Security Council meeting 4845-Resu.1

Mr. Florent (France)

Allow me, in my purely personal capacity, to note that the work of the Security Council and its Counter-Terrorism Committee does not seem to be as popular a subject as Iraq. I regret that personally, but would point out that the Chamber is less crowded.

On a more serious note, my delegation fully adheres to the statement to be made by the Italian presidency of the European Union. In my national capacity, I wish to state our position on the current and future work of the Counter-Terrorism Committee.

The Committee has been in existence for two years now. Ever since its creation under resolution 1373 (2001), it has done work that we all rightly agree to have been outstanding. In accordance with its mandate, it has actively and effectively contributed to monitoring and facilitating the correct implementation by all States of resolution 1373 (2001) and of subsequent relevant Security Council resolutions, including resolution 1456 (2003) adopted at the ministerial level in January.

Without going into detail, I simply wish to highlight, first, the unprecedented number of national reports that the Committee has considered and assessed, with the valuable and effective assistance of the independent experts -- without whom this work could not have been carried out, and whom I personally wish to thank; secondly, the indispensable development of cooperation with regional organizations, including the European Union, and international organizations with competence in the war on terrorism, as evidenced by the joint meetings held on 6 March in New York and on 7 October in Washington, D.C.; thirdly, the efforts made to facilitate the provision of technical assistance to States that need it in order to help them fully to implement resolution 1373 (2001); and fourthly, the substantial increase since the adoption of resolution 1373 (2001) in the number of States parties to the various international anti-terrorism instruments, in particular the 1999 International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism. This rapid overview, although positive, must prompt us to give further thought to the experience gained and to the guidelines that we plan to provide for the work of the Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC).

It is important in working towards this goal that we do not lost sight of the fundamental principles that must guide our action. First of all, the war against terrorism must remain a major priority for the international community, in particular the Security Council. Secondly, it can be effectively carried out only with the determined participation of all. As recent events have tragically confirmed, no figure on the international stage -- including within the United Nations -- is safe from the global scourge of terrorism. Two years after the adoption of resolution 1373 (2001), the Security Council must remain the foundation for our deliberations in the campaign against terrorism.

Nevertheless, it seems to us that it would be desirable for the CTC -- while continuing with its essential tasks -- henceforth to commit itself more actively to evaluating the measures taken or announced by States with a view to fighting terrorism more effectively.

My delegation believes that a number of guidelines should be given pride of place. First, the CTC must focus further -- as it is beginning to do -- on ensuring that the efforts undertaken by States in implementation of resolution 1373 (2001) are commensurate with the terrorist threats against them. In this regard, through its evaluations, the Committee should intensify its consideration of the progress made by States in fully implementing resolution 1373 (2001), taking into account the effectiveness of measures adopted at both the legislative and administrative levels -- that is, the institutional structures set up to intensify the fight against terrorism. National reports should also be adapted along these lines. Such national reports -- which are indispensable -- are not, however, all we need. It is important that they be supplemented with other sources of available information which the Committee, in particular its independent experts, must receive from regional or international bodies, which are, in turn, engaging in evaluations of their members in various areas in the fight against terrorism. Such cooperation, if it avoids duplication, can only strengthen the effectiveness of the war against terrorism, which must be our primary concern.

Of course, in the context of this strengthened evaluation process, it is essential that technical assistance needs be duly taken into account. Given the magnitude of those needs and the limited resources available to satisfy those needs, priorities must inevitably be established. In this respect, there is a particular need to maintain and intensify the close cooperation between the CTC and the Counter-Terrorism Action Group, established by the Group of Eight during the Evian summit in June. It is the job that Group -- in whose meetings the CTC Chairman participated, with the agreement of all of the members of the Committee -- to better assess needs and priorities for technical assistance in the fight against terrorism. It is working with the CTC to strengthen global capacities to combat terrorism and thus to ensure that all Governments take effective measures to prevent any active or passive support for terrorism.

Secondly, it seems to us to be crucial that the work of the CTC, which, is by its very nature is technical, be more actively linked to the political level through the Security Council. In this respect, in accordance with the proposal made by France in the Council in April, my delegation welcomes the fact that the Spanish chairmanship of the Counter-Terrorism Committee provided, in the programme of work to be submitted to the Council by the end of November at the latest, an account of the major difficulties encountered in the implementation by States of resolution 1373 (2001). That report should, we believe, allow the Security Council -- which is, and must remain, the parent body of the CTC -- to take the necessary political measures with a view to supporting the action of the CTC in such a way as to ensure the full implementation of resolution 1373 (2001). What is at stake here is the credibility of all of the actions undertaken by the Security Council in the priority area of combating terrorism.

Mr. Mekdad (Syria)

The delegation of the Syrian Arab Republic welcomes the convening of this meeting and expresses its appreciation to Ambassador Inocencio Arias, Chairman of the Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC), for his extraordinary efforts over the past few months. Furthermore, my delegation would like to express its appreciation to the two Vice-Chairmen, the members of the Committee, the experts and the Secretariat for their successful efforts in fulfilling the mandate of the Committee throughout its past eight stages.

The Counter-Terrorism Committee has succeeded in fulfilling its responsibilities and mandate. Furthermore, the Committee has worked intensively to make progress in upgrading the capacities of Member States with a view to enabling them to align their national legislation with the requirements and provisions of resolution 1373 (2001). This success has been due to the interaction between most Member States and the Committee in the framework of resolution 1373 (2001), as demonstrated by the second and third reports submitted to the Committee. I am pleased to say that Syria is one of the States that have submitted their third reports in accordance with the timetable. Subsequently, on 9 September 2003, in the context of the sustained efforts made by Syria to combat terrorism, the President of the Syrian Arab Republic issued presidential decree number 59, which includes legislation to combat money-laundering and all other illicit financial transactions. That is yet a further demonstration of our sustained determination to coordinate efforts with the international community in fighting terrorism and the financing of terrorism.

We are also pleased that the Committee is continuing to maintain an open dialogue with all of the Members of the United Nations, in a framework of transparency, in order to facilitate the delivery of aid to those States that have expressed a need for such assistance with a view to upgrading their capabilities in fighting terrorism. We are grateful for the efforts of the assistance task force, which coordinates work between those countries that request assistance, the donor countries and those who are capable of rendering assistance. We also appreciate the genuine interaction between the Committee and regional, subregional and international organizations in accordance with their respective mandates.

Syria supports the ninth 90-day work programme submitted by the Chairman of the Counter-Terrorism Committee (S/2003/995, annex). In that context, Syria underlines its determination to continue all efforts to implement that programme within the framework of resolution 1373 (2001). My delegation also supports the continued mandate of the current officers and the current Chairman of the Committee, Mr. Arias, as we highly appreciate his efforts and his dedication to his work.

It gravely harms and distorts global efforts to claim to be fighting terrorism while practising terrorism daily on the ground, such as by committing crimes against humanity, war crimes, massacres and acts of aggression; displacing and killing civilians; pursuing settlement policies; annexing territories; violating international law and Security Council resolutions; and breaching treaties.

The danger of international terrorism requires joint global action without prejudice, double standards or the muzzling of world public opinion. Terrorism must be diagnosed in order to combat and end it. In that regard, we wish to stress the necessity of defining terrorism and of distinguishing between it and the legitimate right of peoples to liberation. The right of liberation is guaranteed by the Charter of the United Nations. It is an inherent right that must be upheld by all Member States, and all measures must be taken to preserve it.

Syria here reaffirms its firm commitment to combating terrorism and its continued cooperation with all members of the world community that wish to pursue that cooperation; it underlines the important role played by the Counter-Terrorism Committee and expresses its satisfaction at the work accomplished by the Committee in carrying out its mandate.

Mr. Khalid (Pakistan)

At the outset, I wish to congratulate Ambassador Arias on his successful completion of the first six months of his term as Chairman of the Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC). I also wish to thank him for his statement and for presenting the ninth 90-day work programme of the Committee (S/2003/995, annex).

We have noted the progress made by the Committee in the past three months. We hope that the Committee will be able to maintain its momentum and achieve the targets set for the next 90-day work programme. We appreciate the opportunity offered by our meeting today to reflect on the course of action that we have taken so far in countering terrorism and to plan for the future. We need to craft a strategic vision of the direction which our common efforts against terrorism have to take.

The CTC represents an important organized international response to global terrorism. We hope that the CTC will continue to perform its mandated tasks in an effective manner. It is important that the Committee consolidate its activities within its existing mandate. It should avoid assuming a policing role, which is beyond its mandate.

The effects of terrorism can be felt in almost every country today. Pakistan in particular has been exposed to terrorism for decades. However, Pakistan is resolved to combat that menace with full vigour. That is made abundantly clear by the successes Pakistan has registered in capturing more than 500 terrorists, including key operatives of Al Qaeda and the Taliban. Approximately 70,000 troops have been deployed in the harsh and inhospitable western region along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border to carry out interdiction operations against suspected terrorists.

We appreciate the CTC's continued commitment to maintaining transparency, as reflected in its work programme. That is crucial for winning the confidence and cooperation of all States in fighting terrorism. We have noted that a number of States have moved from stage A to stage B, namely, to the implementation of the counter-terrorism legal framework. Naturally, the Committee should expect a greater time commitment in reviewing a State's performance at this stage.

However, there is a need to balance reporting requirements with actual action on the ground. We hope that the issue of reporting fatigue will be adequately covered in the Chairman's report to the Council, to be presented by 15 November, on the problems encountered by States and the CTC in implementing the provisions of resolution 1373 (2001).

