SECURITY COUNCIL REVIEWS COUNTER-TERRORISM

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 002285 SIPDIS SIPDIS FOR IO/PSC:JSANDAGE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PTER UNSC KFTN KNNP SUBJECT: SECURITY COUNCIL REVIEWS COUNTER-TERRORISM COMMITTEE EXECUTIVE DIRECTORATE REF: A. SANDAGE/WILCOX EMAIL--12/19/06 ¶B. SANDAGE/WILCOX EMAIL--12/14/06 ¶1. BEGIN SUMMARY: The Security Council conducted its second comprehensive review of the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) December 20. The Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC) submitted a report to the Council in connection with the review, assessing CTED's work in 2006 and recommending ways in which CTED can better assist the CTC in 2007 (S/2006/989). In the review, Council members acknowledged CTED's accomplishments in 2006 and identified shortfalls. Many delegations called for CTED to develop new ways to assess states' implementation; to make more progress in its work to facilitate technical assistance; to enhance its cooperation with other international organizations, as well as regional organizations; to strengthen the follow-up on its state visits; and to strengthen coordination with the 1267 Monitoring Team and the 1540 Committee's experts. Delegations also paid tribute to outgoing CTC Chairman, Danish PermRep Ellen Margrethe Loj, and thanked CTED Executive Director Javier Ruperez. Following the review, the Council adopted a Presidential Statement (para 12) endorsing the CTC's report. END SUMMARY. Outgoing Chairman Urges Results -------------- ¶2. Chairman Loj opened with comments in her personal capacity. She said the CTC's mandate is to monitor and promote states' implementation of resolution 1373 (2001) and argued that the measuring stick for its achievements should be enhanced implementation by states. CTED's mandate flows from the Committee's, Loj said, and hoped the CTC's comprehensive review report would serve as a basis for the CTC's work in 2007. ¶3. Loj expressed concern that, despite many activities and efforts, there are not many examples of cases in which the CTC has made a difference. The CTC has taken steps to move away from a focus on reviewing and requesting reports, which she called a key step to make its work more relevant to states, but said those had yet to bear fruit. She also called for the CTC and CTED to report to the Council on the status of implementation of resolution 1373 (2001),based on an overall analysis of the more than 600 reports states have submitted. In the past, she said the CTC has made ad hoc choices when dealing with states, and she urged the CTC in 2007 to ensure that its analysis reflects a thorough, even-handed approach. As CTED noted in its semiannual reports, facilitation of technical assistance remains an area in which the CTC and CTED need to do more. Finally, she called for the Council to pay close attention to the work of the CTC and CTED to ensure that its work leads to concrete results. Members Advocate Greater Council Involvement -------------- ¶4. Several members urged the Council to follow the CTC and CTED's activities more closely, saying the success of the CTC and CTED will affect the credibility of the Council's counterterrorism efforts. The UK said the Security Council is not doing its part to promote the fight against terrorism and called for the Council to "take a hard look" at what CTED has achieved. Many delegations thought the CTC's proposal to report to the Council, based on CTED's input, on global implementation of resolution 1373 (2001) would strengthen the Council's counterterrorism efforts and its engagement with the CTC. The UK, with support from USUN, also suggested that ambassadors should consider attending CTC meetings. USUN Offers Suggestions -------------- ¶5. USUN Ambassador Wolff thanked both Loj and Ruperez, acknowledged several of CTED's key accomplishments, and offered suggestions for improvement in a "constructive spirit" so the CTC and CTED will help to produce concrete results in states' implementation of resolution 1373. Ambassador Wolff said the Council should redouble its efforts to address the failure of many states to implement their obligations under resolution 1373, calling a CTC report on the status of that implementation a "crucial step." He also acknowledged CTED's completion of a directory of best practices relevant to the implementation of resolution 1373, its expansion of the number of state visits, and the five joint visits it made with the 1267 Monitoring Team. Citing the CTC's comprehensive review report, he said more needs to be done in the area of technical assistance and called on CTED to enhance its cooperation with UNDP and other UN specialized agencies. He also stressed the need for CTED, in its outreach to donors, to identify priority needs described with specificity. To help ensure that states carry out the recommendations of CTED's visits, he said CTED should set priorities among those proposals and establish timetables for their achievement. He also called for coordination in the planning, execution, and follow up on joint visits with the Monitoring Team. Analysis Important -------------- ¶6. Echoing Loj's comments, many delegations called on CTED to develop new ways of assessing states' implementation of resolution 1373 (2001),noting the Preliminary Implementation Assessment (PIA) matrix CTED designed to improve its analysis. Russia said CTED's work in this area has achieved "modest results" and CTED should develop its methods to ensure the CTC and CTED do "qualitative work." Similarly, Slovakia called the PIAs "an important advance," but said "more needs to be done." China called on CTED to strengthen the interactive nature of its dialogue with states to try to ease the reporting burden on states. France urged the CTC and CTED to use the PIA matrix to identify gaps in states' implementation and identify priorities for future action. Saying there is room for improvement in CTED's analysis of states' implementation of resolution 1373 (2001),Japan said CTED should conduct its analysis in a "systematic fashion." More Results Needed on Technical Assistance -------------- ¶7. Concurring with Loj, as well as the conclusions of the CTC's report and CTED's semiannual reports, many members said CTED must do more to facilitate the delivery of technical assistance to states that need it to implement resolution 1373 (2001). Japan, Russia, and France called on CTED to increase its cooperation with the G-8 Counter-Terrorism Action Group. Argentine PermRep and 1267 Committee Chairman Mayoral noted developing states' capacity problems in implementing their counterterrorism obligations. For example, when he visited Chad on behalf of the 1267 Committee, the delegation had to borrow a photocopier from the U.S. Embassy to copy information for the government. Qatar took a more cautious approach, arguing that emphasizing technical assistance rather than implementation of resolution 1373 (2001) would "negatively impact" the work of the CTC and CTED. Visits and Follow-Up Stressed -------------- ¶8. Many