Resolution 1456
(January 20, 2003)
The
Security Council,
Decides to adopt the attached declaration on the issue of combating terrorism.
Annex
The
Security Council,
Meeting at the level of Ministers for Foreign Affairs on 20 January 2003 reaffirms
that:
– terrorism in
all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious
threats to peace and security;
– any acts of terrorism
are criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation, whenever
and by whomsoever committed and are to be unequivocally condemned, especially
when they indiscriminately target or injure civilians;
– there is a serious
and growing danger of terrorist access to and use of nuclear, chemical,
biological and other potentially deadly materials, and therefore a need
to strengthen controls on these materials;
– it has become
easier, in an increasingly globalized world, for terrorists to exploit
sophisticated technology, communications and resources for their criminal
objectives;
– measures to detect
and stem the flow of finance and funds for terrorist purposes must be
urgently strengthened;
– terrorists must
also be prevented from making use of other criminal activities such
as transnational organized crime, illicit drugs and drug trafficking,
money-laundering and illicit arms trafficking;
– since terrorists
and their supporters exploit instability and intolerance to justify
their criminal acts the Security Council is determined to counter this
by contributing to peaceful resolution of disputes and by working to
create a climate of mutual tolerance and respect;
– terrorism can
only be defeated, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations
and international law, by a sustained comprehensive approach involving
the active participation and collaboration of all States, international
and regional organizations, and by redoubled efforts at the national
level.
* * *
The Security Council therefore calls for
the following steps to be taken:
1. All States must take
urgent action to prevent and suppress all active and passive support
to terrorism, and in particular comply fully with all relevant resolutions
of the Security Council, in particular resolutions 1373 (2001), 1390
(2002) and 1455 (2003);
2. The Security Council
calls upon States to:
(a) become a party, as
a matter of urgency, to all relevant international conventions and protocols
relating to terrorism, in particular the 1999 international convention
for the suppression of the financing of terrorism and to support all
international initiatives taken to that aim, and to make full use of
the sources of assistance and guidance which are now becoming available;
(b) assist each other,
to the maximum extent possible, in the prevention, investigation, prosecution
and punishment of acts of terrorism, wherever they occur;
(c) cooperate closely
to implement fully the sanctions against terrorists and their associates,
in particular Al-Qaeda and the Taliban and their associates, as reflected
in resolutions 1267 (1999), 1390 (2002) and 1455 (2003), to take urgent
actions to deny them access to the financial resources they need to
carry out their actions, and to cooperate fully with the Monitoring
Group established pursuant to resolution 1363 (2001);
3. States must bring to
justice those who finance, plan, support or commit terrorist acts or
provide safe havens, in accordance with international law, in particular
on the basis of the principle to extradite or prosecute;
4. The Counter-Terrorism
Committee must intensify its efforts to promote the implementation by
Member States of all aspects of resolution 1373 (2001), in particular
through reviewing States' reports and facilitating international assistance
and cooperation, and through continuing to operate in a transparent
and effective manner, and in that regard the Council;
(i) stresses the obligation
on States to report to the CTC, according to the timetable set by the
CTC, calls on the 13 States who have not yet submitted a first report
and on the 56 States who are late in submitting further reports to do
so by 31 March, and requests the CTC to report regularly on progress;
(ii) calls on States
to respond promptly and fully to the CTC's requests for information,
comments and questions in full and on time, and instructs the CTC to
inform the Council of progress, including any difficulties it encounters;
(iii) requests the CTC
in monitoring the implementation of resolution 1373 (2001) to bear in
mind all international best practices, codes and standards which are
relevant to the implementation of resolution 1373 (2001), and underlines
its support for the CTC's approach in constructing a dialogue with each
State on further action required to fully implement resolution 1373
(2001);
5. States should assist
each other to improve their capacity to prevent and fight terrorism,
and notes that such cooperation will help facilitate the full and timely
implementation of resolution 1373 (2001), and invites the CTC to step
up its efforts to facilitate the provision of technical and other assistance
by developing targets and priorities for global action;
6. States must ensure
that any measure taken to combat terrorism comply with all their obligations
under international law, and should adopt such measures in accordance
with international law, in particular international human rights, refugee,
and humanitarian law;
7. International organizations
should evaluate ways in which they can enhance the effectiveness of
their action against terrorism, including by establishing dialogue and
exchanges of information with each other and with other relevant international
actors, and directs this appeal in particular to those technical agencies
and organizations whose activities relate to the control of the use
of or access to nuclear, chemical, biological and other deadly materials;
in this context the importance of fully complying with existing legal
obligations in the field of disarmament, arms limitation and non-proliferation
and, where necessary, strengthening international instruments in this
field should be underlined;
8. Regional and subregional
organizations should work with the CTC and other international organizations
to facilitate sharing of best practice in the fight against terrorism,
and to assist their members in fulfilling their obligation to combat
terrorism;
9. Those participating
in the Special Meeting of the Counter-Terrorism Committee with international
regional and subregional organizations on 7 March 2003 should use that
opportunity to make urgent progress on the matters referred to in this
declaration which involve the work of such organizations;
* * *
The Security Council also:
10. emphasizes that continuing
international efforts to enhance dialogue and broaden the understanding
among civilizations, in an effort to prevent the indiscriminate targeting
of different religions and cultures, to further strengthen the campaign
against terrorism, and to address unresolved regional conflicts and
the full range of global issues, including development issues, will
contribute to international cooperation and collaboration, which by
themselves are necessary to sustain the broadest possible fight against
terrorism;
11. reaffirms its strong
determination to intensify its fight against terrorism in accordance
with its responsibilities under the Charter of the United Nations, and
takes note of the contributions made during its meeting on 20 January
2003 with a view to enhancing the role of the United Nations in this
regard, and invites Member States to make further contributions to this
end;
12. invites the Secretary
General to present a report within 28 days summarizing any proposals
made during its ministerial meeting and any commentary or response to
these proposals by any Security Council member;
13. encourages Member
States of the United Nations to cooperate in resolving all outstanding
issues with a view to the adoption, by consensus, of the draft comprehensive
convention on international terrorism and the draft international convention
for the suppression of acts of nuclear terrorism;
14. decides to review
actions taken towards the realization of this declaration at further
meetings of the Security Council.
Sources: The United Nations |