Prepared Remarks by H.E. Dr. M.
Javad Zarif
Deputy Foreign Minister of the
Islamic
At the Symposium on Combating
International Terrorism:
The Contribution of the United
Nations
“The Contribution of
the Organization of the Islamic
Conference”
Mr.
Chairman,
It is a distinct honor for me to
speak at this Symposium on the contribution of the United Nations to combat
international terrorism. This is indeed a useful opportunity to take stock of
the past experience, identify the obstacles encountered along the way, evaluate
strategies and explore avenues of cooperation in combating terrorism at
national, regional and global levels. I should therefore congratulate the
Austrian Government for its commendable efforts in initiating the idea of
convening this Symposium, and thank them and the United Nations’ Office of Drug
Control and Crime Prevention for organizing this impressive gathering.
Terrorism is a menace that has haunted
the international community for many decades. It is a major challenge to
international peace, stability and security. As a multifaceted phenomenon, its
dire implications affect all corners of the world. The September 11th
attacks in the
The international campaign against
terrorism has a long history. Since the First International Conference of Penal
Code in 1926, terrorism has been high on the agenda of the international
community. The Geneva Convention for the Prevention and Punishment of
Terrorism, concluded under the auspices of the
The instruments, which each and
individually deals with a specific crime, represent a trend called the
“piecemeal” or “thematic” approach in criminalizing such acts that constitute a
terrorist crime. Indeed, all these instruments intend to limit or diminish the
dangers posed by a certain trend in terrorist acts by obliging the member
states to prosecute, punish or extradite terrorist offenders without exception.
A pertinent question may here arise as whether these instruments have
successfully managed to meet their objective, namely to create an environment
inhospitable to terrorism. The answer may not always be affirmative. And the
judgment cannot be made without considering carefully the inherent limitations
of those instruments as well as the political will of the parties concerned to
implement them faithfully. In my view, codification and adoption of these
instruments are undoubtedly positive steps in the right direction. However,
they hardly offer a panacea that will significantly limit the increasing
dangers of this phenomenon.
For states to challenge terrorism
effectively and successfully, they need to deploy multidimensional policies and
strategies that would also address the root causes of terrorism. The emphasis
on the roots of this horrific threat should not be regarded as a tactic to
justify terrorist acts. Nor, is it a policy to escape from obligations to take legal
action against terrorists and their supporters. Historical experiences and the
existing realities do attest to the fact that this is the only effective
strategy that must be developed, supported and implemented worldwide if we are
serious about uprooting terrorism. The unfavorable economic, social and
political conditions prevailing within and among states along with a general decline
in the moral and ethical values as well as the increasing insensitivity to
principles of justice, fairness and responsibility toward our fellow human
beings, provide a fertile ground for terrorism to flourish. Therefore,
international efforts and cooperation cannot and should not be directed solely
to challenging the symptoms of the problem; namely the use of violence. They
should also pursue vigorously the elimination of the roots and breeding grounds
of this phenomenon.
Mr. Chairman,
Counter-terrorism campaign at the
regional level has also contributed to the international fight against
terrorism. Six regional organizations, including the Organization of the
Islamic Conference, have succeeded in concluding regional conventions to this
end. Regional and sub-regional approaches to combat terrorism command support
and sympathy due to the shared values, history and common policies between and
among member states of the same regional organization or sub-regional
arrangement.
I have been asked to specifically
deal at this symposium with the contribution of the Organization of the Islamic
Conference (OIC) to the global efforts in the fight against terrorism. Let me
begin by clarifying that in summarizing the OIC contribution to the global
fight against terrorism, I do not speak on behalf of the OIC at this Symposium.
However, as a member and former Chair of the Organization, I will try to
briefly share with you the measures adopted by the Organization in response to
the heinous implications of terrorist acts at the regional and international
level.
The issue of terrorism has been accorded
high priority on the OIC agenda. In the final document of the Sixth Islamic
Summit, held in
The important provisions of the Code
of Conduct include:
·
Commitment to refrain from undertaking, attempting or
participating in any way in financing, instigating or supporting acts of
terrorism
·
Preventing the use of member-states’ territories for
planning, organizing, executing, initiating or participating in any terrorist
activity or for the harbouring, training, arming, financing, recruiting or
providing any facilities to such elements and activities
·
Enhancement of
cooperation in countering and combating terrorist acts, prosecuting or
extraditing their perpetrators
·
Cooperation in the fields of exchange of relevant
information on terrorists and their activities.
