri and congratulate him for the know-how and ability with which he carried out his difficult task during his presidency over the fifty-fifth General Assembly.

Finally, allow me to congratulate once more Mr. Kofi Annan for his outstanding re-election as Secretary-General and to convey to him the full support of the Democratic Republic of the Congo for the outstanding efforts he ceaselessly performs in the defence of human rights and the principles and goals of the United Nations Charter, and for his numerous and praiseworthy initiatives for peace and international security throughout the world, and in my country, in particular.

The present debate is additional proof, if such were necessary, that the tragedy of 11 September 2001, which has plunged the American Government and its people into mourning, does not affect Americans alone. The great number of victims of widely varying origins says much. There are also many among us whose relatives or friends were among the victims.

From the very first hours following the tragedy, His Excellency Major-General Joseph Kabila, President of the Republic, expressed the full sympathy and solidarity of the Congolese population for their good friends, the people of the United States of America. On that occasion, he asked that the perpetrators of that horrible crime be located, brought to justice and receive exemplary punishment.

We deplore the horrendous consequences of this tragedy, which had proved once again -- as if there were any need to do so -- that international terrorism is a matter of utmost seriousness and that joint action on the part of the entire international community and all peace-loving States is required in order to put an end to it.

My delegation believes that the participation of the entire international community in the struggle against this scourge depends on the commitment of all States to respect international conventions in this area, through adherence to these instruments and the taking of the necessary measures at the national level to ensure their full implementation.

Although the provisions of our penal code do not include a clear definition of terrorism, as is the case in a good number of countries, my country has always advocated a policy of prevention and suppression of international terrorism, at the domestic, regional and international levels. At the domestic level -- and this has been the case since 21 February 1950 -- the decree installing a regime for firearms and ammunition, as amended, subjects to the authorization of the President of the Republic the importing of firearms, their deposit in State armories and public storehouses, their withdrawal from these sites, and their transport, trafficking, possession, licensing, donation, abandonment and sale. Since that time, Congolese law has forbidden anyone who is not engaged in military service to possess firearms, in particular revolvers, pistols, submachine guns, rifles or any kind of automatic firearm capable of firing in bursts.

At the regional level, my country is party to the Organization of African Unity Convention of 14 July 1999 on the Prevention and Combating of Terrorism. In its foreign policy, the Democratic Republic of the Congo understands that the use of force cannot settle the problems confronting the world today and that in the struggle against terrorism there is a need to create a universal conscience and a universal union that can eliminate this scourge and others that threaten the very survival of the human race.

It is for this reason that my country has signed and ratified several global conventions dealing with the question of international terrorism. These include the Tokyo Convention of 14 September 1963 on Offenses and Certain Other Acts Committed on Board Aircraft; the Hague Convention of 16 December 1970 for the Suppression of Unlawful Seizure of Aircraft; the Montreal Convention of 23 September 1971 for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety of Civil Aviation; the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Crimes against Internationally Protected Persons, including Diplomatic Agents, adopted by the General Assembly on 14 December 1973; the International Convention against the Taking of Hostages, also adopted by the General Assembly on 17 December 1979; and the Montreal Protocol of 24 February 1988 for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts of Violence at Airports Serving International Civil Aviation, supplementary to the Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety of Civil Aviation.

Moreover, consultations are now under way for my country's accession to other relevant instruments to combat terrorism, including, inter alia, the International Convention for the Suppression of Terrorist Bombings, adopted by the General Assembly on 15 December 1997, and the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism, adopted by the Assembly on 9 December 1999.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo has always advocated fighting terrorism in all of its aspects and manifestations. It therefore welcomes the adoption by the Security Council of resolution 1373 (2001) of 28 September 2001, which in our view is an important first step towards stemming and then eradicating this scourge. However, my delegation believes that a draft convention for the suppression of acts of terrorism would be of considerable assistance and would serve to supplement significantly the existing anti-terrorist conventions and serve as an effective legal framework to fight and deter acts of terrorism. It would be desirable for the delegations involved to moderate their positions so as to make it possible for the General Assembly to adopt this convention as quickly as possible.

My delegation also believes that the concept of terrorism must not be limited solely to acts carried out by individuals or isolated groups. It must cover a much broader concept that also includes large-scale organized acts that States use as a political instrument, the nature and consequences of which are extremely serious. It is this State terrorism, with incalculable consequences, that countries neighbouring ours, having crossed our borders in order to besiege the territory of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in violation of the United Nations Charter, are now practising against the peaceful Congolese people with total impunity.

If the Congolese people and Government have hastened to demonstrate their solidarity with the friendly people of the United States following the 11 September tragedy, it is because the Democratic Republic of the Congo and its people have been living for more than three years now with armed aggression and the occupation of their territory by those neighbouring countries, and are therefore aware of the genuine meaning of the word "horror".

The manifestations of that daily horror are daily massacres of the civilian population, summary and extrajudicial executions, the deportation of entire populations, the taking of hostages, hijacking, the illegal capture and destruction of aircraft, the systematic rape and burying alive of women, destitution, other serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, the deliberate and criminal spread of HIV/AIDS, and so forth. Horror has therefore become a familiar phenomenon to the people of my country because of the regular armies of those neighbouring countries.

At the head of one of these aggressor terrorist and rogue States is an unbalanced individual who did not hesitate for one minute to commit his country to the path of State terrorism. This individual, who has continued to flout the entire Great Lakes region and the international community, bears primary responsibility for the death of millions of Congolese citizens. He is also at present the sole obstacle to the restoration of lasting peace and dignity to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. His hatred of the majority of his own fellow citizens does not allow him to see that the time is now right for the establishment and building of peace, justice and democracy in our region, for the benefit, of course, of the peoples who live there.

The events of 11 September must be of the greatest concern to us. At a time of such colossal suffering and grief we need more than ever to renew our dedication to the cause of peace. My delegation believes that it is called for to speed up and rapidly conclude the debate on the adoption of a universal definition of terrorism, as well as to draw up a detailed, comprehensive anti-terrorism convention. This idea has already received the unanimous backing of the member States of the Non-Aligned Movement, to which my country belongs, whose Twelfth Summit, held in Durban, South Africa, in 1998 reaffirmed the will of member States to refrain from organizing or facilitating acts of terrorism on the territory of other States or from participating in them. On the same occasion, the Summit unequivocally condemned all political, diplomatic, moral or material support for terrorism in all of its forms and aspects.

At its fifty-third session, the General Assembly decided to convene a high-level conference in the year 2000 to formulate an appropriate response on the part of the international community to the phenomenon of international terrorism and to all its forms and manifestations. So far that dream has not been realized, and my delegation has good reason to believe that the time has finally come to give serious thought to this.

In conclusion, I would like to pay a stirring tribute to Mr. George Pataki and Mr. Rudolph Giuliani, respectively the Governor of New York State and the Mayor of New York City, as well as to the population of the city, for their outstanding and responsible actions in the face of this terrible ordeal they are enduring.

Mr. Loizaga (Paraguay)

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