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| November 17, 2001 | Saturday | Ramazan 1, 1422 |
Terrorism, freedom struggle must not be equated: Sattar
UNITED NATIONS, Nov 16: Foreign Minister Abdul Sattar said on Thursday that terrorism need to be defined in a way as to distinguish it from the legitimate struggles of the oppressed people for their rights and freedom from foreign occupation.
No double standards or selectiveness should be applied to define the term, he said at the annual coordination meeting of the OIC foreign ministers.
He said it was imperative to address the root causes of terrorism to achieve international security and stability.
Sattar praised the decision taken by the OIC at its Doha meeting and made particular mention of the declaration that all lives were sacrosanct and the killing of innocent people was against the teachings of Islam.
He said the OIC nations had taken a united position in negotiations being held in the Sixth Committee of the General Assembly on a draft international convention on terrorism.
He said international terrorism was the result of injustice, deprivation and denial of fundamental human rights. The international community must, therefore, take steps in earnest to resolve the conflicts in Kashmir, Palestine and elsewhere in accordance with the international law and the wishes of the people.
Sattar noted that five weeks of military operation had destroyed the Taliban military strength and led to a precipitous change in the country which continued to be in a state of flux. Contrary to the international call, the Northern Alliance, taking advantage of the collapse of the Taliban forces, has entered Kabul. This situation poses new dangers and could easily deepen the bitter ethnic rivalries in the country, he added. He said it was crucial that the UN and the coalition forces acted firmly to promote an multi-ethnic, broad-based arrangement in Kabul.—APP
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