February 18, 2005

COUNTER-TERRORISM INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE: PRINCE SAUD AL-FAISAL: THE WORLD IS FACING AN INCREASING DANGER THAT THREATENS INTERNATIONAL SECURITY AND PEACE. SAUDI ARABIA IS IN A STATE OF WAR AGAINST TERRORISM AND ITS SUPPORTERS AND WILL CONTINUE UNTIL IT ROOTS IT OUT. KOFI ANNAN: GOVERNMENTS AND RELIGIOUS LEADERS THROUGHOUT THE ISLAMIC WORLD MUST MAKE SURE THAT THEIR VOICES OF CONDEMNATION OF TERRORISM ARE CLEARLY HEARD BOTH AT HOME AND ABROAD. Prince Saud Al-Faisal, the Foreign Minister, welcomed the Kingdom's guests to the Counter-terrorism International Conference currently in progress in Riyadh and welcomed Arab, Islamic and world mass media visiting the Kingdom for covering the Conference. In his periodical press briefing, Prince Saud Al-Faisal said that the Conference will be a tributary to the International efforts, as Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Prime Minister and Commander of the National Guard indicated, aim at adopting a collective work against terrorism through the crystallization of wide efforts of the world community notably the affected countries to exchange opinions and experience and to come out with practical recommendations and effective proposals to combat this dangerous scourge. He added that the Kingdom is at war with terrorism and those who support or justify it and will continue its war until it uproots this evil, noting that the Kingdom is ready for sharing its experience with others and benefit from theirs. On the Conference, Prince Saud said that four committees have been formed to discuss working papers of the countries participating in the conference on thought of terrorism and its roots; relation between terrorism and drugs, smuggling and money laundering; experience of countries and their benefited lessons and terrorist organizations and ways of eradicating them. He indicated that the daily press briefing will be held after the end of the evening session of the Conference's General Assembly to shed light on the conference's deliberations. Responding to questions by journalists, he said one of the most important reasons for holding this conference is to see how to activate the international anti-terrorism measures. On calls by US president to Saudi Arabia and Egypt to take democratic measures, he said that friendly countries exchange advice, adding that when "we advise the United States of America to change their foreign policy toward the Middle East, is there any harm to the relations. I don't think the US president said anything that harms or injures. He expressed hopes and wishes and we express hopes and wishes." Prince Saud Al-Faisal, the Foreign Minister, stressed that the delegations participating in the International Counter-terrorism Conference expressed their support for the proposal of Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Deputy Premier and Commander of the National Guard, to set up an International Center for Combating Terrorism and emphasized its significance within a comprehensive framework to internationally combat the phenomenon of terrorism in a specializing way of activating the international cooperation. In his daily press briefing on the Conference, Prince Saud noted that the delegations have unanimously stressed the importance of enhancing the role of the United Nations in fighting this phenomenon. Prince Saud pointed out that the conference's deliberations affirmed that any international efforts would be incapable of confronting the phenomenon of terrorism if they were short of a collective work and a comprehensive strategic perspective in dealing with it. The delegations also called for the crystallization of these efforts in setting an international strategy to combat terrorism through international mechanisms and a unified and complete international system to exchange information, experiences, expertise and technology, he said. He added that the deliberations also emphasized the significance of dealing with all aspects, forms, roots and motives of this phenomenon, stressing the unification and intensification of the international efforts to combat and eradicate terrorism. On the definition of terrorism, Prince Saud said the conference evaded this issue which might divert discussions another way, noting that the conferees would prefer forging specific suggestions to fight the phenomenon rather than arguing and arguing. "We would better avoid controversial issues and focus on possible and practical actions to combat terrorism", he added. In response to a question, he said media representatives were barred from attending the sessions and workshops of the conference to give the heads and members of the committees time and create a healthy environment for them to reach recommendations. On his part, head of the Belgian delegation answered a question on whether there is a wide spread laundering operations in the Middle East saying the work group discussed this issue at the regional and international levels and in connection with terror financing and stressed that there was no disagreement on defining these terror acts. He added that there is "full cooperation among countries and we have a group specialized in the financial measures and their application in all countries. Even the countries that don't have such measures, we asked them to cooperate in fighting the finance of terror groups and we have found positive response from all countries in connection with terror finance." On relation of terrorism witnessed by the kingdom with educational curricula, the foreign minister said, "The kingdom has long sought to amend and improve the curricula...If we look at the curricula, the cause of extremism has been removed." The head of the Turkish delegating answered a question on the fact that some Muslims are facing harassment in a country like Turkey while one of the causes of terrorism propagated abroad is the allegation that Muslims are close minded saying, "I agree with you that there is a problem in Turkey. People in Turkey enjoy freedom and security and there are some restrictions issued by the government." Asked whether the conference would recommend holding an international cultural dialogue, Prince Saud said the aim of the conference is to orchestrate a wide range of measures to confront terrorism, including the exchange of intelligence information, holding of training courses, and transference of relevant technology. He expressed surprise when he was asked to comment on reports that some international circles are planning to bar charity and even Zakat (alms). "This is the first time for me to hear that Zakat, a pillar of Islam, could be barred by a human being", he said. Asked to give more details about Crown Prince Abdullah's proposal to set up an international