Russian and German leaders said they agreed on Thursday on the importance of human rights and the central role of the United Nations in fighting terrorism, which they said reached new heights with last week's Russian school siege. German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and Russian President Vladimir Putin, who had been due to meet in Germany on Friday, issued a joint statement condemning the Beslan siege, in which at least 326 people died, half of them children. Putin postponed the meeting because of Beslan. "The monstrous terrorist attack against the innocent children in Beslan shows a new dimension of the danger which the whole of humanity faces from international terrorism," the statement, issued on Thursday, said. "We agree that terrorism everywhere must be fought where it takes place," it added. The leaders said their citizens required security, freedom and protection against terrorism, but acknowledged that the fight against terror had its boundaries. "We are aware of the fundamental importance to respect all human rights and basic freedoms and the dominance of laws, also in response to terrorism and the fear of terrorism," they said. International terrorism was the greatest threat to the security of both countries, along with proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, regional conflicts and organised crime, the statement said.
Schroeder and Putin added that the United Nations was a vital body in the battle. "Both countries stress the central and coordinating role of the United Nations in the global fight against terrorism and affirm that every measure to combat terrorism must accord with their duties of international law, in particular international human rights, refugee and humanitarian law." |