India wants UN to adopt Convention against International Terrorism

Pitching for a global convention to deal with the scourge of terrorism, India Wednesday said adoption of the Comprehensive Convention against International Terrorism would provide a legal base for the fight against the global menace.

In an address to the ongoing 66th session of the UN General Assembly, Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman K Rahman Khan termed terrorism as a "scourge of humanity" and a global problem that has spared no country or region in the world be it "New York, London, Abuja or Mumbai."

"India believes that adoption of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT) would provide a solid legal basis for the fight against terrorism. In our view the UN global counter-terrorism strategy is incomplete in the absence of such a comprehensive convention," Khan said.

Separately in his remarks at an UNGA session on 'Measures to eliminate international terrorism', Member of Parliament Moinul Hassan Ahamed said: "terrorism endangers the very foundations of the continued existence of democratic societies."

Ahamed said terrorists have become globalised, recruiting in one country, raising funds in another and operating in others. They have developed global logistical supply chains and transnational financial support systems.

Echoing Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's stance that there can be no selective approach to the fight against terrorism, Ahamed said terrorism has to be fought across all fronts.

Nations are also obliged to ensure that their territories are not used for terrorist establishments, training camps or as launch pads for terror acts against other states, he said.