United Nations: Marking the 20th anniversary of the September 11 terror attacks in the US, the members of the UN Security Council has said that they are as united today as they were two decades ago in their commitment to prevent and counter-terrorism in all its forms, as India underlined that the 9/11 Memorial should remind nations of the collective resolve to fight terrorism and to refute all attempts to justify it.
The 15-nation Council issued a press statement on Thursday on the 20th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks, recalling that the Council had quickly condemned the horrifying terrorist attacks two decades ago.
“Today, the members of the Security Council marked this solemn anniversary with a visit to the September 11 Memorial and Museum in New York City. The members of the Security Council are as united today as they were 20 years ago in their commitment to prevent and counter terrorism, in all its forms and wherever it occurs, consistent with international law,” the press statement said.
The Permanent Representatives of the 15 Council nations visited the 9/11 Memorial and Museum on September 9.
“It was indeed a moving experience to be present at Ground Zero in New York on the 20th Anniversary of the 9/11 terror attack. I paid homage at the memorial to all the lives lost, which include many Indians. The site should remind us of our collective resolve to fight terrorism and to refute all attempts to justify it,” India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador T S Tirumurti told PTI.
In a tweet Tirumurti said, “A moving experience at #GroundZero in New York on #20thAnniversary of 9/11 #Terror attack. UNSC paid homage at @Sept11Memorial to lives lost, including many Indians. There are no ‘your terrorists’ & ‘my terrorists’ or ‘bad terrorists’ & ‘good terrorists’. Must fight it together.”
US Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield led the United Nations Security Council on the visit to the National September 11th Memorial and Museum to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks in New York, Virginia and Pennsylvania.
The Security Council delegation laid a memorial wreath in honour of the 2,977 people from more than 90 countries who lost their lives in the terror attacks.
Chairman of the National September 11th Memorial and Museum Michael Bloomberg and President and CEO Alice Greenwald welcomed the Council to the site and led a tour of the museum.
The visit also marked the 20th anniversary of the actions the Security Council took as a united front in the wake of 9/11 that galvanised international counterterrorism cooperation efforts.
Speaking at the Memorial, Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said, “I hope that we can use this occasion to reflect and remember and honour those victims, as well as the survivors and first responders from that day. The Council and the world should never forget the attack on the city that we all now call our home.”
The Security Council expressed its continued resolve to combat threats to international peace and security in a statement issued in conjunction with the visit.
Thomas-Greenfield said the visit to the 9/11 Memorial by the Council Ambassadors is the first Security Council event since the COVID-19 pandemic began and “unfortunately, it’s a sad event, but it’s also an important event.
“And it’s an important event that reflects the unity of this Council on this issue… it means a lot to us to be able to gather here today as a group and pay tribute to the victims of 9/11 and to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the action that the Council took as a united front in response to the attack.”
Thomas-Greenfield said that over 90 countries, “including some of us here today, lost citizens on that day.
In the statement, the Council members offered their condolences to the families and friends of those killed in these attacks, recognising that more than 90 countries lost citizens.
“So, today, the members of the Security Council re-commit to the words set forth in the Charter of the United Nations to ‘save succeeding generations from the scourge of war… and for these ends to unite our strength to maintain international peace and security.’ Those words are a guiding light to all nations as we engage in our solemn task to make the world safer and more secure,” it said.
PTI
