India presses for international terrorism convention

UNITED NATIONS - Calling terrorism a global threat to democracy and development, India has called for the early adoption of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT).

“Terrorism poses an extremely serious threat to all states and all societies,” Hardeep Singh Puri, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, said Tuesday during a Security Council debate on the work of three committees set up to support efforts to combat terrorism.

Noting “terrorism threatens democracy and democratic values” and “aims to destroy lives and reverse development,” he said India has an abiding interest in expeditiously concluding the CCIT.

“The backdrop of the latest terrorism related incidents once again underscore that terrorism is a global threat and requires a coordinated and concerted global response,” Puri said.

“An early adoption of CCIT is in the interests of all Member States and would provide impetus to multilateral and collective action to countering international terrorism efforts,” he said.

Noting almost, all the elements of the proposed CCIT have passed muster by legal experts, Puri said: “What is required now is the necessary political will to ensure the early adoption of the CCIT.”

Reiterating that India will continue to work closely with the counter terrorism mechanisms established by the Security Council, he said it welcomed efforts to use open dialogue as a means to build closer cooperation within the international system.

“What we need is the necessary political will accompanied with concerted and resolute action to effectively combat the scourge of terrorism,” Puri said.

“There are deep concerns about the potential nexus between clandestine proliferation and terrorism and the ever-present danger of such weapons or vulnerable nuclear materials falling into the hands of non-state actors,” he said adding, “International solidarity and shared determination are absolutely imperative to combat this scourge effectively.”

The heads of the three committees set up by the Security Council to support the efforts of Member States to combat terrorism also reported increased cooperation within the past six months among their respective bodies and their expert groups, and voiced the need for the Council’s guidance to better coordinate future efforts.

“Cooperation is a crucial element in efforts against the threat of terrorism, in particular in relation to the use of nuclear arms, chemical and biological,” said Ambassador Claude Heller of Mexico, in a joint statement on behalf of three panels.