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Wednesday, June 09, 2010
World must boost cooperation against terrorism: Qureshi* Foreign minister says root causes of terrorism must be addressed
* Condemns brazen use of force against Freedom Flotilla by IsraelISTANBUL: Pakistan on Tuesday called for an international cooperative approach against terrorism through real time intelligence sharing and by addressing its root causes.
Addressing the third Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA), Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi called for a two-pronged strategy to confront terrorism, which remained the paramount security threat confronting the world.
He called for real time intelligence-sharing, cooperation in law enforcement and mutual legal assistance to bring the militants to justice.
On the other hand, Qureshi called for addressing the root causes which were being exploited by the terrorists to radicalise the youth.
He said these include economic deprivations, political injustices, foreign occupation and denial of fundamental rights including the right to self-determination.
He said Pakistan has been in the forefront of the fight against terrorism. “We have suffered enormous losses both in human lives and material, which include more than 2,500 security personnel and 10,000 civilians,” he said.
He also said that Pakistan has suffered economic losses worth $40 billion. “We even lost our most charismatic and popular leader Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto to a terrorist’s bullet,” he said.
However, he stressed that all such acts have failed to “dent our resolve” to fight terrorism. He said Pakistan was pursuing a strategy of dialogue, development and deterrence to eradicate terrorism, and law enforcement operations in Swat, South Waziristan, Bajaur, and Mohmand agencies were a great success.
During the address, the foreign minister also condemned the “brazen use of force” against the Freedom Flotilla by Israel, and termed it a “flagrant violation” of international humanitarian law. On behalf of President Asif Ali Zardari, Qureshi extended greetings and good wishes to President Abdullah Gul of Turkey on his assumption of the chairmanship of CICA.
The foreign minister also welcomed Vietnam, Iraq and Bangladesh to the CICA. app
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk