An effective networking system based on collective cooperation among member states of the Commonwealth could be developed particularly in seizing assets of terrorist groups through intelligence sharing, Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama said.
Addressing the Commonwealth Ministerial Meeting on Terrorism on September 24, 2009 in New York on ‘Key issues in the global counter-terrorism effort,’ the Minister said that Sri Lanka has been requesting for a meeting calling for agreements at Ministerial Level.
“Sri Lanka hopes that the Commonwealth will find the courage to take this process forward and convene a dedicated Ministerial Meeting on Terrorism to explore new areas of cooperation sooner rather than later to discuss in detail these issues,” he said.
Minister Bogollagama said that harmonizing the Commonwealth’s counter-terrorism actions with those of the UN would, in the long run, benefit the member states and such a system would help the work of other international fora.
“Therefore undertaking such action against terrorism would definitely not be duplication of the work of other world bodies but would be complementary to their work,” he said.
He said there is a dire need for practical measures that would help contribute towards cutting off the sources of funding of terrorist groups, both direct and indirect in particular through charitable organizations and establishment of effective mechanisms to counter the movements of terrorists across national frontiers.
“In this regard it may be noted that such cooperation resulted in the apprehension of one of the main LTTE operatives and would ensure that no safe haven is provided in the Commonwealth to terrorists by way of the abuse of asylum procedures,” he said.
The minister said that the means of survival of the terrorists was malicious propaganda, designed to create divisions among the people, carried out by their extensive international network and promoted by certain sectors for their own personal gain, regrettably continue to this date.
“Their international complexion has been demonstrated in terms of extensive fundraising and arms procurement coupled with malicious propaganda abroad,” he said. |
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