VZCZCXYZ0003
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUCNDT #1162 3462025
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 112025Z DEC 08
FM USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5507
INFO RUEHGG/UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 001162 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PTER UNSC
SUBJECT: SECURITY COUNCIL HOLDS THEMATIC DEBATE ON "THREATS 
TO INTERNATIONAL PEACE AND SECURITY CAUSED BY TERRORIST 
ACTS" 
 
REF: STATE 129048 
 
¶1.  This is an action request.  Please see paragraph 8. 
 
¶2.  Summary. On December 9, the Security Council held a 
thematic debate on the item "Threats to International Peace 
and Security Caused by Terrorist Acts."  President Stjepan 
Mesic of Croatia chaired the meeting, and UN Security General 
Ban Ki-Moon made opening remarks.  All speakers condemned the 
recent terrorist attack in Mumbai, India.  All fifteen 
members of the Security Council made statements, in addition 
to many other UN Member States.  After the conclusion of the 
debate, the Security Council issued a strong Presidential 
Statement, in which the Council welcomed condemnations of all 
forms of terrorism, including suicide bombing, and 
highlighted the problem of "safe havens" for terrorists. End 
Summary. 
 
¶3.  Among the statements, the most notable were those by 
India and Pakistan, which focused on the recent Mumbai 
terrorist attack. In a spellbinding speech, delivered 
extemporaneously, the Pakistani Permanent Representative 
called for a Northern Ireland-like process to address the 
Kashmir conflict and suggested that Indian and Pakistani 
mullahs join in issuing a fatwa against terrorist attacks. 
 
¶4.  India's statement was delivered by Minister of State for 
External Affairs Ahamed.  He provided detail on what India's 
investigations had revealed so far about the attack.  India 
reported that the interrogation of the sole terrorist 
captured by India revealed that the terrorists were "trained 
in Pakistan and were launched from a ship from Karachi." 
India said that it had "requested the Security Council to 
proscribe Pakistani group Jammat-ud-Dawa since it is a 
terrorist outfit and should be proscribed under Security 
Council Resolution 1267."  (On December 10, the Security 
Council's 1267 al-Qaeda/Taliban Sanctions Committee 
designated Jammat-ud-Dawa as an alias for the 
Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT) group.  As a result of this action, 
UN Member States are obligated to freeze JUD's assets 
wherever they are found.) India also called for the immediate 
adoption of the Comprehensive Convention on International 
Terrorism. 
 
¶5.  Following India's lead, many delegations called for the 
finalization of the Comprehensive Convention.  South Africa 
called for reaching agreement on a definition of terrorism 
and preventing "the abuse of the 'counter-terrorism' label to 
advance political agenda."  South Africa went on to say that 
"International solidarity also ought to include the avoidance 
of rash and unsubstantiated usage of damaging terms such as 
'terrorist safe havens' and refraining from the issuance of 
factually inaccurate travel advisories against other 
countries whose cooperation and assistance is required in 
addressing the terror threat.  All too often these statements 
are directed against those developing countries that pose the 
least threat."  Liechtenstein said that the UN Special 
Rapporteur on the protection of human rights while countering 
terrorism has given numerous relevant examples of measures 
where public and individual security interests are not always 
properly balanced against the human rights of affected 
individuals, and said that the "Council should lead by 
example when dealing with the difficult question of balancing 
security interests and human rights." 
 
¶6.  Other speakers welcomed the unanimous adoption and 
reaffirmation of the UN Global Counter-terrorism Strategy, 
which was reaffirmed by the UN General Assembly in September 
of this year.  Several speakers praised the Strategy as a 
departure from the "security-centric paradigm".  Others noted 
that the Strategy takes a "holistic" approach, including by 
addressing the root causes of terrorism.  Vietnam said that 
"(p)olitical, economic and social inequalities, double 
standards, selectivity, as well as the use of force in 
international affairs, all create conditions conducive to the 
spread of terrorism." 
 
¶7.  Most delegations emphasized the importance of honoring 
human rights while countering terrorism.  Libya, among 
others, made this point. 
 
¶8.  Action Request. Embassy Zagreb may wish to approach the 
Foreign Ministry at a high level to commend Mr. Neven Jurica, 
Croatia's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, and 
his delegation, for their outstanding performance and 
cooperation with the United States. 
Khalilzad