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Speech by the Hon. Dr. Joe Borg, Minister of Foreign Affairs, at the Mediterranean Forum Extraordinary Ministerial Meeting on Terrorism - Agadir, Morocco – 25/26 October 2001
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26/10/2001
26/10/2001
Mr. Chairman,
| I would like to express my appreciation to you for | taking the initiative to call this meeting at a time when we are all asked to join in solidarity in the fight against terrorism. Meeting here in Agadir is a historic occasion for all of us – the members of the Mediterranean Forum – to demonstrate our traditional like-mindedness and resolve at a time like this. |
| What the world witnessed on 11 September was not | solely a cowardly act against the United States, it was also an attack on the fundamental freedoms of all of us. It was the most recent in a series of terrorist acts that have been planned and executed in cold blood against innocent human beings in various parts of the world. |
| We meet here today, not only because of the | horrific nature of these recent acts but more so because it is intolerable that we should sit idly by and watch while terrorists persevere in wreaking vengeance on innocent people. Of all the terrorist acts that the world has witnessed, these recent attacks have without a doubt, galvanised the world into action on a variety of fronts in a way never seen before. Indeed at an Enlarged European Conference held last weekend in Brussels, the Foreign Ministers of various European countries reported on the steps they were taking in order to strengthen this collective fight against terrorism. |
| Looking at the nature of terrorism itself for a | moment, I am certain that no act of terrorism has ever contributed to peace and wellbeing anywhere in the world. |
| On the contrary these vengeful acts only serve to | inflict severe hardship, suffering, division and hatred whilst doing nothing to achieve the aims and objectives that motivate them. |
| As we are not here simply to lament over what has | happened, we must now seek our own ways to fight terrorism in all its shapes and forms and agree on a code of conduct that will guide our future behaviour. |
| But this is not all. While finding it hard to | explain or understand the motivations behind terrorist actions, and taking resolute action to stop it in its tracks today, we must also find ways, in the long term, to identify and deal with the root causes that give rise to terrorism. We must try to understand how one can be so warped that one is willing to sacrifice one’s own life and those of innocent bystanders for a purpose, whatever that may be. |
| We will never be able to successfully root out | terrorism completely unless we deal with this scourge in a holistic manner. |
| In this matter, the Med Forum is well poised to | help us. Through occasions such as this, we can meet and share our ideas and views in a setting where one feels able to speak one's mind. Indeed the interventions that have preceded my own, have already shown that. The work that has been carried out so far in this forum also stands as testament to the efficacy of this multilateral gathering. |
| In this regard, allow me to express first and | foremost my appreciation to our Spanish partners for their exemplary work within the Forum on Combating Terrorism. Since 1998 four meetings of senior officials and experts were held in Madrid to examine the manner in which we can cooperate in the fight against terrorism. As a result of these, we have in front of us a set of objectives that have been brought together in a document entitled "Code of Conduct in Combating Terrorism". We should now encourage our officials to translate this document into practical forms of cooperation between our governments. |
| At the same time, and in relation also to the | objectives of this meeting, I would like to recall the meeting that was held in Malta in February 1999 during which our officials drew up a set of ‘Guidelines Governing Cooperation in Combating Organised Crime, Illegal Trafficking of Drugs and Arms and Money Laundering’. |
| In view of the relationship between terrorism and | these other cross-border risks, I propose that we deepen our resolve in this direction, so as to complement our contribution in the fight against terrorism. |
| For this purpose my Government is ready to call a | meeting early next year to identify practical measures that can be taken between the members of the Mediterranean Forum on the basis of the 1999 Guidelines. This was an appointment that we had agreed to in Tangiers which I believe would be wise to follow up. I would therefore like to ask the Political Group of Senior Officials at their next meeting to identify the agenda to be examined at the Malta meeting. |
Mr. Chairman,
| At the end of this meeting we need to send a | message to our friends and neighbours in the Mediterranean and the world condemning all acts of terrorism in whatever form and for whatever reason. We should also mention our resolve to cooperate in combating terrorism and our intention to coordinate our efforts in the fight against organised crime, drug and arms trafficking and money laundering. |
| We cannot wait for peace to come. We have to make | it happen. Violence must be contained and we need to broker peace not war. In the Middle East, an area particularly close to us all, this is the attitude that must prevail. |
| Our appeal goes to the sponsors of the Middle East | Peace Process – the United Nations, the USA, the European Union and Russia among others – to work in harmony in a manner as to determine the parameters within which the parties to the dispute could be obliged to give peace a chance. Such determined and concerted action should work to stem the present tide, which, even as we speak, poses a significant threat to peace and security in the Mediterranean and beyond. |
| We must also focus our attention on other parts of | the world, most especially, at this particular time, towards the long-suffering people of Afghanistan. This land has been cruelly turned into a breeding ground for terrorists from different parts of the world to the detriment of the indigenous population. We need to make it clear that the Afghan people are our friends and that we wish them to be an active and integral part of the world community. We must also work to seek out opportunities by which the people of Afghanistan will be able to secure peace and stability in their own part of this shared world. |
| Finally Mr. Chairman, I would like to refer to the | measures being taken by Malta in this fight against terrorism. On 8 October, a resolution was passed unanimously by the House of Representatives of Malta in which both the Government and the Opposition condemned, without any reservations, the terrorist attacks carried out on 11 September. |
| The House also resolved that Malta should continue | to cooperate according to its means and possibilities in the fight against international terrorism. |
| The Government of Malta is in fact doing its utmost | to contribute with the means available at its disposal to this fight against terrorism through the exchange of information, financial vigilance and other related steps. My Government has also made a financial contribution towards the humanitarian fund set up by the United Nations to assist the people of Afghanistan. |
| In a similar vein, I trust that each nation of the | world will stand up and play its part in this fight against terrorism whilst simultaneously working towards the removal of the root causes that give it fertile ground on which to breed. Let the recent events serve as a reminder to us all, that there is still much that needs to be done to truly bring stability, prosperity and a future full of promise to all the peoples of the world. |
Thank you.
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