Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06USUNNEWYORK2285
2006-12-22 23:23:00
UNCLASSIFIED
USUN New York
Cable title:  

SECURITY COUNCIL REVIEWS COUNTER-TERRORISM

Tags:  PREL PTER UNSC KFTN KNNP 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXYZ0000
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUCNDT #2285/01 3562323
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 222323Z DEC 06
FM USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1031
INFO RUEHGG/UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
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

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

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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