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Last update - 10:55 28/02/2008 Ban backs Wiesenthal Center's call for UN session on terror By The Associated Press Tags: U.N., terror, Israel  United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon supports a General Assembly special session on suicide terror which he calls an unacceptable political weapon, the UN said on Thursday. Ban told leaders of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, one of the largest Jewish rights organizations who called for the special session, that he would personally present the initiative to General Assembly President Srgjan Kerim, U.N. spokeswoman Michele Montas said. "The time has come to place suicide terror at the top of the international agenda," Rabbi Marvin Hier, the center's founder and dean, said in a statement Wednesday. "This scourge is only going to get worse, and the world must act before it is too late." Advertisement Hier led a delegation from the center that met the UN chief on Tuesday to discuss a special session of the UN General Assembly and express serious concern about next year's follow-up to the 2001 UN World Conference on Racism in Durban, South Africa. After the December 27 suicide bombing and gun attack that killed former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, the Wiesenthal Center launched an online petition drive calling for the secretary-general to support a special session on suicide terror. Rabbi Abraham Cooper, the center's associate dean, said in an interview that the campaign received 6,500 e-mails from 85 countries including Egypt, Turkey and Pakistan calling for a special UN meeting. With the UN and the world unable to agree on a universally accepted definition of terrorism, Cooper said the center started focusing on suicide terror four years ago in the hope that that's the kind of action that would generate the broadest revulsion around the world. "One of the major changes," he said, "has been the big response from the Arab world and Muslims." He said that shouldn't be surprising because today the largest number and percentage of victims of suicide terror are Muslims. Cooper said a General Assembly special session should be a bully pulpit focusing on the whole chain of suicide terror - from the people who inspire it and support it in any way to the victims and survivors. He pointed to a conference on terrorism in June hosted by Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, that brought together representatives of the main religions, survivors of recent suicide bombings and a survivor of the Nazi Holocaust during World War II. A key aim of a U.N. session, Cooper said, is getting the world to refocus on the human face, the human dimensions of this tragedy. It also should put suicide terror at the top of the global agenda as an issue that impacts everyone, especially Arabs and the Muslim world, he said. "We'd like to have suicide terror declared a crime against humanity," Cooper said. This would empower governments and victims to go after the support system for suicide terrorists, acting under the rule of law, he said. As for next year's Durban follow-up conference, Cooper said it must avoid any repetition of the anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli stands at the original gathering, and especially at a forum of human rights groups that preceded it, which led to walkouts by the United States and Israel. He said Canada has already announced it will not participate in next year's follow-up conference, which will also be in Durban, and Israel's Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni announced that unless there are major structural changes, Israel will not attend. "Unless there's a change of focus and structure for Durban II, the next meeting needs to be shunned by as many countries as we can encourage to do so," Cooper said. Montas said the secretary-general told the delegation that Durban II must galvanize to fight against anti-Semitism. Related articles: Ban Ki-moon criticizes UN Human Rights Council for singling Israel out Ban Ki-Moon: Israel plan to build homes in East J'lem 'unhelpful' UN Chief orders full probe of rocket launching from school in Gaza Bookmark to del.icio.us   My three homelands French Vogue chose Lizzie Doron as one of Israel's influential authors. President Barghouti Jailed Tanzim leader says he's considering running in next PA presidential elections.   