UN Warns Of Growing Threat Posed By Global Terrorism

(RTTNews) - United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon on Monday urged Central Asian states as well as those in Sahel-Maghreb region of Africa to ramp up their capacity to tackle growing terror threat from al-Qaeda and its associates.

Addressing the UN Security Council session on counter terrorism, held under the council presidency of Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmed Davutogl, Ban said he is focused on working with governments in the region to enhance their counter-terrorism capacity based on the threat perception.

"In Central Asia, the UN is already working on capacity-building in the areas of law enforcement, criminal justice and international cooperation," Ban said.

The UN chief recalled that over the last couple of years, the United Nations has expanded its counter terrorism activities, increased inter-agency coordination and enhanced partnerships with a wide range of international and regional organizations.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton reiterated Washington's support for UN programs fighting global terrorism, including a UN list provided to governments of names of suspected al-Qaeda terrorists.

"The US is committed to working through multilateral institutions, including the UN, to confront the threat posed by terrorists," Clinton told the gathering.

The U.S. also called upon governments in the Sahel-Maghreb region to cooperate as al-Qaeda had reportedly expanded its activities there.

Convened by Turkey in its capacity as the head of the UNSC's rotating Presidency, the session was intended to bolster counter-terrorism programs of the U.N.

Earlier Algeria, Burkina Faso, Chad, Libya, Mali, Mauritania and Niger had met in the Algerian capital.