|
DEFEATING
INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM: CAMPAIGN OBJECTIVES
1. Our
overall objective is to eliminate terrorism as a force in
international affairs. There are immediate objectives relating
to UBL, his organisation and Afghanistan and wider objectives
relating principally to the campaign against international
terrorism more generally.
2. The
immediate objectives are:
(a)
to bring UBL and other Al Qa'ida leaders to justice;
(b)
to prevent UBL and the Al Qa'ida network from posing a continuing
terrorist threat;
(c)
to this end to ensure that Afghanistan ceases to harbour
and sustain international terrorism and enables us to verify
that terrorist training has ceased and that the camps where
terrorists train have been destroyed;
(d)
assuming that Mullah Omar will not comply with the US ultimatum
we require sufficient change in the leadership to ensure
that Afghanistan's links to international terrorism are
broken.
3. The
wider objectives are:
(a)
to do everything possible to eliminate the threat posed
by international terrorism;
(b)
to deter states from supporting, harbouring or acting complicitly
with international terrorist groups;
(c)
reintegration of Afghanistan as a responsible member of
the international community and an end to its self-imposed
isolation.
4. The
immediate objectives will be achieved by all available means,
including both political and military:
(a)
Isolating the current Taliban regime from all international
support.
(b)
Unless the Taliban regime complies with the US ultimatum,
taking direct action against UBL, the Al Qa'ida networks
and the terrorist facilities in Afghanistan, and where necessary
taking political and military action to fragment the present
Taliban regime, including through support for Pushtoon groups
opposed to the regime as well as forces in the Northern
Alliance.
(c)
Providing economic and political support to Afghanistan's
neighbours to help with the burden of this conflict.
(d)
Building the widest possible international coalition, with
maximum UN support.
(e)
Taking immediate steps to deal with the humanitarian crisis
confronting Afghanistan and to help neighbouring countries
deal with the refugee problem.
5. The
wider campaign will be conducted on a broad front:
(a)
to make a step change in international efforts to change
the climate in which terrorists operate. This will be a
complex campaign including strengthening domestic legislation
and national capabilities and working through the UN, EU
and G8 to cut off the terrorists' funds and make it easier
to trace terrorists and bring them to justice;
(b)
reconstruction of Afghanistan. Realistically it will be
difficult for this to start until there is a secure environment
within Afghanistan. But a programme of emergency relief
will have to be available early . The cost of reconstructing
Bosnia was $5bn and Afghanistan has four times Bosnia's
population. Reconstruction of Afghanistan could take 5 -10
years to complete. Only sustained international development
effort has any chance of ridding Afghanistan of heroin and
domination of war lords;
(c)
Assisting Afghanistan, including through the United Nations,
to establish a broadly based Government representative of
all groups in the country.
(d)
A positive political agenda of engagement with Arab countries
and the Islamic world.
(e)
a strategy to deal with the wide number of sometimes small
groups of terrorists who flourish in states across the world
and the linkages between them. This will include sustained
pressure on those states that aid and abet terrorism. Where
states are powerless to put a stop to terrorism on their
territory assistance will have to be made available. Where
states are unwilling to take effective action they will
face a vigorous response from the wider international community.
(f)
renewed efforts to resolve the conflicts which are among
the underlying causes of terrorism; and renewed efforts
to bear down on WMD proliferation.
6. Any
action taken to achieve our objectives will need to be in
conformity with international law, including the UN Charter
and international humanitarian law.
Page Modified: 3rd December 2001
|
