*EPF403 06/27/2002
Record Number of Nations Respond to Counter-Terrorism Efforts
(UN Security Council hears Counter-Terrorism Committee Report) (800)

By Judy Aita
Washington File United Nations Correspondent

United Nations -- A record number of nations have responded to the United Nations efforts to combat international terrorism, the chairman of the Security Council's Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC) said June 27.

Sir Jeremy Greenstock, chairman of the Security Council's counter-terrorism committee, reported that 160 member states out of 189 have submitted reports -- "a remarkable number" when compared to the number of responses on other issues.

Nevertheless, said Greenstock, the permanent representative of the United Kingdom to the United Nations, "we will not rest until we have got those 29 reports."

He noted that "those who have not responded are almost exclusively member states who have not done this before (and) don't know what it means to get legislation against international terrorism or to put in place structures to deal with terrorism."

"It's a lack of familiarity with the subject that is causing the problem, not an unwillingness to respond," Greenstock told journalists outside the Security Council chambers.

"They need the help of experts, they need the help of their regional groups, perhaps, to cover the gaps," he said.

U.S. Ambassador John Negroponte urged nations to continue cooperating with the CTC by submitting timely and complete reports because "only in this way can we have a benchmark of the world's counter-terrorism capacity."

Negroponte also urged nations and organizations that have the capacity and resources to help states unable to implement the counter-terrorism measures required by the council's resolutions.

Negroponte, who is the U.S. permanent representative to the United Nations, also announced that the United States has deposited the instruments of ratification for the Terrorist Conventions on Bombing and Financing.

"One of the tangible results of the adoption of resolution 1373 and the work of the committee has been an increase in momentum among member states towards ratification of all 12 United Nations terrorism conventions. We hope this momentum will continue and urge all states which have yet to do so to take the steps necessary to ratify these instruments," the ambassador said.

"The UN is contributing something very considerable over and above the coalition of activity against the perpetrators" of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States, Greenstock said. "It goes much further into a global coalition to prevent things like that happening in the future and the UN is playing a major a role in organizing that through the Security Council and through this committee."

The Counter-Terrorism Committee was mandated under Resolution 1373, which was adopted on September 28 to help nations deny safe havens to terrorists and their supporters.

Resolution 1373 requires nations to freeze funds and other financial assets of terrorists and their supporters, and to refrain from providing any active or passive support to entities or persons involved in terrorist acts. They must not allow any recruitment on behalf of terrorist groups or efforts to supply weapons.

Also under Resolution 1373, nations are to prohibit their nationals or people in their territories from making funds or services available to those involved in terrorism; to refrain from providing support to people involved in terrorism; to take steps to prevent terrorist acts; and to deny safe haven to those who commit terrorist acts. Nations should also bring to justice anyone who has participated in terrorism, as well as ensure that terrorist acts are serious criminal offenses in domestic laws and punished accordingly.

The resolution says that states should help each other with criminal investigations and criminal proceedings, intensifying and accelerating the exchange of information. They also should prevent the movement of terrorists and terrorist groups by effective border controls, as well as through controls on the issuance of identity papers and travel documents, and by measures to prevent counterfeiting, forgery or fraudulent use of identity papers and travel documents.

The committee has emphasized that it will continue working with all member states until it is confident that each state has taken the actions required by the resolution, as well as helping states that need assistance to get it. Greenstock has pointed out, however, that is not a matter of declaring any nation 100-percent compliant because against a constantly evolving issue there will always be further work to do to counter terrorism.

"Resolution 1373 imposes some quite strong requirements of member states which some of them are finding difficult to meet and it is very important that we allow discussion of that, allow questions and we deal with the apprehensions of member states," Greenstock said of the decision to hold an open council meeting on the CTC's work. "They are being asked to do things by the Security Council which are really beyond them unless they get some help."

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

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