New Delhi,28-Oct;External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar has appealed to all nations to rise above political differences to address terrorism. In his inaugural address of the informal briefing on combating terrorism financing in local and regional contexts, Dr. Jaishankar said, UN Security Council has regrettably been unable to act in some cases because of political considerations. He said, this undermines our collective credibility and our collective interests.
The External Affairs Minister expressed displeasure that, key conspirators and planners of the 26/11 attacks continue to remain protected and unpunished. He said, it was not the only attack on Mumbai but an attack on International Community.
He said, Nationals of specific countries were identified before being murdered. Dr. Jaishankar said, together we should send a message that the International community will never give up on holding terrorists accountable and holding justice.
Dr Jaishankar said, terrorism may have plagued several regions of the world, but India understands its cost more than others. Dr. Jaishankar also presented 5 point agenda for the consideration of the committee.
In the first point, he said, normative efforts at the UN need to be coordinated through collaboration with other fora like the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and the Egmont Group.
As a second point, Dr. Jaishankar expressed the need to ensure the effective and transparent functioning of the Security Council sanctions regime and making sure that they are not rendered ineffective for political reasons. He said, objective and evidence based proposals for listing terrorist groups, especially those that curb their access to financial resources must be seen through.
In India’s 3rd proposal, he said, critical imperatives to defeat the scourge of terrorism are International cooperation and concerted action against terrorists and their sponsors, including the dismantling of their safe havens, sanctuaries, training grounds, and financial and ideological as also the political support structures.
As a 4th proposal, he said, all countries should recognize the linkages between terrorism and transnational organized crime, illicit drugs, and arms trafficking and strengthen multilateral efforts to break them.
In the last proposal, Dr. Jaishankar requested all nations to provide innovative solutions to stop the usage of new and emerging technologies such as virtual currencies for fundraising and finances by terrorist groups.
A Special Meeting of the UN Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee got underway in Mumbai this morning. The theme of the meeting is ‘Countering the use of new and emerging technologies for terrorist purposes. Before the meeting, the committee members paid homage to the 26/11 victims.
Speaking after the soft opening session, President of the UN Security Council, Michael Moussa said, terrorists are increasing the use of cryptocurrency & Social Media and our response should be adept on the use of new technology by terrorists.
Mr. Moussa said, Counter-terrorism activities should be a part of a bigger resolve and our response should encompass all levels and in a united manner. He also appealed to the nations to prevent terrorists from recruiting other members.
After paying tributes to the victims of the 26/11 terror attack victims, the External Affairs Minister said, 14 years ago the city of Mumbai witnessed the most shocking terror attack of our times. He said the task to bring the perpetrators and masterminds of the 26/11 attack to justice remains unfinished. He said, coming together of UNSC’s counter-terror committee to the venue of Taj Mahal Palace Hotel is special and significant.