We support the CTC's contacts with regional and subregional organizations to coordinate efforts for counter-terrorism. We have noted the usefulness of the CTC's joint meeting with the Inter-American Committee Against Terrorism of the Organization of American States, held on 7 October in Washington. We look forward to the joint meeting of the CTC with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe in Vienna next March. However, we share the view expressed at the meeting in Washington that future meetings of the CTC with such organizations should also be held in different geographic regions.

I would like to take this opportunity to make a few comments on the general drift of our counter-terrorism efforts. First, we should arrive at a consensual legal definition of terrorism, including State terrorism, not only to lend clarity to our fight against terrorism but also to pre-empt its abuse.

Secondly, we need to examine the causes which lie at the roots of terrorism. The issues of political and socio-economic justice are not just fancy and exotic terms. The existence and quality of those factors are closely linked to the growth of, and support for, terrorism in a particular region.

Thirdly, human rights should be at the core of counter-terrorism efforts. Counter-terrorism should not be used as a cloak to violate the very freedoms and rights we are seeking to protect.

Fourthly, States have continued to make an opportunistic use of counter-terrorism measures. That applies in full measure to situations of foreign occupation and alien domination, particularly in Kashmir and in Palestine. It would be a travesty of justice to allow the perpetrators of terrorism to join the fight against terrorism. We should fully resist attempts to delegitimize just causes and the just struggles of peoples for their right to self-determination.

Terrorism has no faith. We should therefore avoid linking terrorism with any religion. Rather, we should direct our energies towards promoting interreligious and intercultural understanding and harmony.

Lastly, technical assistance constitutes an important element of the counter-terrorism work of the Committee. We need to enhance the capacity of Member States by providing them with sustainable technical assistance.

Mr. Karev (Russia)

First, I express our gratitude to the Chairman of the Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC), Ambassador Arias, for the report that he introduced on the work of the Committee.

Two years have passed since the adoption of resolution 1373 (2001) and the creation of the CTC. By United Nations standards, that period is sufficient to assess the Committee's work in implementing its mandate and to discuss its prospects. We welcome the intention of the Chairman of the Committee to prepare, by 15 November, a document on the difficulties States and the CTC are encountering in implementing the provisions of resolution 1373 (2001).

I wish to make the following points.

In its two years' existence, the CTC has clearly been playing a key role in the global anti-terrorism structural system. That is fair and justified. Thanks to its representativity, legitimacy and transparency, the Committee is one of the guarantors of a harmonious and united universal anti-terrorist coalition.

A great achievement of the CTC is the process it initiated of uniting the efforts of competent international, regional and subregional organizations in assisting States to implement the provisions of resolution 1373 (2001). Evidence of that was the successful holding of two meetings of those organizations, on 6 March in New York and on 7 October in Washington, D.C. It is gratifying that a growing number of international structures and organizations are demonstrating interest in participating in such events. In particular, readiness to become involved in this process was expressed recently by the Collective Security Treaty Organization. The Committee must continue to have an impact on this process, participating directly in the preparation and holding of subsequent meetings to ensure that their work is built on dialogue focused on the most pressing issues.

One of the most important objectives of the CTC is the establishment of mechanisms for an exchange of information between all parties to the global anti-terrorist coalition. A reliable instrument for achieving that objective is the Committee Internet site, which has been substantively improved recently. We hope that the site will soon eliminate the gap between the Russian and other language versions and the English version.

The CTC is doing a great deal of work to have States bring their legislation into line with the demands of resolution 1373 (2001) and to universalize participation in the 12 international anti-terrorist conventions in force. Figures were cited today confirming the substantive progress made in the past two years in this area. However, the work is still far from having been concluded, particularly regarding developing countries that need assistance in drafting appropriate legislation.

The Committee is paying a great deal of attention to establishing a system for rendering assistance to States to enhance their anti-terrorist potential. There have been some results, but, in our view, so far the CTC is unable to make full use of that potential.

With regard to a rather significant group of States, the Committee has embarked on a new phase of its work of determining the effectiveness of States' implementation and use of anti-terrorist legislation and of their law enforcement mechanisms.

It will be extremely difficult to carry out the CTC's tasks in this new phase solely by using today's means and methods. The members of the Committee should study what new elements must be introduced into its work so that it can fully implement its mandate during phases B and C.

In conclusion, we wish the CTC success in its further work to strengthen the anti-terrorist coalition of States.

Mr. Lucas (Angola)

The Security Council is meeting today to consider the quarterly report of the Chairman of the Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC) and its 90-day work programme, until the end of 2003, which my delegation fully endorses as a real contribution to the global fight against terrorism.

We praise the activity undertaken by Ambassador Inocencio Arias, current Chairman of the Committee, its members and the independent experts. We have taken note of the Committee's work regarding the implementation of resolution 1373 (2001) by reviewing the reports submitted by States, by ensuring that all States become parties as soon as possible to the relevant international conventions and protocols relating to terrorism; and by taking, in the area of assistance, a more proactive approach to its collaboration with States facing difficulties in complying fully with the provisions of resolution 1373 (2001) and strengthening cooperation with and among international, regional and subregional organizations with anti-terrorist programmes.

The fact that, by 30 September 2003, 48 States were late in submitting their reports to the CTC is a reality that reminds us of the urgent need to extend and strengthen CTC assistance to a large number of developing countries in order to make the existence of legislation and operational mechanisms to combat terrorism global and effective. A large number of developing countries have enacted anti-terrorist legislation, but their scarce financial, technical and human resources inhibit the implementation of such a legislative framework.

Moreover, those countries lack the capacity to deal effectively with border control and security, the movement of criminals, the smuggling of illicit drugs and illegal firearms and possible links with terrorists. We recognize the need for those countries to approach international standards in order to meet the great challenges ahead. However, to meet that goal, developing countries need long-term assistance focused on national and regional capacity-building in areas related to resolution 1373 (2001). Only through a concerted effort and international assistance will they be able to meet reporting requirements and strengthen their capacity to wage an effective fight against terrorism. We welcome the Committee's commitment to provide assistance to countries in need and its decision to adopt a more proactive approach to the delivery of assistance.

The CTC recognizes that cooperation with international, regional and subregional organizations is the main thrust of its programme of work. The meeting held on 7 March by the CTC with international, regional and subregional organizations concluded that the sharing of information and best practices relevant to global cooperation was one of the main instances of their coordinated approach for the suppression of terrorism. Regional and subregional organizations are a suitable forum for the exchange of information, setting standards and disseminating best practices among members.

The African Union set a pioneering example by establishing the Organization of African Unity Convention on the Prevention and Combating of Terrorism, generally called the Algiers Convention of 1999. Through the Convention, the African countries pursue a common objective, with joint action at the intergovernmental level for the exchange of information on the activities and movements of terrorist groups in Africa, and with actions designed to step up the fight against terrorism. In that regard, international cooperation is vital to build capacities in the African countries, allowing them to take more effective action at the national, subregional and continental levels against the financing of terrorism, to track terrorist networks and to apprehend terrorists and bring them to justice.

In conclusion, the approach and strategies for fighting terrorism have been agreed by consensus by the international community. The establishment of international standards and best practices; adherence by all States to them, the provision of technical assistance to States lagging behind in establishing the appropriate legislative and operational mechanisms to combat terrorism; and cooperation among international, regional and subregional organizations -- those are the main elements of the global strategy established by resolution 1373 (2001) that we are striving to implement.

Mr. Pujalte (Mexico)

Mexico is a member of the Rio Group, and associates itself with the statement that the Ambassador of Peru, Mr. Osvaldo de Rivero, will soon be making on behalf of the Rio Group.

My delegation would like first to express its gratitude to Ambassador Inocencio Arias of Spain for the work accomplished since he assumed the chairmanship of the Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC), and to the members of his team and the Committee experts. We also thank the Ambassador for his presentation of the report and programme of work.

Mexico is a member of the Committee. Being one of the Vice-Chairpersons, we work very closely with the Chairman and greatly appreciate his efforts. We are aware of his thinking and his programmes, and a lend them our full support.

As I have said, Peru will be making a statement on behalf of the Rio Group, so I shall be brief. But I would like to emphasize two points that my delegation considers very important and to make a few comments on the Committee's present and future work.

First, we consider that an important development in the work of the Committee has been the inclusion of a special section with explicit questions in the Committee's letters to Member States on the machinery that each country uses to deal with all kinds of weaponry, especially the illicit traffic of small arms and light weapons. This is an important step to ensure that the Committee can support the objectives of the United Nations Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects. It will thus contribute to solving problems that are clearly related and therefore require a joint and coordinated solution.

Secondly, I wish to refer to the protection of human rights. In our view, the Committee must maximize its efforts to ensure that counter-terrorism is carried out in full compliance with international humanitarian law and with respect for human rights. The inclusion of this issue in the letters to States will promote awareness of it. As the Security Council considers the changes to the CTC to improve its effectiveness, it should take account of the need to include a human rights expert on the Committee. That would enhance the Committee's legitimacy with all nations.

A step in the right direction was the inclusion of a section on human rights and terrorism on the Committee's Web site. We particularly welcome the link with the publication by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on the practices of the Organization and regional organizations with respect to the protection of human rights in the fight against terrorism. We ask the CTC to carefully study and carefully discuss this in order to clearly identify areas for its participation.

With regard to the current work of the Committee, I would like to refer to the identification of criteria for States that are moving from the implementation stage to the legislative measures recommended in accordance with resolution 1373 (2001), namely, stage B. We view positively the fact that at this new stage Committee experts will be in close contact with States to propose specific measures, case by case, and above all to identify the needs for assistance that States demonstrate.

