01 October 2001

Excerpts: U.N. General Assembly Opens Week-Long Debate on Terrorism

The United Nations General Assembly on October 1 opened a week-long debate on measures to combat international terrorism, with countries strongly condemning the September 11 attacks against the United States and pledging to take specific actions to eradicate terrorism.

Following are excerpts from some of the presentations made during the first two days of debate:

President of the U.N. General Assembly, Han Seung-Soo of the Republic of Korea:

"We meet today almost three weeks after the worst terrorist assault in the history of the world. I know I speak for all of us in conveying once again my deepest sympathy and condolences to the families and loved ones of the more than 6,000 victims.

"As stated in Security Council resolution 1368 of 12 September, these vicious attacks, unprecedented in scale and brutality, pose a direct threat to international peace and security. More than that, these actions were aimed not just at physical targets, but indeed at the very structure of civilized values -- peace, freedom, tolerance, and human rights -- around which the international community is organized.

" ... I want to emphasize that the fight against terrorism is an issue that transcends cultural and religious differences, while threatening people of all cultures and religious faiths. We must never forget that terrorism is not a weapon wielded by one civilization against another, but rather an instrument of destruction through which small bands of criminals seek to undermine civilization itself."

Francisco X. Aguirre Sacasa, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Nicaragua:

"We need to be conscious that we now face a common enemy, an enemy that operates clandestinely, in cowardly fashion but with great sophistication, an enemy frequently linked to other international crimes, such as drug trafficking, money laundering and the diverse forms of organized crime that facilitate and finance the commission of these criminal acts.

"For this reason, in order to safeguard security for humanity and the fundamental values of our civilization, we need to continue on ahead, to rise without hesitation from this trial and strengthen cooperation in order to declare together a world war on terrorism, a common enemy of all peoples, of all beliefs and religions, and of peace and democracy."

Mohamed Bennouna, Permanent Representative of Morocco to the United Nations:

"No doubt that the purpose behind the attacks directed at innocent civilians in the United States was to spread terror and panic in this country, and in the world as a whole. But they also aimed at triggering a clash of civilizations and religions.

"Hence the danger of terrorist acts which pose, by their very nature, unprecedented threats to international peace and security. This new type of threat is aimed at sparking off conflicts between religious or cultural groups and, therefrom, taking us back to barbarism.

"The terrorists who struck thousands of people in the United States and plunged thousands of families into mourning wanted to destroy the common values of humanity, namely those of tolerance, respect for differences and acceptance of diversity of cultures and civilizations. More than that, it's our heritage, our belief, our spirituality and secular creativity that are targeted in the long run."

Umit Pamir, Permanent Representative of Turkey to the United Nations:

"Our own experience with terrorism has clearly shown that this fight has two fundamental dimensions. The first one is the moral pillar. If there were any arguments that terrorists might also have a defensible cause, September 11 must have put this forever to rest. There are no gray areas in the fight against terrorism, nor are there 'good terrorists' and 'bad terrorists.' This is the time for the international community as a whole and for the states individually to condemn unequivocally all acts, methods and practices of terrorism as criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation, in all their forms and manifestations. Likewise, it is high time for us to recognize that this scourge is a human rights violation in one of its most blatant forms.

"The second pillar is about the scope and the effectiveness of the international mechanisms to combat this evil. This requires us to make full use of the means and mechanisms already in place and to bolster them in a fashion that will progressively establish an effective system that will strangle the terrorist livelihood. This system needs to be of an all-encompassing nature integrating its capabilities with those instruments utilized in the fight against all types of organized crime, first and foremost being drug-trafficking, the natural ally of terrorism."

Juan Gabriel Valdes, Permanent Representative of Chile to the United Nations:

"Whether this particular moment in history ushers in a period of greater uncertainty or commits mankind to the task of reparation and justice will largely depend on the capacity for leadership shown by governments and the international community.

"That is why from the outset we believed that condemnation of the horror is an unavoidable ethical act, independently of any analysis or review of the causes that have led to the planning of the horrendous attack of which the people of the United States have been victims.

"Absolutely nothing can justify these acts. Addressing the thousands of Chileans who participated in the act of solidarity held a few days ago in our capital city for the victims of the tragedy, the President of Chile, Ricardo Lagos, stated: "This is a crime against all humanity and the position of Chile is clear: we are not neutral, we share the anger of the innocents, of those who fell and died." We therefore understand, Mr. President, that the criminal attack is not directed only against the United States. And the pain, the devastation and the sudden uncertainty do not affect only that nation. We are all affected. We have all been attacked."

