CTED DIRECTOR MICHAEL SMITH MAKES INITIAL BRIEFING

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 001110 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PARM PREF PREL UNSC SUBJECT: CTED DIRECTOR MICHAEL SMITH MAKES INITIAL BRIEFING IN THE UN COUNTER-TERRORISM COMMITTEE ¶1. SUMMARY: The Security Council's Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC) met November 29 to welcome Michael Smith (Australia),the new Executive Director of the Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate (CTED). Smith praised CTC's role in UN counter-terrorism efforts, and said the CTC should continue to contribute to the Counter Terrorism Strategy Implementation Task Force (CTITF). CTC Chairman Arias (Panama) hoped the next batch of Preliminary Implementation Assessments (PIAs) would be approved by December 20. CTED experts also briefed members on the November 1267/1373 Joint Mission to Bosnia-Herzegovina. END SUMMARY. ¶2. CTED's new Executive Director Michael Smith told CTC members he accepted his post because he believed that countering terrorism is one of the world's greatest challenges and the UN can play a significant role in meeting that challenge. Smith commented on the CTC's important role in the UN response to terrorism, noting in particular the CTC's contribution to the CTITF. Smith said the CTC's work with CTITF should continue, and that such cooperation would reinforce CTED's work with the 1373 Committee. Smith did not share a detailed proposal for his goals as director, but said he was holding consultations with Permanent Missions and other relevant stakeholders and assured members that any proposal would emphasize transparency and effectiveness. ¶3. Members welcomed Smith's appointment and assured him of their continued cooperation with CTED under his leadership. The United Kingdom told Smith it was concerned with maintaining a well-qualified staff at CTED, making more information available on the status of States' anti-terrorism legislation, pursuing outreach activities, and strengthening technical assistance. Qatar also underscored the importance of maintaining CTED's high-level of expertise. Qatar noted its continuing concern about the lack of a universal definition of terrorism and said the Committee must also address the root causes of terrorism and the need to safeguard human rights. Russia mentioned the need for outreach beyond the members of the Security Council and to identify implementation gaps. ¶4. In other matters, the sub-committees on Preliminary Implementation Assessments (PIAs) reported their progress on the draft letters to member states. Arias noted that the letters for the 50 PIAs adopted at the last meeting were signed and being translated and hoped the next batch of PIAs could be approved by 20 December. ¶5. CTED briefed members on its 12 - 17 November visit to Bosnia-Herzegovina, which was conducted as a joint 1267/1373 mission. CTED experts said Bosnian security officials at federal and local levels were unanimous in their rejection of terrorism. CTED experts commented that serious institutional weaknesses -- mainly, the complexity of security bureaucracies, the lack of operational coordination, and a shortage of technical know-how -- limited the effectiveness of Bosnia-Herzegovina's counter-terrorism efforts. Despite these problems, CTED experts said Bosnia-Herzegovina has passed anti-terrorism legislation at the federal level and ratified 12 counter-terrorism conventions. With a focused plan of action, CTED experts said Bosnia-Herzegovina would be able to meet its obligations under the conventions. Khalilzad