62nd SESSION OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY ________________ Check Against Delivery ________________ Statement by Mr. Gil Limon Legal Adviser During the 12th Session of the Ad Hoc Committee established by General Assembly resolution 51/210 of 17 December 1996 (Measures to eliminate international terrorism) United Nations, New York 25 February 2008 Thank You, Mr. Chairman. At the outset, allow me to congratulate you on your stewardship of this Committee. The challenging task entrusted in your hands is of outmost importance to the international community as a whole, and my delegation assures you our full cooperation in working together to achieve our common objectives. The international community has long recognized that terrorism is a perilous threat to the international peace and security. Acknowledging that the global nature of contemporary terrorism requires a global response, the General Assembly adopted – during its 60th Session – “the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy.” The launching of this Strategy sent a clear message that terrorism committed by whomever, wherever and for whatever purposes will not be tolerated. It also expressed the determination of the Member States to cooperate fully in the fight against terrorism. The real test of this global effort, however, is its effectiveness in practice. In this respect, much more can and should be done by Member States. Efforts should be directed at upgrading joint ventures to combat this dangerous phenomenon, in particular by the adoption of a comprehensive Convention. My delegation fully supports the Convention as an effective tool for dealing with international terrorism. The inability to arrive at an agreeable convention might undermine the credibility of the Member States' shared determination to eradicate the threat of terrorism. Another source of grave concern for my delegation is the attempt by some to circumvent the undisputed comprehension that the deliberate targeting of non-combatants for the purpose of provoking a state of terror is unjustifiable regardless of any consideration invoked to justify it. Indeed, this clear understanding – reflected in a series of decisive UN resolutions as well as reports of the Secretary-General and the Security-Council – cannot be reconciled with those statements that ask to justify the same atrocious acts, when they are committed in order to achieve a certain political goal. It would be regrettable should a convention be achieved at the cost of including this kind of distorted position. Rather, a comprehensive convention must reflect universal support of the basic legal – indeed, moral – principle that murder of the innocent can never be justified by the furtherance of political or ideological goals. Reaching an international convention cannot come at the cost of undermining this principle. Mr. Chairman, Terrorism threatens us all. Terrorists make no distinction between men and women, between the young and the old, between members of one religion and members of another. It threatens those who live in our region, the Middle East. It threatens those who live in Europe, Latin America, the Pacific, Africa and so on. It threatens human rights. It threatens the international peace and security. But terrorism does not come from nowhere. It is executed by organized groups that are stationed in the territories of Member States, using financial institutions for their funding, and purchasing arms from weapon manufacturers. Member States have the power to defeat terrorism by fulfilling in good faith their legal obligations according to international law and Security Council resolutions, and by cooperating with each other to prevent terrorism and bring terrorists to justice. The existing legal instruments serve as an effective, albeit incomplete, tool to forge this cooperation. The emergence of a comprehensive, robust convention will help States deal with the scourge of international terrorism and its implications. Progress in this realm is not a luxury; it is a necessity. My delegation trusts that we can garner the spirit to proceed forward and come to an agreement on a matter of such immediacy and significance, while adhering to the principle best exemplified in the words of former Secretary-General Kofi Annan, according to which: there can be no acceptance of those who seek to justify the deliberate taking of innocent civilian life – regardless of cause or grievance. If there is one universal principle that all peoples can agree on, surely it is this. As to the issue of convening a High-Level UN Conference on Counter-Terrorism, my delegation believes that it should be considered following as agreement on the Comprehensive Convention. Thank you.   1