The Hindu : C'wealth meet calls for global effort against terrorism

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Nov 26, 2002

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C'wealth meet calls for global effort against terrorism

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI NOV. 25. Stressing the need to join hands globally in fighting terrorism, the Minister of State for Law, Ravi Shankar Prasad, has favoured a legal mechanism for forfeiture of the proceeds of terrorism and sharing such funds as compensation to the victims of terrorism.

Addressing the recently-concluded Commonwealth Law Ministers' Conference at Kingstown, St. Vincent, Mr. Prasad said the Commonwealth countries faced a challenge to ensure that the threat of terrorism be recognised and fought jointly irrespective of faith, nationality, culture or community.

"From a legal perspective, the Law Ministers acknowledged that a common and combined action is essential in the fight against terrorism and recognise that Commonwealth countries are collectively as vulnerable as the weakest link amongst them,'' Mr. Prasad told The Hindu on his return here today.

Mr. Prasad who led a six-member delegation to the Law Ministers' conference which was attended by 52 Commonwealth countries said there was a consensus that no Commonwealth country should be used as a safe haven for terrorists and that no terrorist was able to evade extradition by invoking the political offence exception to extradition.

Emphasising the importance of international cooperation in combating terrorism, including terrorist financing, the Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen the existing Commonwealth schemes for cooperation and to ensure their implementation in accordance with their domestic legal framework.

The next Law Ministers conference is scheduled to be held in Ghana in 2005.

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