POLITICS-CUBA: Castro Backs All Anti-Terror Accords

By Patricia Grogg Reprint | | Print |

Patricia Grogg

HAVANA, Oct 4 2001 (IPS) - President Fidel Castro announced Wednesday that Cuba will uphold all 12 international agreements to fight terrorism, of which this socialist-run island has ratified three, though is set to ratify the remaining nine.

Castro, in a letter to United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, stressed that he would also support a general and integral agreement against terrorism, one that would permit the eradication of this “scourge”, but without “senseless and dangerous wars.”

Castro issued an appeal last Saturday to return the authority and leadership for heading a global anti-terrorist campaign to the UN General Assembly, “with the total and unanimous support of world public opinion.”

The Cuban National Assembly (parliament) is expected to ratify the nine “instruments that are still in the approval process,” during its sessions Thursday, wrote Castro.

The text of the letter indicates that Havana’s movement on the matter is in response to the request Annan made during the terrorism debate that took place during the 55th ordinary sessions of the UN General Assembly.

The Cuban government recognises that the world is living in critical times since the Sep 11 terrorist attacks that destroyed the World Trade Centre in New York and heavily damaged the US Defence Department (Pentagon), in Washington, said Castro.

Cuba will continue in its efforts towards a broad-based agreement against terrorism, one that truly defines “this repudiable practice” and allows the international community to confront the problem “in an effective, lasting and urgent way,” the president emphasised.

He asserted that such an agreement would have full support of the world public opinion and would prevent “unnecessary, senseless and dangerous wars that multiply violence and hate among peoples.”

So far, Cuba has ratified the accord on crimes committed aboard aircraft, and the conventions on the repression and punishment of crimes against internationally protected individuals, including diplomatic agents, and on the safeguarding of nuclear materials.

The remaining anti-terror agreements cover hijacking of aircraft, illicit acts against civil aviation security, and violence at international airports, hostage-taking, maritime navigation security, and the security of oil-drilling platforms.

The international conventions also involve instruments that set standards for marking plastic explosives to make them more easily detectable, for punishing terrorist acts committed using bombs, and for blocking the finances of terrorist groups.

Diplomatic sources pointed out that Cuba has now added its voice to those countries – Syria and Iran, for example – that seek to situate the UN at the head of the anti-terrorism campaign, but that Havana’s position runs counter to Washington’s desire to keep its hands free to respond to the terrorist attacks as it deems appropriate.

The 189 countries represented in the UN General Assembly, which include the 15 members of the global body’s Security Council, approved resolutions of condemnation immediately following the Sep 11 attacks that claimed more than 6,000 lives.

In a Sep 12 resolution, the UN Security Council expressed its openness with regard to the necessary steps to respond to the terrorist attacks, a declaration that Washington apparently interpreted as a “blank cheque” as it prepares to launch a military offensive.

For its part, the UN General Assembly issued an urgent appeal for international cooperation to prevent and eliminate all acts of terrorism.

The United States has pointed to its right to launch a military response to the attacks, as Article 51 of the UN Charter authorises all states to defend themselves against armed strikes.

Cuba’s ambassador to the UN, Bruno Rodríguez, complained Monday before the General Assembly about what he described as the “prudence” that has prevailed within the Security Council with respect to the terrorism issue.

“In the few cases that it has discussed specific acts of terrorism, it has done so because of the direct interest of one of its permanent members,” he said.

In contrast, asserted Rodríguez, the Security Council did not even consider a resolution that Cuba presented about the downing of a Cubana de Aviación aircraft, a commercial airliner, on Oct 6, 1976, which killed 73 people.

The Cuban government insists there is “overwhelming evidence that proves the maximum responsibility” for this crime lies with the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Officials are planning a massive demonstration Saturday in Havana to commemorate the lives that were lost.