Patterson Takes Strong Anti-Terrorism Stance

Prime Minister P.J. Patterson has stated Jamaica’s commitment to the fight against terrorism illustrated he said by the drafting and fast tracking of the national anti-terrorism legislation and a united stand on the issue within the regional CARICOM grouping.
Speaking at Howard University in Washington at the weekend the Prime Minister urged the international community through the United Nations to counter the dangerous spread of terrorism and its various manifestations, “We must respect the concerns of those who feel uniquely threatened and replace the tendency for unilateral actions with collective and multilateral approaches in order the address the roots of those concerns,” he said.
Delivering the keynote address at a forum to mark the centenary of the late international conciliator and peace advocate Ralph Bunche, Mr. Patterson added that sustained and cooperative international action was also required to control the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Noting that the war on terror must be fought on all fronts, he recalled that Jamaica and all Caribbean countries were in the forefront in condemning the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
But while stating that no one could dispute the responsibility and obligation of the international community to act firmly against the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, Prime Minister Patterson called for equally firm action to stem the illicit traffic in small arms and weapons, which he said continued to wreak havoc in countries like Jamaica.
He also cautioned against the building of nuclear arsenals even in the face of the need to be resolute in the fight against all forms of terrorism.