19 September 2001

OAS States Approve Resolutions Condemning Sept. 11 Terrorist Attacks

By Eric Green
Washington File Staff Writer

Washington -- The Organization of American States (OAS) has approved by acclamation a resolution condemning the September 11 acts of terrorism against the United States, and a second resolution calling for measures to be taken for the common defense of the Western Hemisphere.

The resolutions, strongly backed by the United States at a day-long special session of the OAS Permanent Council September 19, said the organization repudiated the terrorism as an "affront to human dignity and the rule of law and as a danger to the peace and security of the Americas." The resolutions described terrorism as a threat that "requires united and concerted action to protect and defend the free exercise of democracy."

The resolutions called upon the nations of the OAS and all other governments to use "all necessary and available means to pursue, capture, and punish those responsible" for the terrorist acts of September 11 that resulted in the murder of thousands of people from around the world -- including many from OAS member states. The resolutions also called on nations to adopt measures that would prevent additional attacks.

In addition, the resolutions said the OAS would convene on September 21 a meeting of the region's foreign ministers to consider the threat to hemispheric security posed by international terrorism.

Immediately following a minute of silence in memory of those who lost their lives in the terrorist attacks, U.S. Permanent Representative to the OAS Roger Noriega thanked the governments and peoples of the Americas "for their countless messages of support and solidarity in the wake of the terrible events of September 11." Noriega extended his condolences to the countries of the OAS for the hundreds of their citizens who perished on that day. "We know that 27 countries represented around this room, as members of the OAS, lost citizens in these dastardly attacks," he said.

Noriega said New York's World Trade Center, as its name implies, "indeed brought together many people of the nations represented here and around the world." He added: "The criminals who snuffed out their lives understand this. Their attack was directed not just at the United States but at the core values all our societies hold dear -- democracy, freedom, toleration, and the respect for others."

Therefore, he said, it was entirely appropriate for the OAS Permanent Council and the region's foreign ministers to adopt measures "to defend our freedom and security from the threat of terrorism." Moreover, he said, "we strongly support the two resolutions that will be presented to the Permanent Council today, as well as the meeting of the foreign ministers under the OAS Charter and the Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance (also known as the Rio Treaty) to mandate that the region's governments commit to additional specific measures."

By invoking the Rio Treaty in particular, said Noriega, the region recognizes and sends a strong signal to the terrorists "that in our democratic hemisphere, an attack against one is an attack against all." Noreiga said "we also recognize and accept our inescapable obligation and immutable political will to contribute to the common defense against threats to the peace and security of the Americas."

For its part, the United States will use "every tool, every weapon to pursue and punish those responsible for the despicable acts of September 11 and those who shelter and support them," Noriega said. "The energy of our nation and people is focused on that task."

Noriega said the nations of the Americas "stand ready to meet" the challenge of fighting terrorism, through the "many useful tools embodied" in the Rio Treaty and the OAS Charter.

Over the next few days, Noriega said, "all of these resources will be invoked, through diplomacy, law enforcement, international cooperation, long-term institution-building and all other means necessary to pursue and punish the perpetrators of these [terrorist] acts and to fortify ourselves against the scourge of terrorism."

Noriega said that at a recent meeting of OAS countries in Lima, Peru, the countries of the hemisphere adopted a "bold charter proclaiming democracy as a right of our people and a cornerstone of our societies." And "in that spirit of solidarity and resolve," he said, "we will move decisively against the forces of terrorism that despise democracy and the fundamental values our people cherish."

Interviewed before making his remarks, Noriega said the resolutions call upon the OAS to coordinate efforts to pursue and punish those responsible for the terrorist acts, and to fight terrorism over the longer run. The September 21 foreign ministers meeting, he said, will consider specific measures to be taken under the Rio Treaty. He said among the OAS countries that suffered losses from the World Trade Center bombing were Brazil, Mexico, El Salvador, and many from the Caribbean, as New York had the largest Caribbean community in the United States.

Noriega said the United States was not asking the other OAS states to send military troops or financial contributions in any action against the terrorists. "We're assessing what our response will be, but we're not asking for that sort of support," he said.

Steven Monblatt, deputy coordinator of the State Department's Office of Counter-Terrorism, told the OAS of the international effort to respond to the September 11 attacks. Monblatt said that as a native New Yorker, and someone who now lives close to the Pentagon, "it was good to know" that the United States does not stand alone in the fight against terrorism.

Monblatt said his office has received messages of condolences and sympathy from 196 nations and "entities," and received offers of disaster support from 58 countries. In addition, his office has received declarations of support from 18 multilateral organizations, and from the Arab League, the Organization of Islam Conference, and the United Nations Security Council.

"The sad news," Monblatt said, "is the number of dead and missing" from the attacks, with the latest number standing at over 6,000 people in Washington and New York, which includes those from 27 countries of the Western Hemisphere.

While he said he did not want to go into great detail about what actions will be taken to defeat the terrorists, Monblatt said several U.N. resolutions dealing with political sanctions against countries that harbor terrorists should be strengthened.

In addition, Monblatt said his office would be focusing on combating fundraising activities for terrorist organizations and terrorist countries. Monblatt said it is very important that terrorists be cut off from their sources of financing, citing the fact that the operations against the World Trade Center were expensive by the standards of terrorist activities. Cutting off financing means, for example, stopping terrorists from sending money from one country to another, preventing training of terrorists, and scrutinizing those who set up "false front" charitable organizations to raise money on behalf of terrorists.

Also requiring scrutiny, he said, are border control procedures and the falsification of immigration documents that permit crossing from one country to another.

"It's vitally important that terrorists understand that they have no safe haven anywhere," Monblatt said.

During the meeting, a number of Permanent Representatives from OAS member states took the floor to express their sadness over the September 11 acts of terrorism. They also reaffirmed their solidarity with the United States over the terrorist attacks that have plunged the international community into mourning.

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