United Nations -- The UN Security Council held a day-long session January 18 to continue the intense discussion that began at the United Nations just hours after the terrorist attacks on the United States in September about what each nation can and must do individually and as part of the world community to fight terrorism.

The focal point of the discussion was the early work of the Council's Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC) which was set up as part of a major anti-terrorism resolution, resolution 1373, passed on September 28, 2001. The intention of the resolution is to raise the global capacity to fight terrorism through the individual action of each state. It does not require the United Nations to set up rules or organizations to stop terrorists and their supporters, but places the obligation to take action on member states.

The resolution requires nations, among other things, to criminalize terrorist activities, freeze the funds and financial assets of terrorists and their supporters, ban others from making funds available to terrorists, and deny safe haven to terrorists. The CTC is to monitor implementation and it set December 27 as the deadline for states to submit an initial report on what they have done to comply with the resolution.

Secretary General Kofi Annan said that through the CTC "member states are for once really using this organization in the way its founders intended -- as an instrument through which to forge a global defense against a global threat."

"The United Nations stands foursquare against terrorism no matter what end it purports to serve," Annan said. "Our urgent business, building on the excellent work of (CTC), must now be to develop a long-term strategy to enable all states to undertake the hard steps needed to defeat terrorism."

The committee's work has already highlighted the close connections between terrorism and various other activities that the United Nations has been seeking to repress or at least to bring under control -- organized crime and the illicit traffic in weapons, drugs and other commodities such as diamonds, the Secretary General pointed out.

Annan noted that many nations lack the capactiy to adopt effective counter-terrorism measures and are in genuine need of technical and financial assistance if they are to fulfill their obligations in the fight against terrorism.

"It is hoped that the CTC will produce a precise inventory of what assistance programs are needed so that the UN and the Bretton Woods institutions can design specific projects," the Secretary General said.

British Ambassador Jeremy Greenstock, chairman of the Counter-Terrorism Committee, said that the CTC's aim "is to raise the average level of government performance against terrorism across the globe. This means upgrading the capactiy of each nation's legislation and executive machinery to fight terrorism."

"Every government holds a responsibility for ensuring there is no weak part of the chain: this is a cardinal element of the process 1373 has instituted. We must do this together; and everyone has a contribution to make," Greenstock said.

"Terrorists choose their ports," the British Ambassador said. "If your neighbor hasn't met the standard, it is a threat to you."

Greenstock reported that 123 states have submitted reports, calling it "a welcome response which demonstrated the excellent cooperation we have received."

In the next 90 days, or second phase of its work, the committee will review and respond to all the reports, giving recommendations on what legislation or executive measures are needed in each country to ensure that terrorists cannot operate in its territory.

Greenstock also explained what the CTC is not. "It is not a tribunal for judging states.....It is not going to define terrorism in a legal sense, although we will have a fair idea of what is blatant terrorism; where necessary we will decide by consensus whether an act is terrorism."

The CTC "has no plan to issue lists of terrorist organizations. If it cannot settle issues of political controversy, it will submit them back to the Security Council," said Greenstock.

No country can afford to be complacent in the fight against terrorism, U.S. Ambassador James Cunningham said.

"The events of September 11 changed the way all of us look at, and respond to, terrorism. The work of the CTC is an important element in strengthening international cooperation and in encouraging stronger efforts by each nation," said Cunningham. "We are all tackling the difficult but essential job of analyzing our anti-terrorism capabilities and identifying areas of improvement."

The United States is encouraged by the "roll-up-your-sleeves spirit" of the committee and the UN member states, Cunningham said. "We must not lose sight of the utmost urgency of our collective counter-terrorism effort or lapse into a business-as-usual approach."

The U.S. Ambassador said the United States is offering a broad range of counter-terrorism assistance programs to help nations improve their legislation and programs in combating money laundering and financial crimes, strengthening customs, immigration, extradition, police science and law enforcement, and stopping illegal arms trafficking.

(The Washington File is a product of the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)