MEDIA
An international summit of world leaders from all regions is needed to deal with the global threat of terrorism, say government officials and policy experts from developing and industrialized countries who gathered here June 27.
"Action against terrorism should not be a foreign policy tool of [a] few powers. To construct peace, you need to cogently deal with poverty and failing social and economic order in vast regions and in many countries. A whole continent like Africa wouldn't agree at all that terrorism is the father of all ills," Amre Moussa, secretary general of the League of Arab States, told the Second International Roundtable on Constructing Peace, Deconstructing Terror.
The roundtable brought together 35 politicians and security advisers from Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East and North America. The meeting was sponsored by the European Parliament and the Strategic Foresight Group, a think-tank based in Mumbai, India.
"Terrorism is a global problem and needs common global standards and agreed policies. The United Nations' Security Council and general assembly remain the bodies that should determine such policies," Moussa said.
Prithviraj Chavan, minister of state attached to the office of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, agreed, saying that the international community needs "a macro-level reordering of ideas on challenging terrorism. The world was able to abolish slavery and to turn back colonialism. The time has come for terrorism to be dealt the same fate."
In a set of principles adopted at the meeting's conclusion, participants declared there should be "zero tolerance for terrorist acts." But they also insisted there should be a willingness on the international community's part "to embrace strategies that are much broader than reliance on coercive police and military means."
The roundtable also called on the U.N. secretary general to consider organizing the international anti-terrorism summit of world leaders - either as part of the United Nations' Millennium Plus Five Summit in New York in September or as a separate subsequent event.
