Summary: January 18, 2002: Statement by H.E. Mr. Inocencio Arias, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Spain to the United Nations, on behalf of the European Union at the meeting of the Security Council in connection with threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts (New York)
Mr. President:
As this is my first intervention before the Security Council this year, I would like to congratulate you for assuming the Presidency and to extend my warm congratulations to the representatives of the new members of the Council, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Guinea, Mexico and the Syrian Arab Republic.
It is for me an honour to intervene on behalf of the EU. The following countries also support this statement: Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Cyprus and Malta.
Mr. President,
The attack against the United States perpetrated last September 11th and these last months' events show that the capacity of terrorist groups to act in the international scene is ever greater. But the International Community has reacted, setting the prevention and elimination of terrorism as one of its priorities.
The United Nations have acted quickly and effectively against this new threat. It could not have been otherwise. Terrorism does not respect borders, and States cannot react in an isolated manner against this phenomenon, one of the main threats to peace in the XXIst century.
Security Council Resolution 1373 has a historic significance. For the first time it establishes a series of binding measures for all States in the fight against terrorism, with a deadline for all of them to inform about the provisions they have adopted in compliance with this Resolution.
Mr. President,
The Counter-Terrorism Committee provides the Security Council with a follow-up mechanism for the implementation of the Resolution, thus assuring the effectiveness and continuity in the international action in this field. Its task is of crucial importance. In order to facilitate this task, all Member States of the United Nations should give their unqualified support to the Committee. The European Union wishes to congratulate the Committee for the quality, firmness and transparency shown so far
in carrying out its work, and offers its full collaboration to continue doing so in the future.
The EU welcomes the fact that a significant number of countries have already sent their country reports to the Committee, and encourages those who have not yet responded to do so immediately. It is important that these reports provide clear answers to the questions outlined in the guidelines provided by the Committee for the elaboration of the reports.
In order to fulfil all its obligations under SC Resolution 1373, some UN Member States may need technical assistance. The need for such assistance was underlined by SCR 1377. The European Union is already providing relevant assistance in a large number of countries, in areas like capacity-building for law enforcement, strengthening the judiciary, border management, and fight against economic crime and money laundering. We look forward to identify countries and specific areas where further
assistance may be needed. It would be important in this regard that the countries and regions concerned identify their needs. The European Union is also ready to collaborate with the Committee in order to provide assistance to those countries. The Committee can be extremely useful in identifying the needs of individual countries, given its role as a clearing-house for technical assistance.
Mr. President,
The EU is committed to making the struggle against terrorism a key feature of its external relations. The EU simply cannot remain indifferent if some States do not comply with the obligations established by Resolution 1373. The importance the EU attaches to the fight against terrorism will naturally be reflected in its relations with those States, including current agreements with them.
The adoption of this Resolution was possible thanks to a strong spirit of consensus. This spirit must be kept and strengthened, in order to ensure its full implementation. The international coalition against terrorism must include us all, since the enemy is also common to all of us. Relevant international organisations, including the World Bank, the IMF and FATF, should also be involved in the struggle against terrorism, and should co-ordinate their efforts in this field with those of the
United Nations as a whole. And, while it is essential that each country make the necessary effort to abide by the provisions contained in the Resolution, it is also indispensable that a similar effort be made in the framework of regional co-operation.
Mr. President,
In the case of the European Union, this has led to a very intense activity in all respects related to the fight against terrorism. The EU and its Member States have moved decisively to take specific measures to face the terrorist threat. In fact, the impact of the September 11th crisis has been a catalyst for improving the efficiency of the struggle against terrorism within the framework of a European Area of Freedom, Security and Justice.
The EU and its Member States acted swiftly to implement SCR 1373. An EU report has been submitted to the Committee alongside the reports submitted by the Member States. In this report the measures adopted by the EU in compliance with 1373 Resolution are detailed. However, even before the Resolution was approved, an Extraordinary European Council adopted an Action Plan specified in 68 measures, which are structured in a "road map".
A complete list of the specific actions carried out by the Union would be too extensive. Nevertheless it is necessary to mention the European Arrest Warrant, the purpose of which is to ensure that arrest warrants linked i.a. to terrorist acts issued by a Judge in a Member State are valid in the whole territory of the Union, thus replacing the present extradition system; the Framework Decision on Combating Terrorism, which includes a common definition of several types of terrorist acts, and the
imposition of severe criminal punishments for the perpetrators; the creation of joint investigation task forces; the adoption of a regulatory framework that for the first time provides the legal basis for a EU-wide sanction system for the purpose of freezing assets of terrorist persons and entities, including the drawing up of a common list of terrorist organisations; the use, to the greatest extent, of the possibilities offered in this field by EUROJUST and by EUROPOL; and the approval of a
Protocol to the Convention on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters Between the Member states of the European Union, which will have a special importance in the fight against money laundering and financial crimes.
As far as police co-operation is concerned, apart from the development of EUROPOL, several other measures are being considered: the creation of a European border police, mechanisms which will offer greater security in the granting of visas, more efficient control of the external borders of the Union, and an increase in automatic mechanisms for the exchange of information. A review of EU instruments in the field of asylum is also being conducted. Moreover, existing sanctions instruments have
been revised to target the Al Qaida network, in particular.
The European Council of Laeken, held last December noted that the Action Plan is developing according to schedule. Achieving its goals is one of the priorities of the current Presidency.
In that same European Council, the EU Heads of State and Government reaffirmed their solidarity with the people of the United States and the International Community in the fight against terrorism. This fight has to be conducted with full respect for individual rights and freedoms, in accordance with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. The EU has already adopted legislation containing this type of safeguards.
Mr. President,
Discussions in the Sixth Committee on the Draft Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism have gained a great momentum in this General Assembly. Many obstacles which seemed insurmountable have been overcome, and the issues that still have not been agreed upon are very few. The EU is ready to accept the last proposal submitted by the Australian co-ordinator. In line with the spirit of consensus that made the adoption of Resolution 1373 possible, the EU expects that this Convention will
be adopted soon. The EU strongly believes that only a text which could not be paralysed by endless discussions of a more political than legal nature will serve as an operational, effective instrument against terrorism.
Negotiations on the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism could be concluded as soon as an agreement is reached on the Comprehensive Convention, the obstacles being of the same nature. And it is absolutely necessary that all States ratify without delay all international and regional Conventions related to the fight against terrorism, and implement all their provisions.
To this regard, the EU has requested the Vienna based Centre for International Crime Prevention (CICP), which is mandated with technical assistance in the field of terrorism prevention, to develop a project on how it could assist UN Member States with the implementation of the twelve antiterrorist Conventions negotiated in the framework of the United Nations. The issue of technical assistance in the implementation process of the existing legal instruments against terrorism has also been dealt
with by the Vienna Action Plan. The activities of the Vienna-based UN institutions mandated with anti-terrorism activities should complement UN system-wide efforts and explore possible synergies.
Mr. President:
The EU is, above all, a Union based on shared values. On adopting common measures against terrorism, the Union has reaffirmed its commitment with the fundamental freedoms and the Rule of Law. These values, inherent to the Union itself, are in fact the same ones that terrorism despises and tries to eliminate.
The European Union strongly believes that this meeting will strengthen even more the resolve to face terrorism shown by the United Nations over these last months, and that it will help the Security Council and its Counter-Terrorist Committee in the crucial task of implementing Resolution 1373.
Thank you, Mr. President.
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