STATEMENT BY H. E. MR. TSUNEO NISHIDA
PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF JAPAN TO THE UNITED NATIONS
AT THE THEMATIC MEETING OF THE SECURITY COUNCIL
ON COUNTER-TERRORISM

27 September 2010

Mr. President,

On behalf of the Japanese government, I would like to express my gratitude for your initiative in organizing this thematic debate to promote a fruitful discussion on counter-terrorism. I also would like to extend my appreciation to the Secretary General for his informative and comprehensive briefing.

Mr. President,

           Terrorism continues to be one of the most serious threats to international peace and security. Despite the fact that the international community led by the United Nations has made  progress in the field of counter-terrorism, the threats posed by terrorist organizations and individuals remain high.

           Al-Qaida, other terrorist organizations and local extremists are still active and many citizens in the world face the threat posed by such groups. Last year the attempted bombing of a U.S. commercial aircraft once again reminded us that terrorism continues to be a global threat and deep-seated problems surrounding terrorism such as radicalization and terrorist safe-havens need to be addressed in an appropriate manner.

           To eradicate terrorism, multifaceted approaches by all stakeholders are vital. The Japanese government will continue to participate proactively in the international efforts led by the United Nations to combat terrorism. In this regard, the recent review of the implementation of the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy provided us an important opportunity to renew our determination to fight against terrorism.

           We expect that the United Nation’s efforts in the field of counter-terrorism will be strengthened through coordination by the Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force (CTITF), avoiding overlaps and duplication of its work.

Mr. President,

           To combat terrorism, the leadership of the Security Council is crucial. The Security Council has set out various effective measures including through the activities by the three counter-terrorism-related committees (1267, 1373, and 1540).

           We recognize that Security Council Resolution 1904, adopted last year, has contributed to ensuring fair and transparent procedure of the terrorist sanctions regimes. We also welcome the recent successful review of the consolidated list of the Security Council Al-Qaida and Taliban Sanction Committee.

           Although we have taken positive steps forward with counter-terrorism measures, there are still capacity gaps among Member States. From this point of view, we believe that country visits and Preliminary Implementation Assessments (PIA) conducted by CTED play a vital role in determining needs for support and coordinating capacity building activities. We hope that CTC/CTED will carry out further efforts for enhancing counter-terrorism capacity of all Member States by facilitating technical assistance.

Mr. President,

           Counter-terrorism is one of the most important national security agenda issues for the Japanese government. I would like to reiterate our strong determination to continue to take an active role in the fight against terrorism with the international community.

           Thank you.