UN adopts global treaty on terrorism

UNITED NATIONS, Dec 16: The United Nations General Assembly has condemned terrorism in all its manifestations and adopted a global conventi...

UNITED NATIONS, Dec 16: The United Nations General Assembly has condemned terrorism in all its manifestations and adopted a global convention to facilitate greater cooperation in bringing the suspects to book. Slamming all such acts, methods and practices of terrorism as criminal and unjustified, the 185-member general assembly adopted the convention, which for the first time gives a clear definition of what constitutes a terrorist act, yesterday without any voting.

“Criminal acts intended to provoke terror in general public or a group of persons are unjustifiable, whatever be the considerations political, religious, ethnic or ideological,” the UN said adopting the convention, proposed by the United States, which said existing multilateral laws had failed to adequately deal with the problem.

The assembly called upon all states to implement specific measures, including greater consultations on improving capability of governments to deal with terrorist attacks, research and development on detection of explosives and measures to counter financing of terrorists. US delegate Robert Rosenstock hailed the adoption as a “major step forward in the joint efforts of the international community to eliminate global terrorism.” The 24-article convention, specifies crimes which are extraditable between states which sign treaties among themselves. However, it doesn’t cover military activities of states in armed conflicts.

Story continues below this ad

The convention, for the first time, clearly defines a terrorist as a person who unlawfully and intentionally delivers, places, discharges, or detonates a bomb, explosive, lethal or incendiary device at a public place, a government office, a public transportation system or an infrastructure facility with intent to cause death or serious bodily injury or destruction of place resulting in major economic loss.

The convention will be open for signature from January 12, 1998 to December 31, 1999 and it will come into force 30 days after the 22nd member-state ratifies it.

By another resolution, the assembly also decided that the committee on international convention for suppression of nuclear arms should continue its work next year.