UN anti-terrorism panel looks at terrorist threats to peace and security

The chairman of the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC) said today the panel was completing its examination of countries' legislation to see if it was suited to the struggle and was now moving to find out how these laws were being implemented, a more difficult task.

"Regarding technical assistance, the committee is increasing cooperation with states, which, while possessing the necessary political will to implement the resolution, are having difficulties doing so," Ambassador Inocencio Arias of Spain said in an open briefing of the Security Council.

The Committee was also strengthening its ties with regional and sub-regional organizations, he said.

"The Committee reflects a consensus among all United Nations members, which has affirmed the need to struggle, with all means possible within the UN Charter, against all acts of terrorism," Ambassador Arias said.

A balance needed to be struck to determine the amount of attention given each state and, in that regard, he had drafted a working paper on criteria to be used for requesting information and for finding ways to treat states equally, but with flexibility.

Meanwhile, 48 countries had been late in submitting reports by 30 September, he said. Governments that were late would be listed in a CTC report he would submit to the Security Council on 31 October.

Following his briefing, the representatives of more than 30 countries participated in the Council's daylong debate.

At the end of the session, Ambassador James Cunningham of the United States, which holds the rotating Presidency of the Security Council, said in a statement that over the next 90 days “the CTC is invited to focus on practical measures to increase the means available to states to combat terrorism, helping them to identify and solve the problems in implementing the (governing) resolution.”