india at unsc

Kabul Attacks: At UNSC, India Highlights Need to Stand United Against Terrorism

Two suicide bombers and gunmen of ISIL-K attacked crowds of Afghans flocking to Kabul’s airport, killing at least 60 Afghans and 13 US troops.

United Nations: Strongly condemning the terrorist strikes in Afghanistan’s capital Kabul, India has told the United Nation Security Council (UNSC) that these attacks reinforce the need for the world, to stand unitedly against terrorism and all those who provide sanctuaries to terrorists. Two suicide bombers and gunmen attacked crowds of Afghans flocking to Kabul’s airport on Thursday, August 26 killing at least 60 Afghans and 13 US troops.

“Let me begin by strongly condemning the terrorist attack in Kabul. We extend our heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims of this terrorist attack,” India’s permanent representative to the UN and President of the Security Council T.S Tirumurti said on Thursday.

Speaking in the UNSC briefing on Ethiopia, Tirumurti said the attacks in Kabul reinforce the need for the world to stand unitedly against terrorism and all those who provide sanctuaries to terrorists.

United States (US) President Joe Biden has vowed to hunt down the terrorists and make them pay for the deadly attacks outside the Kabul airport. “To those who carried out this attack, as well as anyone who wishes to harm America notice, we will not forgive. We will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay. I will defend our interests and our people with every measure at my command,” Biden told reporters at the White House on Thursday.

The president said ISIL-K (The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant Khorasan Province) was behind the gruesome attack at the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul and at a hotel nearby.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, before heading into the UNSC meeting that discussed the humanitarian situation in Tigray, told reporters that he expressed in the strongest possible way, his total condemnation about the horrific terrorist attack in Kabul.

He expressed condolences to the families of all those who lost their lives and those that were helping the Afghans there and died serving the lives of others. “I have also asked my special representative [Deborah Lyons] to convey directly to Kabul my deep condolences to the Afghan people,” he said.

The UN chief is meeting the five permanent, veto-wielding members (P5) of the UNSC – China, France, Russia, United Kingdom (UK) and the US on Monday and the situation in Afghanistan is expected to be discussed. When asked what he is hoping to achieve on Monday with his meeting with the P5, he said “There are normal meetings that take place in the context of the work of the UN.”

Earlier, spokesperson for the secretary-general, Stephane Dujarric said at the daily press briefing on Thursday that the Kabul attack underscores the volatility of the situation on the ground in Afghanistan. “This incident underscores the volatility of the situation on the ground in Afghanistan but also strengthens our resolve as we continue to deliver urgent assistance across the country in support of the Afghan people,” Dujarric said.

“The Secretary-General is following with great concern the ongoing situation in Kabul and especially at the airport. He condemns this terrorist attack which killed and injured a number of civilians and extends his deep condolences to the families of those killed. He stands in solidarity and wishes a speedy recovery to those injured,” he said.

Responding to questions on the situation in Afghanistan, Dujarric said the UN is conducting headcount of the casualties and those injured and added that as far as we know at this moment, there is no casualties of UN staff. “I think we did have a few number of staff around the airport, but they’re all reported safe and sound,” he said.

He further said, “The UN has not at this point counted ourselves the number of killed and wounded. We’re basing our information on what we’re getting from local sources and other places.”

‘Don’t Justify Terrorism, Don’t Glorify Terrorists’: India at UNSC

This was in reference to China, a permanent member of the UNSC, repeatedly placing technical holds on bids by India and other nations to designate head of Pakistan-based JeM Masood Azhar.

United Nations: In a swipe at China, India told the UN Security Council (UNSC) on Thursday that countries should not place “blocks and holds” without any reason on requests to designate terrorists, warning that any double standards and distinctions between terrorists would be made only at “our own peril”.

“The international community holds a collective view that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations must be condemned. There cannot be any exception or justification for any act of terrorism, regardless of motivations behind such acts,” external affairs minister S. Jaishankar told the UNSC.

Jaishankar, President of the UN Security Council, chaired the UNSC Briefing on Threats to International Peace and Security Caused by Terrorist Acts held under India’s Presidency of the Council.

