AMN /
India has called for concrete action in the fight against terrorism and asked the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) to set up a mechanism to ensure effective cooperation in combating the menace. Addressing the 17th NAM Summit at Porlamar in Venezuela last night, Vice President Hamid Ansari said terrorism is the main threat to security, sovereignty and development of the nations.
He said, terrorism was one of the most egregious sources of human right violations today and its use as an instrument of state policy should be unequivocally condemned. Mr Ansari asserted that no cause justifies the indiscriminate killing of innocent civilians as a means to achieve a political goal or change of policies. He said it is therefore imperative for the NAM to galvanise the international community to strengthen the international legal framework to address this menace.
Mr Ansari said, the NAM must also ensure that all existing structures that are the building blocks of UN’s Global Counter Terrorism Strategy function in a non-partisan and professional manner.
The final draft declaration of the 17th NAM summit also strongly pitched for decisive and coordinated action to prevent and combat the financing and illicit transfer of weapons. The NAM countries also reaffirmed that terrorism and violent extremism as and when conducive to terrorism cannot and should not be associated with any religion or nationality.
They also recognised the threat posed by the scourge of terrorism, particularly the activities carried out by terrorist groups such as the Taliban, al-Qaeda, Islamic State and affiliated entities.
During his speech, Mr Ansari also strongly flagged the issue of UN reforms and said the NAM must use the forthcoming 71st UN General Assembly to ensure that discussions at the Inter-governmental Negotiations move forward.
He asked whether an organisation designed in 1945 with just 51 member states, is really appropriate to serve the needs of an international community that comprises 193 independent sovereign states facing the challenges of 21st century.
Earlier yesterday, Venezuela assumed NAM’s rotating presidency from Iran which had hosted the bloc’s summit in 2012. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro accepted the presidency and vowed to strengthen the bloc.