UN anti-terror committee to strengthen international cooperation

The main United Nations anti-terrorism body will strengthen its cooperation with international organizations in the drive to keep nuclear, chemical, biological and other deadly materials out of terrorists' hands, according to its latest 90-day report.

The Security Council's Counter-terrorism Committee (CTC) "will continue to expand its contacts and cooperation with the international, regional and subregional organizations," the report presented by its Chairman, Ambassador Inocencio Arias of Spain, says.

Referring to a CTC meeting in May with representatives of the World Customs Organization, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and Interpol, the report states: "The meeting highlighted the importance of counter-terrorism efforts in imposing strict controls on nuclear, chemical, biological and other deadly materials and of denying terrorist groups and organizations access thereto.

"The Committee will continue dealing with the issue in order to identify the best way of helping to prevent this obvious threat to international peace and security from materializing," it adds.

The Committee was created in the aftermath of the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States to monitor Security Council resolution 1373, which called on Member States to prevent and suppress the financing of terrorism, refrain from providing any support to entities or persons involved in terrorist acts, and deny safe haven to those who finance, plan, support and commit such acts.

The resolution requires all UN members to submit reports on their part in the battle. The latest Committee report says all 191 Member States have submitted their first reports, "which represents a significant step towards obtaining from all of them one of the primary objectives of resolution 1373 (2001) and of the Committee itself, namely a universal commitment to the fight against terrorism."

But it notes that 36 countries are late in submitting follow-up reports.