center for combating terrorism, Prince Saud said the conference will tackle the details of this proposal or assign an ad hoc committee to do it. He said, "We are gathered here to confront this criminal act ... (terrorism) which has plagued the world." On the number of days assigned to the conference and whether there is enough time to come up with recommendations to solve the problem of terrorism, he said there is enough time. Prince Saud Al-Faisal, the Foreign Minister, pointed out that the four workshops have wrapped up their works and referred their recommendations to the General Assembly of the International Counter-terrorism Conference. In his daily press briefing, Prince Saud said that the workshops have ended their works in a record time ahead of schedule, noting that the participants have unanimously agreed on the threat of the phenomenon of terrorism to all human societies and the inevitability of confronting all its aspects through crystallization of joint international efforts since this phenomenon is international and has no certain borders, religions, nationalities and races. Prince Saud noted that following the exchange of opinions and proposals, all these recommendations were approved by the Assembly, adding that the recommendations will be submitted to the Assembly in its final wording to be announced in the final communiqué on Tuesday. Then Prince Saud answered reporters' questions. In response to a question, Prince Saud said the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is planning to present details of its proposal that an international center for combating terrorism be set up. Highlighting the recommendations forwarded by the conference's task groups, he said they have focused on the quality and practicability of measures of fighting terrorism. He said there are many benefits achieved by the Kingdom through hosting this event, citing the personal acquaintance and friendship now growing between the Saudi delegation and a number of invitees. Cooperation and coordination among participants from different countries to combat terrorism has already begun, he added. Prince Saud denied that any differences have come out among delegates taking part in the conference. He also dashed reports that the Kingdom has rejected a request by Israel to take part in the event. On his meeting with Iraq's Minster of Interior in Riyadh, Prince Saud said he demanded that the minister provide him with the number of Saudi detainees in Iraq, a request the Iraqi minister promised to meet, he said. In response to a question if the Kingdom will submit the Crown Prince's proposal to the United Nations for approval, Prince Saud said that the Kingdom will forward this proposal upon the request of many members of the conference, noting that there is nearly full support for the benefit of this center in exchanging information. After the end of the conference, the Kingdom will submit its opinion on this center and study reactions, he added. As regards the conference's discussion of benefiting from the experience of other countries which have succeeded in combating terrorism including Yemen, Prince Saud said we congratulate Yemen on its efforts and success many times in dealing with the situations generally. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan's message to the International Counter-Terrorism Conference in Riyadh, 5 to 8 February, was delivered by Javier Rupérez, Executive Director, Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate. Following is the message: I thank the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for convening this important gathering of representatives from the Islamic and non-Islamic world alike, to discuss the threat of terrorism and how our world should fight it. By meeting here in the cradle of Islam, which has itself recently fallen victim to horrendous acts of terrorist violence, you send out a powerful message: terrorism is a threat to all civilized countries, and anathema to all faiths. All States must make clear that no cause whatsoever justifies the targeting of civilians and non-combatants. For Islamic countries, this is doubly important. Not only is it a necessary part of efforts to protect citizens from the kinds of atrocities we have seen here in Riyadh and many other parts of the Islamic world. It is also vital to rebut the distortion of Islam by a wicked few. Those who wrongly claim that Islam justifies the callous murder of the innocent give this rich and ancient faith a bad name. They also defile and tarnish legitimate causes which are dear to the hearts of many Muslims. Governments and religious leaders throughout the Islamic world must therefore make sure that their voices of condemnation of terrorism are clearly heard both at home and abroad. While all States have a duty to speak out, they also have a duty to hear the full range of voices within the Islamic world. Many of those voices tell us that we cannot hope to defeat terrorism only by freezing bank accounts, sharing intelligence, or bringing individual terrorists to justice. They tell us that the despair and anger among ordinary peace-loving people, which terrorists so shamelessly exploit, must be urgently addressed. People must see that legitimate grievances can be addressed through peaceful means. Their basic human freedoms must be respected by those who are combating terrorist groups. And they must see movement towards better and fairer societies. Otherwise, they may not join us -- as we need them to do -- in condemning and combating those who resort to violent and illegal means of redress. Hence, every time we stand up for human rights and fundamental freedoms, we stand up against terrorism. Every time we act to resolve political disputes, we act against terrorism. Every time we make the rule of law stronger, we make terrorists weaker. That is why all States need a principled strategy against terrorism that includes, but is much broader than, coercive measures. They must act at home, and unite their strength at the global level, to address root causes and strengthen the rule of law and fundamental human rights. The work of the United Nations to resolve conflict, fight poverty, and advance the rights and freedoms of men and women everywhere is therefore a vitally important part of global anti-terrorism efforts. All States must also meet binding anti-terrorism obligations imposed by the United Nations Security Council. Beyond that, I believe all States should work together to enact a comprehensive anti-terrorism convention, based on a definition of terrorism that makes clear that any targeting of civilians or non-combatants is wrong. As the recent report of the United Nations High-Level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change points out, these and other