Marking 11 September, Security Council pledges steadfast action against terrorism

At a solemn, high-level meeting marking the anniversary of the 11 September attacks against the United States, the Security Council today restated its determination to remain resolute in combating the terrorist menace until it is eradicated.

"The threat is real, the challenge is enormous, and the fight against terrorism will be long," said Georgi Parvanov, the President of Bulgaria, which currently holds the Council's rotating presidency. "The Security Council will remain steadfast against the threat that endangers all that has been achieved, and all that remains to be achieved, to fulfil the principles and purposes of the United Nations for all people everywhere," he added in a formal statement read out on behalf of Council members at a meeting which saw the participation of US Secretary of State Colin Powell and UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

The statement paid tribute to the memory of the almost 3,000 innocent lives lost in the attacks and voiced the Council's solidarity with their families. Noting that New York is the UN's home, the President also expressed admiration for the city's "determination to forge ahead, to rebuild, not to give in to terrorism."

The terrorists, he said, "struck at the ideals embodied in the Charter of the United Nations." In response, both the General Assembly and the Security Council had reacted in outrage and condemnation, demanding that those responsible for these crimes be brought to justice. A broad coalition of States has taken action against the Taliban, Al-Qaida, and their supporters. "It did so in defence of common values and common security," President Parvanov said. "Consistent with the high purposes of this institution and the provisions of the United Nations Charter, the coalition continues to pursue those responsible."

For its part, the Council had, through its "historic" resolution 1373 (2001), made the fight against terrorism a mandatory obligation of the international community, the President noted, calling on all States and organizations to carry forward and build on their cooperation with the Counter-Terrorism Committee and the Council's committee monitoring sanctions against Al-Qaida and Taliban operatives.

Following the statement, members of the Council observed a minute of silence in tribute to the victims of the attacks.

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- Security Council meeting