Malaysia Calls For Concerted World Effort Against Terrorism Threat

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 24 (Bernama) -- Malaysia has called on all countries to renew their commitment to act in a coordinated and concerted manner to counter the threat of terrorism. Foreign Minister Anifah Aman said events and developments across the globe in recent years had shown how virulent terrorists and terrorism were and how they could quickly become malignant. "Whereas in the past, terrorism was employed in pursuit of political or ideological aims, the new breed of terrorists is no longer content with such aims. "They now seek to control territory and populations, perhaps with a view to seeking equal status with other states," he said at the United Nations Security Council's Open Debate on 'Maintaining International Peace and Security: Reaffirm the Strong Commitment to the Purposes and Principles of the Charter of the United Nations' in New York Monday. Anifah's text of speech was faxed to Bernama here Tuesday. Anifah said such ambitions by terrorists seeking to control territory and populations were against the purposes and principles laid down in the Charter of the United Nations. "Notwithstanding their brutal and inhumane actions, the attempt to establish their so-called 'state' runs counter to Charter principles, including the principle of friendly relations among states, of restraint from the use of force and of respect for human rights and fundamental freedom, among others," he said. "In Malaysia's view, the rise of the non-state actors - in particular terrorists - who would seek to harness the very features of our inter-connected, inter-related and globalised world and would use them to sow terror, hatred and chaos is one of the defining and urgent challenges that must be addressed by the international community today," he stressed. Anifah said that Malaysia was also encouraged to note the pioneering steps taken by the African Union and by the members of the Lake Chad Basin Commission, namely Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria as well as Benin, to operationalise the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) to counter the threat posed by Boko Haram. He said the actions of these countries merited the full support of the international community and stood out as an affirmation of Charter principles, including those laid down in Chapter VIII. "Almost 70 years after its establishment, it seems clear that the threats and challenges faced by the Security Council of 2015 are different and perhaps equally, if not more, complex than the challenges faced before," he said. He said that from a historical perspective, Malaysia held the view that the council had a mixed record in terms of discharging its charter-mandated roles and responsibilities. "I wish to conclude by reaffirming Malaysia's commitment to continue upholding the purposes and principles enshrined in the charter as well as to reaffirm our commitment to work closely and constructively with other council members, partners and stakeholders towards that end," he said. Prior to the open debate, Anifah met with his Chinese counterpart at the Permanent Mission of the People's of Republic China (PRC) to exchange views on bilateral and international issues. The PRC holds the Presidency of the Security Council for the month of February 2015 and, during this month, the council adopted five resolutions, including Resolution 2202 (2015) on the situation in Ukraine and Resolution 2199 on oil and terrorism. Along with the PRC, nine other council members were represented at the ministerial level, including Angola, Lithuania, Malaysia, New Zealand, Nigeria, the Russian Federation, Spain, the United States and Venezuela. -- BERNAMA