Sergey A. Ordzhonikidze, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation:

"The tragedy underscored the fact that the international community does not have a single day to lose. Mankind has found itself facing a real, not abstract, threat to the life of people, to the security of states and to the stability of political and economic systems of entire nations posed by the forces of Terrorist International...

"All sensible people, even those who do not deal professionally with law enforcement issues, understand that it is only through common efforts that we can put an end to terrorism on the planet... Terrorism is not only a dangerous but also an insidious enemy; it takes advantage of any weak link in the chain of states which fight against it. Of special concern are the expanding ties between international terrorism and transnational organized crime, illegal drug business, money laundering and illegal trafficking in nuclear, chemical, biological and other hazardous materials.

"That is why we, [for] our part, are not only ready for but also insist on the closest possible interaction among members of the international community in fighting against this scourge of the 21st century. The priority task is to establish a global system to counteract new threats and challenges, which would ensure, among other things, the inevitable punishment of all those responsible for organizing and perpetrating terrorist acts."

Jorge Eduardo Navarrete, Permanent Representative of Mexico to the United Nations:

"What happened a few weeks ago in the United States is a wake-up call to all states to fight for peace. And that is why there can be no ambiguity about Mexico's support for the United States and for democratic and free countries in the fight against terrorism."

"These acts, whose grave consequences, as was already mentioned, touched more than 80 nations, have deeply affected the people of Mexico. Mexico reiterates its condolences and solidarity with the people and government of the United States and the other nations affected. My country too has been directly injured, since the victims include a still-to-be-determined, but unfortunately high, number of nationals of Mexico.

"Since 11th September, Mexico strongly and unequivocally condemned these acts and strengthened its cooperation with the United States and with the other members of the United Nations to ensure that the perpetrators are brought to justice."

Hasmy Agam, Permanent Representative of Malaysia to the United Nations:

"In the wake of the horrific attacks on the United States, the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, had called for the convening of a world conference of leaders to discuss the issue of international terrorism because of the serious nature of this crime, which can affect all countries. While he understood the reasons for the ongoing planning to hunt down terrorist groups and stop terrorism, he was against the use of force that would result in the victimization of innocent civilians. He felt that retaliatory actions through the use of force would not solve the problem, as they might only provoke counter-retaliation and are therefore fraught with risks.

" ... While Malaysia strongly supports efforts to curb terrorism, it is timely for the world community to give serious attention to solving problems which drove people to resort to terrorism. This is not to excuse, or mitigate blame on the use of terror, as there can be no excuse or mitigation whatsoever for such acts, but to appreciate the complexity of the problem of international terrorism so that we will be better able to combat it with all the means at our disposal."

Sotos Zackheos, Permanent Representative of Cyprus to the United Nations:

"The 11th of September will go down in history as a day of infamy but also as the day when the international community has been energized to tackle once and for all this scourge from the face of the planet... It is a phenomenon that transcends national borders, religions, cultures and civilizations. That is why it is imperative that it be addressed through a global and multilateral approach. The primary responsibility in the fight against terrorism undeniably lies with the United Nations, which through the Security Council and the General Assembly had immediately responded to the shocking events of 11 September with determination, adopting the relevant resolutions of two weeks ago, and especially Security Council resolution 1373 of last Friday.

"The fight against terrorism must unite all humanity and cannot be allowed to fall victim to politicization and ephemeral considerations. Cyprus categorically rejects any such attempt, or any tendency to equate terrorism with the Arab or Muslim world, and in this respect, we commend the outstanding efforts of President Bush to safeguard the culture of tolerance and multiculturalism, which is the cornerstone of American society and the source of its strength."

Shamshad Ahmad, Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the United Nations:

"My own country, Pakistan, which abhors terrorism and deplores violence of all sorts and scales, did not hesitate to respect and accept the international consensus. We have always condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including state terrorism. We have never condoned acts of terrorism and have been cooperating with international community in combating this universal evil. Today again, we have pledged our full support and unstinted cooperation to the fight against terrorism.

"We welcome this important and serious issue being discussed in the Plenary of the General Assembly. The resultant approach shall, of course, be encapsulated in the resolution to be worked out in the Sixth Committee. Meanwhile, the Security Council has also adopted a comprehensive resolution last Friday giving the fight against terrorism a new momentum. It obliges all member states to deny financing, support and safe haven to terrorisms. We hope that this, coupled with the existing international conventions relating to terrorism, would provide an effective normative framework to the world community to deal with this global menace.

"We in Pakistan will continue to abide by our obligations under the Charter of the United Nations. President Musharraf has clearly pronounced our policy on this matter and has taken our people into confidence in support of our decision to be part of international coalition against terrorism. It is a difficult path but we are determined to support what is right and what is just."