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U.N. council approves terror resolution
09/29/2001
By EDITH M. LEDERER UNITED NATIONS — The U.N. Security Council unanimously approved a
U.S.-sponsored resolution Friday night demanding that all countries immediately
take sweeping measures to crack down on terrorism. Responding to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the United States, the
council set out a new set of requirements that every nation must meet to cut off
funding and support for terrorist activities and improve the exchange of
information about terrorist networks. To ensure that all countries adopt the strongly worded measure, the council
created a Security Council committee to monitor their efforts. ``This is an unprecedented resolution against terrorism in the work of the
United Nations,'' said U.S. Ambassador John Negroponte. ``We're very encouraged
by the Security Council's strong support for this measure and the rapid and
unanimous action it has taken.'' The resolution moved from start to finish in the frequently plodding Security
Council in just over 24 hours, a pace that reflects Washington's wide support as
it leads the global campaign to track down the perpetrators of the Sept. 11
attacks and those who harbored them. While the resolution stops short of threatening sanctions against those
countries that fail to abide by the anti-terrorism measures, it does express the
council's determination ``to take all necessary steps to ensure the full
implementation.'' Under the resolution, all countries must make the ``willful'' financing and
funding of terrorism a criminal offense, immediately freeze terrorist-related
funds, and prevent movement of individuals and groups suspected of terrorist
connections. Every nation must also stop all forms of support to people or groups involved
in terrorist acts and deny them ``safe haven.'' The recruitment and supply of
weapons to terrorist members and groups must end, and all countries must
accelerate the exchange of operational information, especially regarding actions
or movements of terrorists and terrorist networks. ``Tonight probably the Security Council made history,'' said France's U.N.
Ambassador Jean-David Levitte, the current council president. ``Tonight we have
adopted a very ambitious, comprehensive strategy to fight terrorism in all its
forms throughout the world.'' Ambassador Alfonso Valdivieso of Colombia, an elected council member, said
``this is the first Security Council resolution dealing with a conflict that
does not name a single country, society, or group of people.'' The resolution incorporates actions to fight terrorism from a dozen legal
instruments approved by the General Assembly since 1963. Only five of the conventions and protocols have been ratified by more than
100 countries and the newest — to cut off the financing of terrorism — hasn't
yet taken effect because it doesn't have enough ratifications. But diplomats said that by incorporating the key actions in a legally binding
Security Council resolution, all countries are now required to immediately
implement them. The Security Council and the General Assembly adopted resolutions immediately
after the attacks condemning the atrocities and calling for the perpetrators and
those who harbor them to be brought to justice. The resolution adopted Friday night does not seek endorsement for retaliatory
military strikes, but echoes the initial council resolution recognizing a
nation's right to ``individual or collective self-defense.''
Associated Press Writer