elements should be brought together in a comprehensive United Nations anti-terrorism strategy. I intend to enunciate a vision for such a strategy in the near future. Let every terrorist and terrorist group hear the same message from governments and international organizations everywhere: We denounce your crimes. We will work together to fight you at every turn. And we will build a world of law and right in which terror has no appeal, and no place. On the other hand paying tributes to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for its initiative, British Ambassador Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles said: "The conference is of huge importance. First, because it is living proof that the struggle against terrorism and its causes is an international one, transcending countries and continents. Second, because it recognizes that terrorism cannot be cured by security measures alone. Third, because it recognizes the links between terrorism and other forms of trans-national crime, such as drugs and arms smuggling, and money laundering. The British government applauds the Saudi government's initiative in recognizing all these trends and in launching such an important conference to address them." In a report, Arab News quoted French Ambassador Bernard Poletti as saying a high-level French delegation, led by Gilles Leclair, head of the Unit of Coordination of Terrorism Prevention (UCLAT) at the French Ministry of Interior, participated in the conference and include representatives from different French anti-terror agencies. The ambassador said: "Defining terrorism is difficult. Social roots, education and poverty have either indirect or no links with terrorism. Quite wealthy and educated people often enter terrorist organizations, being educated enough to share political goals. Surely, oppression and humiliation reinforce this phenomenon." Describing terrorism as "the common enemy that threatens and destabilizes the international community," Chinese Ambassador Wu Chunhua said his country will depute a seven-member delegation of counter-terrorism experts with Chen Weixiong, counselor at the International Affairs Department of Foreign Ministry as the head. In his view, "the root causes of terrorism are complex and multiple with factors in politics, economy, culture and society. As the victim of terrorism, China suffers the same with Saudi Arabia. China opposes terrorism in all its forms. We advocate that counter-terrorism needs clear targets and sound evidence. Both the symptoms and causes of terrorism should be addressed, and especially, the hotbed fostering terrorism should be eliminated by solving the development issues and regional conflicts in the international arena." Malaysian Ambassador Wan Mokhtar Ahmad said the roots of terrorism could be traced in the unjust policies of the major powers. He said the search of a "just solution" through "a balanced approach" could go a long way in reining in the elements of terror. Lt-Gen Ashfaq Pervez Kiyani, the leader of Pakistan's delegation to the international counter-terrorism conference being, underlined the need for a multi-pronged counter-terrorism strategy to neutralize the ideological appeal of extremism, address the root causes that breed extremist tendencies and assist states in surmounting socio-economic problems. He said: "Long-term success requires strategic alliance of an international coalition and countries need to cooperate through intelligence, law enforcement, military, financial and diplomatic channels to identify, disrupt, capture and debilitate terrorists and their network." He said the terrorists' support base had shrunk as a result of international efforts but the danger still loomed, and called for concrete strategy and concerted efforts. He said Pakistan had signed 11 of the 12 international conventions on counter-terrorism and the conventions of the Organization of Islamic Conference and the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation and passed comprehensive legislation on sensitive technologies export control. He said the terrorist networks, their affiliates and ideology were a clear and potent threat to the nations of the world without any restriction of geographical distance. "The incident of 9/11 has taught us that terrorism is a near enemy and the terrorist organizations have demonstrated their capability to wreak havoc even against the most developed parts of the world," he said. "Pakistan, as a member of the coalition against terrorism, has been fighting this war on several fronts. It has been fighting terrorist groups and operatives along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border and with more than 70,000 troops deployed there, we were able to crush the backbone of Al Qaeda and its affiliates," he said. He said: "Al Qaeda's command and control structure was hit hard and largely rendered inoperative as, with our vast intelligence assets, we were able to capture more than 600 Al Qaeda operatives and other suspected terrorists". Close intelligence cooperation was institutionalized between the United States, Afghanistan and Pakistan and to coordinate and liaise on operational issues, and the states had established a tripartite commission, he said. Lt-Gen Kiyani said Pakistan had concluded extradition treaties with 27 countries and memorandums of understanding with 49 states. He said security dialogues on counter-terrorism were held with key countries from all regions. He said Pakistan, through domestic and legislative measures as well as international cooperation, remained successful in monitoring illicit transactions and choking terrorist financing. He said that as a durable solution against global terrorism, President General Pervez Musharraf expounded the concept of 'enlightened moderation'. "This concept also calls upon the international community, particularly the West, to step forward to help resolve political disputes affecting Muslims," he said. He said the conference could contemplate to propose measures like abiding by the universally accepted principles of international law and human rights in the war against terrorism. "The fight against terrorism should not be used as pretext to suppress legitimate struggles for right to self-determination," he said. "A few individual acts of terrorism by some desperate members of freedom movements are no excuse to de-legitimize the freedom struggles for the realization of the right to self-determination," he said. He said the intelligentsia, civil society and media organizations should play their role to create awareness about the dangers that terrorism posed to society. He called for efforts to evolve a consensus among nations and said: "Decisions having international legitimacy stand better chance for being respected."