BRICS flays terrorism, advocates peaceful end to conflicts

Fortaleza New Delhi BRICS countries have condemned terrorism in all its forms and said there can be no justification for terror while advocating peaceful resolution of conflictsThe Fortaleza Declaration was adopted by the BRICS Brazil Russia India China South Africa countries on Tuesday at their sixth summit meeting in this Brazilian cityFamily photo of the BRICSUNASUR Summit in Brasilia on July 16 2014Pic AFPThe declaration said the United Nations had a central role in coordinating action against terrorismWe call upon all entities to refrain from financing encouraging providing training for or otherwise supporting terrorist activities it saidIndian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his speech at the summit said there should be zero tolerance towards terrorism He also said selective targeting of terrorism will not work and terrorist forces especially states flouting basic norms should be isolatedThe declaration also expressed concern at the increasing use by terrorists and their supporters of information and communications technologies ICTsBRICS countries expressed deep concern over the situation in Syria Ukraine and IraqReferring to Iraq where security forces are seeking to take back territory seized by militants BRICS countries said they strongly supported the Iraqi government in its effort to overcome the crisis and uphold territorial integrityWe are concerned about spillover effects of the instability in Iraq resulting from increased terrorist activities in the region and urge all parties to address the terrorist threat in a consistent mannerOn Ukraine the BRICS countries called for a comprehensive dialogue deescalation of the conflict and restraint from all the actors involved with a view to finding a peaceful political solution in full compliance with the UN charterReferring to Syria BRICS expressed deep concern over violence and condemned increasing violations of human rights by all partiesWe call upon all parties to commit immediately to a complete ceasefire to halt violence and to allow unimpeded access for humanitarian organisations and agencies the declaration saidThe BRICS countries reaffirmed their commitment to contribute to a comprehensive and lasting settlement of the ArabIsraeli conflictWe believe the resolution of the IsraeliPalestinian conflict is a fundamental component for building a sustainable peace in the Middle East We call upon Israel and Palestine to resume negotiations leading to a twostate solution with a contiguous and economically viable Palestinian state existing side by side in peace with IsraelBRICS opposed continuous construction and expansion of settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories by the Israeli government and said it violates international law gravely undermines peace efforts and threatens the viability of the twostate solutionReferring to the Iranian nuclear issue BRICS countries said there was no alternative to a negotiated solution and reaffirmed their support to its resolution through political and diplomatic means and dialogueWe recognise Irans inalienable right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy in a manner consistent with its international obligations the declaration saidOn Afghanistan the BRICS countries said the country needs development assistance and foreign investment to attain lasting peace and stabilityWe expect a broadbased and inclusive peace process in Afghanistan which is Afghanled and AfghanownedThe BRICS countries called for a more concerted action to tackle piracy at sea and drug problemThe declaration said BRICS was committed to establishing a postBali work programme for concluding the ongoing Doha Round so as to build an open inclusive nondiscriminatory transparent and rulebased multilateral trading systemThe five countries said they will facilitate cooperation on combating cybercrimes and negotiate to build a universal legally binding instrument in the fieldThe BRICS also called on a conclusion of global climate change negotiations for a legally binding agreement in accordance with the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change especially the common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilitiesIn terms of outer space code of conduct the five countries said they are open to an inclusive and consensusbased multilateral negotiation adding the exploration and uses of outer space shall be for peaceful purposes so as to prevent an arms raceThe bloc said it supports the UN to organise commemorative events to mark the 70th anniversary of World War II in 2015 stressing the importance to secure a just and fair international order based on the UN Charter