Resolution on Terrorism

7th Annual Asia Pacific Parliamentary Meeting
11-14 January 1999

Resolution on Terrorism

APPF07/RES/08

(submitted by the Australian Delegation)

The Seventh Annual Meeting of the Asia Pacific Parliamentary Forum,

Recalling the APPF Resolution on Terrorism adopted unanimously at the Sixth Annual Meeting of the Forum in Seoul, Republic of Korea, in January 1998;

Recalling the definition of terrorism set out in the United Nations Declaration on Measures to Eliminate International Terrorism adopted by consensus at the 49th Session of the General Assembly in December 1994;

Appreciating that the defence of freedom, justice, and respect for fundamental human rights recognised by the Universal Declaration on Human Rights are primary duties of the state;

Recognising that acts of terrorism, irrespective of their perpetrators, manifestations, methods, motivations or place or perpetration, constitute serious crimes;

Noting that terrorism in all its forms remains a major challenge for the international community;

Recalling the support of the international community for the United Nations General Assembly Resolution on Measures to Eliminate International Terrorism, which was adopted without a vote;

Convinced of the need to intensify the cooperation that exists at the regional level and of the urgency to adopt measures that enable a concerted and effective response to the terrorist threat;

Resolves to:

Declare that terrorist acts are wrong in any circumstance, whatever the considerations of a political, philosophical, ideological, racial, ethnic, religious or any other nature that may be invoked to justify them;
Condemn unequivocally all acts, methods, and practices of terrorist activity, including front organisations, as criminal and unjustifiable;
Affirms the duty incumbent on States to fulfil their obligations under international law (including the UN Charter) with respect to combating international terrorism;
Recognise that measures need to be taken to counter incitement to commit acts of terrorism with particular emphasis on the use of the Internet for this purpose;
Emphasise the importance of strengthening the rule of law and security cooperation as a principal means of countering terrorism;
Call upon all countries to become party to the conventions covering various aspects of international terrorism and to refrain from offering support for terrorist activities;
Urge all APPF member countries to develop further cooperative measures aimed at detecting, deterring and responding to acts of terrorism wherever they occur with the end in view of making the cost of terrorism ultimately unacceptable for terrorists and terrorist organisations.