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Colombo for global efforts against terror

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka is to host an “International Conference on Countering Terrorism” (ICCT) from October 18 to 20 here to compare experiences and discuss strategies required to counter such threats through enhanced international cooperation.

Foreign Minister and Chairperson of the Board of Management of the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute of International Relations and Strategic Studies (LKIIRSS), Rohitha Bogallagamma, told a news conference here on Thursday that the need for such a conference was felt as not much attention has been paid to the terrorist threats faced by the developing world, particularly democratically elected governments.

The theme of the conference is “Terrorism: A Challenge to Democratically Elected Governments.” To be inaugurated by Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake, the renowned French investigating magistrate in charge of counter-terrorism affairs Judge Jean Louis Bruguiere would be guest of honour at the conference.

The Minister said that Judge Bruguiere has been credited with having tracked down and captured one of the world’s most wanted terrorists, Carlos (the Jackal) and has been involved in the case of UTA Flight 772 which was sabotaged over the Sahara Desert in 1989 with the loss of 170 lives.

Mr. Bruguiere was invited by the U.S. Government to assist in the investigations conducted into the terrorist acts of 9/11 in New York and Washington.

He had also investigated the LTTE’s illegal fund raising activities in France. The Minister said the conference will devote an entire session to the theme “Transforming Terrorists”. He maintained that the theme is reflective of the Sri Lanka Government’s continued commitment to arrive at a negotiated settlement, notwithstanding past failures.

“We are ready to learn from the experiences of other countries, as well as our own, how this goal can be achieved.”

Separately, Sri Lanka military claimed on Thursday that at least six cadres of the Tamil Tigers were killed in separate clashes with the army at Welioya and Vavuniya in the north.

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