Terrorists can no longer find ideological sanction from the United Nations. Calling terrorist actions “in any circumstances unjustifiable,” the U.N. General Assembly has adopted a Declaration of measures to Eliminated International Terrorism.
While short of concrete measures, the document was hailed as “a major measure” by Harris Schoenberg, director of U.N. affairs for B’nai B’rith.
“Until the end of the Cold War, discussion of terrorism was dominated by the argument that the right end – such as self determination – justifies terrorism,” said Schoenberg.
“This document is not only a statement to terrorism, but is virtually free of that contention,” he said.
Schoenberg noted that nations who supported terrorism two decades ago are now suffering its effects.
The idea for the resolution came from Algeria, which is battling Muslim fundamentalists.
The working group which drafted the resolution was chaired by Argentina, where 99 people were killed when a bomb demolished the Jewish community’s offices in July.
In the declaration issued last Friday, the General Assembly expressed its “unequivocal condemnation” of terrorism. It also said that states “must refrain from organizing, instigating, assisting or participating in terrorist acts,” and urged states to take “resolute measures” for “the speedy and final elimination of international terrorism.”
The declaration said that “considerations of a political, philosophical, ideological, racial, ethnic, religious or any other nature” cannot justify “criminal acts intended or calculated to provoke a state of terror in the general public, a group of persons or particular persons for political purposes.”
But while Schoenberg and other Jewish observers welcomed the declaration, they said the U.N. still has a long way to go.
Schoenberg expressed disappointment that when the Security Council recently reviewed its sanctions against Libya, imposed for that country’s failure to surrender the alleged bombers of Pan Am flight 103, it failed to strengthen them.
And Elan Steinberg, executive director of the World Jewish Congress, noted that the General Assembly did not take up an Argentine proposal to lift diplomatic immunity for diplomats who are suspected of smuggling explosives to terrorists in diplomatic pouches.
“It’s better that what we’ve had before,” said Steinberg of the declaration, “but certainly not good enough.”
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