New Delhi:
India has begun her two-year-stint as non-permanent member of the UN Security Council. In addition, India has been given the responsibility of heading the Security Council committee 1373 that deals with counter-terrorism.
The1373 committee was formed in the wake of the September 11 attacks in the US and enforces a number of global measures to tackle terrorism.
Speaking to NDTV, Ambassador Hardeep Singh Puri, Permanent Representative to the UN, said, "I can confirm that as of 1500 hours in New York this afternoon the silent procedure was completed and India was elected to chair the 1373 counter-terrorism committee. The Security Council will formally approve this in a few hours."
Here's an excerpt from the interview:NDTV: Terrorism is a global scourge. It affects all countries today. From the US, to the UK, and as we have seen recently, Egypt. So as chair of this counter terror committee can we expect to see tougher action against terror groups, most of whom emanate from Pakistan?
Ambassador Puri: Certainly whatever efforts I am able to make as chair of that committee, we will do our best to reinvigorate the efforts of the UN's 1373 committee worldwide, which includes our part of the world. We will do whatever we can to pursue the provisions of the 1373 resolution and add new dynamism and vigor to the work of the committee
NDTV: But even senior US authorities have called Pakistan the epicenter of terror. Surely no UN committee on counter terror can be taken seriously unless it cracks down on Pakistan.
Ambassador Puri: I cannot get involved in a discussion on what the epicenter is etc. We will deal with the facts of the case in the 1373 resolution. It deals with the financing of terror and other such issues. The focus will have to be terrorism worldwide including in our part of the world.