G20 for joint steps to fight terrorism

The crisis in Syria, the base to the Islamic State group, which was already high on the G20 Summit’s agenda, in the wake of the attacks by it in Paris, took center stage at the talks between world leaders in the Turkish seaside resort city of Antalya, not far from the Syrian border. G20 leaders on arriving here for the summit, including U.S. President Barack Obama, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, called for joint efforts to combat terrorism.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan told a joint news conference on Sunday with Mr. Obama ahead of the G20 leaders’ summit that he expected the meeting to produce a “strong statement” on the fight against terrorism. “We will of course carry on with our discussions in the G20 summit within the predetermined agenda, however, we will put strong emphasis on having a firm stance on international terrorism,” he said.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced at a press conference that he would soon present to the member-states a comprehensive plan of action to prevent violent extremism. The leaders will deliberate on terrorism and migration over a working dinner.

Traditionally, the forum has primarily discussed global economic issues but the skies had been darkened by the horrific attack in Paris, President Obama told the joint news conference.

Mr. Ban told press persons that he wished to stress to world leaders that the response needed to be robust but always within the rule of law and with respect for human rights “otherwise we will only fan the fire we are trying to put out.” He said there was a need to address the underline drivers of violent extremism. “No grievance or cause can justify such violence. Those who claim to be acting in the name of religion are only harming their religion. It is tragic to see so many young men so radicalized that they are willing to lose their lives.”

President Putin said: “We have all seen the horror that took place recently in Paris and we sympathize with the affected people. But we are always in favor of joining efforts to deal effectively with the terrorist threat ... Of course it is necessary to act in strict accordance with the United Nations.”

Coordinating action against Daesh should be the G20’s aim, said Union President Donald Tusk. “Cooperation between us and Russia is a crucial one.”

Mr. Xi expressed shock as also solidarity over both the Paris attacks and the Russian plane disaster. “We will work more closely with the international community to reject and fight terrorism in all its manifestations,” he said.

Earlier, at a meeting ahead of the joint news conference, President Obama and President Erdogan discussed the conflict in Syria and the efforts to secure Turkey’s borders. They also talked about the refugee crisis affecting Turkey and Europe as well as the progress made in Vienna, where, ahead of Mr. Obama’s arrival in Antalya, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry agreed with his counterparts from other countries, including Russia, on a road map for political transition in Syria aimed at ending the over 4-year-long civil war.

“The discussion we had was very helpful in continuing to coordinate work that we are doing together,” Mr. Obama told the conference.


Data that may be helpful:

Meanings:-

• stance :- the way in which someone stands
• tragic :- causing or characterized by extreme distress or sorrow.
• daesh :- an Arabic word in its own right (rather than an acronym) meaning 'a group of bigots who impose their will on others'

 Important Points:-

• U.S. President :- Barack Obama
• Russian President :- Vladimir Putin
• Chinese President:- Xi Jinping
• Turkey President :- Tayyip Erdogan
• European Union President :- Donald Tusk
• United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon     
• U.S. Secretary of State :- John Kerry
• G20 :- The Group of Twenty (also known as the G-20 or G20) is an international forum for the governments and central bank governors from 20 major economies. The members include 19 individual countries—Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States—along with the European Union (EU)
•  G20 2015:- Tenth Annual Meeting, conducted on 15-16 November 2015 at Antalya, Turkey.
• G20 2014:- Ninth Annual Meeting held in Brisbane, the capital city of Queensland, Australia on 15-16 November 2014
• G20 2016 :-Eleventh Annual Meeting planned to be held in November 2016 in the city of Hangzhou, Zhejiang. It is also the first ever G20 summit to be hosted in China.

 

 Source :- The Hindu, 16- Nov- 2015