Before The General Assembly of the United Nations
on the occasion of Adopting United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy

Mme President,
The convening of this high-profile meeting to launch the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy marks a significant point in reaffirming and strengthening the role of the General Assembly in addressing the international causes of importance. In the meantime, it enhances the international multi-lateral performance through the United Nations, especially after the member states have agreed upon new document for combating terrorism that supports the international cooperation in confronting it and creates a collective vision for mobilizing international bodies and upholding it to higher levels that boost international security and stability.

Undoubtedly, the convening of this high-profile meeting, in response to President Mohammed Hosni Mubarak's initiative to convene it, proves the seriousness of the Egyptian vision which concept is that the national anti-terrorism efforts should not be accomplished except within a framework of international cooperation with the contribution of the United Nations and its main bodies to strengthen the international collective capacity in addressing this phenomenon and to overcome the individual treatment of it with all its negatives and destructive impacts in the relation between civilizations, cultures and religions.

Mme President,
The proposed Strategy reaffirmed, once again, the Assembly's imperative role, in cooperation with all member states, to counter terrorism. Egypt, with an open thought and farsighted vision, had participated in all the negotiations of this strategy. Egypt had suffered, and is still suffering, from the dangers of terrorism. It had always believed that the strategy should be adopted by consensus. From my place, I welcome this move. Despite the fact that some important elements were missing from the Strategy, the Assembly should continue to update and develop it so as to keep the plan alive. I welcome the inclusion of provisions for reviewing the Strategy at the Assembly's sixty-second session, as the start of a regular biennial review process that would, among other things, keep the Strategy alive and take into account international changes in order to guarantee its successful implementation.

Institutionally, the Strategy would provide the United Nations with an opportunity to step out of a narrow perspective when dealing with international terrorism from a restricted security approach that is dealt with by the Security Council and its sub-committees only towards a global unified perspective in the General Assembly that is based on the integration of legal dimension and practical consideration and works on restoring the missing balance between the activities of the different United Nations bodies while addressing this phenomenon [terrorism] as other causes of special importance.

Objectively, the Strategy represents a new approach in dealing with terrorism, as it has underscored, for the first time, an international awareness of the importance of dealing with conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism, whether politically or economically, which is considered as a positive score that enhances the international efforts exerted in this field and an important step that promotes the United Nations vision of these potential conditions, especially after it has stressed a clear commitment on the part of the countries to end up foreign occupation, being one of the reasons conducive to the spread of terrorism and violence.

If the Strategy had included an enhancement of the legal framework against terrorism through international conventions, it was imperative that we should adopt a more courageous approach to practical dimensions essential to the successful implementation of such a legal framework. It was vital, therefore, to settle political disputes that instigated violence and terrorism, topped by foreign occupation of other lands by force and depriving peoples of the right to self-determination. It must be also an end to the discrimination based on race, religion and culture through promoting the dialogue between civilizations and religions , not linking any of the religions and cultures with terrorism and not attempting to create splits between these religions by resorting to re-surface old ignorance-based conflicts.

The first steps towards successful confrontations against terrorism lie in a conscious dealing with feelings of prejudice, depression and despair that are the upshot of both: the erroneous feeling that some have of being surpassing others as well as their cultures, traditions and values; and the excessive use of military force in the counter-terrorism international campaign in a way that provokes peoples' feelings and render them more responsive to terrorism attempts.

Mme President,
The Strategy included clear confirmation of the obligation of states to refrain from participating or organizing terrorist acts, which means an obligation not to practice state terrorism that is considered categorically a violation of International Law and the International Humanitarian Law. This act shall be confronted, not only by conviction, but also by prosecuting the offenders and executing strict legal procedures against the countries that adopt these violations.

Mme President,
In addition to the rights of victims of terrorist attacks, we stress on the necessity that the Strategy should also guarantee the rights of innocent victims against the use of force in the international counter-terrorism campaign, including the right to compensation for bodily injuries and material damages and their right to pursue an international legal process to receive compensation.

Finally, I would like to assert that the adoption of the Strategy in our meeting today should be followed by other important steps, mainly finalizing the negotiations on the comprehensive convention and adopting it in consensus so as it could reaffirm the international vision unity in confronting forces of evil, terrorism and extremism.

Thank you Mme President..