KAZAKHSTAN AGAINST TERRORISM

Kazakhstan welcomes the initiative to introduce a counter-terrorism strategy that provides for the elimination of the causes of terrorism and its renunciation as a tactical means to attract political attention. The success of this strategy will largely depend on the strengthening of international, regional and sub-regional cooperation in the fight against international terrorism and the growing role of regional organization in dealing with this evil. Yet building the capacity of states to prevent terrorist operations and recruitment by terrorists is the most effective element of a comprehensive strategy.

Kazakhstan attaches great significance to a comprehensive legal framework successfully established by the United Nations General Assembly in the field of counter-terrorism. In addition to all twelve United Nation counter-terrorism conventions, Kazakhstan acceded to the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism on September 16, 2005.

Also, Kazakhstan calls for an early agreement on the draft of a comprehensive convention on international terrorism in order to develop further an integrated legal mechanism to counter international terrorism. We welcome the completion of work to draft and prepare for adoption of an international convention for the suppression of acts of nuclear terrorism, carried out by an Ad Hoc Committee established by the General Assembly resolution 51/210.

Statement by H.E. Yerzhan Kazykhanov,
Permanent Representative of the Republic of Kazakhstan
to the United Nations,
on agenda item 100: "Measures to Eliminate International Terrorism"

12 October 2006

Mr. Chairman,

My delegation wishes to warmly congratulate you and other members of the Bureau on your election. We strongly believe that under your able guidance, our deliberations at this session will be fruitful.

Mr. Chairman,

While aligning ourselves fully with the statement, which will be delivered today by the distinguished representative of Kyrgyzstan on behalf of the Shanghai Organization of Cooperation on agenda item 100 "Measures to Eliminate International Terrorism", the delegation of Kazakhstan would like to highlight certain points on this important issue.

Mr. Chairman,

The continuing terrorist attacks around the world are a constant and painful reminder that terrorism remains one of the most serious threats to all states and peoples. Explosions in Iraq, India and Turkey and an aborted London terror plot indicate that this global threat is clearly growing. Taking this opportunity, we would like to express our deepest sorrow over the loss of innocent lives in all acts of terrorism and convey our sympathies and condolences to the families of the victims.

Kazakhstan has consistently opposed and condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. We recognize that no one country is able to counter the threat of terrorism successfully on its own. Terrorism is a common problem of the international community and should be dealt with the cooperation of all. Therefore, we applaud the adoption of the first ever United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy during the previous session of the General Assembly. We agree, that this strategy will complement the General Assembly's legal framework by providing practical and action-oriented measures. It is also our collective interest to conclude negotiations on the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism.

Kazakhstan considers eliminating of poverty, unemployment, illiteracy, extremism and all forms of discrimination as one of the primary task of the international community to prevent terrorism. We strongly believe that it is necessary to ensure sustainable development of all regions of the world and to pay more attention to the socio-economic impact of globalization.

Kazakhstan has always stressed that the fight against terrorism must be conducted in compliance with the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and in such a way so as to refrain from linking terrorism with any particular civilization, ethnic group or religion.

Our delegation fully supports the call to promote dialogue, tolerance and understanding among civilizations in combating terrorism. In this regard, I would like to note that in September this year Kazakhstan hosted the Second Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions. Its participants have agreed that extremism, terrorism and other forms of violence "in the name of religion" have nothing to do with the genuine understanding of religion and are a threat to humanity. They have also recognized that inter-religious dialogue is one of the key means for social development and promotion of the well-being of all nations. The Declaration adopted by the Second Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions has been circulated as a document of the sixty-first session of the General Assembly and of the Security Council.

Regional and sub-regional arrangements play a critical role in the efforts to enhance the effectiveness of global actions against terrorism. The Conference on Interaction and Confidence-building in Asia (CICA) is one of such structures. Today there are 18 members and 8 observer-countries in CICA. During the Second Summit of CICA in Almaty this year, its participants adopted the Declaration on Eliminating Terrorism and Promoting Dialogue among Civilizations. They agreed to fight terrorism and strengthen bilateral, regional and international cooperation, in accordance with the UN Charter, required meeting this challenge.

Mr. Chairman,

In conclusion, Kazakhstan reiterates its commitment to work with other delegations to effectively contain and rout the threat of terrorism.
We strongly believe that our work during this session will be successful and the goals to which we aspire will be achieved.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.