Summary: November 13, 2000: Statement by Mr. François Alabrune. Measures to eliminate international terrorism (New York)
Mr. President
It is my honour to speak on behalf of the European Union. The countries of Central and Eastern Europe (Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia), the associated countries Cyprus and Malta, as well as Norway, as an EFTA country member of the European Economic Area, align themselves with this statement.
Acts of terrorism are a scourge that is unacceptable to the international community. This fact has justified the item's inclusion on the General Assembly's Agenda since 1972. Even today, such acts continue to strike at random, killing innocent civilians and sapping the very structures of society. The foundations of democracy and human rights are always the victims of terrorist acts. Terrorism constitutes a threat to internal and international security and to the enjoyment of human
rights.
The 1994 Declaration on Measures to Eliminate International Terrorism annexed to General Assembly Resolution 49/60 and, more recently, Security Council Resolution 1269 (1999) reaffirm that terrorist acts can be a threat to international peace and security. In the same spirit, the European Union unreservedly condemns terrorism in all of its forms and manifestations whatever cause it might invoke as justification and regardless of its authors.
We are deeply affected by the acts of terrorism that continue to be committed in many parts of the world and we solemnly express our sympathy to the families of victims who have suffered from these tragic acts. We are also concerned by the increase of terrorist acts such as aircraft hijackings and the taking of hostages.
In order to combat this phenomenon, we must arm ourselves with efficient cooperation instruments respectful of human rights, while struggling against the political and human dramas constituting the factors of instability upon which terrorist groups feed.
In accordance with these principles, the fight against terrorism remains a matter of priority for the European Union. All European Union member States are parties to the European Convention on the Suppression of Terrorism of 27 January 1977, which laid the groundwork for European cooperation in the matter. The Convention of 27 September 1996 concerning extradition among European Union member States is another instrument which should facilitate the fight against terrorism. The desire for
European harmonization is also reflected in the introduction into the domestic law of member States of strict regulations governing the handling of explosives.
In addition to legal instruments, we have in recent years stepped up our efforts to prevent and reduce the threat of transnational terrorism by exchanges of information among member States. Since 1 July 1999, for example, Europol has been entrusted with processing information in the counter-terrorist field. The European Union has furthermore intensified cooperation with other States in countering terrorism. This is notably the case with the associate States of the European Union. We have close
contacts on the subject with the United States as part of the transatlantic dialogue and with the Federation of Russia. In the framework of the Barcelona process, we have incorporated a chapter on terrorism with a view to increasing our dialogue with the Mediterranean coastal states. The European Union has, moreoever, set up a programme of assistance to the Palestinian Authority.
Counter-terrorism, in order to be effective, must be as broadly-based as possible, since a major feature of terrorist groups contributing to their increasing sophistication is the constitution of increasingly complex support and funding networks. Fighting this evolution is benefited by a joint organized response of the international community.
The repression of terrorism comprises a particularly copious field of international law. In the past 25 years, numerous Conventions have been put forward under the auspices of the United Nations and its specialized agencies. They share a common counter-terrorism objective and deal for the most part with specific categories of terrorist acts: attacks on aircraft and shipping, hostage-taking, bombings, for example. The Conventions are the fruit of a sectoral approach to problems. They are
intended to respond efficiently and pragmatically to the terrorist acts reported.
With this in mind, the Ad Hoc Committee on Terrorism set up under Resolution 51/210 has pursued these efforts with professionalism and firmness. It successfully adopted the Convention for the Suppression of Terrorist Bombings and that concerning the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism, open for signature as from 10 January 2000. The European Union indicates that its fifteen member States have signed the former and that a majority of them have already signed the latter. Once they enter
into force, the conventions will constitute a suitable response aimed at enhancing the effectiveness of international cooperation to eliminate and prevent terrorism. The European Union is, moreover, in favour of concluding rapidly the draft Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism which would be a useful complement to existing Conventions. It reaffirms that it is prepared to examine constructively an acceptable solution of compromise.
This sectoral approach has proved highly satisfactory in providing the international community with the means to organizing itself against acts of terrorism. This is why the European Union calls upon the States that have not yet done so to become parties to the international Conventions which at present provide a framework for combating terrorism.
In its resolution 54/110 the General Assembly asked that the elaboration of a comprehensive convention on international terrorism be considered, which would be integrated into a series of conventions dealing with this issue as a whole. The European Union considers that following the conclusion of several sectoral conventions, it is now possible to elaborate such an instrument. The European Union therefore supported the launching of negotiations on such a convention This should add to the
existing body of UN counter-terrorism conventions - particularly by remedying the remaining loopholes - while preserving the achievements of these conventions. The European Union thanks India for its far-reaching initiative and welcomes the work carried out during the first negotiating session from 25 September to 6 October. It is in favour of pursuing these negotiations in 2001 in the framework of the Ad Hoc Committee and prepared to go on taking an active and constructive part in the
debates.
In conclusion, the European Union wishes to thank the Secretary-General for his report on measures to eliminate international terrorism. We also wish to thank the States and organizations, which have transmitted information on the measures taken at national and regional level to prevent and crack down on international terrorism as well as on the implementation of the international conventions. The European Union hopes that the compendium of domestic laws and regulations on terrorism will soon
be published. We support the Secretary-General's request to States, which have not yet transmitted the necessary information to do so as quickly as possible.
The European Union congratulates the IAEA on its efforts to prevent and suppress illegal traffic in nuclear and other radioactive materials as well as to ensure the physical protection of nuclear materials. Its recommendations concerning the sabotage of nuclear facilities are, we feel, especially valuable. We thank the IAEA for its expertise, which was of great help to the Committee on Terrorism during work on the draft Convention for the Suppression of Nuclear Terrorism. We also note that the
Prevention of terrorism Branch of the Center of prevention of international crime in Vienna has taken up its work.
The report by ICAO informing the UN of the declining trend in criminal acts relating to civil aviation during the 1990s is evidence of the efficacy of the instruments we have adopted for guaranteeing the security of aircraft, even though recent events have shown that vigilance is still required to deal with this situation. The report's figures show that international cooperation is the best answer to acts of terrorism. The figures should serve as an example to us in the pursuit of our efforts
towards eradicating the other forms of terrorism.
I shall conclude by reasserting our absolute and unreserved condemnation of all forms of terrorism and our determination to contribute to a concerted action against terrorism by by the international community.
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