Deny safe haven and bring terrorists to justice: Security Council

United Nations, Dec 10 (IANS) Expressing deep concern over 'continuous terrorist attacks around the world', the UN Security Council has underlined the need to strengthen existing mechanisms and cooperation for a joint fight against terrorism.

This is essential to find, deny safe haven and bring to justice any person who supported, facilitated or participated in the financing, planning, preparation or commission of terrorist acts, the Security Council said in a presidential statement Tuesday afternoon.

The statement, read by Croatian President Stjepan Mesic, was issued following a daylong debate on 'Threats to international peace and security cause by terrorists'. All members of the Security Council unanimously condemned the horrific terrorist attack in Mumbai last month, which killed 179 people, including 26 foreign nationals.

Croatia is the president of the Security Council for the month of December. The presidency of this powerful UN body rotates among its 15 members every month.

The presidential statement condemned in the strongest terms the incitement of terrorist acts and repudiated attempts at the justification or glorification of such acts. It reaffirmed the importance of countering radicalisation and the exploitation of young people by violent extremists.

The Mumbai terror attack dominated the proceedings of the Security Council Tuesday with almost all 46 speakers condemning the 60-hour siege of India's financial capital.

Addressing the meeting, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said combating the global scourge must be one of the international community's main collective priorities.

'The attack in Mumbai at the end of last month was an attack on us all,' said British Ambassador to the UN John Sawers. 'We must all focus on helping the government of India in whatever ways we can to investigate these attacks and bring those responsible to justice.'

The US reiterated that countries should deny safe haven to terrorists.

So did Russian Ambassasor Vitaly I. Churkin, who said it was 'important to expose and neutralise terrorist networks, to block financial flows and to eliminate safe havens'.

Attacks in Mumbai had been evidence of the continuing threat of terrorism and a reminder of the collective responsibility of the international community in combating that threat, he said.

China's Zhang Yesui said the alarming terrorist attacks that occurred in Mumbai underlined that terrorism was still a strong threat to international peace and security.

Indian Minister of State for External Affairs E. Ahamed maintained that the terrorists were from Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) in Pakistan. He called for the Security Council and Pakistan to proscribe the LeT front Jamaat-ud-Dawa and urged that all those who were in any way responsible for the Mumbai attacks be brought to justice.

Croatian President Stejpan Mesic said events in Mumbai had confirmed in an 'extremely tragic way' that terrorism was a global threat, rather than a threat affecting a particular country.