UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Monday urged all countries of
the world to join the international fight against terrorism,
warning that without united global action the effort would fail.
"Terrorism will be defeated if the international community unites
in a broad coalition, or it will not be defeated at all," he
said.
The secretary-general made the statement at a week-long debate at
the United Nations General Assembly on international terrorism, the
first such international forum since the September 11 terrorist
attacks in the United States, which claimed the lives of more than
6,000 people from some 60 countries.
"The United Nations is uniquely positioned to serve as the forum
for this coalition, and for the development of those steps
governments must now take -- separately and together -- to fight
terrorism on a global scale," Annan said.
Meanwhile, Annan also welcomed the UN Security Council's adoption
late Friday of a broad resolution aimed at targeting terrorists and
those who harbor, aid or support them.
"I
applaud the council for acting so swiftly to enshrine in law the
steps needed to carry this fight forward with new vigor and
determination," he said, urging all nations to support the
effort.
Referring to the work of the General Assembly, Annan noted that it
must give effect to the 12 UN treaties and protocols on
international terrorism. He proposed that countries "make it their
first order of business during the general debate to sign all the
conventions on terrorism, and pledge to work for their ratification
and implementation without delay."
In
addition, he urged all states to forge agreement on a comprehensive
convention against international terrorism. Warning of other
threats, the secretary-general pointed out that a single attack
involving a nuclear or biological weapon could kill millions.
"While the world was unable to prevent the September 11 attacks,
there is much we can do to help prevent future terrorist acts
carried out with weapons of mass destruction," he emphasized. He
called for redoubled efforts to implement key treaties relating to
those arms, closer cooperation among international organizations
dealing with them, and tighter national legislation covering the
exports of goods and technologies used in their production.
Annan also called attention to the need to care for victims of that
scourge, "whether they are the direct targets or other populations
who will be affected by our common effort." In particular, he urged
donors to support the recent UN humanitarian appeal for
Afghanistan.
Seeking to draw lessons from the recent attacks, the
secretary-general said, "Just as a concerted international response
can make the work of terrorists much harder to accomplish, so
should the unity born of this tragedy bring all nations together in
defense of the most basic right -- the right of all peoples to live
in peace and security."
(Xinhua News
Agency 10/02/2001)