Terrorist crimes cannot be blamed on the people of a particular religion, nationality or ethnicity, Iran's envoy to the UN said, calling for a global conference to bring together the international community in the campaign against terrorism.
"Terrorism cannot and should not be associated with any religion, nationality, civilization or ethnic group, and these attributions should not be used to justify terrorism or counter-terrorism measures that include, inter alia, profiling of terror suspects and intrusion on individual privacy," Gholamali Khoshroo was also quoted as saying by IRNA.
"In the light of previous initiatives and considerations adopted by [the Non-Aligned Movement] and of our conviction that multilateral cooperation, in conformity with the UN Charter, international law and the relevant international conventions, and under the UN auspices is the most effective means of combating international terrorism, I reiterate the movement's call for an international conference under the auspices of the UN to formulate a joint organized response of the international community to terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including identifying its root causes."
Khoshroo made the appeal on behalf of NAM in an address to a meeting of UN Security Council on Thursday to discuss threats of terrorism against international peace and security.
"Terrorism has recently gained significant ground and fighting it demands a stronger international political resolve," he said.
"Today, we are facing a proliferation of terrorist acts to unprecedented levels. No country is immune from the possibility of falling victim to terrorist acts. Thus, we all need to muster strong political will to combat terrorism. International counter-terrorism cooperation should be further strengthened and translated into concrete and effective measures in order to deal with this global threat."
Noting that terrorists continue to pose a serious challenge to the law, human rights, independence, security and stability of countries, Khoshroo urged all members of the international community to contribute their share to the anti-terrorism fight.
"Terrorist acts constitute one of the most flagrant violations of international law, including international humanitarian and human rights law, particularly the right to life. They lead to the lack of the full enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms of peoples, and endanger the territorial integrity and stability of states as well as national, regional and international security, destabilize legitimately constituted governments or the prevailing constitutional order and political unity of states, affect the stability of nations and the very basis of societies," he said.
"Resolved to take speedy and effective measures to eliminate international terrorism, NAM urges all states, consistent with the UN Charter, to fulfill their obligations under international law and international humanitarian law by combating terrorism," he said.
Resistance Is Not Terrorism
The Iranian envoy invoked international law to point out that the resistance put up by nations against occupying forces should not be treated as terrorism.
"Terrorism should not be equated with the legitimate struggle of peoples under colonial or alien domination and foreign occupation for self-determination and national liberation, in order to prolong occupation and oppression of innocent people with impunity. In this regard and in accordance with the UN Charter, international law and the relevant UN resolutions, the struggle of peoples under colonial or alien domination and foreign occupation for self-determination and national liberation does not constitute terrorism.
Khoshroo stressed once again the urgent need to block every source of funding for terrorist groups as a vital step for containing and ultimately eliminating such groups.
"The financing of terrorism is a matter of grave concern, which must be fought with determination. In this regard, NAM strongly condemns criminal incidents of hostage-taking with resultant demands for ransoms and/or other political concessions to terrorist groups, and calls upon all states to cooperate actively in order to address this issue in all its aspects, including its legal aspects."
