Database
on Basic Documents of Japan-ASEAN Relations
Department of
Advanced Social and International Studies,
ASEAN-INDIA JOINT
DECLARATION FOR
COOPERATION TO
COMBAT INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM
The Governments of
Brunei Darussalam, the Kingdom of Cambodia, the Republic of Indonesia, the Lao
People’s Democratic Republic, Malaysia, the Union of
Myanmar, the Republic of the Philippines, the Republic of Singapore, the
Kingdom of Thailand, the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam, Member Countries of
the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and the Republic of India,
hereinafter referred to collectively as “the participants”;
MINDFUL of the
2001 ASEAN Declaration on Joint Action to Counter Terrorism, which, inter alia, undertakes to strengthen cooperation at bilateral,
regional and international levels in combating terrorism in a comprehensive
manner and affirms that at the international level the United Nations should
play a major role in this regard;
REAFFIRMING their
commitment to counter, prevent and suppress all forms of terrorist acts in
accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, international law and all
the relevant United Nations resolutions or declarations on international
terrorism, in particular the principles outlined in United Nations Security
Council Resolutions 1373, 1267 and 1390;
VIEWING acts of
terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, committed wherever, whenever and
by whomsoever, as a profound threat to international peace and security, which
require concerted action to protect and defend all peoples and the peace and
security of the world;
REJECTING any
attempt to associate terrorism with any religion, race or nationality;
RECOGNISING the
principles of sovereign equality, territorial integrity and non-intervention in
the domestic affairs of other States;
ACKNOWLEDGING the
value of cooperation on security, intelligence and law enforcement matters, and
desiring to entering into such a cooperation to combat international terrorism
through the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Transnational Crime, as a leading
ASEAN body for combating terrorism, and other mechanisms;
RECOGNISING the
transnational nature of terrorist activities and the need to strengthen
international cooperation at all levels in combating terrorism in a
comprehensive manner;
DESIRING to
enhance counter-terrorism cooperation between the relevant agencies of the participants’ governments;
Solemnly declare
as follows:
Objectives:
1. The participants reaffirm the importance
of having a framework for cooperation to prevent, disrupt and combat
international terrorism through the exchange and flow of information, intelligence
and capacity-building.
2. The participants emphasize that the
purpose of this cooperation is to enhance the efficacy of those efforts to
combat terrorism.
Scope and Areas of
Cooperation:
3. The participants stress their commitment
to seek to implement the principles laid out in this Declaration, in accordance
with their respective domestic laws and their specific circumstances, in any or
all of the following activities:
i. Continue and improve intelligence and
terrorist financing information sharing on counter-terrorism measures,
including the development of more effective counter-terrorism policies and
legal, regulatory and administrative counter-terrorism regimes.
ii. Enhance
liaison relationships amongst their law enforcement agencies to engender
practical counter-terrorism regimes.
iii. Strengthen
capacity-building efforts through training and education; consultations between
officials, analysts and field operators; and seminars, conferences and joint
operations as appropriate.
iv. Provide
assistance on transportation, border and immigration control challenges,
including document and identity fraud to stem effectively the flow of
terrorist-related material, money and people.
v. Comply with
United Nations Security Council Resolutions 1373, 1267, 1390 and other United
Nations resolutions or declarations on international terrorism.
vi. Explore on a
mutual basis additional areas of cooperation.
Participation:
4. Participants are called upon to become
parties to all 12 of the United Nations conventions and protocols relating to
terrorism.
5. The participants are each called upon to
designate an agency to coordinate with law enforcement agencies, authorities
dealing with countering terrorism financing and other concerned government
agencies, and to act as the central point of contact for the purposes of
implementing this Declaration.
Disclosure of
Information:
6. The participants expect that no
participant would disclose or distribute any confidential information, documents
or data received in connection with this Declaration to any third party, at any
time, except to the extent agreed in writing by the participant that provided
the information.
Implementation:
7. All the participants are urged to
promote and implement in good faith and effectively the provisions of the
present Declaration in all its aspects.
ADOPTED
by the Heads of State/Government of