En. / Fr. / Ru.

NATO HQ 9 Dec. 2004

NATO-Russia Action Plan on Terrorism Strategic objectives The NATO-Russia Council categorically rejects terrorism in all its manifestations. Terrorist acts pose a direct challenge to our common security, to our shared democratic values, and to basic human rights and freedoms. We agree that there is no cause that can justify such acts, and call for unity of action in the international community in addressing this insidious threat. We will do everything in our power to fight all forms of terrorism, acting in conformity with the UN Charter, international human rights and humanitarian law, as well as other existing commitments. We stand united in support of UN Security Council Resolutions 1368, 1373, 1540, 1566, and all other relevant resolutions, and will spare no efforts in the NRC and other appropriate fora to protect our citizens, to pursue our shared objective of bringing to justice the perpetrators, organisers, instigators and sponsors of terrorist acts, to cut off the channels of financing terrorist activities, and to defeat the scourge of terrorism, including by ratification and effective implementation of international conventions relating to terrorism, including the twelve UN Conventions and Protocols on Counter-Terrorism. We are encouraged by the progress that has been made in developing NRC Co operation in the fight against terrorism, and are determined that the Council can and should make an even more direct and substantial contribution to this global struggle, in co operation, as appropriate, with partners. NRC co-operation against the terrorist threat should be pragmatic and goal-oriented, complementing and enhancing efforts underway in other fora. As agreed by NRC Heads of State and Government in the 28 May 2002 Rome Declaration, NATO-Russia Relations: A New Quality, our co-operation should be “multi faceted”, as is the terrorist threat itself. At the same time, through this Action Plan, we are determined to ensure its overall co-ordination and strategic direction. Our aim is to enhance our capabilities to act, individually and jointly, in three critical areas: preventing terrorism; combating terrorist activities; and managing the consequences of terrorist acts. Preventing terrorism We are determined to protect our populations from the terrorist threat by deterring and preventing terrorist acts, particularly those by terrorist groups operating internationally, through defensive measures used to reduce the vulnerability of forces, individuals and property to terrorism, to include limited response and containment by military forces and relevant specialised civil agencies – and we will work to improve our capabilities in this area. To this end, we will: develop improved mechanisms for intelligence sharing, which is crucial to the success of efforts to combat the terrorist threat in order to exchange information on likely terrorist targets and possible counter-measures; continue to support ongoing efforts to broaden and strengthen co-operation in evaluating and responding to threats posed by terrorism and by the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and their means of delivery, including by: strengthening existing non-proliferation arrangements with a view to denying terrorist access to WMD, their means of delivery and related materials, in accordance with UNSCR 1540; addressing chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) threats posed by terrorist groups; and addressing threats to freight and passenger transport. develop enhanced co-operation on armaments and technology aimed at responding to such threats; continue to implement relevant elements of the NRC Co operative Airspace Initiative, in particular a capability to facilitate effective civil-military cooperation with a view to enhancing the ability of NRC member states to combat threats to civil aviation; explore possibilities for co-operation in the destruction of excess munitions, small arms and light weapons, as well as in developing effective control over transfers of man-portable air defence systems (MANPADS), in order to keep these weapons out of the hands of terrorist groups or their state sponsors; explore possibilities for co-operation in enhancing security at storage sites for MANPADS, munitions and small arms and light weapons (SALW); continue to explore technological and scientific co-operation aimed at resolving practical issues of security in the context of anti-terrorist activities (such as development of explosive detection prototypes, protection against (including decontamination of) CBRN agents and materials, countering threats to freight and passenger transport and protection against cyberterrorism); organise a conference for first responders, bringing them together with civil and military operational experts, with special emphasis on presentations from Spain, Turkey, the Russian Federation and the United States, to exchange information and compare lessons learned from responses to terrorist attacks, in order to improve understanding of terrorist tactics and methodology. contribute to international efforts to promote stability in and around