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12 November 2001

Transcript: Powell Asks Security Council for 'New Resolve' Against Terror

(Says U.S. can give technical assistance for security, tracking)(1330)
United Nations -- Secretary of State Colin Powell, in his address to
the Security Council November 12, emphasized that the obligations of
UN member states to fight terrorism are "urgent and binding."
He called on member states to implement Resolution 1373, which the
Security Council passed September 28 and which targets terrorists'
ability to solicit and move funds, to find safe haven, to acquire
weapons and to move across international borders.
"To be effective, 1373 demands a new resolve," he said. The secretary
told the council what efforts the United States has made and urged
other member states to do the same.
"The United States is taking the fight against terrorism directly to
the terrorists and to their supporters. We have declared war on all
terrorist organizations with a global reach," he said.
Powell also said that the United States stands ready to provide
technical assistance in aviation security, financial tracking and law
enforcement. He underscored the many challenges ahead in the fight
against terrorism and encouraged states to work together.
"For many, implementation will involve complicated and difficult
challenges to their financial and legal systems, changes to the
established ways of doing things, changes aimed at choking off the
funding and weaponry that sustain these terrorist groups, changes in
the way we cooperate to find and bring terrorists to justice and to
safeguard borders," Powell said.
"Through this body, we are establishing the tools to build a more
robust defense. It is time now to put those tools to work."
Following is the transcript of Secretary Powell's remarks:
(begin transcript)
Remarks to United Nations Security Council
Secretary Colin L. Powell 
New York, New York
November 12, 2001
SECRETARY POWELL: Thank you very much, Mr. President. Let me begin by
expressing my thanks to you, sir, and to the Secretary General and to
all of my colleagues for your expressions of solidarity and your
condolences in this tragic incident of this morning. The reports that
I have so far suggest preliminarily that it is an accident, and let us
hope that turns out to be the case even though it is nonetheless a
tragic event for those who lost loved ones. The majority of those
aboard were Dominicans, on their way back to the Dominican Republic.
And so a special note to our Dominican friends here at the UN for this
loss of life.
I also want to express my thanks to Jamaica and Ukraine for their
leadership in convening this session. And, Mr. President, since this
is my first appearance before the Security Council in this room as
Secretary of State of the United States of America, I am sure you will
understand it is a particular treat and an honor, sir, to have Jamaica
in the chair as president.
Mr. President, fellow ministers, friends and allies in the coalition
against terrorism, action is needed and action is needed now. Two
months ago yesterday, citizens from many of the nations present in
this room were victims of savage attacks by terrorists here in New
York. All of your delegations saw and felt the results of that
violence, the wreckage that still smolders less than two miles from
this chamber.
Yesterday, President Bush joined by Secretary General Annan and the
President of the General Assembly, Foreign Minister Han, commemorated
at the site the loss of over 500 of your citizens and the thousands of
other innocents who lost their lives on that day. Those who seek to
define terrorism need look no further. No one can defend such
heartless acts against innocent people. This was not about a clash of
civilizations or religions; It was an attack on civilization and
religion themselves. This is what terrorism means.
And now let me share with you what the United States is doing about it
and what we hope others will do. The United States is taking the fight
against terrorism directly to the terrorists and to their supporters.
We have declared war on all terrorist organizations with a global
reach.
As President Bush made clear to the General Assembly, because these
organizations are global, we need the support of all of our partners
in the international community. Specifically, we need the help of
police forces, intelligence services and banking systems around the
world to isolate and eradicate our common enemies wherever they may
hide.
The United States is grateful that so many nations and so many
international organizations have responded so quickly and so
forcefully. The American people were heartened by worldwide solidarity
after the attacks. The swift action taken by this body and by the
General Assembly on September 12th made clear that the perpetrators
and supporters of terrorism will be held accountable.
The Security Council took a critical step forward by its adoption of
Resolution 1373 a little over two weeks after the attacks. Resolution
1373 is a mandate to change fundamentally how the international
community responds to terrorism. It requires us to cooperate to target
terrorists' ability to solicit and move funds, to find safe haven, to
acquire weapons and to move across international borders.
For many, implementation will involve complicated and difficult
challenges to their financial and legal systems, changes to the
established ways of doing things, changes aimed at choking off the
funding and weaponry that sustain these terrorist groups, changes in
the way we cooperate to find and bring terrorists to justice and to
safeguard borders. The Security Council has already gotten off to an
excellent start by setting up a committee under able chairmanship to
make the call for concerted action and reality.
States are starting to work together to cut off the financial
resources that are the oxygen of terrorist groups. We have already
seen council members support the immediate freezing of the assets of
over 120 persons and entities that the United States identified to the
United Nations Afghan Sanctions Committee. The council is well
situated to coordinate specialized training and assistance to help
countries deal with rapid financial flows and regulatory loopholes.
To be effective, 1373 demands a new resolve. As President Bush said,
its obligations are urgent and binding. States must now work together,
both bilaterally and multilaterally. But the war on terrorism starts
within each of our respective sovereign borders. It will be fought
with increased support for democracy programs, judicial reform,
conflict resolution, poverty alleviation, economic reform and health
and education programs. All of these together deny the reason for
terrorists to exist or to find safe havens within those borders.
The United States stands ready to provide technical assistance ranging
from aviation security to financial tracking measures and law
enforcement. We welcome initiatives by others in these fields and we
are ready at any time to exchange information about terrorism and to
cooperate in other ways to combat the common enemy, the common threats
that we all face.
There is more. We must consider the integrity of international
transmission systems such as the mail system. We must consider the
essential nature of the Internet when phones and mail fail. A few
weeks ago, such subjects might have elicited little attention. Today,
we can understand that inaction can have grave consequences.
In each of these areas, there are important roles for the United
Nations and for each of our countries to play. We are grateful for the
help of the many who have joined in the fight. We believe out of this
great tragedy, a new common purpose has arisen. No greater threat to
international peace and security exists in the world today. And,
through this body, we have established and are establishing the tools
to build a more robust defense. It is time now to put those tools to
work.
Thank you very much, Mr. President.
(end transcript)
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)



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