Allow me at the outset to express our appreciation to Ambassador Mayr-Harting, Ambassador Apakan and Ambassador Heller for their briefings today and to commend their commitment, contributions and tireless work in chairing the respective Committees. We find these regular briefings to be not only highly important, as the Committees are among the crucial tools in countering terrorism, but also an opportunity for sharing and exchanging information with the wider membership.

The events of recent weeks — waves of devices sent to numerous Governments, embassies and religious institutions — and the ever-present threat of suicide bombs and violent extremism that take the lives of innocent people are a grim reminder of the challenges we need to address. Therefore, we have to continuously rethink our current approaches and engagement with the aim of providing effective international legal cooperation and to properly address existing deficiencies in the capacities of States Members to fully implement the United Nations counterterrorism framework.

Through the years, the Committee established pursuant to resolution 1267 (1999) has evolved into one of the most critical United Nations monitoring bodies in the fight against the threat of Al-Qaida and the Taliban. We welcome the tangible results and progress achieved in the work of the Committee since our last briefing (see S/PV.6310), in particular the completion of a demanding task — the comprehensive review in accordance with resolution 1822 (2008) in July this year.

We stand ready to actively work with the Chairman and the Committee members, taking into account the contributions of the Monitoring Team and designated Member States to conducting the review of pending issues and deceased persons. The completion of the review process of the consolidated list and the full implementation of resolution 1904 (2009) will further improve the credibility and transparency of the Committee’s work.

At the heart of all the criticism regarding the fairness and transparency of the work not only of the 1267 Committee, but of other relevant counterterrorism bodies as well, lies concern for respect for human rights. Undertaking difficult steps in countering terrorism at the national and international levels, we pledged that the promotion and protection of human rights and the rule of law should remain a priority, as they constitute the fundamental values enshrined in the United Nations Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. We would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Ms. Kimberly Prost on her appointment and to present our sincere wishes for her future work as Ombudsperson of the 1267 Committee.

Although the institution of Ombudsperson still needs to develop its full potential in the days to come, we are confident that Ms. Prost will successfully address all concerns expressed in the past, to the great benefit of the Committee and the Security Council.

With regard to the issue of monitoring the implementation of resolutions 1373 (2001) and 1624 (2005), several aspects of the work of the Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC) have contributed cumulatively to its efficiency. The continuous assessment and stocktaking of revised Preliminary Implementation Assessments, in accordance with the previous practice, and visibility-raising through more frequent open briefings are beneficial both to Member States, which now have the opportunity to exchange views and offer their experiences, and to the Committee, which is in a position to have better insight into country implementation of the recommendations and consequently extend further technical support.

Since the briefing in May this year, Committee has carried on its active engagement in a series of thematic and regional debates that have brought into perspective all the challenges and difficulties we all face in our common fight against terrorism and efforts to implement our obligations under relevant Security Council resolutions. To that extent, it is necessary to underline the importance of reaching out to partner organizations, and we commend the practice of the CTC of arranging meetings with relevant international, regional and subregional organizations.

Bosnia and Herzegovina will continue fully to support the work of the Counter-Terrorism Committee.

We remain strongly committed to the effective prevention of and fight against this global threat, and stand ready to provide every assistance and support to international efforts to that end.

The importance and role of the Committee established pursuant to resolution 1540 (2004) as one of the focal points of the United Nations counterterrorism and non-proliferation activities has already been well highlighted. We fully recognize the crucial role of the 1540 Committee as a clearinghouse for channelling assistance to Member States in establishing and further developing their capacity to face the threat of non-State actors acquiring weapons of mass destruction. We also believe that the growing acceptance of resolution 1540 (2004) in recent years is a result of increased understanding on the part of Member States of its importance and the Committee’s cooperative approach in assisting States in implementation of its provisions.

In that regard, we support the extension of the 1540 Committee’s mandate and call for it to be strengthened in material and human resources so as to enable it to provide assistance where and when needed.

It is also important that Member States extend their additional support to the Committee’s efforts by securing more voluntary contributions for financing its activities, thus enabling the full implementation of resolution 1540 (2004)

 

In conclusion, Bosnia and Herzegovina will continue to give its fullest support and contribute to the overall international efforts to counter terrorism through its actions at both the national and the international levels.