United Nations: Warning that terrorism constitutes the "most serious" threat to peace and security, India has asked the international community take steps to "speedily and effectively" deal with the scourge.

The international community would have to act at bilateral, regional and multilateral levels to "speedily and effectively" deal with the "clear and present" danger represented by international terrorism, India's UN Ambassador Nirupam sen said in his maiden address to the 15-member UN Security Council yesterday (Sep 13, 2004).

Sen rejected suggestions that mutual support between al-Qaeda and Taliban is confined to assistance on local needs " nor do we subscribe to the perception that the relevance of the Taliban was confined to the means and space they provided the al Qaeda to flourish," he said.

Pointing out that Taliban was an offshoot of the same fundamentalist and militant ideology that spawned the perpetrator of attacks on the United States and elsewhere, he said the fact that they continue to operate in Afghanistan is a "telling indicator of the support and safe haven they continue to receive".

Sen was participating in the debate on 'Threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts'. The debate followed presentation of the first report by the monitoring group.

The "inescapable and unstated" conclusion of the report, he told the delegates, is the "integral, seamless nature of al-Qaeda Taliban relationship, their common ideological incubators and training".

Observing that Taliban remain a "real threat" to reconstruction of Afghanistan, Sen said its first priority should be to convince member States to be more forthcoming with information, particularly with regard to Taliban.