Posted on 12/31/2006 8:04:47 AM PST by IsraelBeach
Israel Signs UN Nuclear Anti- Terrorism Accord
By Israel News Agency Staff
Jerusalem ---- December 31 ..... The following was partly communicated by the Israel Foreign Ministry Spokesman to the Israel News Agency.
Israel has signed the United Nations Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism (NCT; http://tinyurl.com/ykdzgw).
Led by the United States and Russia, 13 countries recently promulgated eight general principles for averting and responding to nuclear terrorism. The group will meet in February to discuss further actions.
The convention was signed by the Israel representative to the United Nations, Israel Ambassador Dan Gillerman, as part of Israel's ongoing efforts to combat terrorism and as a mark of the high importance it places on international cooperation in the fight against terrorism in all its aspects.
The signature follows the adoption of the NCT by the United Nations General Assembly on 13.04.05. This convention addresses the unlawful possession of nuclear devices or materials by non-state actors. It calls for states to develop appropriate legal frameworks to criminalize nuclear terrorism-related offenses, investigate alleged offenses, and, as appropriate, arrest, prosecute or extradite offenders.
It also calls for international cooperation with nuclear terrorism investigations and prosecutions, through information-sharing, extradition and the transfer of detainees to assist with foreign investigations and prosecutions.
A US Department of State official said that Moscow and Washington wanted to limit the initial meeting to a “manageable size.” Invites were extended to China and Australia, according to the official, because they are seen as “very important” to the initiative’s success, while Kazakhstan and Turkey are “important geographically.”
The latter three countries also were among the first publicly to welcome the initiative’s unveiling. The October principles outline basic steps governments should take to deny terrorists the means to conduct nuclear attacks as well as measures to mitigate the consequences if governments fail. The principles also emphasize developing capabilities to trace and prosecute terrorists and their accomplices or suppliers. Many of the principles essentially have already been accepted in existing international agreements or legal mandates.
The 2005 International Convention on the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism obligates adherents to protect their radioactive material against theft, while UN Security Council Resolution 1540 and its successor, Resolution 1673, require all governments to take an array of steps to prevent nonstate actors from acquiring nuclear arms or biological and chemical weapons.
The State Department official said the U.S.-Russian initiative and its principles are to serve as a “vehicle” to help implement these other instruments. Ideally, the official said, the initiative will “foster activities” between not only governments but also between the private and public sectors to implement these international obligations and to take on additional responsibilities beyond them. Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Robert Joseph, the U.S. co-chair of the initiative, said July 18 that participating governments would seek a work program at the inaugural meeting, but this is now the objective of the second meeting scheduled for February 2007 in Turkey. The Russian co-chair is Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Kislyak.
The work plan is expected to include exercises, information sharing, task forces, and workshops to promote the initiative’s goals. Participating states also will seek to agree on “terms of reference for implementation and assessment to support effective fulfillment of the initiative,” according to an Oct. 31 State Department press statement. The initiative will be open to all countries that endorse the principles. The State Department official said that the aim is to create a “steady and growing network” of participants because “we cannot [combat nuclear terrorism] alone.”
The United Nations top legal official appealed to Member States to become parties to the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism. “The Convention closes for signature on 31 December,” said the UN Legal Counsel, Nicolas Michel.
“Currently, more than 110 States have signed and 11 have ratified, hitting the half-way mark as the Convention needs 22 ratifications to enter into force. I call on Member States to join in this crucial treaty as soon as possible.” The Convention, adopted by the General Assembly on 13 April 2005, covers a broad range of possible targets, including nuclear power plants and nuclear reactors. Under its provisions, the alleged offenders must be either extradited or prosecuted. States are to cooperate in preventing terrorist attacks by sharing information and assisting each other in criminal investigations and extradition proceedings.
“The Convention will play a crucial role in preventing terrorists from gaining access to weapons of mass destruction, the use of which could lead to catastrophic consequences,” Mr. Michel said. “It will strengthen the international legal framework for suppressing terrorism and be a valuable addition to the already existing universal anti-terrorism conventions.”
Of the five terrorism-related treaties deposited with the UN Secretary-General, this Convention is the only one not in force, Mr. Michel said. “We are approaching the second anniversary of its adoption, and it would be wonderful if it could enter into force in 2007.” States which are not in a position to sign the Convention before 31 December 2006 will retain the possibility of becoming party to the Convention at a later stage by acceding to it directly.
On 8 September 2006 all 192 UN Member States adopted the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, which Secretary-General Kofi Annan called “an historic breakthrough in many ways”. “The General Assembly has set out its vision for defeating terrorism around the world,” Mr. Annan said on that occasion. “Member States must embark without delay on the journey they have mapped out so carefully. They must start translating their commitments into reality at once.” In the Strategy’s Plan of Action Member States commit to become parties without delay to the existing international conventions and protocols against terrorism and also pledge to implement their provisions.
Now I know for certain that we're safe. The UN is involved.
"criminalize"? BS! we have good idea of the terrorist-supporting State actors. give 'em a 10-for-1 return.
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