EU Presidency Statement - Security Council Joint Briefing

United Nations Security Council Joint Briefing of the Chairpersons of the Al-Qaida/Taliban Sanctions Committee, the Counter-Terrorism Committee and the Committee established pursuant to Security Council resolution 1540 (2004); Statement by Ambassador Gerhard Pfanzelter, Permanent Representative of Austria to the United Nations, on behalf of the European Union.

Mr. President,

I have to honor to speak on behalf of the European Union. The Acceding Countries Bulgaria and Romania, the Candidate Countries Turkey, Croatia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia*, the Countries of the Stabilisation and Association Process and potential candidates Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Montenegro, and the EFTA countries Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, members of the European Economic Area, as well as Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova align themselves with this declaration.

I would like to thank the Chairpersons of the Al-Qaida/Taliban Sanctions Committee, the Counter-Terrorism Committee and the Committee established pursuant to Security Council resolution 1540 for their comprehensive and informative briefings.

The European Union welcomes today's fourth joint briefing of the three Committee Chairpersons. We attach great importance to such regular public debates of the Security Council on the work of the three Committees in the field of counter-terrorism and non-proliferation of WMDs. Open discussions are an important contribution to strengthen the acceptance, legitimacy and transparency of the Security Council's efforts in this field.

Mr. President,

Turning to the work of the three Committees, the European Union believes that, while taking into account and respecting their different mandates, the Committees should continue their efforts to increase cooperation and coordination among them and their experts in monitoring the implementation of the respective Security Council resolutions, and with regard to information sharing and coordinating visits to countries. As stated at the World Summit, we encourage the Security Council to consider ways to strengthen its monitoring and enforcement role in counter-terrorism, including by consolidating State reporting requirements.

The European Union emphasizes the importance of the respect for international law, human rights law and refugee law, including due process and the rule of law, in the fight against terrorism, which is a prerequisite for making that fight effective and legitimate.

The European Union welcomes the efforts of the 1267-Committee to further improve the Al-Qaida/Taliban sanctions regime, especially the consolidated list and the Committee's guidelines, in the light of Security Council resolution 1617 and the recommendations in the recent reports of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team. The adoption of the revised guidelines on 21 December 2005 was an important step. We note, however, that with regard to the sections dealing with listing and delisting procedures no agreement has been reached so far. The European Union expresses its expectation that the Committee will expeditiously continue its work on these sections, as mandated by the Security Council.

In this context, we stress the call of the World Summit to ensure that fair and clear procedures exist for placing individuals and entities on sanctions lists and for removing them, as well as for granting humanitarian exemptions.

The European Union fully supports the work program of the Counter-Terrorism-Committee (CTC) presented today. We particularly welcome the envisaged revision of the reporting regime by developing a "tailor-made approach" and streamlining reporting procedures, which would help to address the problems of non-reporting and the so-called "reporting fatigue" of Member States. In this context, we are also pleased to hear that the Committee has cleared the backlog of State reports.

The European Union notes with satisfaction that on 15 December 2005 the Counter Terrorism Executive Directorate (CTED) was finally declared fully operational. We have also taken note of the review of CTED undertaken by the Security Council last December and look forward to another comprehensive review by 31 December 2006. The European Union strongly encourages the CTC, with the help of the human rights expert in CTED, to continue its efforts to streamline human rights through its entire work.

As regards the efforts to enhance the dialogue with States on technical assistance, the European Union stands ready to continue its cooperation and participation in CTED visits to countries with which it has a close relationship. In this context, we are also pleased to note the exemplary cooperation between CTED, as key facilitator of technical assistance, and the Terrorism Prevention Branch of UNODC, which provides technical assistance to requesting countries for the ratification and implementation of the 13 universal conventions against terrorism.

The European Union remains deeply concerned about the danger of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and of their acquisition by non-state actors, in particular terrorists. We fully support all international efforts to prevent the proliferation of WMD. The 1540-Committee plays an important role in this regard. The European Union commends the 1540-Committee and its group of experts for their work in developing a matrix and building a legislative database on the basis of the State reports examined and other relevant information received. The database will be an important tool of information for Member States and we look forward to its publication on the Committee's website.

With the end of the two-years mandate of the 1540-Committee approaching on 28 April, the European Union notes with concern that 67 States, which is more than one third of the UN membership, have not yet submitted their first reports. We urge all States, which have not yet done so, to submit their reports to the Committee and would be glad to consider any request for assistance or advice to such States as might be required. We look forward to the Committee's final report before the end of its current mandate and, in particular, its analysis of existing problems in the implementation of resolution 1540. In the light of its ongoing work and the numerous tasks that are still to be completed, the European Union believes that the mandate of the 1540-Committee should be extended as soon as possible.

Mr. President,

Despite the highly commendable efforts of the three Committees, terrorism continues to pose one of the most serious threats to international peace and security. In our view it is thus imperative that the United Nations and its Member States continue to show their unity and resolve in the global fight against terrorism. In this context, the European Union strongly supports the measures outlined in the Summit Outcome last September. In the light of the upcoming Ad-Hoc Committee on Terrorism next week, we reiterate the call of our World Leaders to make every effort to conclude the comprehensive convention on international terrorism during the 60th session of the General Assembly. We also look forward to the speedy adoption and implementation of a comprehensive UN counter-terrorism strategy, based on the elements proposed by the Secretary-General, to strengthen the capacity of the United Nations system to assist States in combating terrorism and to enhance the co-ordination of all UN activities in this regard.

For its part, on 1 December 2005, the European Union adopted a EU Counter-Terrorism Strategy, complemented by a detailed Action Plan for Implementation, as well as a EU Strategy for Combating Radicalization and Recruitment to Terrorism. We believe that these documents agreed at a regional level could complement a comprehensive and global UN counter-terrorism strategy very well.

Mr. President,

Let me conclude by reaffirming the commitment of the European Union to combat the continuing threat posed by terrorism and the proliferation of WMD through a comprehensive, integrated and multilateralist approach, reinforcing both internal and international cooperation, in accordance with the principles on which the European Union is founded.

| Arriba |

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