Hon Phil Goff
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade

26 October 2001

The world changed on September 11, 2001. We will probably never erase from our minds the dramatic images of the planes crashing into the World Trade Centre and the collapse of the twin towers. Nor can we forget the shock and disbelief we felt as we witnessed those events.

It is not that terrorist attacks are new. They have plagued dozens of countries over the past few decades. What is new is the scale, the audacity, the coordinated efficiency and the utter indifference to the loss of human lives that marked the attacks on New York and Washington.

The message is chillingly clear. The world faces a new generation of terrorist attacks for which there is no bottom line. Those who care nothing about their own lives are also capable of much worse. Perhaps the next target will be a nuclear power plant. The effects of a fuel-laden aircraft crash in such an instance would be catastrophic, with deaths in the tens of thousands and an area rendered uninhabitable for decades.

The interest of the terrorists in crop-dusting planes and the latest anthrax attack indicates that biological and chemical terrorism is now also on the agenda.

Access by terrorists to biological or chemical weapons of mass destruction or enriched uranium to make crude nuclear weapons portend equally catastrophic consequences.

What might once have been the characterised as a Hollywood fiction has suddenly become a real and immediate possibility. It is no exaggeration to say that terrorism today has become the greatest threat to the world's peace, prosperity and security.

New urgency now has to be given to creating an effective response to counter terrorism, and the international community has responded with unprecedented unity.

Resolution 1373, passed unanimously by the United Nations Security Council last month creates a binding obligation on member states to implement a series of measures deemed critical to the defeat of terrorist groups.

Primary emphasis is given to closing off financing and support for terrorist organisations. A Bill currently before New Zealand's Parliament will criminalize funding of terrorists and attempts to recruit into their organisations, allow the freezing of terrorist assets, and allow us to prosecute people here for terrorist acts outside New Zealand.

New Zealand will participate fully in sharing intelligence to detect and prevent terrorist actions. Aviation security, border control and management of migrant security risk are all being subject to close scrutiny to ensure their effectiveness.

New Zealand is also intensifying its' actions in multilateral forums to promote ratification by all counties of the Chemical and Biological Weapons Conventions to reduce risk of access to such weapons by terrorists. New emphasis also needs to be given to prevent proliferation of nuclear materials for the same reason.

New measures are also needed to help bring terrorists to justice, which is why New Zealand has strongly endorsed the establishment of an International Criminal Court.

As well as suppression of terrorism, we need to tackle the causes which breed sympathy and support for terrorist actions.

There is now a new imperative to resolve the Middle East conflict, which demands flexibility and good will on both sides. A continuing hard line and disproportionate response by Israeli Prime Minister Sharon puts at risk the United States' strategy to build and maintain a broad coalition of nations against terrorism.

Regrettably, force also is a necessary component of the response to terrorists and those who deliberately harbour them.

Repeated resolutions by the United Nations against the Taliban providing refuge to terrorists and their training camps over the last three years have been ignored.

Given the fanaticism of the terrorists and their location in areas beyond the rule of law, there is no option to the use of force.

Using force is not simply to seek retaliation or revenge. It can only be justified by the need to end the serious ongoing threat terrorists pose to the safety and security of others.

That force must be targeted and not used indiscriminately against civilian populations.

Last but not least, greater attention has to be paid to the needs of the Afghan people, four million of whom have been made refugees over recent years by war, drought-induced famine and the repressive Taliban government.

New Zealand is contributing to United States and international efforts to provide emergency relief. v A major United Nations effort will be needed to work with the Afghan people to create an effective and democratic form of government to replace the Taliban regime and restore peace and human rights to the people of that country.