India among 30 nations join hands against terrorism

UNITED NATIONS: India, Pakistan as well as the five permanent members of the Security Council are among the 30 nations who have joined hands for a group formed at the UN against terrorism.

The 'Group of Friends against terrorism' was launched here yesterday at the initiative of Morocco, a report in the Maghreb Daily News said.

In addition to China, France, Russia, UK and the US, the group has representation from the five continents and is composed of African countries (Morocco, Ethiopia, Egypt, Chad, Kenya, Senegal and South Africa), Western Europe (Spain, Germany, Norway and Turkey), from Eastern Europe ( Czech Republic and Bulgaria), Asia (India, Indonesia, Jordan, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates), Latin America (Argentina, Brazil and Colombia) and Oceania ( New Zealand and Australia).

Morocco's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Omar Hilale presided over the launch of the group, which aims to "create synergies between all initiatives" implemented within the United Nations, promoting international cooperation in combating terrorism, share and exchange good practices in the fight against this scourge that threatens international peace and security.

The group would meet once a year at the ministerial level on the margins of the General Assembly and every two months at the level of permanent representatives, the report said.

Hilale said that the group wants an "informal and flexible" space to discuss, coordinate and give impetus to UN activities in the field of fight against terrorism, arguing that terrorism is a constant threat to peace and international security.

"The recent attacks in Tunisia, Libya, Mali, France, Pakistan, India, Australia and Nigeria challenge the international community to act and make greater efforts in this area," he said.

The group aims to "advance initiatives in the framework of the UN, organize events, round tables and seminars on various aspects of the problem of terrorism and initiate interaction with civil society, academia and think tanks," he was quoted as saying in the report.

The report added that UN ambassadors of member countries welcome the formation of the group, saying it is a "step in the right direction", and can play a "leading role" to consolidate the initiatives and efforts of various UN bodies in the area of counter terrorism.