Asserting that terrorism poses a major threat to world peace and security, India has stressed the need for an early adoption of a comprehensive convention on international terror to send a strong signal to terrorists and strengthen the moral authority of the United Nations.
It also asked the international community to build capacity of states and focus on regional inter-governmental organisations to fight the scourge.
Participating in the informal discussion on terrorism, India's representative Neeru Chadha told the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday that there was need for an early adoption of a comprehensive convention on international terrorism to send a strong signal to terrorists and strengthen the moral authority of the world body.
Adoption of the convention has been held up for years, partially because of a disagreement over the definition of terrorism by member states. Secretary general Kofi Annan last week unveiled a global counter-terrorism strategy that places renewed emphasis on the victims of terror attacks.
The international community should draw up a focused and result-oriented strategy to fight the menace, she said.
"The fight against terrorism would involve multiple actors and instruments at national, regional and international levels and effective coordination between all the actors on many cross-cutting issues would be the key to the success of the strategy," Chadha, a counsellor in the Indian Mission to the United Nations, said.
Stressing the need for the international community to help build capacity of states to fight the scourge, Chadha did not agree with the Secretary-General's recommendation for expanded role for the existing counter-terrorist legal and institutional framework within the UN to enhance the member states/capabilities.
"We believe that in this regard there should be an increased focus on regional intergovernmental organizations. Those organizations may also be integrated in the task of combating terrorism as such fora have proved to be useful for sharing not only best practices among States but also to promote international cooperation," Chadha told the delegates.
While it might be true that terrorist acts do not occur in a political and social vacuum, it is equally true that underlying factors that might lead to support for recruitment to terrorism differ considerably from case to case, she said, stressing the need for tackling the underlying causes, which encourage this menace.
She said India is convinced that terrorism, in all its forms and manifestations, irrespective of its motivations, is a criminal and unjustifiable act and welcomed the reiteration in a UN report that the world body must make absolutely clear that 'no cause, no matter how just, can excuse terrorism.'
India, she said, recognizes the importance of respect for human rights while tackling terrorism. But the human rights of the victims and obligation of the States to protect its citizens should also be not forgotten. In this context, Chadha advocated establishment of a system providing for assistance to victims of terrorist acts and their families.
