Thursday, December 1 2005 11:51 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

United Nations: In a disappointing development, diplomats have given up efforts on completing the draft Comprehensive Convention Against Terrorism by the year-end deadline they had set for themselves in face of their failure to narrow down differences on several essential aspects.

The convention, which has the strong support of India, is being debated for about decade but the major sticking point is its definition on which none of the member states is prepared to compromise.

As it became clear that the conclusion of the negotiations would not be possible over next three weeks, the General Assembly's Legal Committee, where it was being discussed, referred it to Ad Hoc Committee on Terrorism which would meet on February 27 next year to continue discussions.

Only three weeks ago, visiting the site of suicide bombings of three hotels in the Jordanian capital of Amman, which killed some 60 people and injured more than 100 others, Secretary General Kofi Annan had urged member states to give a 'wonderful New Year gift' to the world by adopting the convention by December 31.

The Ad Hoc Committee has been asked to address remaining issues on an expedited basis, including convening a high-level conference under UN auspices to formulate a joint organized response on all aspects of terrorism. But diplomats say unless a major political push is given, the Committee would be unable to move forward on basic issues.

A major point of difference, which derailed the negotiations, was lack of agreement on whether the activities of 'armed forces' proper should be exempted from the scope of the treaty since they are governed by international humanitarian law, and whether the exemption should also cover armed resistance groups involved in struggles against colonial domination and foreign occupation.

There is also disagreement regarding activities of a State's military forces and whether there should be any circumstance in which official actions could be considered acts of terrorism.

But the Committee recommended that the Assembly strongly condemn all acts, methods and practices of terrorism, and reiterate that all actions intended or calculated to provoke a state of terror in the general public are unjustifiable.

The draft resolution which the committee sent to the Assembly for adoption would reaffirm its call for States to adopt measures to prevent terrorism in line with the UN Charter and other provisions of international law, reminding them of obligations to ensure that perpetrators of terrorist acts are brought to justice. The Member States would also be asked not to finance, encourage, provide training for or otherwise support terrorist activities.

The Outcome Document adopted by the UN World Summit in September called for a strong political push for a comprehensive convention within a year but Annan has continually stressed the urgency of a speedy conclusion.

Such a convention formed a major plank in his report on UN reform "In Larger Freedom: towards development, security and human rights for all" which he presented to the General Assembly in March.