Committee members have the sensitive task of giving the appropriate orientation, in close consultation with the experts, to define priorities for each country. We would like to make it clear that all States, whatever stage they have reached, must continue to submit reports and continue the dialogue with the Committee, no matter how advanced their own institutional or judicial mechanisms to combat terrorism may be.

It should be remembered that the obligations set forth in resolution 1373 (2001) apply to all Member States. We thus avoid focusing exclusively on one group of countries. The Committee should also continue to work on the basis of cooperation with, and assistance to, States that lack the capacity to meet all the requirements of resolution 1373 (2001). The Committee should continuously strengthen this aspect, in order to facilitate and maintain interest and momentum in the campaign against terrorism.

As for the CTC's future work, while it has certainly made headway, we perceive a weakness in its structure, owing to the Committee's full workload. The challenge now is for it to be efficient yet sufficiently flexible.

In that respect, my delegation awaits with interest the report on States' problems in complying with resolution 1373 (2001), as well as the difficulties in the structure and functioning of the CTC itself. That document should provide a foundation for real improvements in the Committee's work. Mexico will therefore be active and constructive in putting forward proposals.

On other matters, we view with interest the progress in strengthening dialogue with the relevant international, regional and subregional organizations. We welcome the recent meeting of the Organization of American States, of which Mexico is a member, to that end. Strengthening such links should help principally to complement efforts and avoid duplication or confusion in the areas of competence of the various organizations.

We support the initiative of the Chairman of accepting invitations to represent the Committee when he considers it advisable to do so.

I cannot conclude without saying that terrorism is one of the greatest threats facing the international community today. All Members of the Organization are agreed on this. But there is also consensus that the struggle against terrorism must not be waged in such a way that the values and principles that nourish our countries and the United Nations itself are weakened. My delegation will continue to insist that it must be pursued in accordance with human rights, international law and the Charter.

Mr. Zhang Yishan (China)

Allow me to begin by thanking you, Mr. President, for convening this open meeting. At the same time I wish to thank Ambassador Arias for his briefing on the work of the Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC).

Over the last three months, the Committee has achieved significant results in its work, which merits full acknowledgement from the Security Council. The Committee focused its deliberations on reports submitted by Member States on their implementation of Security Council resolution 1373 (2001) and has moved on to stage B in its deliberations on a number of countries.

At the same time the Committee is continuing to intensify its efforts in providing assistance to the fight against terrorism and encouraging its experts to actively engage Governments of Member States to learn about the difficulties they experience in implementing the resolution and the assistance they need, and to follow up on the provision of assistance.

On 7 October, the Committee, in conjunction with the Inter-American Committee against Terrorism of the Organization of American States, organized a second special meeting with national regional and subregional organizations, thereby further enhancing the communication and cooperation among various organizations in the fight against terrorism.

China supports the CTC's ninth 90-day work programme. We believe the CTC should further intensify its efforts in providing assistance to the fight against terrorism, and to take all possible measures to meet the assistance requests of the large numbers of developing countries.

We hope the new requirements in this context, as reflected in the ninth 90-day work programme will be effectively complied with. We support the CTC in its efforts to further enhance its communication and cooperation with international, regional and subregional organizations, while ensuring the CTC's leading role in the worldwide fight against terrorism. The authority and legitimacy of the CTC, established pursuant to Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter, are irreplaceable.

Terrorism remains a major threat against international peace and security. Combating terrorism is an arduous and complex long-term task. In order to more effectively combat terrorism, the international community, in the fight against it, should abide by the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter and the fundamental norms of international law.

The fight against terrorism should address its symptoms as well as its causes, focusing on eradication of the root causes that breed terrorism. For this purpose, there should be a comprehensive approach encompassing economic, political and social dimensions. In particular, efforts should be made to solve the conflict in question, and to actively help developing countries eradicate poverty.

We also believe there should be no double standards in the fight against terrorism. All terrorist organizations should be targeted relentlessly, but at the same time, the fight against terrorism should not be used as a pretext to wilfully expand the scope of such combat. International cooperation should also be enhanced in the fight against terrorism.

China supports the leading role of the United Nations in the fight against terrorism worldwide. We support strengthening the role of the CTC. We will continue to work with the Chairman and the members of the Committee to advance the work of the CTC to a new stage.

Mr. Quintero (Spain)

On behalf of Spain, we would simply like to add a proposal to the CTC Chairman's statement earlier today that in the presidential statement at the conclusion of this meeting, a paragraph -- already distributed to Council members -- be included, clearly declaring the Security Council's and the Organization's condemnation of all acts of terrorism. The wording is specifically drawn from Security Council resolution 1456 (2003). We are proposing that this now-distributed paragraph, which condemns terrorism in explicit terms, be part of the presidential statement.

The President

I thank the representative of Spain. I understand that proposal has been accepted and the draft presidential statement is being amended accordingly.

I shall now make a statement in my capacity as the representative of the United States.

Terrorism is an ever-present threat. Those who engage in it do so because they are not interested in peace. Yesterday, an American diplomatic convoy was bombed in Gaza. The Americans who were attacked were pursuing a vision for a better future for the Palestinian people. They were there to interview young Palestinian candidates for Fulbright scholarships to study in the United States. We send our heartfelt condolences to the families of the brave Americans who were killed and injured serving our country and its ideals. We not only condemn the attacks, we warn the attackers: you can run but you cannot hide.

Two years ago, this body met to adopt Security Council resolution 1373 (2001), a central component of the Council's robust response to the horrific attacks of 11 September 2001. The Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC) was established to monitor, promote and assist in its implementation.

As we endorse the Committee's work programme for the next 90 days, it is worth both recalling some of the Committee's accomplishments and reminding this body of the important challenges that remain.

As one of the key Security Council counter-terrorist instruments, the CTC has given new, important, international legal and political authority to the counter-terrorism efforts of many nations and intergovernmental organizations. It has placed the issue of terrorism and the international community's capabilities to confront it on the agenda of the United Nations and other intergovernmental bodies. It has spurred organizations around the world to undertake enhanced counter-terrorism planning with their member States. It is recognized as the worldwide clearinghouse for counter-terrorism information, assistance, and cooperation. It has achieved universal engagement in resolution 1373 (2001), with all 191 Member States submitting reports on their counter-terrorism capabilities and on the steps they have taken to implement the resolution.

Through the CTC's efforts, the number of States joining the international conventions relating to terrorism, and the progress of many States in enacting domestic legislation implementing those conventions, has been significantly increased.

While much of the material submitted by States is as yet unverified -- and must be verified -- this universal engagement constitutes a significant mobilization of political will and the first-ever worldwide audit of States' counter-terrorism capabilities. In short, the Committee has focused and organized States' attention on counter-terrorism and laid the foundation for significant upgrades in capacity-building.

Although the Committee should be proud of these accomplishments, it must not be complacent. Based on the work programme laid out last March, in the coming months we would like to see the Committee take steps to build on the work already done. Working with relevant functional and regional organizations, the Committee should verify more effectively than heretofore the steps that States have taken to implement the resolution. It is not simply the accession to conventions and protocols, nor the enacting of domestic legislation, that will show the CTC's accomplishments, but the actual effectiveness of each country in fighting terrorism.

To help accomplish this goal, Committee experts working with experts from the relevant functional and regional organizations, should visit several capitals to discuss implementation of resolution 1373 (2003). For example, officials in many capitals can benefit from discussing both the specifics in the CTC's letters directly with the Committee's experts, as well as the assistance that might be available to address needs. As with the Committee's work to date, these consultations in country capitals would aim to learn more about the areas where implementation is incomplete and where Member States need assistance, and that message would be carried back to the Committee and to other intergovernmental organizations and States that can assist.

A number of global and regional organizations are already sending representatives on such missions to discuss matters that relate to some elements of resolution 1373 (2001). For the Committee to maintain its long-term primacy and relevance, it should, whenever appropriate, participate in these missions. The March meeting with those Organizations showed that they are interested in working cooperatively with each other and with the Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC) in this area.

Given the important work that remains to be done, it is essential that the Committee receive increased support from Member States, all parts of the United Nations system and organizations engaged in the fight against terrorism. It must act with a renewed sense of urgency, as if 9/11 took place yesterday -- not more than two years ago. The Committee must not wait for the next major terrorist act to occur in order to become re-energized. As the Committee begins its next phase of work, it must never forget that we will all be vulnerable to terrorism as long as States have counter-terrorism needs that are not being addressed.

In addition, the Council must continue to play an active role in the fight against terrorism. While its subsidiary bodies, such as the CTC, are important instruments, there are times when Council action will be necessary. The Council must therefore be prepared to act. We look forward to the coming reports of Ambassador Arias to the CTC and the Council, as he works to take the Committee to an intensified level of action and effectiveness.

Before concluding, I would like to echo the words of praise spoken here for Chairman Arias, his dedicated staff at the Spanish Mission and the Committee's experts and secretarial staff. All of them deserve our heartfelt congratulations for their work in making the Committee the success that it is. Through the vigorous and committed leadership and creativity of Chairman Arias, we are confident that the Committee will meet the challenges that lie ahead. We all owe him our strongest support.

I resume my function as President of the Council.

In order to optimize the use of our time, I will not individually invite speakers to take seats at the Council table. When a speaker is taking the floor, the Conference Officer will seat the next speaker on the list at the table.

The next speaker inscribed on my list is the representative of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, to whom I now give the floor.

