Statement by H.E. Mr. KOICHI HARAGUCHI
Permanent Representative of Japan

At The Open Debate Of The Security Council
On Threats To International Peace And Security Caused By Terrorist Acts

19 OCTOBER 2004

Mr. President,

First of all, I would like to thank both Ambassador Denisov and Ambassador Rupérez for today's detailed presentations on the work of the Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC) and its Executive Directorate, CTED. Today, the incidence of terrorist acts is on the rise, and the damage caused by such acts grows increasingly more devastating, leaving us far from our goal of eliminating terrorism. Given the present situation, my government welcomes that the CTC is pursuing its revitalization process under the leadership of Ambassador Denisov, and that the members of the Security Council have adopted unanimously the new Security Council resolution 1566 to strengthen international cooperation on counter-terrorism policy and to send a clear message to the international community that the Security Council is actively addressing counter-terrorism issues.

Mr. President,

My government supports both the revitalization of the CTC based on Security Council resolution 1535 and measures based on the new Security Council resolution 1566. Having said that, I would like to make the following three specific points.

First, Security Council resolution 1566 calls for the establishment of a working group in the Security Council to consider measures to be imposed upon terrorists other than those associated with the Taliban or Al-Qaida. This is an area which to date has not been dealt with proactively. We support this step, but we also believe that the relationship between the new working group and the existing organs, such as the CTC and the Al-Qaida and Taliban Sanctions Committee, should be thoroughly elucidated at the outset. The establishment of the working group should not end up merely producing hypertrophy of the organization. Care must be taken to ensure that the new working group will actually contribute to the strengthening of counter-terrorism policy.

My second point has to do with the proposed visit by the CTC to a foreign state, which was included in the CTC's work programme for the third quarter of this year. It should be recalled that the Security Council has also directed the CTC, as a matter of priority, to start visits to states in its resolution 1566. My government appreciates that the CTC has adopted the General Guidelines for Conducting CTC Visits to Member States and the procedures for such visits. We understand that work on the planning of the visit with regard to the actual destination and other details is still going on. It is my government's hope that, after the visit, the CTC will share its views with Member States, in as concrete terms as possible, concerning what the visit has achieved and what the visit is expected to produce.

Thirdly, my government appreciates that the organizational plan of the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) was endorsed by the Security Council in August, although the detailed structure of the organization has not yet been delineated. My government strongly hopes that, with Ambassador Rupérez as its Executive Director, the CTED will soon be actively at work fulfilling its mandate in order to serve as yet another effective tool in the fight against terrorism. And Japan, for its part, is prepared to actively cooperate for the successful launching of the CTED.

Mr. President,

Before concluding my statement, let me add that Japan extends its deepest condolences to the families and relatives of the victims of all the recent terrorist acts. Terrorism can never be justified for any reason whatsoever. I wish to reiterate our strong support for the further strengthening of international cooperation, with a view to preventing future terror attacks. My government offers its full cooperation toward the realization of an effective counter-terrorism policy through the implementation of the relevant Security Council resolutions.

Thank you very much.

Related Information (Counter Terrorism)

Permanent Mission of Japan to the United Nations Official Web Site