UN calls for global Anti-Terror treaty

The United Nations (UN) on Friday renewed its call for a global counter-terrorism treaty, two days before the 10th anniversary of September 11 attacks on the United States that killed about 3000 people. “Our goal is to have a comprehensive convention dealing with the whole of international terrorism,” UN chief Ban Ki-moon told a briefing on a visit to Australia. UN chief Ban Ki-moon “Regrettably, this has not come to this day. There has been some disagreement among member states,” he added. The UN has more than 13 separate treaties which cover terrorism, terror financing, hijacking and weapons of mass destruction, but wants a global convention to unite all aspects of counter terrorism and provide new impetus to combat threats. In 2001, the international organization set up a Counter Terrorism Committee, made up of members of the UN Security Council, which oversees global efforts to fight terrorism. In 2005 the Security Council adopted a resolution to urge member states to deny safe haven for anyone planning acts of terrorism. Ban left Australia, concluding a trip, which also took in New Zealand and South Pacific. He returned to New York, where he will take part in events to mark the anniversary and remember the victims of the attacks.