Mr. Elmessallati (Libya)

At the outset, allow me to thank you, Mr. President, for convening this meeting and for giving us an opportunity to participate. I would also like to convey our gratitude to Ambassador Inocencio Arias, Chairman of the Committee established pursuant to resolution 1373 (2001), for the commendable effort he has made as the Committee's Chairman and for the excellent briefing he gave us this morning, which detailed the efforts being made by the Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC) to exercise its mandate and presented us with a detailed view of the Committee's work in the upcoming 90 days. As in the past, my delegation will continue to afford the Committee's work our full cooperation and attention, in the hope that the Committee will make further progress and achieve greater success.

The Libyan Arab Jamahiriya has always pursued a basic policy of renouncing and condemning all forms of terrorism at every national, regional and international forum. That position is based on our total conviction that terrorism is a threat to the peace, security and stability of the world's peoples and whose disastrous effects are not limited to any State or region. Terrorism's effects are felt by everyone, irrespective of religious, national or cultural affiliation. Its negative implications also have an impact upon every area of socio-economic development and saps national and international resources that could otherwise be directed towards that development.

We believe that terrorism has neither religion nor identity. We therefore categorically reject any attempt to link the phenomenon of terrorism to a specific religion or culture or to label indiscriminately as terrorists persons who belong to a given culture or who follow a particular religion. The evils of terrorism have affected people of different religions and cultures. There are numerous examples of that fact, and it is not my intention to go into detail about them here.

Libya's position of principle has therefore been to condemn and renounce terrorism and to seek ways to combat it and eradicate it. Libya had been combating terrorism for years, even before the world woke up to this scourge. We believe that, in that respect, Libya was the first to draw the world's attention to the dangers of terrorism. While we urged that terrorists be tried, some supported terrorists and considered them to be freedom-fighters. Many States hosted and sheltered terrorists and encouraged them to pursue their terrorist activities. Since the mid-1990s we had called on Interpol to arrest certain terrorist elements -- persons who were subsequently proven to have been involved in international terrorism.

Along with other Member States, we have called for an international conference to be held under the auspices of the United Nations to address the terrorist phenomenon, its root causes and the ways and means to combat it, as well as to decide on a clear definition of terrorism. The lack of a clear definition of terrorism may dilute international efforts to combat terrorism, thereby weakening their effect.

In that regard, we reiterate our call for the need to differentiate between terrorism and the right of peoples to self-determination. It is simply unacceptable for the two concepts to be equated and for those who are fighting for freedom and independence to be treated in the same way as those who turn to terrorism as a way of realizing goals that are based in no logic, law or right. There is no doubt that occupation and foreign hegemony are among the worst forms of terrorism.

Libya, perhaps more than any other State, is aware of the dangers of terrorism and its disastrous consequences. We have suffered from various types of terrorism and we have paid a heavy price for the terrorism that was perpetrated against us for many long years. State terrorism is the worst form of terrorism. Many Member States have been subjected to it, and it is currently a scourge on the Palestinian people.

We are therefore eager to ensure the success of each and every initiative to combat and eradicate terrorism in all its forms. Terrorism is an evil that must be defeated and eradicated. All Member States and members of the international community should intensify their efforts in this regard in order to strengthen international peace and security and eliminate all the dangers that threaten them.

The President

I now give the floor to the representative of Yemen.

Mr. Alsaidi (Yemen)

Once again, I would like to express to you, Mr. President, our appreciation for your wise guidance of the work of the Security Council. I would also like to pay tribute to the role being played by Ambassador Inocencio Arias, Ambassador of Spain and Chairman of the Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC), which was created in accordance with resolution 1373 (2001).

I say nothing new when I emphasize that everything that has been done to combat terrorism adds up to achievements of which the Organization can justly be proud. This also shows what can be achieved by collective will in the face of a plethora of diverse challenges that know no political borders or national sovereignty. We can cope with such challenges only through collective efforts.

Contrary to the case of the war in Iraq and the divisions and divergences in viewpoints and positions that emerged, the international community was unanimous in its will to combat terrorism. That struggle was, and is still, based on consensus and on international cooperation -- the best guarantee of success in this area.

For its part, the Republic of Yemen was aware of the phenomenon of terrorism and of its growth well before the tragic events of 11 September 2001. The Republic of Yemen was also aware of the dangers it posed to peace, to society and to collective security. In that light, my Government has made the campaign against terrorism one of its top priorities and has thus undertaken a number of measures aimed at containing and eradicating terrorism. The Security Council Committee established under resolution 1373 (2001) has made clear what has been achieved, as can be seen from the reports, including the third additional report.

The Government of the Republic of Yemen is also working unilaterally and jointly with interested countries to implement other measures in this respect to combat terrorism in an ongoing manner within the country. This is clear evidence of Yemen's will to eradicate the phenomenon of terrorism in all its forms.

Terrorism is alien to Yemeni soil. Terrorism has been denounced by our Muslim religion and by our Arab traditions. We are opposed to terrorism, both in theory and in practice, and to all who claim to possess the truth but do not respect the opinions of others.

We cannot accept the attempts of some to impose by force their points of view on others. Such is our position of principle regarding terrorism within and outside Yemen.

Here, however, we would like to emphasize that up to now, measures of international cooperation have not been able to contain this phenomenon, much less eradicate it. That, in our view, is due to the fact that the way in which this problem is being dealt with is characterized by an incomplete vision and errors in terms of method.

Here we are in full agreement with what was stated in the report of the Secretary-General regarding the work of the Organization this year -- namely that efforts made to combat terrorism require the strengthening of measures to alleviate poverty, to redress injustices, to strengthen good governance and to promote tolerance.

At the same time, the war on terrorism requires the establishment of a new world order based on humanitarian principles and on equity. The political leaders of the Republic of Yemen have called for a unified vision to be developed, within the framework of a high-level international conference to be held under the auspices of the United Nations, to study the phenomenon of terrorism and to lay down a strategy that would include practical solutions for addressing the reasons and motivations behind this phenomenon and its development.

In conclusion, we would like to reiterate our readiness to work for the success of efforts to draft an international convention that would represent a legal point of reference for fighting terrorism. We would like to reaffirm the importance of establishing a clear definition of terrorism that would cover all terrorist acts, whether they be perpetrated by individuals, by groups or by States.

Like many other Members of this Organization, we cannot accept a formula that would deny peoples their legitimate right to fight against foreign occupation. We would like to reiterate the principled dedication of the Government of the Republic of Yemen to separating terrorism from legitimate resistance, which has been enshrined in legislation of all kinds.

The President

The next speaker is the representative of Peru, on whom I now call.

Mr. De Rivero (Peru)

I have the honour to address the Council on behalf of the member States of the Rio Group -- Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Chile, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Uruguay, Venezuela and my own country, Peru.

The Rio Group welcomes this open debate in the Security Council to consider the quarterly programme of work of the Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC) and reiterates its resolute rejection of terrorism and its determined support for the very positive work of the CTC, chaired by Ambassador Inocencio Arias of Spain.

Since the most recent open debate, held on 23 July, an unprecedented and outrageous event befell the international community: the terrorist attack against the United Nations, which we deeply deplore and strongly condemn. The criminal terrorist act in Baghdad that ended the lives of distinguished officials of our Organization -- including that of Sergio Vieira de Mello and others from the four corners of the world -- remind us that no one is safe from the ravages of terrorist acts perpetrated against innocent people, including officials who were carrying out humanitarian work aimed at alleviating the suffering of the Iraqi people. The entire international community, including its humanitarian activities, is vulnerable to this scourge, as demonstrated, tragically, every day.

But since the Council's last open meeting, on 23 July, there have been some positive events in the fight against terrorism. There is the meeting last week at the headquarters of the Organization of American States in Washington held by this Committee and the Inter-American Committee Against Terrorism with international regional and subregional organizations. That meeting dealt with the distribution of information by all participating organizations, building operative capacities and the implementation of a joint programme. All that has been mutually beneficial and has strengthened the collective effort to advance practical ways of increasing the means and capacities of States in the fight against terrorism.

The member States of the Rio Group reiterate our conviction of the need to define and execute a global strategy against terrorism. In this globalized world, the fight against terrorism is not just a national matter. The means and procedures to confront it must also be global and integral, having as their basis the shared responsibility of all States. Each State bears a specific responsibility. The international community must cooperate with regard to legal activities, policing, equipment, technology, exchange of information, intelligence activities and budgets, inter alia, within the context of full respect for human rights, the United Nations Charter and international law.

Furthermore, to combat terrorism effectively it is necessary, as the Secretary-General has reminded us recently, to fight its deepest roots and identify means of tackling them. The authority of our Organization, its scope, its legitimacy and, most importantly, the way it represents the desire of all of its Members for cooperation constitute the best guarantee for leading and promoting action in this area.

In this regard, we are concerned at the lack of political will to achieve substantive progress towards framing a general convention against terrorism and a convention to eliminate acts of nuclear terrorism. We believe it is necessary to redouble our efforts in order to resolve in a constructive manner the few outstanding questions that have so far been impeding the finalization of these negotiations.

Regarding the Committee's programme of work for this ninth session, we are pleased that it is continuing to work in a matrix that connects the aid and cooperation needed by countries with the offers extended for such assistance and that continues to develop a global counter-terrorism information network, to modernize the web site of the Committee and to promote the universal participation in the 12 international agreements and protocols on counter-terrorism.

Moreover, we appreciate the constructive proposals of the Chairman of the Committee to assess the difficulties encountered by States in their implementation of resolution 1373 (2001), as well as the structure and functioning of the Committee itself.

The member States of the Rio Group will continue to submit our reports and to cooperate so that the work of the Committee -- to harmonize the implementation of measures against terrorism and to put into operation mechanisms for international cooperation at various levels -- contributes to devising and implementing a global strategy in the struggle against this criminal activity.

The President

I give the floor to the representative of Switzerland.