The Eighth Islamic Summit, held in
Subsequently, the Governmental
Expert Group during two separate meetings held in
The OIC Convention is indeed a
unique document that tries to combat terrorism through prescribing a set of
rules and obligations that all Member States should vigorously pursue. In
contrast to the twelve UN counter-terrorism instruments, the OIC Convention
provides a rather comprehensive definition of terrorism—the controversial issue
which the UN has yet to overcome in order to finalize a comprehensive
convention. The OIC Convention defines terrorism as “any act of violence or
threat thereof, notwithstanding its motives or intentions, perpetrated to carry
out an individual or collective criminal plan with the aim of terrorizing
people or threatening to harm them or imperiling their lives, honor, freedoms,
security or rights or exposing the environment or any facility or public or
private property to hazards or occupying or seizing them, or endangering a
national resource, or international facilities, or threatening the stability,
territorial integrity, political unity or sovereignty of independent States.” The
Convention also provides a definition of “terrorist crimes”.
The OIC definition of terrorism, as
may have been noted, entails an extensive scope of application. At the same time, it safeguards the
legitimate rights of the peoples who struggle against foreign occupation,
aggression, colonialism, and hegemony, while underlining in this regard the
imperative of the observance of the principles of international law.
The Convention underlines that
terrorism shall not be considered a political crime, even when politically
motivated.
It provides for preventive measures,
including education, exchange of information and expertise, detection and
interception of weapon transfers, border security, and establishment of a
data-base on terrorist groups and activities.
The Convention requires
state-parties to cooperate in combating terrorism, including extensive
provisions for cooperation in investigation, judicial cooperation and
extradition.
It even includes provisions to seize
the financial assets and resources of terrorist groups.
The OIC Convention shall enter into
force thirty days after the deposit of the Seventh instrument of
ratification. Five states have already
ratified the Convention, and a number of other OIC members, including
Mr. Chairman,
Immediately after the September 11
tragedy, on the initiative of President Khatami, the OIC held an emergency
ministerial meeting in
A second extraordinary meeting of
the Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers on terrorism was held in
In the Plan of Action, the
Extraordinary Session established an open-ended Ministerial level OIC Committee
on International Terrorism with the mandate to formulate recommendations of
specific measures, including the measures to expedite the implementation of the
OIC Code of Conduct and the Convention on Combating International Terrorism.
The Committee has also been mandated to formulate measures to strengthen
dialogue and understanding among different civilizations, cultures and faiths.
Mr. Chairman,
Various resolutions and declarations
of the OIC underline the central role of the United Nations in spearheading and
coordinating the global campaign to eradicate terrorism. They also emphasize the readiness of the
Organization and its member-states to actively contribute to such efforts. The
OIC will continue to work with other countries and support the efforts of the
international community in combating international terrorism undertaken under
the auspices of the UN in a transparent and impartial manner and in conformity
with the principles of the UN Charter, international law and relevant
international conventions and instruments. In this context, the insistence of
the OIC for a definition of terrorism is motivated by a genuine desire to establish
international consensus for a rule-based approach to the problem.
A very serious concern of the OIC
member-states that has also been underlined in the
Terrorism has no religion, no
nationality or ethnic background. It is in fact the negation of everything
religions stand for. Intolerance, extremism and violence have no place in Islam
or among its adherents. Even from a purely pragmatic perspective, we must not
purport to accord any legitimacy to terrorist acts by associating them even
with a misguided interpretation of Islam, which categorically condemns the
killing of a single innocent human being equating it with genocide against the
entire humankind.
It is therefore a source of deep
concern that a new wave of Islamophobia and bigotry against Islam and Muslims
has been emerged in recent months. Allowing this to happen would be tantamount
to providing a victory for the perpetrators of 911 barbarism, the demagogues
who advocate clash, hatred and intolerance. I cannot but concur with the Executive
Director’s remarks, made yesterday here, that terrorism is not a manifestation
of clash of civilizations but a clash between civilizations and barbarism. But,
terrorism and terrorist activities should not be used as a pretext to stimulate
chronic cultural and political misconceptions, stereotypes and prejudices.
Finally, terrorism cannot be
combated through the same policies and means that provided a fertile ground for
it in the first place. The eradication of terrorism could only be realized
through the inclusion and participation of all members of the international
community in a comprehensive global effort under the auspices of the United
Nations, not only to fight the terrorists but more importantly to deprive them
of any legitimacy caused by exclusion, injustice and the arrogance and indifference
of power. This symposium is a welcome indication of the desire of the
international community to take that path.
I am confident that the OIC will not hesitate to play its part in this
endeavor.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.