Annan outlines three-pronged UN strategy to combat terrorism worldwide

Addressing the United Nations Security Council exactly one year after it established a powerful Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC), Secretary-General Kofi Annan today outlined a three-pronged UN strategy for combating the scourge.

Mr. Annan’s proposal, based largely on the report of a policy working group which he convened, calls for dissuading terrorists from carrying out their attacks, denying would-be perpetrators the chance to commit their crimes, and fostering international cooperation in fighting the scourge.

“To achieve effective dissuasion, it is essential to remember that the fight against terrorism is above all a fight to preserve fundamental rights and sustain the rule of law,” he said, warning that “to pursue security at the expense of human rights is short-sighted, self-contradictory, and, in the long run, self-defeating.” In places where democratic values are lacking, disaffected groups are more likely to opt for a path of violence, he pointed out.

In the area of denial, the Secretary-General advocated both political and financial support for the CTC, which “has stretched, almost to breaking point, the Secretariat’s resources for processing documentation.” He also called for greater efforts to achieve disarmament, especially through strengthening global norms against the use or proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. States seeking to curb the flow of arms, funds, and technology to terrorist cells merit support, he added.

Concerning the need for sustained international cooperation, he said the struggle against terrorism must be waged on as broad a basis as possible, “while encouraging sub-regional, regional, and global organizations to join forces in a common campaign.” For its part, the UN is committed to working with international partners in the fight against terrorism, and to achieving unity of purpose and action, he said.

While pledging the world body’s unstinting and determined support in this effort, he stressed the need to solve the political disputes and long-standing conflicts which generate support for terrorism. “To do so is not to reward terrorism or its perpetrators; it is to deny them the opportunity to find refuge, in any cause, any country,” he said. “Only then can we truly say that the war on terrorism has been won.”