Mr. Staehelin (Switzerland)

I would like to thank Ambassador Arias, Chairman of the Security Council Committee created under resolution 1373 (2001), for his statement on the work already accomplished by the Committee and for the programme of work for its ninth trimester, submitted this morning.

Terrorism did not come into being on 11 September 2001. But on that day its face took on particularly odious and murderous features. In earlier years, terrorists assassinated monarchs and politicians but hesitated at striking innocent civilians in such great numbers. Today, however, terrorist groups no longer have any moral or religious scruples. They are deliberately targeting civilians and can have access to modern technologies with unprecedented destructive power.

In the face of the worsening of the terrorist threat, it was imperative that international cooperation be intensified. Switzerland welcomes the role played by the United Nations in this matter, particularly through the use of instruments of multilateral cooperation and by the Committee established pursuant to resolution 1373 (2001). The United Nations is also taking preventive measures by working to combat those injustices that form the breeding ground from which certain terrorist groups fill their ranks. In the long term, the fight against terrorism will succeed only if we can reduce those injustices and inequalities, defend human dignity and develop dialogue between different cultures and religions.

I would like to take advantage of this open debate, briefly and for the first time here before the Security Council, to outline the steps taken by my country to prevent and suppress terrorism.

First, in the area of police and judicial cooperation, Switzerland cooperates closely with various countries in the pursuit of terrorist groups and in the identification of their sources of funding.

Switzerland has also strengthened its legislative arsenal. Changes have been made in the penal code to increase the means for combating the financing of terrorism. Banks and financial intermediaries have been obliged to increase their vigilance. Those legislative modifications permitted Switzerland to ratify, last 23 September, the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism and the International Convention for the Suppression of Terrorist Bombing. Switzerland therefore is now party to the 12 main United Nations conventions on terrorism whose ratifications were requested by resolution 1373 (2001).

Regarding measures decided by the Security Council against Al Qaeda and the Taliban, Switzerland has applied them integrally from the start. By decree, the Swiss Government has adopted and rapidly updated the measures necessary to implement the sanctions set out in resolution 1267 (1999) and in subsequent resolutions. Switzerland is also cooperating closely with other countries and with the Counter-Terrorism Committee in implementing Security Council resolution 1373 (2001). My country has already submitted three reports to the Committee detailing the measures undertaken.

With regard to technical assistance, Switzerland has provided various forms of support to other countries in the fight against terrorism and its financing. Such technical assistance includes the training of legal experts for the drafting of new legislative texts. It also aims to train banking executives or representatives of financial administrations to recognize suspicious operations involving money-laundering or the financing of terrorism. Within the framework of its participation in the Group of Eight Action Group -- established to fight terrorism and to assist other countries in that area -- Switzerland will continue its commitment with regard to technical assistance.

Finally, Switzerland is participating actively in negotiations with a view to adopting a comprehensive convention against terrorism. It has played a facilitating role on certain points during the ongoing negotiations in the Sixth Committee of the General Assembly and hopes that those negotiations will conclude swiftly.

Preventing and suppressing terrorism is a long-term fight. The international community must remain firm in its resolve to carry on that struggle. It must also see to it that, in doing so, it does not sacrifice respect for human rights and for the rule of law. In recent years, disturbing tensions have appeared between security and freedom. However, Switzerland is convinced that it is not necessary to compromise fundamental freedoms in order to ensure effectiveness in the fight against terrorism.

In conclusion, Switzerland must congratulate the Counter-Terrorism Committee on the remarkable work accomplished in two years. We invite it to pursue, in a spirit of tried-and-true consultation, close dialogue with Member States and to increase its cooperation with regional organizations and specialized technical bodies such as Interpol, the World Customs Organization, the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.

The President

I give the floor to the representative of Italy.

Mr. Mantovani (Italy)

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union. The acceding countries Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia; the associated countries Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey; and the European Free Trade Association countries members of the European Economic Area Iceland and Norway align themselves with this statement.

At the outset, I should like to join other speakers in expressing thanks to Ambassador Arias for the excellent work performed by the Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC).

The significant results that have been achieved over the past few years in the worldwide fight against terrorism should not be underestimated. Top leaders of terrorist networks have been arrested in Europe, Asia and other regions. Criminal proceedings and trials are under way in several countries, and many sentences have already been handed down. Terrorist cells have been disrupted and attacks foiled in several countries. None of those successes would have been possible without close cooperation among the law enforcement, intelligence and judicial authorities of various nations. This type of cooperation is still the international community's approach to peace and security.

Nonetheless, the threat of terrorism remains a major source of concern. While the terrorist network has suffered major blows, it has also shown extraordinary resilience and a strong ability to adapt to changing situations. It does so by decentralizing its planning and operations and by reconstituting its bases and safe havens elsewhere, especially in failed States or in countries with particularly weak public institutions.

The European Union recognizes and supports the central role of the United Nations in the fight against terrorism worldwide. Within that framework, the European Union stresses the need for closer cooperation between the United Nations, in particular the Counter-Terrorism Committee, and regional and subregional organizations. The European Union is actively engaged in political dialogue and multifaceted cooperation with several of those organizations. Most recently, the European Union participated in two significant initiatives: the seminar hosted by the Chinese Government in Beijing on 22 and 23 September 2003 within the framework of the Asia-Europe Meeting, and the meeting organized by the CTC and the Organization of American States in Washington, D.C., on 7 October 2003.

On this occasion, I should like to reiterate some of the basic principles underlying the strategy of the European Union.

First of all, the European Union unequivocally condemns all acts of terrorism as criminal and stresses that terrorism is never justifiable, irrespective of its alleged motivations, objectives, forms or manifestations.

The fight against terrorism must be conducted with full respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, the rule of law and, where applicable, international humanitarian law. In its internal anti-terrorist legislation, the European Union and its member States have set high standards for the safeguarding of human rights.

The European Union considers Security Council resolution 1373 (2001) to be the cornerstone of the international community's cooperation strategy and is firmly committed to its implementation. I should like to highlight some of its basic aspects. The signature, ratification and full implementation of the 12 international conventions against terrorism are a top priority for the European Union. The European Union's members and acceding countries are now parties to the vast majority of those conventions. We strongly encourage all other members of the United Nations to act in that direction. Regional organizations have a crucial role to play, since they can reaffirm their commitment by actively monitoring the progress being made on signature and ratification of the conventions by their respective member States.

The fight against the financing of terrorism is equally crucial. We have increased our efforts and our effectiveness in that field, focusing our attention on cutting off financial flows and other forms of support from terrorist organizations. A list of terrorist individuals, groups and entities is regularly reviewed and updated.

A workshop on terrorism financing, organized jointly by the Italian European Union presidency and the European Commission, will be held in Brussels on 7 November 2003. That forum will provide an opportunity to pursue political dialogue and to exchange information and best practices on problems related to the implementation of international obligations stemming from the relevant Security Council resolutions.

Technical assistance aimed at strengthening counter-terrorism capacity-building is another basic tenet of the European Union's strategy. In addition to programmes carried out by individual member States, the European Commission has launched pilot projects in a few countries in consultation with the Counter-Terrorism Committee.

In that context, the European Union also recognizes the role of the Terrorism Prevention Branch of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime to assist States in implementing their obligations arising from Security Council resolution 1373 (2001), particularly in becoming parties to and fully implementing the relevant international conventions and protocols related to terrorism. We believe that effective technical coordination in that field is crucial to the success of counter-terrorism capacity- building.

Special attention should be dedicated to the links between terrorism and organized crime, especially trafficking in drugs and human beings. In many instances, funds generated from these criminal activities help finance terrorism. Terrorist organizations also seek to take advantage of migration flows in order to infiltrate countries and execute their deadly projects.

Faced with the serious challenge of terrorism and its global threat to peace and security, the international community must continue to respond with a strategy of cooperation at all levels. To this end, the European Union supports the role of the competent United Nations agencies and bodies in helping to strengthen the United Nations capacity to counter terrorism and advise Member States on the implementation of the pertinent Security Council resolutions and the United Nations legal instruments against terrorism.

The President

I now give the floor to the representative of Uganda.

Mr. Butagira (Uganda)

Allow me to congratulate you, Sir, on your assumption of your important post and to wish you well. Equally, I thank your predecessor, the representative of the United Kingdom, for work well done.

I thank the Chairman of the Counter-Terrorism Committee, Ambassador Arias, for the excellent work being done by his Committee.

I would like to thank the Security Council for organizing this important debate. Issues of peace and security are a shared responsibility of members of the Security Council and non-members alike. The dialogue should continue on this and other important issues of international concern.

I will begin with a simple story. About a month ago, my wife and I travelled to Toronto, Canada, to see our daughter, who had just produced twins. At La Guardia airport, we went through a security check. I was told to remove my shoes and so was my wife. As I was going through the metal detector, something made noise. I did not know what it was. I was told to remove my trouser belt, which had a metal clip, and in the process my trousers nearly dropped down. Still, the noise sounded. I had no metal on me anymore. It was an awkward situation. They would not let me go. Suddenly, I remembered that, in my right leg, there are metal nails which doctors had used to piece together my broken bones as a result of an accident I had sustained. I explained to the security personnel and I was scared that they would not let me go unless, of course, the nails were removed and I were made to go in a wheelchair, unable to walk. Eventually I was let to go. Such, then, was my embarrassment and humiliation and I am sure many here have gone through similar experiences at airports. That is the price we have to pay to counter terrorism.

A lot of money has been spent on gadgets to alleviate the terrorist threat. People have reduced their travel, affecting tourism earnings. The terrorists are forcing us to change our way of life and they should not be allowed to do so. The money diverted to fight terrorist threats could have been used for development purposes and to advance mankind's potential. A lot of lives have been lost and properties destroyed in terrorist attacks. Uganda condemns the indiscriminate use of violence against civilians and its authors.

