8 October 2008
Statement By
H.E. Mr. Eshagh Al Habib
Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative
of the Islamic Republic of Iran
Before the Sixth Committee
On Agenda item 99:
“Measures to eliminate international terrorism”
New York, 8 October 2008
In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
Madam Chair, We are very pleased to see you chairing the committee. My delegation would like to congratulate the Chairman and the other members of the bureau for their election and thank the Secretariat for all their efforts. The Islamic Republic of Iran aligns itself with the statements made by Pakistan and Cuba on behalf of the OIC group and the Non Aligned Movement, respectively. Madam Chair, The Islamic Republic of Iran reaffirms its unequivocal condemnation of all acts of terrorism committed by whomever and for whatever purposes. It is our principled position that resorting to indiscriminate violence, be it by terrorist groups or by State military forces, and killing and maiming innocent civilians and generating terror and intimidation could not be justified in any manner. Sadly, terrorism remains a major concern for the international community and continues to adversely affect the security and stability of many States. The phenomenon is truly transnational and as such only through collective cooperation and coordination led by the United Nations would we be able to tackle it. This requires political will of all States and avoidance of double standard policies and selective approaches in dealing with terrorist groups. It is also necessary that international counter-terrorism efforts be organized under the auspices of the United Nations and carried out in full conformity with the United Nations Charter and international law, international human rights and 2 humanitarian law. Nonetheless, the systematic abuse of, or excessive, counter-terrorism measures in recent years has caused serious concern. We should stick to our high principles, primarily the rule of law, while countering terrorism. The fact that the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy has appropriately placed human rights as the fundamental basis of the fight against terrorism indicates the high importance of complying with international law, in particular human rights law when dealing with terrorism. Madam Chair, We believe that a consensual legal definition of terrorism would strengthen international cooperation against terrorism. Such definition has to be objective and include all forms of terrorism including State terrorism, on the one hand, and to make a clear distinction between heinous acts of terrorism and legitimate struggle of peoples under foreign occupation for restoring their fundamental right of self determination, on the other. Terrorism can hardly be eliminated unless its diverse root causes are duly addressed and resolutely removed. It is necessary to spot and eradicate the underlying causes of terrorism that breed resentment and despair, and generate hopelessness. Foreign occupation which suppresses the people, subjugates them and deprives them of their fundamental right of self-determination is the main source of hatred and desperation. Foreign occupation violates the basic principle of international law, including the Charter of the United Nations, international humanitarian law and human rights. Likewise, unlawful use of force and aggression provide a fertile ground for the spread of violence and terrorism. It is very disturbing that territorial integrity and political sovereignty of States are simply violated in the name of chasing and hunting terrorists and innocent people are accidentally! slaughtered. Nonetheless, resorting to large-scale armed force, in retaliation against perpetrators of terrorism, may, in most cases, only cause the symptoms to get disappeared without healing the infectious disease. In our efforts to uproot terrorism, due attention should be paid to all ways and means that may be used by terrorist groups and elements to pursue their dangerous activities. In this context, we share the concern that terrorist groups may increasingly use internet for pursuing their criminal activities, including for identifying potential targets, given the easy access to images and exact map of infrastructure facilities as well as state facilities and other places of public use. Madam Chair, Unfortunately terrorism, particularly State terrorism, has plagued our region for a long time. However, the proliferation of terrorism in recent years which has claimed the lives of thousands of innocent people is alarmingly unprecedented. This vicious trend is mainly generated or fueled by ongoing conflicts and wars inflicted by non-regional actors. These conflicts have provided a feeding ground for terrorists to propagate violence and terror. Iran has consistently warned against the threats caused by continued presence and activities of a notorious terrorist group (MKO) in a neighboring country under the patronage of foreign forces. 3 Here I would like to reiterate the importance of fighting drug trafficking as essential prerequisite for eliminating terrorism, given the fact that drug-trafficking has been used as a financial resource for some terrorist groups in the region. For decades, Iran has been at the forefront of a costly war against transnational drug traffickers. According to the recent UNODC’s drug report more than 80 percent of world drug seizure in 2007 was in Iran. More than 4000 Iranian law enforcement personnel have lost their lives and billions of dollars have been spent to combat drug traffickers, and to interdict opium shipments. We urge the international community to pay more attention to this issue. Madam Chair, Ill-intended attempts to foul any religion, ethnicity or culture by linking them with terrorism must be rejected. Such unwise and simplistic approach toward terrorism, will only lead to distrust, hatred and division among nations as well as giving a leeway to terrorists. We welcome all initiatives that seek to promote dialogue among civilizations, cultures and religions. We reaffirm our commitment to the principles and true teachings of Islam which rejects aggression, prohibit killing of innocent people and value peace, compassion and tolerance. Madam Chair, The first biennial review of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, held on 4 and 5 September 2008, was an important event through which the Member States reaffirmed their commitment to prevent and combat terrorism in an integrated, nonselective and comprehensive manner. The resolution adopted as the outcome of the Conference well indicates this determination. The Islamic Republic of Iran attaches high importance to the ongoing process of negotiation of the draft Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism. We appreciate the valuable efforts of Mr. Rohan Perera, the Chairman, and Ms. Maria Telalian, the Coordinator, of the Ad Hoc Committee established by General Assembly resolution 51/210 of 17 December 1996, to converge positions on the pending issues of the draft Convention. It is necessary for negotiating parties to remain actively involved and try their best in order to arrive at an acceptable solution for the key outstanding issues. We should be cautious, however, not to compromise or prejudice the established provisions of international humanitarian law as regards the legality and legitimacy of people’s struggle against foreign occupation, aggression, colonialism and alien domination, aimed at liberation and self-determination. Otherwise, we would send a wrong message to those occupying regimes who have never hesitated to resort to terrorist tactics, including extrajudicial killing, to suppress people’s legitimate resistance against occupation. The new Convention should also address acts of terror committed by State, including by its military forces. The fact that ‘all measures of intimidation or of terrorism [by military forces] are prohibited’, under the 4th Geneva Convention (Article 33), should persuade us to criminalize such acts in peacetime, as well. 4 To conclude, Madam Chair, the Islamic Republic of Iran will spare no effort in fighting terrorism. Iran has taken measures to improve its overall capacity to prevent and combat terrorism and crime. We stand ready to cooperate with other countries, especially the neighboring countries and with the relevant United Nations bodies. I thank you, Madam Chair