India, Russia, China call for action against terrorism

New Delhi, Feb 14 (UNI) Decrying ''double standards'' in combating international terrorism, India, China and Russia today called for strengthening collective action against the scourge and agreed to coordinate against all factors that feed it.

Foreign Ministers of the three countries who held their Sixth India-Russia-China Trilateral meeting here, called for action against terrorism under the central and coordinating role of the UN and within the framework of its Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy.

A Joint Communique issued after the meeting between External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and his Russian and Chinese counterparts -- Sergei Lavrov and Li Zhaixing -- said that international terrorism continued to pose a grave threat to all nations. The three Ministers agreed that under the central and coordinating role of the UN and within the framework of its Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, collective action must be strengthened further by taking into account the mutating character of terrorism and its networks.

They agreed that an early entry into force of International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism and the earliest possible adoption in the UN of the India-sponsored draft Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism would lead to further consolidation of the international legal basis for combating terrorism.

The three sides underlined the substantial potential of their counter-terrorism cooperation in regional organizations and agreed that there could be no justification for any act of terrorism, irrespective of motivations, wherever and by whosoever committed.

They stressed that selective approaches in counter-terrorism could not yield sustainable results and it should be combated in a consistent, sustained and comprehensive manner without any double standards.

The three contries also agreed to coordinate action against all factors that feed international terrorism, including its financing, illegal drug trafficking and trans-national organised crime.

UNI