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US
And Israel Block Terror Draft
By
our Indian correspondent
NEW
DELHI, Jan. 28 (IslamOnline) - The U.N. will resume negotiations in New
York today to finalize a key anti-terrorism project initiated by India — the
draft of Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism. But Indian
officials say the U.S. and Israeli objections to one crucial Article may derail
the exercise, according to a report in the Times of India today.
All countries participating in the U.N.’s ad hoc committee on terrorism,
including Pakistan, have endorsed the current draft — which outlaws attacks on
civilians regardless of motive and establishes a ‘‘prosecute or
extradite’’ obligation for states. However, the U.S. and Israel alone oppose
a provision which will exclude from the convention attacks on Israeli forces in
the Occupied Territories. They are also apprehensive about the wording, which
implies that any conduct by their own armed forces which violates international
humanitarian law might be considered terrorism, Times of India said.
The committee deadlocked on these issues when it last met two months ago, say
Indian officials, and prospects for a breakthrough are slim.
While the draft convention unambiguously outlaws violence against civilians such
as bombings, Arab countries wanted to ensure attacks on Israeli forces in the
West Bank and Gaza Strip would not be considered terrorism. The whole world
agreed with the sole exception of the U.S. and Israel, the newspaper said.
The contentious clause is 18(2). The compromise text, including an Egyptian
amendment, reads: ‘‘The activities of armed forces during an armed conflict,
including in situations of foreign occupation, as those terms are understood
under international humanitarian law...are not governed by this
Convention’’.
Under this clause, attacks on Israeli military targets by the PLO, Hamas or
Islamic Jihad — considered ‘‘armed forces’’ under Article 43 of First
Optional Protocol of the Geneva Convention (1949) — would be excluded from the
terrorism convention’s ambit.
Some countries, including Pakistan, tried to include ‘state terrorism’ in
the convention. Indian diplomats disagreed taking the view that there was
‘‘an evolving international law’’ to deal with state terrorism.
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