Here, I want to extend Uganda's condolences to the families of those brave Americans who died for a noble cause just a few days ago in Gaza.

The terrorist threat will not even spare those misguided elements or rogue nations that sponsor terrorism. Terrorists have gradually upped the stakes over the years. From conventional weapons, now they are reaching for weapons of mass destruction. The growing availability of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons has increased the chance of those weapons falling into the hands of non-State actors and, particularly terrifyingly, into the hands of these mindless merchants of terror. Should this prospect come to pass, the world will be brought to a deadly and terrifying precipice.

The time to act is now. The international community needs to work more urgently to ensure the non-proliferation and eventual total elimination of nuclear weapons, as well as the elimination of all weapons of mass destruction. We must also develop verifiable mechanisms for the control and tracing of conventional weapons, including small arms and light weapons, to ensure that they do not fall into irresponsible hands.

In Africa, many of our countries have been victims of terrorist acts perpetrated from both within and without. My own country, Uganda, has had to defend itself at great cost, both in human lives and financial resources, against terrorist attacks by thugs and bandits based beyond our borders. That is why we were compelled to send our troops to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in exercise of the right of self-defence and in accordance with bilateral agreements, in order to destroy the camps and supply lines of these bandits. That is also why we have had to send our troops to southern Sudan, with the agreement of the Government of the Sudan, in order to eliminate the terrorists of the so-called Lord's Resistance Army, who for the past 17 years have used that area as a springboard to terrorize the innocent villagers of northern Uganda. Similar stories are occurring daily in many areas of Africa.

Today, we would like to call upon the international community, particularly the Security Council, whose primary mandate is to ensure international peace and security, to assume their responsibility and to address in a substantive way the growing menace of international terrorism. In addition to the elaboration of multilateral mechanisms and instruments to combat terrorism, our countries should be assisted financially and technically in building capacity for the detection, prevention and combating of the scourge of terrorism.

In Uganda, we have passed an anti-terrorism act that criminalizes terrorism and its financing. The financial institutions are required to comply with the act as far as the financing of terrorism is concerned. We have also put into place anti-money-laundering measures and soon will enact legislation to that effect.

Assistance is needed for the training of security personnel, the acquisition of necessary equipment and the restriction of the movements of terrorists and their funds across borders. Otherwise, the very existence of States, the livelihood of their citizens and, ultimately, international peace and security are threatened.

Finally, Uganda has continued to submit reports to the Counter-Terrorism Committee, as required under resolution 1373 (2001). We support Germany's proposal for creating the office of a coordinator to act as a focal point for the United Nations effort to fight terrorism.

The President

I thank the representative of Uganda for his expression of condolence.

I now give the floor to the representative of Japan.

Mr. Haraguchi (Japan)

The growing threat of terrorism -- as demonstrated by the bombings at a hotel in Jakarta, Indonesia, and at the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad in August; at the city centre of Mumbai, India, last month; as well as the frequently occurring terrorist attacks in Iraq in recent months -- poses an extremely grave challenge to our effort to build a more decent world.

I would like to reiterate the importance of resolute action on the part of the international community in the fight against terrorism and to touch upon the following three points in that connection.

First, I have repeatedly point out that it is important to deny safe haven to terrorists. Despite the repeated appeals of the international community, the number of contracting parties to the counter-terrorism conventions and protocols is still far from satisfactory. In this connection, Japan has organized a seminar that is being held today and tomorrow in Tokyo with a view to encouraging accession to these counter-terrorism conventions by countries in South-East Asia.

International and regional efforts are also essential in order to deny safe haven to terrorists. We welcome the strengthening of cooperation between the CTC and other international and regional organizations. One example of a regional effort in Asia was the Asia-Europe Meeting seminar on anti-terrorism held last month in Beijing, co-sponsored by China, Denmark, Germany, Spain and Japan. My country is determined to continue efforts to further strengthen such international and regional cooperation.

Secondly, as regards the task of denying terrorists access to the means of committing acts of terror, the importance of promoting the conclusion of the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism and of strictly implementing the sanctions imposed on Al Qaeda and the Taliban by Security Council resolution 1267 (1999) and subsequent resolutions can hardly be overemphasized. Efforts by Member States, however, should not stop there. They need to go well beyond these measures. Japan has frozen the assets of the military wing of Hamas, in accordance with resolution 1373 (2001), but in the light of the fact that Hamas has expressed its tolerance of and support for terrorism, we have decided to take measures to freeze the assets of Hamas as a whole. We believe that these measures taken by my country will encourage further efforts by the Palestinian Authority to dismantle the terrorist infrastructure, as required by the road map, and thus contribute to achieving peaceful coexistence between Israelis and Palestinians and to bringing about peace in the Middle East.

With regard to the arms that can be used as a direct means of committing terrorist acts, we welcome the recent recommendation of the Group of Governmental Experts on the United Nations Register of Conventional Arms that man-portable air defence systems be included among the categories of arms subject to registration and reporting. We hope that the inclusion of these weapons in the United Nations Register, once agreed upon by Member States, will make a significant contribution to preventing terrorists from acquiring them.

We are also of the view that the CTC and the Security Council as a whole should seriously address the issue of the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction in the context of our fight against terrorism.

Thirdly, lack of capacity due to a variety of constraints prevents many developing countries from taking effective counter-terrorism measures, although they recognize their importance and have the earnest intention of implementing them. It is essential to extend assistance for capacity-building to those developing countries. Japan will continue to contribute in this area through activities such as inviting conference and seminar participants from developing countries, in coordination with the CTC.

The necessity of addressing the root causes of terrorism has been underscored on numerous occasions. Identifying and addressing the root causes is crucial, and all parties are called upon to make a serious effort to eradicate them. However, while acknowledging the need to address the underlying causes of terrorism, we can never accept the existence of root causes as justification for the use of terrorism or as an excuse for delay in taking effective counter-terrorism measures. We should be aware that only with resolute will and determined action will we be able to overcome the threat of terrorism.

The President

I give the floor to the representative of Israel.

Mr. Mekel (Israel)

Allow me at the outset to pay tribute to the Ambassador of Spain, Mr. Inocencio Arias, for his stewardship as Chairman of the Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC). Under his leadership, the CTC continues to play a vanguard role in the global campaign against terrorism, in assisting and monitoring State implementation of resolution 1373 (2001). Israel takes this opportunity to reaffirm our support for the work of the CTC and assure it of our full cooperation.

The war on terrorism has not been won. Although both committees established by the Security Council to fight that scourge have made significant contributions since the Council last discussed this issue in July, there is a risk of increasing complacency. On the day that a terror attack succeeds, gruesome pictures are broadcast across the globe, and we are overwhelmed with genuine sympathy for the victims. But our resolve to fight terrorism -- not merely to condemn it -- must remain even when the images fade.

Recent attacks have demonstrated that extremist elements are willing and able to strike at any target, in any hemisphere, without concern or regard for human life. In Baghdad in late August a terrorist bomb ripped through United Nations headquarters, killing the top United Nations envoy in Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello, among many other victims. In Haifa this month, a homicide bomber blew up the Maxim restaurant, destroying over 40 years of Arab and Jewish cooperation, killing 21 Israeli civilians, including three whole families, and wounding over 60. Just yesterday, three American citizens were killed in a terrorist attack in the Gaza Strip as they were on their way in convoy to interview Palestinian students for scholarship grants. No part of the world -- New York, Washington, Mombassa, Karachi, Bali, New Delhi, Mumbai, Casablanca, Jerusalem -- is immune from the scourge of this global threat.

We need an international partnership -- a coordinated global approach to combating international terrorism. Israel welcomes the efforts of the Chairman of the CTC to develop a new activist agenda for the that body, and we look forward to the expansion of existing bilateral and multilateral activities to strengthen both the political will and the practical capabilities of States to this end.

Global anti-terrorism conferences, such as those organized by the CTC and the Organization of American States (OAS) in New York and Washington this month, serve as instruments to establish the legal parameters for all regions and Governments to collaborate to devise effective strategies and implement policies to dismantle networks that provide financial and logistical support to terrorists.

Regional organizations like the OAS serve a vital role as catalysts and intermediaries, working in conjunction with the CTC to meet the specific needs of Member States. In the past few months, significant contributions have been made by regional organizations in the areas of capacity-building, distribution of information, best practices, assessment and programme implementation.

Still, our pace is too slow. The development of practical counter-terrorism instruments and capabilities is an important achievement, but they only matter if they are implemented on the ground. Paper must not be confused with progress.

A number of States, while demonstrating the political will to fight terrorism, lack the proper instruments to do so. International codes, best practices and model legislation are the keys to success. However, our pace is slowed primarily by those regimes that are able but unwilling to join this campaign. It takes only one non-compliant or complicit State to provide safe harbour for a terrorist operative and to enable the perpetration of future attacks against civilians. Those who harbour terrorists or fund acts of terror are as guilty of terrorism as those who pull the triggers, detonate the bombs or crash the aeroplanes. Those who abuse the language of resistance to justify the murder of innocents create the environment where such murder can take place.

For Israel, it is self-evident that the international fight against terrorism must begin at home, at the national level. It can succeed only if every individual State makes a sincere commitment to prevent terrorists from obtaining weapons and to dismantle the infrastructure and networks that sustain them.

The threat of weapons of mass destruction falling into the hands of terrorists is a dire illustration of the nexus between terrorism and the illicit transfer and proliferation of weapons. It is incumbent upon the Committee and States to set standards for their import and export, in order to ensure that no weapon of any magnitude could be supplied to clients who may, in turn, transfer them to terrorists.

