[list_indonesia] [ppiindia] A global strategy for fighting terrorism
- From: "Ambon" <sea@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <"Undisclosed-Recipient:;"@freelists.org>
- Date: Sun, 13 Mar 2005 18:31:53 +0100
** Mailing-List Indonesia Nasional Milis PPI-India www.ppi-india.da.ru **
http://www.jordantimes.com/sun/opinion/opinion6.htm
A global strategy for fighting terrorism
By Kofi A. Annan
One year ago, 192 innocent people were brutally murdered in the terrorist
attacks on Madrid's commuter trains. Over the past few years, thousands more
have fallen victim to terrorism, in all parts of the world. Terrorism is a
threat to all states and all peoples. It is also a direct attack on the core
values the United Nations stands for: the rule of law; human rights;
protection of civilians; mutual respect between people of different faiths
and cultures; and peaceful resolution of conflict.
So the United Nations must be at the forefront in fighting against it. What
we need is a principled, comprehensive strategy, which all the world can
support and implement. That is what I am now proposing, under five headings
which I call the "five Ds".
First, we must dissuade disaffected groups from choosing terrorism as a
tactic. They choose it because they think it is effective, and that it will
win them popular support. Such beliefs are the true "root cause" of
terrorism. Our job is to prove them wrong.
For too long the moral authority of the United Nations has been weakened by
protracted debate about what terrorism is - whether states can be guilty of
it, as well as non-state groups, and whether it includes acts of resistance
against foreign occupation.
It is time to end these arguments. Deliberate use of force by states against
civilians is already banned by international law. And the right to resist
cannot include the right to deliberately kill or maim civilians.
Let us say clearly that any action is terrorism if it is intended to cause
death or serious bodily harm to civilians or non-combatants, with the
purpose of intimidating a population, or compelling a government or
international organisation to do something, or not to do something. Such a
definition would have great moral force. I urge world leaders to unite
behind it.
Second, we must deny terrorists the means to carry out their attacks. That
means making it difficult for them to travel, to receive financial support,
or to acquire nuclear or radiological material.
Nuclear terrorism is still often treated as science fiction. I wish it were.
But unfortunately we live in a world of many hazardous materials and
abundant technological know-how, while some terrorists are openly determined
to inflict catastrophic casualties.
Both the Group of Eight and the UN Security Council have taken steps to
eliminate hazardous materials, impose effective export controls, and plug
gaps in the non-proliferation regime. President George Bush's Proliferation
Security Initiative is another important step. These measures must be fully
enforced.
My third D is the need to deter states from supporting terrorist groups.
In the past, the UN Security Council repeatedly applied sanctions against
states that harbour or assist terrorists. This firm line must be maintained
and strengthened. All states must know that, if they give any kind of
support to terrorists, the world will crack down on them firmly.
Fourth, we must develop the capacity of states to prevent terrorism.
Terrorists exploit weak states as havens where they can hide from arrest and
train or recruit personnel. Making all states more capable and responsible
must, therefore, be a major part of our global counterterrorism effort. This
means promoting good governance and the rule of law, with professional
police and security forces who respect human rights.
Few threats illustrate the need for this more vividly than biological
terrorism. There will soon be tens of thousands of laboratories around the
world capable of producing designer bugs with awesome lethal potential. And
deadly infectious diseases can be spread across the world - intentionally or
not - in a matter of days
The best defence against this is to strengthen public health systems,
especially in poor countries where they are often deficient. The World
Health Organisation has done an impressive job monitoring, and responding
to, outbreaks of deadly disease. But in an overwhelming outbreak - natural
or man-made - local health systems will be in the front line. We need a
major initiative to build them up.
Last, but far from least, my fifth D is to defend human rights and the rule
of law. Terrorism is a direct attack on these core values. So we must not
sacrifice them in our response. If we do, we are handing a victory to the
terrorists. Upholding human rights is not merely compatible with a
successful counter-terrorist strategy. It is an essential element in it.
I am asking all UN departments and agencies to play their part in carrying
out this strategy. But it's the member states of the UN who must do the
heavy lifting. I urge them to adopt my five-point strategy, and work
together to apply it.
That is the least we owe to the victims of terrorism worldwide. In their
name, let us do whatever we can to spare others from meeting their fate.
The author is secretary-general of the United Nations. This article is
adapted from his March 10 address to the International Summit on Democracy,
Terrorism and Security held in Madrid, Spain.
Sunday, March 13, 2005
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