MUNICH, Germany (AP) - UN Secretary
General Kofi Annan appealed Sunday
for Europe and the United States to back a major overhaul of global
security measures used to combat terrorism, to keep weapons of mass
destruction from spreading and quell regional conflicts.
Annan presented an apocalyptic warning as he lobbied for new,
common steps after the deep divisions that opened up within the United
Nations over the Iraq war in 2003.
"We must strengthen our collective defences," he told an international
conference of top security officials.
"If New York or London or Paris or Berlin were hit by a nuclear
terrorist attack, it might not only kill hundreds of thousands in an
instant," he said, "it could also devastate the global economy, thereby
plunging millions into poverty in developing nations."
The UN plans call for tougher rules to prevent the
proliferation of nuclear weapons, a trust fund to help poorer countries
fight terrorism, a drive to strengthen public health defences against
germ warfare and a quicker action against potential threats.
Annan suggested tougher inspection rules for nuclear
installations and incentives for countries to stop uranium enrichment
that could be used to make nuclear bombs. He also said UN countries
should adopt a common definition of terrorism and then draft an
anti-terrorism convention, which should include financial help for
nations to meet counterterrorism commitments.
"The United Nations must show zero
tolerance of terrorism of any kind, for any reason," Annan said.
He has invited world leaders to a summit at UN headquarters in
September to approve the plans.
In a more immediate appeal, he urged NATO and the European Union
to do more to help end the conflict and resulting humanitarian disaster
in Sudan's Darfur region.
"People are dying every single day, while we fail to protect them," he
said.
German
Foreign Minister Fischer broadly backed Annan's security
reform plans and urged the United States - as the world's most powerful
nation - to play a leading role.
Fischer also called on Washington to play a more active role in
European-led diplomatic efforts to ensure Iran does not develop nuclear
weapons. "If the United States were to engage positively, and I'm aware
of how difficult that is, it would substantially strengthen the
European drive," he said.
More
broadly, he urged the European Union and the United States
to work more closely as "the backbone of a new world order in the 21st
century."
Annan's call for greater
collective security came after
U.S. Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld acknowledged Saturday that even
the United States cannot battle terrorism and other world threats on
its own.
"One nation cannot defeat the extremists alone," Rumsfeld said.
"It will take the co-operation of many nations to stop the
proliferation of dangerous weapons."
Also at the conference Sunday:
-Russian Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov dismissed suggestions
that Chechen militants hold a nuclear weapon as a myth. Last week,
exiled Russian tycoon Boris Berezovsky suggested the militants may have
a nuclear weapon, pointing to an alleged offer three years ago to sell
it to him. Berezovsky is an outspoken critic of Russian President
Vladimir Putin, and Ivanov described his statement as part of a smear
campaign.
-Canada said it plans nearly to double its troop strength in
Afghanistan, from 600 to 1,000 to 1,100, this summer. The extra
soldiers would serve as a so-called provincial reconstruction team in
the southern region of Kandahar, Defence Minister Bill Graham told The
Associated Press.

Original link to article :
 http://www.canada.com/national/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=82ea71ef-62f8-4813-941e-dd3f51cdfff4

Comment : remember the
US government, which is asked here above "to play a leading role", calls "terrorists" all members of the
Iraqi or Palestinian resistance movements ...