At UN, Terrorism Remains Undefined, Tensions Explain 3 Month Mandate Extension

Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at the UN: News Analysis

UNITED NATIONS, December 5 -- The UN's counter-terrorism strategy, the press was told on Wednesday, is progressing collegially with 95% of the work done. What's left? Only agreeing to a definition of what terrorism is. Can a government commit it? Does it have to be across national borders? Baki Ilkin, Permanent Representative of Turkey, said that the UN's "Mister Bob Orr defined it... any act that lead to violence is terrorism, any act that leads to crime is terrorism." Video here, at Minute 47:13. That's a lot of terrorists, then.

    At a deeper level in the UN, much of the issue revolves around Islam and the perception that Muslims are being unfairly targeted.  The last head of the UN Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate, Javier Ruperez, left in huff, noting that missions such as that of Qatar made his work nearly impossible, and certainly unpleasant. The chairman of the UN's wider Task Force, Robert Orr, was asked on Wednesday if this dynamic is present in the work of his task-force. Video here, from Minute 1:01:51. His answer was upbeat, that there is a new spirit of collegiality, that interventions are constructive, including on "sensitive topic." The topic Inner City Press had asked about was Guantanamo Bay. It came up, was the answer, but "constructively." Come again?

UN's Robert Orr and the fight against terrorism: if only there was a definition

            The immanent extension by the Security Council of the CTED mandate, for a mere three months, now has another explanation. CTED's new director, Mike Smith, began on November 19. Now he was have three months to get to know the mandate and make further proposals. It's said that with the Council's current make up, which notably include Qatar, a longer term and re-thought mandate was not easy. Ironically, the exit of Qatar and entrance of Libya onto the Council is viewed as making it easier to longer-extend the Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate. New Libya, indeed.

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Click here for a Reuters AlertNet piece by this correspondent about Uganda's Lord's Resistance Army. Click here for an earlier Reuters AlertNet piece about the Somali National Reconciliation Congress, and the UN's $200,000 contribution from an undefined trust fund.  Video Analysis here

  Because a number of Inner City Press' UN sources go out of their way to express commitment to serving the poor, and while it should be unnecessary, Inner City Press is compelled to conclude this installment in a necessarily-ongoing series by saluting the stated goals of the UN agencies and many of their staff. Keep those cards, letters and emails coming, and phone calls too, we apologize for any phone tag, but please continue trying, and keep the information flowing.

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