| They've been yapping for five years and finally come up with a definition of terrorism. |
UNITED NATIONS: Israeli and Arab diplomats feuded bitterly on the UN General Assembly floor on Friday after the United Nations approved a largely symbolic global plan to combat terrorism. The counter-terrorism "plan of action," approved by the 192-nation assembly without a formal vote, laid out eight pages of broad goals and measures to prevent terrorist acts, addressed the conditions that may foster terrorism and helps nations build up their capabilities while respecting human rights. But nine countires, mostly Arab nations, took the floor after its adoption to complain that it did not target Israeli military actions in Lebanon and the Palestinian territories. Nor did it shield groups such as the Palestinians from being tagged as terrorists for pursuing "national liberation movements," the envoys said. That prompted Israeli criticism of Iran and Syria for failing to crack down on attacks against the Jewish state.
Adoption of the counter-terrorism strategy followed a year of wrangling over the plan's details after a world summit in New York directed the United Nations to prepare a plan. UN members thought they had figured out a way around one impasse when Secretary-General Kofi Annan suggested, in place of a formal definition of terrorism, a simple statement branding any intentional maiming or killing of civilians as terrorism, regardless of its motives.
While members agreed to the plan's adoption, the barbs began flying when delegates were given the chance to comment. "It is an extremely sensitive subject, a very emotional issue and rightly so," Eliasson told reporters following the bitter exchanges. Annan, for his part, called it a "historic achievement" and urged nations to honour "the victims of terrorism everywhere by taking swift action to implement all aspects of the strategy."