UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Monday urged all countries of the world to join the international fight against terrorism, warning that without united, global action the effort would fail.
"Terrorism will be defeated if the international community summons the will to unite in a broad coalition, or it will not be defeated at all," Annan told the United Nations General Assembly as it opened a weeklong meeting on measures to combat international terrorism.
Annan welcomed the Security Council's adoption late Friday of a broad resolution aimed at targeting terrorists and those who harbour, aid or support them. "I applaud the Council for acting so swiftly to enshrine in law the steps needed to carry this fight forward with new vigour and determination," he said, urging all States to support the effort.
While focusing his remarks on the fight against terrorism, Annan also called attention to the need to care for victims of that scourge, "whether they are the direct targets or other populations who will be affected by our common effort." In particular, he urged donors to support the recent UN humanitarian appeal for Afghanistan.
Seeking to draw lessons from the recent attacks, Annan said, "just as a concerted international response can make the work of terrorists much harder to accomplish, so should the unity born of this tragedy bring all nations together in defence of the most basic right - the right of all peoples to live in peace and security."
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