Summary: October 16, 2003: Statement to the Security Council of the United Nations by Ambassador Aldo Mantovani Deputy Permanent Representative of Italy to the United Nations on behalf of the European Union. THREATS TO INTERNATIONAL PEACE AND SECURITY CAUSED BY TERRORIST ACTS (New York)
Mr. President,
I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union. The acceding countries Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia, the associated countries Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey, and the EFTA countries, members of the European Economic Area, Iceland and Norway, align themselves with this statement.
Mr. President,
The significant results that have been achieved over the past few years in the worldwide fight against terrorism should not be underestimated. Top leaders of terrorist networks have been arrested in Europe, Asia and other regions. Criminal proceedings and trials are underway in several countries and many sentences have already been handed down. Terrorist cells have been disrupted and attacks foiled in several countries. None of these successes would have been possible without close cooperation
among the law enforcement, intelligence and judicial authorities of various nations. This type of cooperation is still the international community's approach to peace and security.
Nonetheless, the threat of terrorism remains a major source of concern. While the terrorist network has suffered major blows, it has also shown extraordinary resilience and a strong ability to adapt to changing situations. It does so by decentralizing its planning and operations and reconstituting its bases and safe havens elsewhere, especially in failed States or in countries with particularly weak public institutions.
The European Union recognizes and supports the central role of the United Nations in the fight against terrorism worldwide. In this framework, the European Union stresses the need for closer cooperation between the United Nations, in particular with the Counter Terrorism Committee (CTC) and regional and sub-regional organizations. The European Union is actively engaged in political dialogue and multifaceted cooperation with several of these organizations. Most recently, the EU participated in
two significant initiatives: the Seminar hosted by the Chinese Government in Beijing, on September 22-23, in the framework of ASEM, and the meeting organized by UNCTC and OAS in Washington DC, on October 7, 2003.
On this occasion, I would like to reiterate some of the basic principles underlying the strategy of the European Union.
First of all, the Union unequivocally condemns all acts of terrorism as criminal and stresses that no terrorism is justifiable, irrespective of its alleged motivations, objectives, forms or manifestations.
The fight against terrorism must be conducted with full respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, rule of law and, where applicable, international humanitarian law. In its internal anti-terrorist legislation, the European Union and its Member States have set high standards for the safeguarding of human rights.
The European Union considers Security Council Resolution 1373 to be the cornerstone of the international community's cooperation strategy and is firmly committed to its implementation. I would like to highlight some of its basic aspects.
The signature, ratification and full implementation of the twelve international conventions against terrorism are a top priority for the European Union. The EU members and the acceding countries are now parties to the vast majority of these conventions. We strongly encourage all other members of the United Nations to act in this direction. Regional organizations have a crucial role to play since they can reaffirm their commitment by actively monitoring the progress being made on signature and
ratification of the conventions by their respective Member States.
The fight against the financing of terrorism is equally crucial. We have increased our efforts and effectiveness in this field, focusing our attention on cutting financial flows and other forms of support to terrorist organizations. A list of terrorist individuals, groups and entities is regularly reviewed and updated.
A workshop on terrorism financing, jointly organized by the Italian Presidency and the European Commission, will be held in Brussels on November 7, 2003. This forum will provide an opportunity to pursue political dialogue and exchange information and best practices on problems relating to the implementation of international obligations stemming from the pertinent Security Council resolutions.
Technical assistance aimed at strengthening capacity building against terrorism is another basic tenet of the European Union's strategy. In addition to programs carried out by individual member States, the European Commission has launched - in consultation with the United Nations Counter Terrorism Committee - pilot projects in a few countries.
In this context, the EU also recognizes the role of the Terrorism Prevention Branch of the UN's Office of Drugs and Crime to assist States in the implementation of their obligations arising from Security Council Resolution 1373, in particular, in becoming parties to and fully implementing the relevant international conventions and protocols relating to terrorism.
We believe that effective technical coordination in this field is crucial to the success of counter-terrorism capacity building.
Special attention should be dedicated to the links between terrorism and organized crime, especially trafficking in drugs and human beings. In many instances, funds generated from these criminal activities help finance terrorism. Terrorist organizations also seek to take advantage of migration flows in order to infiltrate countries and execute their deadly projects.
Faced with the serious challenge of terrorism and its global threat to peace and security, the international community must continue to respond with a strategy of cooperation at all levels. To this end, the EU supports the role of the competent UN agencies and bodies in helping to strengthen the United Nations capacity to counter terrorism and advise Member States on the implementation of the pertinent Security Council Resolutions and the UN legal instruments against terrorism.
Thank you, Mr. President.
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