Egypt has welcomed the UN Security Council resolution obliging member states to fight terrorism by all possible means under the UN convention, reported the Cairo-based Al Gomhuria newspaper.
The resolution also calls for the implementation of all international agreements on combating terrorism.
The Egyptian envoy to the UN, Ahmed Al Ghaith, said: “The international community needs to define specifically and clearly what is meant by 'international terrorism' and to differentiate between it and the fight for freedom by the people and liberation movements who seek to end occupation of their lands.”
“Egypt will present to the UN General Assembly during the anti-terror discussions the earlier proposal of [Egyptian]President Mubarak to hold an international conference to counter this danger,” added Ghaith.
UN member states were to begin discussing Monday ways of stepping up the fight against terrorism after the Security Council adopted the resolution threatening sanctions against countries that do not deny support to terrorists, AFP said.
Diplomats believe that the General Assembly debate will demonstrate the international community's determination to combat terrorism, three weeks after the attacks on World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon, which have left more than 6,000 people dead or missing.
In a sign of unusual solidarity between the world body and the city that hosts its headquarters, New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani is expected to address the delegates, said the agency.
It is the first time since the inauguration of UN headquarters on the East River in Manhattan in 1952 that the mayor of New York has been invited to address the General Assembly.
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan will open the debate by stressing that only the United Nations can bring uncontested legitimacy to the fight against terrorism.
"In his speech, he will emphasize that terrorism is a universal challenge that the United Nations is uniquely positioned to address," said UN spokesman Fred Eckhard.
Many governments have expressed their reservations about getting involved in a war declared by the United States, and indicated that it would be easier for them to take part in the anti-terrorism campaign under the auspices of the United Nations.
Annan was also to invite member states to sign and ratify, without delay, 12 existing international conventions against terrorism that remain generally unenforced – Albawaba.com
© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
