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International Response: U.N. Counterterrorism Cooperation Improves By Jim Wurst British Ambassador Jeremy Greenstock, who has chaired the committee since its inception, said Friday that the council has “enjoyed unprecedented support from the U.N. membership for its efforts to turn the global consensus on fighting terrorism into practical action.” Resolution 1373 called on states to adopt national laws to deny safe haven to terrorists, to halt the international transfer of money for terrorist activities and to ratify the 12 anti-terrorism treaties. “Governments throughout the world have responded to the challenge ... [to] prevent and suppress terrorism,” Greenstock said. “In almost every case, parliaments have begun to consider or adopted new laws and governments have reviewed the strength of their institutions to fight terrorism.” Greenstock said more than 180 states have “reported to the CTC on the action taken and planned. And the dialogue has continued. … To date, the total number of reports received by the CTC stands at 265. Awareness of what we are doing, and of what we need to know, is close to universal.” He added, “As required by the resolution, states have looked again at the 12 international conventions and protocols related to terrorism. Ratifications have gone up significantly since July a year ago. A year ago, only Botswana and the U.K. had ratified all 12 instruments. Today, 24 states have done so. We want the pace to accelerate further.” Greenstock also told the council, “There is still much more to do before terrorists find that there is no safe haven because the bar against terrorism has been raised in every country. The CTC will continue to offer encouragement, advice and guidance to states on the implementation of 1373.” Secretary General Kofi Annan told the council the United Nations has a three-prong strategy for countering terrorism: dissuasion, denial, and cooperation. Dissuasion means “setting effective norms and implementing relevant legal instruments,” he said. “To achieve effective dissuasion, it is essential to remember that the fight against terrorism is above all a fight to preserve fundamental rights and sustain the rule of law.” Regarding denial, Annan said, “We must deny would-be terrorists the opportunity to commit their dreadful acts” by supporting the CTC, “by greater efforts to achieve disarmament — especially through strengthening global norms against the use or proliferation of weapons of mass destruction; and by giving technical support to states seeking to curb the flow of arms, funds, and technology to terrorist cells.” Annan described the U.N. role in cooperation as “encouraging subregional, regional, and global organizations to join forces in a common campaign.” “Just as terrorism must never be excused, so must genuine grievances never be ignored simply because terrorism is committed in their name,” Annan said. “It does not take away from the justice of a cause that a few wicked men or women commit murder in its name. … As the United Nations unites to defeat terrorism in the months and years ahead, we must act with equal determination to solve the political disputes and long-standing conflicts which generate support for terrorism. To do so is not to reward terrorism or its perpetrators; it is to deny them the opportunity to find refuge, in any cause, any country. Only then can we truly say that the war on terrorism has been won.” The debate, which continued throughout the day Friday, resumes tomorrow afternoon. At the conclusion, the council is expected to issue a statement calling on states to focus on ways to further implement Resolution 1373, to ratify the anti-terrorism conventions and to pass national legislation to strengthen laws against terrorism. For more details of the session, click here. For more information, see: U.N. Counterterrorism Committee U.N. Security Council Resolution 1373
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