|
Malaysia Says Using Excessive Force Just as Evil as Terrorism
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 3 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Malaysia said on Tuesday the world should view with equal contempt states that use force resulting in massive loss of lives, injury and extreme hardship to civilian populations, as they do acts of terrorism, in a guised warning to the U.S.
The Malaysian Permanent Representative to the U.N., Hasmy Agam, said that such acts must be viewed with equal contempt as acts of violence carried out by terrorists.
This aspect of the use of force by states must be dealt with if the international response to terrorism was to be a credible one, he said in a statement delivered at the U.N. in New York Tuesday.
"This is especially relevant in the context of the current situation in the occupied Palestinian territories where excessive force has been used to intimidate a population fighting for their rights," he said.
While it strongly supported the on-going efforts of the U.N. General Assembly to elaborate a comprehensive convention on international terrorism, Malaysia felt it was important to arrive at a clear and universally agreed definition of terrorism in crafting such a convention.
Malaysia's prime minister, Mahathir Mohamad, has called for a world conference on terrorism and is reportedly seeking a united stance by Muslim countries on the issue.
Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported that Iranian President Mohammad Khatami yesterday called for the Muslim world to take a united stand on terrorism, in talks with Malaysia's Mohamad.
"We ask for a common and united stand from the Muslim world against terrorism" as well as "a clear and precise definition of terrorism," he told Mohamad in a phone conversation.
Khatami also renewed Iran's condemnation of the September 11th terror attacks on the United States.
"It is necessary to face up to the perpetrators of these attacks, but in line with documents and proof, and there must be no attacks on innocent people under the pretext of fighting terrorism," he said.
|
