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Commonwealth Secretariat press release

Commonwealth Committee on Terrorism: Chairman’s Statement

29 January 2002

Members of the Commonwealth Committee on Terrorism met in London on 29 January 2002. The participants were: the Hon Alexander Downer MP, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Australia (Chairman); the Hon Sir William Allen, KCMG, MP, Minister of Finance of the Bahamas; the Hon William Graham, PC, MP, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada; the Hon Jaswant Singh, Minister of External Affairs of India; the Hon Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Malaysia; the Hon Dr Nkosazama Dlamini-Zuma, Minister of Foreign Affairs of South Africa; the Hon Tyronne Fernando, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka; the Hon Dr Abdulkadir Shareef, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation of the United Republic of Tanzania; HRH Prince 'Ulukalala Lavaka Ata, Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Defence of Tonga; the Rt Hon Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean, Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs of the United Kingdom; as well as the Commonwealth Secretary-General, the Rt Hon Don McKinnon.

Mr Downer said that the Commonwealth, with its diverse membership, could play a very valuable role in building political and practical support for international efforts to combat terrorism.

Ministers endorsed the draft Commonwealth Plan of Action to implement the Commonwealth leaders' statement on terrorism issued on 25 October 2001. The draft Plan will be submitted to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Australia on 2-5 March 2002.

It is designed to assist members to comply with their obligations under UN Security Council Resolution 1373, and covers the following areas:

· Legal assistance and capacity building to Commonwealth members to implement UN SCR 1373;

· Assistance to members to ratify and implement the UN Anti-Terrorism Conventions;

· A review of Commonwealth Extradition and Mutual Assistance Schemes to increase their applicability to terrorism;

· Other measures to increase law enforcement co-operation;
· An update of measures to combat money laundering and the financing of terrorism;

· Building on the Commonwealth's shared experience, traditions and values to continue to strengthen dialogue and understanding between different civilisations, cultures and faiths, by promoting policies and strategies to contribute to the well-being of all Commonwealth peoples.

London

29 January 2002
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