Speaking in his national capacity, Jaishankar alluded to his remarks to the Council made in January this year when he had proposed an eight-point action plan aimed at collectively eliminating the scourge of terrorism.

“Summon the political will: don’t justify terrorism, don’t glorify terrorists; No double standards. Terrorists are terrorists; distinctions are made only at our own peril; Don’t place blocks and holds on listing requests without any reason,” he said.

This was in reference to China, a permanent member of the UNSC, repeatedly placing technical holds on bids by India and other nations to designate head of Pakistan-based militant group Jaish-e-Mohammed Masood Azhar.

Also read: UNSC Watch: India’s Presidency Begins Against Backdrop of Limited Council Activism

The United Nations designated Azhar as a global terrorist in 2019 after China lifted its hold on a proposal to blacklist him under the Security Council’s Sanctions Committee, slapping an arms embargo, asset freeze and travel ban on him, 10 years after India first moved to have him blacklisted at the UN.

Jaishankar also called for discouraging “exclusivist thinking” and urged member nations to be on guard against new terminologies and false priorities.

He stressed that enlisting and delisting should be done objectively, and not on political or religious considerations.

The international community should also recognise the linkage to organised crime, support and strengthen the FATF, and and provide greater funding to UN Office of Counter Terrorism.

“I call on this Council to collectively build on these principles. It is also important therefore to end the stalemate preventing the adoption of a Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism, which India has championed for so long,” he said.

Asserting that there cannot be any exception or justification for any act of terrorism, regardless of motivations behind such acts, Jaishankar said, “we also recognise that the menace of terrorism cannot be and should not be associated with any religion, nationality, civilisation or ethnic group.

However, in spite of the progress made to tighten the legal, security, financing and other frameworks to combat terrorism, terrorists are constantly finding newer ways of motivating, resourcing and executing acts of terror, he noted.

“Unfortunately, there are also some countries who seek to undermine or subvert our collective resolve to fight terrorism. This cannot be allowed to pass,” he said.

(PTI)

India Calls For Relaxation of Sanctions Imposed on Syria at UN

India’s permanent representative to the UN told the UN Security Council that the humanitarian crisis, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, calls for the relaxation of sanctions imposed on Syria.

United Nations: India has told the United Nations Security Council that the humanitarian crisis, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, calls for the relaxation of sanctions imposed on Syria, saying the international community must act with a sense of urgency to help the Syrian people.

India’s permanent representative to the UN, ambassador T.S. Tirumurti, said this on Monday while addressing the Security Council briefing on Syria.

The ten-year-long Syrian conflict has brought untold suffering to the Syrian people. The COVID-19 pandemic has further compounded the situation, posing serious challenges to the fragile health infrastructure. There is an urgent need to increase humanitarian assistance to all Syrians throughout the country without discrimination, politicisation and any preconditions, Tirumurti said.

He voiced conviction that all efforts towards improving the humanitarian situation in Syria will positively impact the political track as well and called upon the wider UN system, in particular the World Health Organization and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, to prioritise the vaccination programme in Syria, including through the COVAX initiative.

Tirumurti described as disheartening that the conflict in Syria marks ten years, and that peace and stability unfortunately remain elusive to the country and its people.

Also read: From Protest to War to Economic Crisis: A Timeline of Syria’s Decade-Long Conflict

The political transition in Syria facilitated by the UN is not the only process presently underway and the five rounds of meetings of the drafting body of the Syrian constitutional committee have resulted in very little progress. External influence is also adversely impacting the process, he said.

The situation on the ground does not present an optimistic picture either. It will be unrealistic to expect any dramatic outcomes in the near future, unless the international community takes decisive collective steps in the right direction, he said, adding that if there is seriousness about achieving progress, there is the need to have greater convergence of views and act to strengthen the hands of the special envoy Geir Pedersen. Constructive international diplomacy is the need of the hour to bridge existing divides by focusing on mutual and reciprocal steps, he said.

In late December last year, UN human rights expert Alena Douhan had called on the US to remove unilateral sanctions against Syria, saying the sanctions imposed under the Caesar Act may exacerbate the already dire humanitarian situation in Syria, especially in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, and put the Syrian people at even greater risk of human rights violations.

The Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act, also known as the Caesar Act, contains the most wide-ranging US sanctions ever applied against Syria, a UN Human Rights statement had said. It added that the broad sweep of the US sanctions law that went into effect in June last year could target any foreigner helping in reconstruction of the conflict-ridden country and even employees of foreign companies and humanitarian operators helping rebuild Syria.

In remarks to the press following the briefing to the council, Pedersen said the Syrian conflict has now lasted for the same period as the First World War and the Second World War, and the Syrian people must feel that they are really trapped in an endless conflict.

Also read: India to Chair UNSC’s Taliban and Libya Sanctions Committees, Panel on Counter-Terrorism

While there is a way forward, there is a need to find a way around the ‘you first’ syndrome that has dominated much of the diplomacy around Syria for the last decade, he said. Right now, there are what I call demands on all sides, but little movement on any side. And this dynamic has to change, Pedersen said, adding that what is needed at the moment is to identify with realism and precision and implement in parallel mutual and reciprocal steps from Syrian and international players.

All players including the Syrian government and opposition, and key international players would need to be ready to identify not only what they realistically hope to achieve, but what they can put on the table, he said.

Tirumurti reiterated that delinking humanitarian and developmental work with progress on the political track will help in creating a conducive environment of trust and confidence. He further noted that the Syrian conflict and involvement of external actors has contributed to the growth of terrorism in Syria and in its neighbouring countries, an issue that has been reiterated in the latest report of the secretary general on the threat posed by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

We express our serious concern with the increased presence and terrorist activity of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and other affiliated terrorist groups that pose a threat to civilians inside and outside the Idlib de-escalation area, he said.

India firmly believes that long-term security and stability in this region can only be achieved by preserving the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria. We also remain convinced that there can be no military solution to the Syrian conflict and reaffirm our commitment to advancing a Syrian-led and Syrian-owned UN-facilitated political process in line with relevant UNSC resolution.

India has extended developmental assistance and human resource development support to Syria regularly, including lines of credits for developmental projects and supply of medicine and food.

(PTI)

Placing Blocks on Requests to Designate Terrorists Without Reason Must End: India at UNSC

The reference was apparently to China which had repeatedly blocked New Delhi’s bids to designate Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist.

United Nations: India on Tuesday told the UN Security Council that the practice of placing blocks and holds without “any rhyme or reason” on requests to designate terrorists and terror groups must end, an apparent reference to China which had repeatedly blocked New Delhi’s bids to designate Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist.

“We must not countenance double standards in this battle. Terrorists are terrorists; there are no good and bad ones. Those who propagate this distinction have an agenda. And those who cover up for them are just as culpable,” external affairs minister S Jaishankar said.

“Accordingly, we must reform the working methods of the Committees dealing with Sanctions and Counter Terrorism. Transparency, accountability and effectiveness are the need of the day. The practice of placing blocks and holds on listing requests without any rhyme or reason must end. This only erodes our collective credibility,” he said.

Jaishankar was speaking at the UNSC Ministerial Meeting on ‘Threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts: International cooperation in combating terrorism 20 years after the adoption of resolution 1373 (2001),’ the first address by Jaishankar to the Security Council after India began its two-year tenure on the 15-nation body this month.

Before India succeeded in its nearly 10-year long efforts to have Pakistan-based Azhar designated as a global terrorist at the UN, China, Islamabad”s all-weather ally, had repeatedly blocked New Delhi’s attempts to list the Pakistan-based terrorist under the 1267 Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee of the UN Security Council.

In May 2019, India had registered a huge diplomatic win when the UN slapped sanctions against Azhar after China lifted its hold on the proposal to blacklist him. Beijing had earlier put the hold on the proposal, scuttling yet another attempt to blacklist the JeM chief.

The proposal was the fourth such bid at the UN in the last 10 years to list Azhar as a global terrorist. Beijing lifting its hold was a massive diplomatic win for India, which had relentlessly pursued the matter with its international allies.

Jaishankar also underlined that enlisting and delisting individuals and entities under the UN sanctions regimes must be done objectively, “not for political or religious considerations. Proposals in this regard merit due examination before circulation.”

(PTI)