Security Council backs committee's help to countries in anti-terror fight

The United Nations Security Council today voiced ongoing support for the work of its Counter-Terrorism Committee and invited the expert group to accelerate its assessments of nations' abilities to fight the scourge.

In a statement read out in an open session by the Council President for July, Ambassador Mihnea Ioan Motoc of Romania, the 15-member body also welcomed preparations for the first visit by the CTC to a Member State in implementation of resolution 1373, the landmark text adopted in the wake of the 11 September 2001 attacks against the United States which set up the Committee.

Officials told the UN News Service that initial preparations are in discussion but no decision has yet been made on which country will be the first visited by the group.

The Council also invited the CTC focus in the next three months on practical measures to implement resolution 1535, as well as to "accelerate its work on country assessments of assistance needs that can be shared with interested donor States and organizations," said Ambassador Mihnea Ioan Motoc of Romania.

Resolution 1535, adopted in March, restructured the Committee to include a Counter Terrorism Executive Directorate, enabling the panel to be more agile and efficient as it helps countries comply with resolution 1373. That text compels countries to report regularly on their efforts to combat terrorism, and the Council noted today that as of the end of June, 71 States still had not met the deadline to submit the required reports.

The Council's statement followed a briefing by the CTC Chairman, Ambassador Alexander Konuzin of the Russian Federation, who noted that the panel's work had prompted more countries to join anti-terrorism treaties "thereby making an important contribution to strengthening the international legal basis for the fight against terrorism."

The CTC has also continued work on the Directory of Counter-Terrorism Information and Sources of Assistance, he said, while acknowledging the limitations of this effort. "The Directory alone cannot properly meet the new requirements," he said, pledging more direct work with Member States.

He also called attention to the problem of inadequate general understanding of the CTC's work. "This lack of public awareness of the activity of the CTC may have led to some misperceptions of the Committee's work, adding to the problems of communication and practical cooperation with Member States," he said. In response, he said, the CTC would "continue its efforts to improve its communication methods."

Video of Security Council meeting [2hrs 35mins]