Afghanistan and thus, inter alia, forestall the spread of terrorism in the region, by identifying specific contributions the NRC and its member states can make to complement national and international efforts to address threats posed by illegal trafficking in Afghan narcotics, taking into account commitments undertaken in the framework of the Berlin Declaration on Counter-Narcotics, such as: enhanced information exchange among NRC member states on the threats posed by the Afghan narcotics industry and trade, and on national and multilateral efforts aimed at addressing those threats; consideration of joint training initiatives in NRC member states, aimed, inter alia, at strengthening the capabilities of Afghan and transit route states' counter narcotics units and border guards, subject to the request of these states; and organisation of conferences and workshops to explore possible additional cooperative initiatives; Combating terrorist activities We stand prepared, when necessary, to undertake active measures to disrupt and combat terrorist activity, particularly those by terrorist groups operating internationally, through offensive military action designed to reduce terrorists’ capabilities. We are determined to intensify both the level of our operational co-operation and our technical ability to work together. In this connection: we are determined to intensify our co-operation in the framework of NATO’s Operation Active Endeavour, which aims to help deter, defend, disrupt and protect against terrorism in the Mediterranean, according to agreed procedures; we are determined to improve the capability of our armed forces to work together in combating the terrorist threat, in particular through: Russia’s anticipated accession, prior to the end of 2004, to the Partnership for Peace Status of Forces Agreement (PfP SOFA), and the development of appropriate co operative arrangements which will greatly enhance the ability of our forces to train, exercise and operate together; and full implementation of the NRC-MR Work Plan for 2005 and Beyond, which takes account of the need for enhanced interoperability among our armed forces in areas of cooperation related to the terrorist threat Managing the consequences of terrorists acts Finally, we are determined to strengthen our ability to manage and mitigate the consequences of terrorist acts, and alleviate the suffering of civilian populations, through reactive measures used to mitigate the destructive effects of attacks, in particular by: developing further the Hungarian-Russian initiative on civil emergency planning and response capabilities; building upon the lessons learned in exercises “Bogorodsk 2002” and “Kaliningrad 2004” in order to strengthen the interoperability of our civil and military response teams, and pursue further joint training and exercises in this area related to the struggle against terrorism and develop an understanding of the role of the military in emergency response; continuing to develop scientific co-operation to address the management of ecological, psychosocial and other consequences of terrorist acts, including in the areas of ecological terrorism and of risk management and minimising the consequences of terrorist attacks; and identifying other means of improving our ability to co operate in managing the consequences of terrorist acts, including: practical co-operation in CBRN decontamination; exchange of experience and expertise in resolving hostage crises; and;organisation of a session, workshop or conference on techniques, technologies, and lessons learned toward ensuring effective co-ordination among local and national crisis/terrorist responders. Complementing other international efforts NRC co-operation in the struggle against terrorism shall seek to complement and enhance other efforts underway in the United Nations and elsewhere in the international community, with a view to providing added value and avoiding duplication of efforts. The activities listed in the NRC Action Plan on Terrorism will complement other initiatives in combating terrorism that the member states of the NRC are or may be pursuing with third states in other fora. The member states of the NRC shall contribute actively to the implementation of the Partnership Action Plan on Terrorism (PAP-T), and brief the EAPC periodically on the implementation of the NRC Action Plan on Terrorism. Where appropriate, the NRC may consider opening up its own initiatives for participation by the broader EAPC community. Implementation NRC Ambassadors, supported by the Preparatory Committee, will monitor closely the implementation of this Plan and ensure the overall co-ordination and strategic direction of the actions contained therein. To this end, the Preparatory Committee will report back to NRC Ambassadors by 1 June 2005, or another appropriate date to be determined, on progress made in implementing this Action Plan, and will provide recommendations to NRC Ambassadors for consolidating and focusing the NRC’s terrorism work plan for the remainder of the year on projects that are resulting or are likely to result in concrete and practical cooperation among NRC member states.