UN answers Blair’s call for unity on terrorism
The United Nations has agreed to a statement condemning “all acts of terrorism irrespective of their motivation” at a summit in New York.
It signals a victory of sorts for Tony Blair, who had been strongly pressing for both an international message condemning terrorism and a definition of terrorism. There was no agreement on the latter.
In his address to the more than 170 world leaders, the prime minister said the UN must take the lead in fighting terrorism, promoting democracy, and tackling global poverty – even if this meant overriding individual states’ interests.
“For the first time at this summit, we are agreed that states do not have the right to do what they will within their own borders, but that we, in the name of humanity, have a common duty to protect people when their own governments will not,” he said.
Mr Blair also called for more action on stopping proliferation of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons, “in particular how to allow nations to develop civil nuclear power but not nuclear weapons”.
The resolution adopted reaffirmed “the imperative to combat terrorism in all its forms and manifestations by all means, in accordance with the charter of the United Nations”.
And it called on all states to adopt the measures necessary, including making laws against incitement to terrorism, denying safe haven to anyone involved in terrorism, and cooperation to strengthen borders.
In addition, it called for the end to the indiscriminate targeting of different religions and cultures, and for states to ensure all measures taken comply with human rights, refugee and humanitarian laws.
US president George Bush said the UN had a “solemn obligation to stop terrorism at its early stages”, saying his country would continue to work with and through the Security Council to help all nations meet these commitments.
Also speaking at the summit, Chinese president Hu Jintao called for efforts to tackle the root causes of terrorism, saying peacekeeping and post-conflict reconstruction were vital.
This echoed Mr Blair’s comments earlier, where he insisted the UN peace building mission “must become the means of renewing nations where war and the collapse of proper systems of government have left them ravaged and their people desolate”.
The prime minister warned that the problems of nuclear weapons, terrorism and global poverty could only be dealt with on the international stage.
“The terrorist attacks of July 7th have their origins in an ideology born thousands of miles from our shores,” he said.
“The proliferation of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons will never be halted outside of an international consensus to do so.
“The UN can be the instrument of achieving the global will of the people. It must give leadership on terrorism.”
And he said the UN’s struggle against global poverty, outlined in the Millennium Development Goals, “will define our moral standing in the eyes of the future”.
