ANKARA - "Although international war against terrorism is being discussed in every platform and many important organizations such as the UN, NATO and the EU have made remarks and decisions regarding harsh measures (against terrorism), necessary measures have not been taken yet," said Gen. Yasar Buyukanit, the Turkish Chief of General Staff.
"This stance have not only encouraged terrorists but also widened dimensions of the (terrorist) acts," he commented in his article on "world in pincers of terrorism, and need for an international fight against terror," published in the latest issue of Defense and Aviation magazine.
According to Buyukanit, more than 5,000 people died and 12,000 others were wounded in terrorist attacks in the world, particularly in the USA, Bali, Tokyo, Kenya, Istanbul, Madrid, London, Kusadasi and Egypt in the last five years.
"Only these figures indicate that terrorism is the most eminent threat against humanity," Gen. Buyukanit stressed.
He said that terrorism has no religion, nationality, regional ties or ideology, and noted that a terrorist attack staged in one country can affect others.
"Social, political and economic problems, ethnic and religious discrimination are the potential reasons of terrorism, while the main reason feeding terror is that some countries are using it as a foreign policy tool. This prevents adoption of a joint fighting policy against terrorism. Those who are providing financial, logistic and/or propagandistic support to terrorist attacks are as guilty as those who detonate bombs and kill innocent people. These people (who are providing support) should also be considered as terrorist. Fight against terrorism must includes not only military but also economic, cultural and social measures. In this sense, this fight should be carried out in coordination with the nation as a whole, and not only with the help of security forces," Buyukanit emphasized.
-PARAMETERS OF JOINT FIGHT AGAINST TERRORISM-
According to Buyukanit, one of the leading problems faced in international fight against terrorism is the lack of a consensus on definition of terrorism.
"However, this should not be an obstacle in combating terrorism," he stated.
Buyukanit said that each state should respect political, economic, cultural and religious sensitivities of others, particularly their border security and territorial integrity; and cooperate to jointly fight against terrorism.
-ORGANIZED CRIME AND TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS-
In order to conduct an effective fight against terrorism, countries should first investigate financial sources of terrorist organizations and their relationship with international organized crime gangs, Gen. Buyukanit said.
Buyukanit emphasized that terrorist organizations have been involved in illicit drug , human and arms trafficking, and noted that these illegal activities must be stopped in order to counter terrorism.
Stating that Turkey actively pursues its fight against illicit trafficking, Buyukanit said 112 tons of drugs (35 tons of heroin, 62 tons of hashish and 15 tons of morphine) were seized in operations staged in the last five years.
According to Buyukanit, 310,000 illegal migrants who wanted to sneak into Europe were arrested in the same period.
Buyukanit added that Turkey signed many international conventions and protocols on boosting international cooperation against cross-border crimes.