M A I N   N E W S

UN must shape global anti-terrorist structure
Russian envoy opposes double standards on terror
Vijay Mohan
Tribune News Service

Foreign and Indian delegates at the Haksar Memorial Conference-cum- international seminar on Regional and Global Terrorist Threats organised at CRRID in Chandigarh on Wednesday. — Tribune photo by Manoj Mahajan

Chandigarh, November 9
Terming India to be Russia’s closest ally in the fight against terrorism, the Russian Ambassador to India, Mr Vyacheslav I. Trubnikov stated that bilateral interaction in this sphere has reached a very high level of trust and coordination over the past few years.

“Recently, a new channel of cooperation has been opened with India acquiring the status of an observer in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO),” he said. “The recent meeting of the heads of government of SCO member states in Moscow has demonstrated India’s determination to be a very active partner in this organisation,” he added.

The Ambassador was here to attend the inaugural session of the P N Haksar memorial lecture-cum-seminar series, being organised at the Centre for Research in Industrial and Rural Development (CRRID).

The Ambassador said that India and Russia continue joint work to achieve breakthrough on the draft Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism, initiated by India. “We are convinced that with the adoption of this convention, the international legal base for combating terrorism would be greatly reinforced.” Some unresolved issues, primarily among them the definition of “terrorist” remain, he added.

Stating that the fight against terror should be based on a clear strategy, effective institutional mechanisms and adequate legal system, he added that there was no alternative to the UN in shaping a global anti-terrorist structure. “Today India and Russia are among the most active members of the global anti-terrorist coalition and we have made a considerable contribution to strengthen the international legal basis for anti-terrorist struggle,” he said.

Terming terrorism to be absolutely incompatible with the principles of morality and democracy, the Ambassador stated that combating the global menace confronting the world community is only possible through joint efforts of all states.

To achieve this unity, the world must first and foremost abandon double standards with regard to terror, Mr Trubnikov said. “There are no good or bad terrorists and their motives, whether political, ideological or religious, cannot serve as a justification for their actions. He cited several instances where terrorists have been given shelter by several Western countries or allowed to carry out subversive activities from their soil

“Terrorism has no boundaries”

Former Director of Mossad, Israel’s intelligence service, Mr Shabtai Shavit, on Wednesday cited international cooperation, intelligence gathering and developing technology as the main tools for combating global terrorism.

Speaking to The Tribune on the sidelines of the P.N. Haskar Memorial Lecture, Mr Shavit stressed upon information sharing between different countries. “Terrorism knows no national boundaries. Countries known more about terror networks and activities in their respective areas than those in other regions. If this information is pooled and exploited, we can climb another step in the war against terror.

Mr Shavit, who is at present serving as Chairman of the Institute of Counter-Terrorism in Israel, said that it was essential to develop information collecting tools and also the capability to track the flow of money across international channels. Future wars, he said, would be fought with technology and a lot of investment is required to develop the required technology.

On the issue of Pakistan being at the centre of terrorism, he said that Pakistan had always being considered as a implicit enemy by Israel due to its alignment with Arab countries and being the first Muslim country to develop nuclear weapon capability. “Recently we see a certain development in Pakistani policy towards Israel and it is the outcome of political process taking place in West Asia,” he said. “Positive signs are coming from Pakistan, but the two countries still have a very long way to go,” he added.

Though he said international cooperation is fundamental to carry out the global war against terrorism, he said that he did not see the possibility of any joint exercise between India and Israel on the lines of the recent Indo-Russian exercise which focused on the use of military force to neutralise terrorists under a United Nations mandate.