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THE LITHUANIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY PRESENTED A REPORT ON THE ACTIVITIES OF LITHUANIAN INSTITUTIONS IN COMBATING TERRORISM

On December 29, the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry presented a report on the activities of Lithuanian institutions in combating terrorism to the Counter Terrorism Committee of the UN Security Council. The report describes legal, executive, security guarantees and other measures taken up by the Lithuanian institutions in combating terrorism. Implementing the resolutions on combating terrorism confirmed by the UN Security Council in September 2001, Lithuania has envisaged medium duration and permanent trends of activities in fighting terrorism and concrete counter terrorism measures. The Director of the MFA Department of Multilateral Relations indicated that ”in 2002 Lithuanian institutions will have to perform a considerable and consistent work implementing counter terrorism measures.” “Prevention is of the primary importance in the strategy of combating terrorism. Analysis of legal acts and procedures, seeking to block all possibilities of financing terrorist organizations, is becoming a priority of Lithuania and international community. All the states have to co-operate closely in investigating terrorist acts and carrying out of other legal procedures. The international community has also to revise all the international conventions adopted in the seventies or eighties of the last century, which already do not correspond to present day’s actualities. The new emerging phenomena as “Internet terrorism”, propagating of terrorism ideology, compel to search new measures for their prevention and elimination.” After the September 11th terrorist attack against the US Lithuania has been actively participating in the activities of an international coalition against terrorism. As the US and NATO ally Lithuania supported the application of Article 5 of the NATO Treaty providing the application of collective defense in case of the attacks against the US and supplied the US Governmental aircraft with the Lithuanian air space. Next year Lithuanian military doctors are going to participate in a counter terrorism operation in Afghanistan in under the make-up of the Czech military medical mission. Lithuania chairing the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe has chosen combating terrorism as one of its priorities. The Lithuanian Government also has provided a humanitarian assistance for the refugees from Afghanistan.