UNITED NATIONS SECURITY COUNCIL

Statement by H.E. Mr John Dauth LVO
Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Australia
to the United Nations

Threats to International Peace and Security Caused by Terrorist Acts

New York, 20 February 2003

Australia welcomes this opportunity to again address the Security Council on an issue of fundamental importance to the international community.

On 12 October 2002, a terrorist attack on the Indonesian island of Bali took the lives of over 200 innocent civilians from some 21 countries. Eighty-eight Australians were killed in this brutal attack which, together with the attacks in Mombassa, Moscow and Bogota, demonstrated all too clearly terrorism's global reach and the threat it poses to peace and security.

These heinous attacks have only strengthened the Australian Government's resolve to protect Australian citizens and confront the threat posed by international terrorism in our region and internationally. This was underlined in a recently released foreign policy White Paper.

Mr President

Australia's approach to combating terrorism is comprehensive, covering bilateral, regional and multilateral activities as well as political, economic, diplomatic, legal and, where appropriate, military initiatives.

Bilaterally, Australia has concluded formal counter-terrorism arrangements with Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand and we are close to finalising similar arrangements with other countries in our region, including the Philippines and Fiji. These arrangements promote stronger cooperation in the fight against terrorism in key areas such as intelligence exchange, law enforcement, anti-terrorist financing and border controls.

The excellent cooperation between Australian and Indonesian police in investigating the Bali bombings has been facilitated by our arrangement with Indonesia, which has also served as a foundation for counter-terrorism capacity building activities.

At a regional level, Australia has been active in supporting counter-terrorism initiatives and programs. Australia is strengthening its own and the Asia-Pacific region's defences against terrorism, working with our Asian and Pacific Island neighbors and also with the United States and United Kingdom and others. In cooperation with New Zealand and the United States we are assisting Pacific Island countries implement their obligations under 1373.

In December 2002, Australia and Indonesia co-hosted a regional Conference on Combating Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing in Bali. The Conference raised awareness of the problem of terrorist financing and encouraged action to cut off funding of terrorist groups.

Within the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), planning is well advanced for a workshop Australia will be co-hosting with Singapore on managing the consequences of a terrorist attack.

In APEC, we are exploring options to help countries in the region implement their commitments under APEC's Secure Trade in the APEC Region (STAR) initiative which will help secure the flow of goods and people.

Mr President

Globally, the United Nations must continue to play a key role in denying terrorists the opportunity to commit their appalling crimes. This is especially the case in relation to efforts to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

There is no greater danger for the international community than that of weapons of mass destruction finding their way into the hands of terrorists and, through them, the capacity to kill tens or hundreds of thousands of innocent people.

Against this background, we welcome and endorse the Ministerial Declaration on Terrorism issued under UNSCR 1456, which highlighted the importance of tight controls over the use of and access to nuclear, chemical, biological and other deadly materials. The Declaration also emphasised the need for full compliance with existing legal obligations in the field of disarmament, arms limitation and non-proliferation. In this context, we would recall that as we stated in this council on Tuesday, Australia considers that this body should act decisively and resolutely to deal with Iraq's disarmament.

Australia remains a strong proponent of the draft comprehensive convention on international terrorism. We have made substantial efforts to achieve consensus on the convention, leading informal consultations to resolve outstanding issues in relation to its scope. We welcome the encouragement in the Ministerial Declaration for the conclusion of this convention.

Mr President

It would be entirely remiss of me not to mention the valuable work Counter-Terrorism Committee under the exemplary, transparent and consultative leadership of Ambassador Greenstock. The CTC has played, and continues to play , a crucial role in the global efforts to fight terrorism. We also commend the excellent work of the 1267 Committee, whose consolidated list is a key counter-terrorism tool. We encourage more proactive listing of terrorists and terrorist entities under 1267. Australia welcomes the steps being taken by the CTC and the 1267 Sanctions Committee to better coordinate their activities and improve the exchange of information.

Mr President

Australia is acutely aware that winning the fight against terrorism will take long-term commitment. For its part, Australia will continue to shoulder its counter-terrorism responsibilities and can be counted on to support the United Nations' efforts.