UN anti-terror meeting in Kazakhstan ends with call to fight scourge in all its forms

Delegates to a United Nations meeting on terrorism have agreed that global action plans to fight the scourge should encourage countries to become parties to the dozen international anti-terror treaties already on the books and underscored the world body's central role in the effort.

In a statement adopted at the conclusion of the fourth special meeting of the UN Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC) in Almaty, Kazakhstan, delegates also stressed the importance of universal adherence to and full implementation of international treaties against the proliferation of nuclear, biological or chemical weapons as a complement to worldwide anti-terrorist efforts.

The statement reaffirmed "the imperative to combat terrorism in all its forms and manifestations."

The two-day meeting ended yesterday and drew representatives from more than 50 countries as well as 36 international, regional and sub-regional organizations, covering issues ranging from terrorism financing and international cooperation to arms trafficking and improving border control.

The event was co-sponsored by the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and the CTC, which was created in the aftermath of the 11 September 2001 terror attacks against the United States to bolster the ability of all countries to fight terrorism.