1.   suicide terror...and what about state terror 10:52  |  Joseba 28/02/08   2.   yes no1... terror has many forms 11:10  |  ravi 28/02/08   3.   Can Ban also discuss cluster bombs? 11:25  |  Victim 28/02/08   4.   JOSEBA.You mean from Hamas,govt.of Palestine,at IsraeliCIVILLIANS 11:26  |  PETER SM 28/02/08   5.   FIRST, SECOND, AND THEN SUICIDE BOMBING 11:32  |  indrajaya 28/02/08   6.   discuss if you don`t surrender to Zionists 11:33  |  Truth 28/02/08   7.   9/11, Madrid-04, London-05, Iraq every day, Algeria, Egypt - WHAT 11:43  |  stateterrorism here? 28/02/08   8.   Not impressed 12:09  |  Hanoman 28/02/08   9.   VICTIMS Cluster bombs, Hesbala used those against Israel? 12:31  |  PETER SM 28/02/08   10.   terror 12:45  |  Joseba 28/02/08   11.   To#7: look at the occupation don?t look for excuses 12:52  |  pal 28/02/08   12.   Also "targeted assassinations" 12:53  |  Jan Elshout 28/02/08   13.   TRUTH if you make peace with Zionists they withdraw 12:55  |  PETER SM 28/02/08   14.   suicide terror-supporters encourage sending OWN people to death 13:01  |  Sam 28/02/08   15.   Homicidal Bombers 13:16  |  Michael 28/02/08   16.   Indrajaya - Dishonest 13:19  |  Michael Jacobs 28/02/08   17.   Funny things 14:05  |  Hastaroth 28/02/08   18.   inconsequense... 14:15  |  Hanoman 28/02/08   19.   It`s ironic 14:28  |  Jason 28/02/08   20.   Most sophisticated hi-tech weapon that exists 14:33  |  Christoph Benning 28/02/08   21.   Suicide bombing is a war crime 14:34  |  Nicholas Colson 28/02/08   22.   # 4 PETER BRAVO GREAT RESPONSE 14:51  |  petra 28/02/08   23.   Israel commits acts of terrorism 15:09  |  Natallie Durson 28/02/08   24.   Ban Natalie Durson - Newspaper Terrorism!!! 15:52  |  Magnify 28/02/08   25.   Absurd suggestion 16:15  |  Fritz T. 28/02/08   26.   Yes, along with a debate on state sponsored terror 16:41  |  Israel 28/02/08   27.   hey! haaretz team. my 4 posts hadn`t been 17:23  |  triska TORONTO 28/02/08   28.   This Center went from fighting bigotry to excusing it 17:31  |  Sad 28/02/08   29.   Why don`t the Wiesenthal Center call to fight settlements 17:49  |  Johnson 28/02/08   30.   Secular, spineless Israel leaders can only blame themselves 18:00  |  Past Wimp 28/02/08   31.   no. 9 abu durson 18:06  |  Tit for Tat 28/02/08   32.   Truth#6 - Rachel Corey was a whore 18:12  |  William 28/02/08   33.   Natallie #9 - apartment blocks and civlians 18:16  |  William 28/02/08   34.   Israel must lodge Harsh Complaints at U.N. 18:18  |  The Archives 28/02/08   35.   State terrorism....what is terrorism? 18:21  |  William 28/02/08   36.   CORRETION: Complaints to U.N. 18:23  |  The Archives 28/02/08   37.   Why NOT talk about suicide bombings? 18:38  |  William 28/02/08   38.   William - By your definition Israel fits the bill 18:43  |  Terror Watch 28/02/08   39.   Really Indrayaja#5 - if the West goes way, so will bombings? 18:53  |  William 28/02/08   40.   How about Judeo-Nazi terror? 19:09  |  Susan 28/02/08   41.   Replacement 20:05  |  Matthew Houston 28/02/08   42.   indrajaya # 5 if iraqis were to use the suicide bombers when 20:06  |  terrornator 28/02/08   43.   American History and Precedent 20:08  |  Joachim Martillo 28/02/08   44.   susan # 24 awww,go feed your cats! 20:15  |  terrornator 28/02/08   45.   2nd try,Ban,ban the terrorist state of israel! 20:38  |  lakshmi 28/02/08   46.   Time to ban rockets lacking a guidance system to avoid civilians 20:59  |  Dr. L. Brnd 28/02/08   47.   Israel targetted apartments from which Hezbollah shot rockets 21:13  |  Natallie Durson 28/02/08   48.   What happend in the West bank is also terorrisiom 21:58  |  Yossi 28/02/08   49.   #24 - Really Suzie? I am fed up with people who think... 23:41  |  Tom 28/02/08   50.   26 Quizz: How many paid Pal propagandists post here? 07:32  |  I 29/02/08   51.   Child abuse 10:52  |  Motic 19/03/08

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