Israel proposed Tuesday that terrorist acts against airports and aircraft be treated as an international crime and that the perpetrators, wherever they are, be punished according to international law.
The proposal was contained in an eight-page document presented by the Israeli delegation at the opening of the 26th Assembly of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) here. “The most important precondition for the successful combat against terrorism is the determination of states to fight against terrorism and those who support it,” the document said.
It urged cooperation among states in the area of intelligence and the creation of “well-trained anti-terrorist units which should be capable to act whenever and wherever they are needed. The terrorists must never be allowed to feel safe anywhere in the world,” the Israeli document said.
Israel appears to have Canada’s strong support for measures it proposes. Canadian Minister of Transport John Crosbie said in an address to the ICAO Assembly that “First and foremost, action is needed to close a gap in the existing ICAO legal framework concerning aviation security.” He said there is an obligation for every country to prosecute or extradite perpetrators of attacks on airports or hijackers of aircraft.
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