United Nations General Assembly
53rd Session
Sixth Committee
Measures to Eliminate International Terrorism Mr. Chairman,
At the outset, let me express that my Delegation’s position on the item before us is very well reflected in the statement pronounced by our distinguished colleague of Panama on behalf of the Rio Group countries. The importance of this issue prompts the Delegation of Brazil to stress its determined commitment to combat terrorism internally and to actively contribute to the multilateral efforts aimed at eliminating international terrorism.
Strange and unfortunate as it may seem, globalization may have, to a certain extent, fueled terrorism. Throughout the borders of a world made ever smaller and yet more complex, terrorism is at one time a local, regional, international and transnational crime.
It is -- as a result of these characteristics -- a truly global threat. It is the kind of crime that can strike anywhere and indeed affect anyone. If, in the globalized world, States and civil societies are both actors of marked importance, at the same time they have become targets for the indiscriminate nature of terrorism and its dreadful actions.
In this connection, Brazil has strongly condemned the terrorist acts launched against the American Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania last August, and supported the adoption of Resolution 1189 by the Security Council, urging countries to embrace practical and effective measures to enhance cooperation in the field of security in order to halt terrorism, as well as to prosecute and punish its perpetrators.
Mr. Chairman,
Brazil is engaged in a number of initiatives at various levels in the struggle against terrorism.
Locally, close coordination between the Ministry of External Relations, the Ministry of Justice and the Federal Police is being improved so that the territory of Brazil will not -- in any way whatsoever – be used to support terrorist activities or else provide them with a safehaven. The Brazilian Constitution of 1998 places terrorist acts under the category of the most serious crimes or felonies. As far as extradiction is concerned, our legislation qualifies terrorism as a political crime, but it allows for the Supreme Court to consider such acts as common crimes. In the context of the present reform of our Criminal Code, the Brazilian Congress is at an advanced stage of examining legislation that will typify terrorist activities as common felonies.
Regionally, Brazil participates in a number of coordination efforts, ranging from the Rio Group and initiatives such as the Declaration and Plan of Action of Lima, and the recent Declaration of Panama, to the Interamerican Specialized Conference, that envisages the promotion of closer cooperation in combatting terrorism at the hemispheric level.
Multilaterally – at the global level --, Brazil is firmly committed to fighting terrorism and perceives it as one of the most dangerous present day sources of instability. My Delegation would like to recall that the Security Council has characterized international terrorism as a threat to international peace and security in its Summit Declaration of 31 January 1992. We support the use of all means compatible with the Charter of the United Nations and the provisions of international law to eliminate this vicious trait from the present world scenario.
Brazil associates itself with the international community in what should be a universal struggle to combat terrorrism. Our very task here at the United Nations, and specifically at the Sixth Committee, is to add up to that effort by helping strengthen the tools of international law designed to identify, condemn and do away with this evil phenomenon.
Brazil believes that for those responsible for such indiscriminate acts of violence to be brought to justice, international cooperation in this regard has to be expanded and perfectioned. It is indeed important to share databases and improve the flow of information that can lead to the identification and therefore to the dissolution of terrorist groups and their heinous activities.
Mr. Chairman,
In this respect, our perception is that terrorism is presently experiencing its most dramatic moment as an item of the international agenda. The virulence of such acts, the dimension of the destruction it can bring about – now exponentiated by the employment of sophisticated technologies put to the service of hatred – have been demanding an equally sophisticated set of multilateral actions designed to curb its pernicious effects.
To a certain extent, terrorism can be seen as a method for crystallizing hate and fear; instability and destructiveness. On the other hand, international law is more than just a method for the fight against terrorism. Potentially, it is a program for international peace and stability.
The growing momentum of this threat has been correctly sensed by the international system and in particular by the United Nations, for our review of this issue has become an annual exercise of the Sixth Committee for the past five years. This valuable exercise has already produced an important document – the Convention for the Suppression of Terrorist Bombings, that in my Delegation’s view adequately responds to the needs of the international community, especially where legal cooperation is concerned. The Government of Brazil views this text favourably and is examining the possibility of signing the Convention soon.
Mr.Chairman,
Now turning to activities that demanded our attention more recently, the Brazilian delegation would like to express its appreciation for the work of Ambassador Phillippe Kirsch as well as the so-called "Friends of the Chairman" in their strenuous efforts towards putting together the text of a Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism. Brazil also welcomes the opportunity of debating, within the framework of a Working Group of the Sixth Committee, the Proposal put forward by the French delegation for a Convention for the Suppression of Terrorist Financing.
The many different approaches voiced during the meetings on the issue of international terrorism allow us to devise two major trends concerning the ways legal tools can be employed to help eliminate this scourge.
On the one hand, we have the trend towards fighting it by means of consolidating a "network" of conventions related in one way or another to the issue of international terrorism. The texts on Bombings, Nuclear Acts and Financing related to international terrorism are the latest additions to this "network approach".
On the other hand, there is the conviction that the issue of terrorism has yet to be further conceptualized and therefore undergo a process that will eventually lead to a universal definition of its meaning, as proposed by the Delegation of India, among others. Furthermore, in the view of some delegations, such as that of Egypt, this process – that we could call the "comprehensive approach" -- would be more easily carried out if the international community were to call upon a Conference at the highest level of representation – a Conference to deal not only with the task of conceptualization but also with the question of raising even more international awareness and showing terrorists everywhere that nations are closely united in fighting this menace.
Mr. Chairman,
These trends arise, as the Brazilian Delegation sees them, from the manifold expressions of terrorism, whose most distinctive mark is the unjustifiable and ever present recourse to violence. As a consequence of its wide variety of forms and manifestations, the Delegation of Brazil believes that the international community should pursue work on both tracks, understanding that what we could call the "network" and the "comprehensive" approaches do not necessarily contradict each other, but could be complementary. We would thus encourage additional debates on this question with a view towards building a consensus.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.