Deiss urges measured response to terrorism
The foreign minister, Joseph Deiss, has told a security conference that civil liberties need to be respected in the fight against terrorism.
Deiss made his comments on Tuesday at a meeting of the OSCE (Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe) in Bucharest, Romania, where foreign ministers from member states were meeting to discuss counter-terrorism measures.
The 55 ministers attending ended the two-day meeting with a plan to work more closely to prevent terrorists from operating.
They pledged to strengthen anti-terrorism legislation within their own countries, as well as to combat the financing of terrorism.
Civil liberties
Deiss joined other ministers in expressing concern that civil liberties could be eroded as countries strengthened laws to combat terrorism.
“There is a danger that other regions in the world, where we also have great problems, could be forgotten and not get the international solidarity they need,” Deiss told swissinfo.
“Even in the war against terrorism, we have to stick to our values concerning the rule of law, democracy and human rights… and we should not depart from it,” he added.
The United States and Britain have both increased police powers of search and arrest since the September 11 attacks, drawing criticism from civil liberties’ groups.
In its closing statement, the OSCE said it was “determined to protect citizens from new challenges to their security, while at the same time safeguarding the rule of law, individual liberties, and the right to equal justice under law”.
Terrorist funding
The US secretary of state, Colin Powell, urged the assembled foreign ministers to “sever terrorists’ financial lifelines [by] implementing principles of financial transparency to stop terrorists from raising, laundering and moving their money”.
He also promised “significant resources” to help countries find ways to cut the flow of cash to terrorist groups.
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