Sixth Committee: terrorism 'unjustifiable' in any circumstances.

PositionUN General Assembly Sixth Committee - General Assembly 51

The General Assembly on 17 December, in strongly condemning "all acts, methods and practices of terrorism as criminal and unjustifiable, wherever and by whomsoever committed", decided to establish an ad hoc committee to elaborate an international convention for the suppression of terrorist bombings and, subsequently, an international convention for the suppression of acts of nuclear terrorism.

By adopting resolution 51/210, on the recommendation of its Sixth Committee (Legal), the Assembly also declared that "criminal acts intended or calculated to provoke a state of terror in the general public, a group of persons or particular persons for political purposes are in any circumstance unjustifiable, whatever the considerations of a political, philosophical, ideological, racial, ethnic, religious or any other nature that may be invoked to justify them".

The world body called upon States to adopt further measures in accordance with relevant provisions of international law, including international standards of human rights, to prevent terrorism and strengthen international cooperation to combat it. In particular, it called on them to recommend that relevant security officials undertake consultations to improve the capability of Governments to prevent, investigate and respond to terrorist attacks on public facilities, such as public transport.

Also, all States were called upon to: accelerate research and development of methods of detecting explosives and other harmful substances; develop, if necessary, mutual legal assistance procedures to facilitate speedy investigations and evidence collection, as well as cooperation between law enforcement agencies to detect and prevent terrorist acts; employ domestic measures to prevent and counteract the financing of terrorists and terrorist organizations; intensify the exchange of information on facts related to terrorism; and refrain from financing, encouraging, training or otherwise supporting terrorist activities.

Annexed to the resolution was a "Declaration to Supplement the 1994 Declaration on Measures to Eliminate International Terrorism", which: reaffirmed that Member States should take appropriate measures, before granting refugee status, "for the purpose of ensuring that the asylum-seeker has not participated in terrorist acts"; emphasized that asylum-seekers awaiting the processing of their asylum applications "may not thereby avoid prosecution for terrorist acts"; and addressed questions relating...

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