The intensive cooperation and coordination of the international counter-terrorism community is also necessary in addressing the dire threat posed by man-portable air defence systems (MANPADS). As the CTC works to consolidate its agenda for the near future, Israel reiterates its call for increasing efforts to combat the threat of MANPADS, both strengthening countermeasures and reducing the danger of proliferation.

Security Council resolution 1450 (2002) condemned in the strongest terms the missile attack in Kenya on an Arkia Israeli Airlines flight. Subsequent warnings of planned attacks involving shoulder-launched surface-to-air missiles capable of destroying civilian aircraft at low altitudes underscore the need for States to take urgent action to curb the proliferation of those weapons and access to them by terrorist groups.

Finally, we must recognize the crucial role that is played by vicious incitement in the creation of suicidal terrorists and in the fostering of an environment that supports them. Unfortunately, in our region there are too many examples of children who attend schools adorned with posters of terrorists, study from books filled with inflammatory rhetoric and watch children's television programmes filled with songs which demonize other cultures and praise terrorism and violence.

We must ensure that information in educational, religious and political institutions, as well as the media, is used to promote progress and tolerance, knowledge and understanding, and not be used as a tool to subvert them. If education is left in irresponsible hands, we risk giving birth to generations of children deprived of the chance even to contemplate peace and who are incited to consider the murder of innocent civilians as a legitimate and even noble act. If incitement is not eliminated, in accordance with established human rights norms, it will be impossible to move away from terror and violence to the path of dialogue and the building of a better future.

The goals of terrorism are clear: to spread fear, to weaken the rule of law, to undermine the exercise of our most basic human rights, to demoralize law-abiding citizens and ultimately, to destroy the essential institutions of society. The targets and intended victims of this vicious cycle are democracy and freedom itself. The concerted efforts of the CTC, the Council and the international community as a whole are needed to ensure that the terrorists' goals are never achieved.

The President

I give the floor to the representative of Colombia.

Mr. Rivas (Colombia)

Colombia fully endorses the statement made by the Permanent Representative of Peru on behalf of the Rio Group. We thank the Ambassador of Spain, Mr. Inocencio Arias, chairman of the Security Council's Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC), for his assessment of the work accomplished during the eighth work programme of the Committee and for submitting the ninth work programme, for the three-month period extending from October to December 2003.

We welcome the progress the Committee has made since it was created in implementing worldwide resolution 1373 (2001), on the basis of the principles of cooperation, transparency and equal treatment, and in achieving its goal of maintaining and strengthening the international community's consensus on the importance of combating terrorism. We support the Chairman's initiative of identifying difficulties in the Committee's structure and functioning.

The question the Council is considering today is fundamental for a country such as Colombia, which is defending democracy and the human rights of its citizens from the attacks committed daily by three terrorist organizations. The current Government has found approximately 30,000 persons belonging to armed organizations that can be considered terrorists due to the nature of their acts. In the approximately 1.2 million square kilometres of our national territory, of which almost 400,000 square kilometres are jungle, the lack of a State presence in many areas has been taken advantage of by terrorists. Of 1,100 municipalities, 170 had no police presence.

In the first year of the mandate of President Uribe, the policy of democratic security that has been applied to uproot terrorism in the country yielded its first results. A police presence has been extended to 151 municipalities, the number of homicides has dropped 22 per cent, the number of massacres has fallen 35 per cent, kidnappings have been reduced 34.7 per cent, illegal detentions on the highways have dropped 49 per cent and the number of internally displaced people has been reduced by 66 per cent. The reduction of all these types of crime is significant, but their levels continue to be alarming. No country can accept such circumstances.

The progress made in protecting our fellow citizens encourages us to continue our efforts to vanquish terrorism, in rigorous conformity with the law. We require more extensive powers that remain in keeping with the rule of law. Currently, the Government is preparing an amendment to the Constitution to allow the public forces of order, in cases of terrorism, to deploy specialized personnel to carry out arrests, searches and communications interceptions. That amendment will include democratic safeguards so that an independent public prosecutor can subsequently take immediate action and the office responsible for oversight of the civil service can be informed, as well as the Congress, which possesses responsibility for political control. The powers proposed in this amendment are considerably weaker than laws in effect in democracies that do not have our degree of terrorist risk.

A few weeks ago, before the General Assembly, President Uribe said that,

"In Colombia's current situation, terrorism, illicit drugs, violence and insecurity are really the same thing. We plead for a commitment from the world so that we are able to completely defeat drugs. We implore the world not to harbour our terrorists, to help us confiscate their goods and only to open their doors to help peace processes." (A/58/PV.17)

That is why my delegation requested to speak at this debate, in order to insist on the need for the CTC and the Security Council to take up fundamental issues that we had already brought forward in the debate last 23 July.

First, in spite of the fact that in resolutions 1373 (2001) and 1456 (2003) the Security Council expressed concern at the close links existing among terrorism, transnational organized crime, the use and illicit trafficking of drugs, money-laundering and illicit arms trafficking, it is necessary for the Committee and the Council to deal with those links more thoroughly. That is essential if we take into account that to the degree that the controls imposed by resolution 1373 (2001) on the financing of acts of terrorism meet with success, terrorists will increasingly resort to these types of crime to finance their activities. In Colombia, this has been occurring for several years now, and today drug trafficking and money-laundering have become the principle source of financing for the terrorist groups operating in the country.

That is why we insist that the nature of terrorist acts must be defined not just according to the place where they are committed or by their national or global reach, but also by the roots of their financing and the money used to finance them. It has been demonstrated that the international financial networks used by terrorism are similar to those used in the illegal trafficking of drugs and arms. It is urgent that the frontal war against terrorism include the campaign against its related crimes on the basis of the principle of shared responsibility.

Secondly, terrorism is a single phenomenon, regardless of the form it takes. Any terrorism, domestic or international, must be rejected and fought with the same determination. It cannot be any other way, since it challenges democratic principles that respect life and fundamental freedoms of individuals -- principles cherished by our peoples and this Organization. Moreover, any terrorism can become a threat to international peace and security.

Finally, we emphasize the need to carry out a serious study on the feasibility of the CTC and the Security Council drawing up a general list of world terrorist organizations similar to the one maintained by the 1267 Committee on Al Qaeda and the Taliban. We do not think that a prior formal definition of terrorism, which has not been possible to achieve in the past 30 years, is necessary in order to begin to draw up that list. Anyone who perpetrates, in the words of General Assembly resolution 49/60, "Criminal acts intended or calculated to provoke a state of terror in the general public", is a terrorist, regardless of motivation. We must, once and for all, rid ourselves of the political content of the topic of terrorism in order to be able to fight it in all parts of the world for what it is -- a serious crime against the life and liberty of peoples and a serious threat to civilization.

While reiterating our support for the work carried out by the Security Council and the CTC in the fight against that universal scourge, I wish to inform the Council that Colombia is taking steps domestically to ratify counter-terrorism conventions to which it is not yet a party. We therefore reiterate our appeal for cooperation on the part of the international community with regard to legal and police activities, as called for in resolution 1373 (2001), to successfully fight terrorism.

In that area of international cooperation, we must emphasize that the United Nations has the capability, the experience and the moral authority to help all countries and regions throughout the world beset by the scourge of terrorism.

The President

I call on the representative of India.

Mr. Gobinathan (India)

We thank you, Sir, for scheduling this public meeting of the Security Council on an issue of considerable importance and great concern to all members of the United Nations. We also congratulate Ambassador Arias of Spain and his team for their capable stewardship of the Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC), established pursuant to Security Council resolution 1373 (2001).

Terrorism is not a new phenomenon and, contrary to some popular misperceptions, the fight against terrorism was not born out of 11 September. India has been at the forefront of the fight against terrorism for almost two decades. During this period, over 60,000 Indians, mainly women and children, have lost their lives to terrorism. Most recently, in a major incident, 52 innocent bystanders were killed in the twin terrorist attacks in the city of Mumbai.

The scourge and reach of terrorism has indeed extended across the world. Globalization cannot be seen today merely in the context of the success of free enterprise or the pervasiveness of television and other mass media. The very means that have facilitated the success of the global marketplace -- improved communications, access to media, better transport links and faster and easier means of international travel -- have contributed to the development of a global network of terrorism, -- a network that feeds on the common message of hatred and seeks to attain the common objective of carnage and indiscriminate destruction, and to demoralize and thereby dominate civilized societies, particularly those based on pluralistic democracies.

Unfortunately, some States regard terrorism as a low-cost means of inflicting damage to the social, political and economic well-being of their supposed detractors by pursuing a form of low-intensity warfare, without its attendant costs or risks. Despite the claim that they are part of the global alliance against terror, they stand implicated by their past records and present inability to come clean.

Contradictions persist but cannot persevere. In a recent newspaper article, a senior envoy of a permanent member of the Security Council has reportedly accused a Government, also a member of this Council and which professes to be a valued partner in the war against terrorism, of allowing renegade Taliban forces a safe haven from which to "regroup, recruit, cross into Afghanistan and cause mayhem" -- a fact that Afghan leaders have sought consistently to underscore at the highest levels.

The Secretary-General, in his report entitled "Measures to eliminate international terrorism", observes that "it has to be assumed that the grenades used in this terrorist attack" -- the attack on the Indian Parliament in New Delhi on 13 December 2001 -- "were produced in Pakistan". (A/58/116, para. 22) We in India did not require this corroboration of a fact that we had already deduced on the basis of solid and incontrovertible evidence gathered from the terrorists and their accomplices themselves. But the fact that the Secretary-General has brought this to light in a report that considers measures to eliminate international terrorism is in itself a telling story, as it is also indicative of the double standards that we sometimes seem to operate under.

