Statement by Mr. Eldar Kouliev,
15 October 1999
Mr. Chairman,
I have the honour to make statement on behalf of the Delegations of the States of the GUUAM Group (Georgia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan and the Republic of Moldova) on agenda item 160 " Measures on elimination of international terrorism".
Mr. Chairman,
On the eve of the third millennium the threat posed by international terrorism has acquired a global and tragic dimension. Hundreds of innocent lives have been lost, substantial material and moral damage have been inflicted on the countries and peoples, which suffered from terrorism.
Perhaps, it is an irony of our time: the stronger the efforts of the international community and more strenuous our work to eradicate terrorism evil, the more aggressive and inhumane are the forms of this vicious phenomenon that now endangers peace and stability even in those countries, which have never experienced terrorism before, at least on a large scale. This decisively proves one undeniable fact: no state - big or small, rich or poor - can feel safe against the threat of terrorism, which knows no boundaries and makes no distinction between children and military targets, diplomatic and humanitarian missions, which causes not only the deaths of civilians, but also threatens the territorial integrity and security of states, undermines confidence in their relations.
While it is already hard to go along with situations when mankind is not able to defend itself from natural catastrophes, deaths of totally innocent people as a result of terrorist acts are not acceptable at all. The threat of terrorism requires an active counteraction by the international community, particularly, by means of enhanced cooperation within the United Nations.
One can point out with satisfaction to the progress achieved in the field of development of international legal instruments, made since the adoption in 1994 by the General Assembly of the Declaration on measures to eliminate international terrorism. The Delegations of the States of the GUUAM Group believe that the Sixth Committee is doing out important work in creation of the documents dealing with various aspects of terrorism.
Our Delegations support the work of the Ad Hoc Committee established by the UNGA resolution 51/210 on 17 December 1996. Allow me express our appreciation to the Delegation of France for preparing a timely and important draft Convention on the suppression of the financing of terrorism. We welcome the completion of the work on the draft and support its adoption.
We would like also to commend the chairman of the Ad Hoc Committee Ambassador Philippe Kirsch for his able leadership and for the efforts to advance the work of the Committee.
The Delegations of the Group of GUUAM support an idea of convening a global forum to combat international terrorism in the year 2000.
Appropriate to this event would be the related development and adoption of a fundamental and comprehensive convention on suppression of international terrorism.
We welcome Resolution 1269 adopted by the Security Council on 18 October 1999. Consideration of this question by the Security Council reaffirms the need of enhanced efforts in combating terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.
Mr. Chairman,
In recent years some of our countries have severely suffered from activity of terrorists. Explosions in public places, attempts on and murders of political figures have claimed the lives of hundreds of people. Despite measures taken by law enforcement bodies on national and regional levels to apprehend and punish terrorists, unfortunately, some of them can escape and even find shelter in other countries. Therefore, it is very important that all members of the international community adhere strictly to the commitments enshrined in the UN Declaration on measures to eliminate international terrorism, as well as in other international legal instruments
Year by year, we build up new elements of the international legal machinery designed to curtail violence and to bring those responsible for deaths and destruction to justice, and yet we have to acknowledge inadequate progress in our efforts to win this fight or to reduce the scale of terrorist attacks.
We are convinced that the intensification of international efforts in combating terrorism needs a more concentrated focus on the causes and conditions that may give rise to international terrorism. Their gradual elimination will be conducive to the decrease of the threat of terrorism, at least those threat which are undertaken as means of achieving specific political goals.
In this connection, Mr. Chairman, I would like to underscore another important aspect of concerted efforts of international community in combating terrorism. Whatever actions are being undertaken at international, regional or national levels, all such actions must be in full conformity with the basic principles of international law and must not run against the fundamental provisions of the United Nations Charter. In condition of globalization the consequences of terrorist acts are tangible far beyond countries where those taken place and continents, it is impossible to overestimate the significance of existing universal international legal instruments, especially those established within the UN framework.
Mr. Chairman,
The Presidents of the States of the GUUAM Group in their joint statement in Washington, dated 24 April 1999 and contained in the UN document A/54/94, while expressing their concern with the increased number of acts of terrorism and recognizing the necessity to jointly combat terrorism in all its manifestations, have agreed to make joint efforts to fight ethnic intolerance, separatism, religious extremism and terrorism. All aforementioned phenomena are closely linked and endanger democratic order and economic development of states.
It is necessary to point out to particularly close connection between terrorism and aggressive separatism, as well as religious extremism. Conflict situations create favorable condition for intensification of terrorist groups, which claim innocent people as their victims. The States of the Group of GUUAM would like to stress that terrorist acts can not be justified under any circumstances, whatever the political, philosophical, ideological, racial, ethnic, religious or any other consideration that may be invoked to justify them.
Particular concern is caused by the fact that the activity of terrorist organizations is nourished with income from other criminal activities - arms smuggling, drug production and trafficking. Terrorists are using new and more sophisticated means of terror. It is necessary to sever all channels of funding and weapon supplies to terrorist groups.
Legal instruments alone are not sufficient in this struggle, there is the necessity for strong commitment on part of the states and genuine cooperation of law enforcement bodies and special services.
We believe that effective results can be achieved through the establishment of the global system of cooperation, inter alia, through the exchange of information and experience on the basis of a common position taken on part of the international community. It is necessary to eliminate any possibility for terrorists to avoid investigation, arrest, trial, extradition and punishment.
Mr. Chairman,
The States, on behalf of which I have the honor to make this statement today, would like once more to state their readiness to devote their energies to development and enhancement of interstate cooperation to prevent and, finally, eliminate international terrorism.
Thank you.