members stressed the importance of CTED's visits to states and called for better follow up on those visits. Argentina said CTED should visit developed countries as well as developing countries, both to counter developing states' defensiveness about CTED's visits and to reflect the terrorist threat facing Europe and the United States. Argentina, the United States, and Japan called for CTED and the 1267 Monitoring Team to conduct more joint visits or increase coordination of their visits. Tanzania said CTED's visit had helped Tanzania enhance its capacity to implement resolution 1373 (2001) but then pressed CTED to do more to ensure the delivery of technical assistance Tanzania had requested during that visit. Coordination with Other Organizations Encouraged -------------- --- ¶9. Raising a key CTC objective, several delegations called on CTED to enhance its coordination with other international organizations, as well as regional organizations. Slovakia, for example, said close cooperation to build the capacity of regional organizations could strengthen their ability to help their members fulfill their obligations and help in gathering information about states that are late in reporting to the CTC. 1624 and Human Rights -------------- ¶10. Several members also pressed for action on areas of particular interest for their delegations. Pushing a theme it raises consistently within the CTC, Russia called the CTC's "deadlock" on proceeding in its work relating to the implementation of resolution 1624 (2005) "a threat to the reputation of the Security Council." Greece reiterated its view that the CTC should focus on human rights. CTED Responds -------------- ¶11. Ambassador Ruperez then responded briefly. He thanked members for their comments and said CTED would take them into account in its future work, together with the CTC's review report and the PRST. Ruperez called the review "a fair reflection - with lights and shadows" of what CTED has done in 2006, and expressed readiness to continue cooperating with the CTC. COMMENT: Following the review, Howard Stoffer, Head of CTED's Administration and Information Office and the senior American member of CTED, said CTED thought the review identified useful areas in which CTED and the CTC should improve their output in 2007. END COMMENT. ¶12. BEGIN TEXT: The Security Council reaffirms that terrorism constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security, and that any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation, wherever, whenever and by whomsoever committed. The Security Council reiterates its determination to combat all forms of terrorism, in accordance with its responsibilities under the Charter of the United Nations. The Security Council reaffirms the importance of resolution 1373 (2001) as well as its other resolutions concerning threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts, and calls on States to implement their obligations under those resolutions as a matter of priority. The Security Council reiterates its call on States to become parties to all relevant international conventions and protocols relating to terrorism, and to make full use of the sources of assistance and guidance, which are available; The Security Council further reaffirms the need to combat by all means, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts. The Security Council reminds States that they must ensure that any measures taken to combat terrorism comply with all their obligations under international law, in particular international human rights, refugee and humanitarian law. The Security Council recognizes the importance of cross-UN cooperation on counter-terrorism issues, and confirms that it stands ready to play its part in the implementation of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy (A/RES/60/288). The Security Council calls upon the relevant United Nations departments, programmes and specialized agencies, as appropriate, to consider, within their existing mandates, how to pursue counter-terrorism objectives. The Security Council welcomes the Counter-Terrorism Committee's renewed focus on enhancing implementation of resolution 1373 (2001) through a proactive fulfilment of its mandate to promote and monitor States implementation. The Security Council recalls its resolution 1624 (2005) and encourages the Counter-Terrorism Committee to continue its work on implementation of this resolution. The Security Council calls on the Counter-Terrorism Committee to report on the status of implementation of resolution 3173 (2001). In particular, the Security Council encourages the Counter-Terrorism Committee to report to the Council on any outstanding issues, when necessary and on a regular basis, in order to receive strategic guidance from the Council. The Security Council recalls its resolution 1535 (2004) by which it decided to establish the Counter-Terrorism committee Executive Directorate (hereinafter "CTED") as a special political mission under the policy guidance of the Committee, to enhance the Committee's ability to monitor implementation of resolution 1373 (2001) and effectively continue the capacity-building work in which it was engaged. The Security Council stresses that the mandate of the Counter-Terrorism Committee's Executive Directorate flows from that of the Counter-Terrorism Committee. The Security Council further recalls its presidential statement S/PRST/2005/64, which included the conclusions of the Council's comprehensive review of CTED in 2005, and decided to carry out another comprehensive review of CTED by 31 December 2006, prepared by the Counter-Terrorism Committee. During today's consultations, the Security Council endorsed the report prepared by the Committee, and forwarded to the Council in S/2006/989 and agreed with its recommendations and conclusions. The Security Council welcomes the letter from the Secretary-General dated 15 December 2006 (S/2006/1002) with SIPDIS regard to CTED's reporting lines. The Council has considered this matter and endorses the Counter-Terrorism Committee's recommendation with regard to CTED's reporting lines so that CTED would henceforth present its draft work programmes and its semi-annual reports directly to the Committee. The Security Council notes with appreciation the enhanced cooperation among its three Committees (1267, CTC and 1540) that deal with counter-terrorism and their expert teams. It encourages the three Committees to ensure that, in their dialogue with States, they present a consolidated message from the Council on its efforts to fight terrorism. Also, it encourages the three Committees and their experts teams to avoid duplication, including in their requests for information from Member States about their implementation. In this regard, it encourages the three Committees and their expert teams to continue to strengthen the sharing of information among themselves, specifically information reported by States regarding implementation. The Council will continue to evaluate how its counter-terrorism efforts can be organized most efficiently. END TEXT. WOLFF