An article published in The New York Times yesterday refers to the United States Treasury Department designating a charity, Al-Akhtar Trust International, as a financial sponsor of terrorism. This group is accused of financing Al Qaeda militants in Afghanistan, terrorist acts in Iraq and of possible linkages to the murder of The Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl. Anyone looking for more material available in the free press on the existence of an epicentre of terrorism has only to read the celebrated French author and philosopher Bernard Henri Levy's recently released book, Who Killed Daniel Pearl?

The CTC, for all its good work, will need to go beyond the stage of inexhaustible reporting to a more serious examination of the actual actions taken by States in their international counter-terrorism effort. The Committee would have to take advantage of the momentum achieved since its establishment to go beyond assisting in the creation of legal and financial mechanisms to holding countries accountable for their genuine commitment to and actions in the fight against terrorism from territories under their control.

India was among the first countries to ratify all 12 Conventions on international terrorism. It has initiated the draft comprehensive convention on international terrorism, currently under consideration in the Sixth Committee of the General Assembly, and supports the adoption of the draft International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism. Cognizant of the possible threat to civilized and orderly societies by terrorists and non-State actors equipped with weapons of mass destruction, India sponsored a resolution dealing with the linkages between terrorism and weapons of mass destruction, which was adopted by the General Assembly by consensus last year.

A number of countries have responded quickly to the international call for the tightening of domestic legislative and financial frameworks designed to counter terrorist activities. Unfortunately, there is an increasing feeling among Member States that the more effective the response to the requirements and questions of the CTC, the more voluminous and intrusive the reporting process becomes. In our view, it is important to avoid conveying the impression, however erroneous, of an expanding bureaucracy, represented by the CTC secretariat, indulging in an exercise of self-preservation and self-perpetuation.

While we acknowledge fully that the development of effective legislative and financial mechanisms is the first step in enabling States to come to grips with the fight against terrorism, we are convinced that a system of endless reporting, without any effort to keep sight of the larger objective realities, can only disillusion States and ultimately impact adversely on the efforts of the Security Council to mobilize an effective international counter-terrorism effort.

It is critical that a system of effective interface between Council members and the larger membership on the manner in which the CTC should operate be arranged on a periodic and institutional basis. Feedback from such exchanges needs to be monitored and absorbed by the CTC. What are required are clear and objective guidelines to govern the system of reporting to which States are subject. Most important, transparency and openness in the process will foster a greater willingness among respondents, namely the Member States, to cooperate.

The undue emphasis on cooperation with other international and regional organizations in the work of the Committee work will also require careful consideration. States are accountable for their actions but several partner organizations of the CTC that have been placed on an equal pedestal with the States Members of this Organization do not bear the same responsibility or accountability. Often, they even lack the mandate or competence to deal with the area of work of the CTC.

In our view, the primary point of contact for the CTC should continue to be the Member States, under whose mandate the Committee operates. Discussions with regional and international organizations should be secondary to discussions with States. All interfaces with partner organizations must be undertaken with the full knowledge and consent of the States involved in the organization concerned. Also, regional imbalances in the number of partner organizations with which CTC works will have to be taken into account.

Finally, issues such as the credibility and sources of information and the independence of experts working with the CTC are important, particularly if the views of Member States are not always taken into account.

We have provided those illustrations in order to convey candid feedback of the impressions and opinions of the larger membership. The ultimate aim is to enable the Council and the Chair of the CTC to take such opinions on board in the implementation of the Committee's mandate. I should like to reiterate here that they have been made in a constructive spirit.

The fight against terrorism is among the most important issues currently on the agenda of this Organization. It is being pursued simultaneously in most, if not all, of the United Nations major organs, including the Security Council. My Government has been, and will continue to be, engaged fully in the fight against international terrorism. I would like to take this opportunity to express once again our deep appreciation to the Chair of the CTC for his efforts in leading that important Committee of the Security Council and to assure him of our fullest cooperation in the fulfilment of his noble mission.

The President

I now give the floor to the representative of Azerbaijan.

Mr. Aliyev (Azerbaijan)

First of all, I would like to welcome today's opportunity to participate in the open debate on so important and pertinent a subject as terrorism vis-à-vis international peace and security, and to thank Ambassador Arias for his very interesting and informative briefing.

A bit more than two years ago, the Security Council adopted resolution 1373 (2001), reaffirming its unequivocal condemnation of the terrorist attacks that took place in the United States on 11 September 2001 and expressing its determination to prevent all such acts in the future.

The decision to establish a Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC) that would increase the capability of States to fight terrorism was dictated by the shared common vision of States of the radically changed security environment and by the necessity to jointly face new threats and challenges.

Azerbaijan highly values the activities of the CTC, including its proactive cooperation with regional organizations and groups, aimed at facilitating dialogue and exchange of information on the global and regional levels. As a coordinator on counter-terrorism issues within the Georgia, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Moldova Group (GUUAM), my country shared within the CTC the Group's perspective on addressing new threats caused by terrorism. In this capacity we actively participated in the 6 March 2003 meeting of the CTC with regional and subregional organizations as well as in the follow-up meeting jointly organized by the CTC and the Organization of American States this October in Washington, D.C. We consider that regular exchange of opinions and information on the subject will be to the great benefit of our joint work.

Indeed, today we find ourselves in an era of increased and globalized instability that respects no borders. The threats, risks and challenges to international peace and security have undergone a serious qualitative transformation. In the meantime, the scale of those threats has also increased. Today, terrorism and other asymmetric threats and challenges to security are more international and far more lethal than before. Terrorist attacks that have been taking place on a regular basis ever since 11 September 2001 have, unfortunately, had a strong grip on the news headlines and prove that, despite certain progress achieved in addressing this challenge, the threat is still with us.

Azerbaijan condemns in the strongest possible terms all terrorist attacks perpetrated recently throughout the world, including the terrorist act against the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad and the most recent terrorist attack against the Turkish Embassy in the same city, which were further attempts to undermine the international community's efforts to improve security within Iraq.

While actively participating in the global fight against terrorism and reiterating our continued readiness to provide an important contribution to that effort in future, we would like to stress once again that the fight against terrorism cannot be successful if that evil is treated on its own, in isolation from such terrorism-breeding threats as organized crime, aggressive separatism, militant nationalism, drug trafficking and the proliferation of small arms and of weapons of mass destruction.

It is imperative to target ways and means of accumulating the huge financial assets that fuel organized criminal groups with close operational ties to international terrorist networks and illegal armed separatist movements. The territories that are currently controlled by unlawful separatist regimes, in particular within the zones of so-called frozen conflicts, have been turned into grey zones of various criminal activities, and illicit profits gained therein are being actively used to bolster armed separatism and terrorism.

All of this once again testifies to the necessity for the international community to take a more resolute and bolder stance on the question of resolving the aforementioned conflicts on the basis of ensuring and, where necessary, enforcing respect for the norms and principles of international law, including the principle of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Member States.

The President

I now give the floor to the representative of Liechtenstein.

Mr. Wenaweser (Liechtenstein)

The Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC) plays an outstanding role in the international efforts to combat terrorism, even more so because progress in related areas such as the drafting of a comprehensive convention to fight terrorism is still not forthcoming. I would also like to thank the Chairman of the Counter-Terrorism Committee, Ambassador Inocencio Arias, for his very informative briefing today and to express my delegation's gratitude for the work undertaken under his leadership.

Two years after the adoption of Security Council resolution 1373 (2001) and the subsequent establishment of the Counter-Terrorism Committee, the Committee finds itself at a crucial juncture. While the world has witnessed a number of successes in the fight against terrorism during the past two years, in particular the arrests and subsequent trials of a number of terrorist suspects, there have also been a disconcerting number of setbacks and new attacks, such as the atrocious bombing of the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad almost two months ago. Those are some of the most visible and concrete examples showing that international cooperation in the area is needed now more than ever. The work of the CTC, however, cannot simply be measured against those events. Its task is to prepare the ground for a common, sustainable approach by all Member States in the fight against terrorism, with a view to its long-term success. That is a task of the utmost importance and delicacy since it involves the constant striking of a balance between the sometimes conflicting goals of national and international security and the rights of individuals.

We remain convinced that human rights, which rank among the greatest achievements of this Organization, must not fall victim to the fight against terrorism. This requires a clear commitment by the United Nations and its Member States to the maintenance of human rights and the rule of law while countering terrorism, as expressed by the General Assembly in its resolution 57/219, but also a considerable amount of expertise. We commend the CTC's increasing efforts to coordinate the provision of technical assistance, and we would like to express our view that such technical assistance should also be tailored to meet the needs of human rights and the rule of law.

The CTC's reporting system is another pillar of its work aimed at promoting the implementation of resolution 1373 (2001). While the reporting procedure has so far been a clear success in quantitative terms, further thought needs to go into its strengthening in qualitative terms. Every Member State has reported at least once to the Committee; many have done so twice, and a number of States -- among them Liechtenstein -- even three times. However, it also remains clear that the number of reports submitted by a State is not a reliable indicator of its willingness and ability to implement resolution 1373 (2001).

It will be one of the most pressing challenges for the CTC in the near future to address this issue in a manner that takes into account the specific situations in which States find themselves, while at the same time establishing uniform benchmarks for all States. Those benchmarks do not end with the issue of the ratification of international conventions relating to the fight against terrorism -- and Liechtenstein has ratified all 12 of them -- or with ensuring that the necessary legislation is in place. Legislation