Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06USUNNEWYORK1816
2006-09-14 15:32:00
UNCLASSIFIED
USUN New York
Cable title:  

UNGA ADOPTS COUNTERTERRORISM STRATEGY

Tags:  EFIN ETTC KTFN PREL PTER UNSC 
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UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 001816 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EFIN ETTC KTFN PREL PTER UNSC
SUBJECT: UNGA ADOPTS COUNTERTERRORISM STRATEGY

REF: STATE 148158

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 001816

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EFIN ETTC KTFN PREL PTER UNSC
SUBJECT: UNGA ADOPTS COUNTERTERRORISM STRATEGY

REF: STATE 148158


1. (U) Summary. Implementing the mandate contained in the
Summit Outcome Document (para 82),the General Assembly
adopted September 8 a resolution entitled, "The United
Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy." The draft was
presented by the General Assembly President and adopted
without a vote. Most of the delegations explaining their
positions were from the NAM and lamented that the text did
not contain a definition or condemnation of "state
terrorism". GA President Eliasson called on all delegations
to unite around the strategy which will be launched at a
high-level event early in the 61st General Assembly. End
Summary.


2. (SBU) Following four months and at least as many drafts,
the General Assembly adopted the counter-terrorism strategy
called for by the 2005 Summit Outcome Document. The
resolution, with Action Plan annexed, was the work of the
Co-Chairmen of the consultations convened to negotiate the
document. Much credit is due to the Permanent
Representatives of Spain and Singapore who led this effort.
The Singaporean PR Vanu Menon was particularly helpful to
USUN. He made it clear that US red lines were his red lines
and kept in constant contact with Amb Wolff and other USUN
negotiators. The resulting text, although lacking some
elements which CANZ, EU and US would have preferred, provides
a good outline for future work which can be used in tandem
with the Secretary General's Report, "Uniting Against
Terrorism: Recommendations for a Global Counter-terrorism
Strategy (A/60/825). (Comment. Use of facilitators rather
than line by line negotiations (preferred by the NAM and OIC)
prevented deadlock and in this case enabled the Assembly to
produce a result acceptable to the U.S. End Comment.)


3. (U) The Strategy is embodied in a UNGA Resolution
(A/60/288) with a Plan of Action attached to it. As reftel
notes, the resolution and plan of action meet US objectives
without crossing red lines. The Strategy includes a strong
condemnation of terrorism and firm support for fighting
terrorism, preventing financial or material support to
terrorists, and denying terrorists safe haven. It also

identifies concrete undertakings to intensify co-operation
and exchange of information. In addition, states are
encouraged to implement the comprehensive international
standards of the Financial Action Task Force and to step up
efforts and co-operation at every level to improve passport
and border security. The Strategy includes a list of
measures to build States' capacity to prevent and combat
terrorism and to strengthen the UN's role in these efforts.
Adoption of this document will heighten awareness of the need
to take action on the national, regional and international
level. It will also focus the UN Secretariat on
co-ordination of the counter-terrorism activities undertaken
within the UN system. Politically, adoption of the strategy
sends a message that the international community is concerned
about terrorism and has ready to take action to combat it.
At the same time, whatever concrete follow-up emerges will be
a function of member state political will and seriousness to
see this strategy implemented.



4. (U) GA President Jan Eliasson, who pushed hard for a
result, introduced the draft as a President's text (no
co-sponsors). He said that in developing the strategy, the
GA was responding to the clear mandate set by our leaders in
the Summit Outcome Document and recognizing the reality of
terrorism, which affects all of us. "By adopting the
strategy, we will send a strong message that the General
Assembly is willing to shoulder its responsibility to act
against a global menace. We owe it to the hundreds of
thousands of people who have suffered the effects of
terrorism, directly or indirectly, to adopt the strategy."
He noted that the strategy must remain a living document and
that the text is carefully crafted and balanced.


5. (U) Most other delegations agreed and did not comment on
the text. Exceptions were Syria, Cuba, South Africa,
Venezuela, Pakistan, Iran, Sudan, India, Lebanon, Israel, and
Libya. Among those, India gave a non-political analysis of
the text and called for early adoption and finalization of
the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (an

Indian proposal). Syria, Iran, Sudan and Lebanon, complained
that the Plan of Action did not contain a clear definition of
terrorism or condemn "state terrorism". Cuba predictably
took a few swipes at an unnamed power who has caused economic
damage to Cuba as a result of a policy of state terrorism and
Venezuela asked "who decides when good governance is
lacking". More surprising was the South African statement
that although they support the draft, South Africa continues
"to have concerns regarding the failure of the strategy to
address state terrorism, extra-judicial killings,
extraordinary renditions and illegal detention."


6. (U) The Israeli Deputy Permanent Representative said that
the strategy is an important step forward but its success
would require full implementation by states of their
obligations under SC resolutions 1267, 1373, 1540 and 1624.
He said that there have been 25,000 terror attacks in Israel
in the past five years and that he had lost loved ones in his
immediate family to Hizbollah, which is directly supported by
Iran. He also identified Syria as a state sponsoring
terrorism. Lebanon, Syria and Iran responded. Lebanon
commented, "Everytime you see an Israeli tank crushing a car
with five civilians - if this isn't state terrorism, we don't
know how we can define it." Syria recounted the murder of
Count Bernadotte and bombing of the King David Hotel by
Zionist groups calling it the start of terrorism in the
region and Iran called Israel a "terrorist war machine".


7. (SBU) Less dramatic but more threatening to the adoption
of the strategy was a last minute move to send the Assembly a
$481,000 bill for the institutionalization of the Secretary
General's Task Force on Terrorism. The US had objected
strongly to inclusion in an early draft of language to the
effect that the institutionalization could be accomplished
with "minimal additional resources" and succeeded in changing
it to "within existing resources". Nevertheless, with no
warning to the US from the UN Secretariat, the Budget Section
moved to produce a statement of program budget implications
(PBI) and bypass prior review by the ACABQ and Fifth
Committee. Last minute interventions by USUN and the
Japanese Mission prompted the GA President to appeal to the
Secretary General's Office on this issue. As a result, the

SIPDIS
statement read in connection with adoption of the resolution
indicated that the Assembly would be subsequently informed of
arrangements for "absorption" of the financial requirements
connected with implementation of the resolution.
BOLTON