April 8, 2013

Ad Hoc Committee Negotiating Comprehensive Anti-terrorism Convention Opens One Week Headquarters Session (Press Release), L/3209

http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2013/l3209.doc.htm

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For the 13th year in a row, UN diplomats sat around NY Headquarters on Monday denouncing terrorism – albeit ships passing in the night since they don't mean the same thing when they use word 'terrorism.' The occasion was the start of a week-long session of the UN General Assembly "Ad Hoc Committee" charged with negotiating a comprehensive anti-terrorism convention. As usual, the UN press agency misleadingly reported: "They resoundingly condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations." Except "all its forms" doesn't include what many states consider to be a list of acceptable targets – starting with Israelis and Americans interfering with "self-determination." Here's a short lesson as to why there really is a clash of civilizations. The meeting included the following contributions. Egypt, speaking for the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) "reiterated the need to make a distinction between terrorism, and the exercise of the legitimate right of peoples to resist foreign occupation." Iran, the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism, was chosen to speak on the subject of terrorism for the 120 states of the non-aligned movement (NAM). Here's terrorism authority-figure Iran: "Terrorism was a flagrant violation of international law... It should not be equated with the legitimate struggle of peoples under colonial or alien domination for self-determination and national liberation." And by the way, he continued by "calling for respecting all human rights and freedoms in countering terrorism." Nicaragua: "it was essential for Member States to make a clear distinction between acts of terrorism and the legitimate right of people living under foreign occupation to self-defense." Cuba: "distinguish between terrorism and the legitimate struggle of peoples for self-determination." Malaysia: "It is important to distinguish between terrorism and the legitimate struggle of people under foreign occupation for liberation and self-determination." Syria: "It was essential to arrive at a clear definition of terrorism and to distinguish between terrorism and the fight against foreign occupation." Belarus: "A clear definition of terrorism would include the distinction between terrorism and the right of people to defend themselves against occupation and achieve self-determination." So to get concrete, for the majority of UN member states, Palestinian decapitation of three-month old "settler" Hadas Fogel in 2011 was not terrorism.