AD HOC COMMITTEE ON TERRORISM APPROVES INTRODUCTORY SEGMENT OF DRAFT REPORT
Press Release
L/2945
AD HOC COMMITTEE ON TERRORISM APPROVES INTRODUCTORY SEGMENT OF DRAFT REPORT
20000218The General Assemblys Ad Hoc Committee on terrorism this afternoon began considering the draft report on its fourth session, which is scheduled to end later today.
The Committee approved the introductory segment of the report, which summarizes the Committees proceedings for the current session, including its general debate on the draft international convention on the suppression of acts of nuclear terrorism, and the question of convening a high-level United Nations conference to formulate an international response to terrorism.
Several delegations requested substantial changes to the draft report. The representative of Syria asked that the statements made yesterday by the coordinator on the draft convention on the suppression of nuclear terrorism, be fully reflected in an annex to the report. The representative of Canada objected to annexing the full text of the coordinators remarks, stating that it would be inappropriate.
The representative of South Africa said that her full statement on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement should be made part of the report, including the Movements views on the draft convention and the convening of the highlevel conference on terrorism. Her position was supported by the representative of Sierra Leone.
The representatives of the United States and the Russian Federation, however, said that to include that statement would upset the balance of the report. They questioned the necessity for specific references to positions of groups of States.
Several representatives called for further mention in the report of a distinction between acts of liberation and terrorism. The representative of the United States said he regretted the reintroduction of the long disputed notion that an act of terrorism was not terrorism if parties one supported had committed it.
The Committee will meet again at 3 p.m. today to continue its review of the draft report.
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