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Go for anti-terror laws - Mbeki
27/07/2007 12:00 - (SA)
Michael Hamlyn
Cape Town - President Thabo Mbeki seized the occasion of his speech to the African region conference of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association on Friday to tick off a number of countries present who had not yet passed anti-terrorism laws.
He said: "All of us are obliged to take action to implement the provisions of the African Convention on Terrorism." He was speaking to the delegates meeting in the South African Parliament's National Assembly chamber.
Mbeki said: "I am not convinced that all our countries have passed the necessary legislation to make the Convention on Terrorism operational."
He said that the Parliamentary association could work with the Pan-African Parliament to prepare model legislation on terrorism to be made available to all African parliaments, which helped to ensure that all African counties had compatible legislation.
Human, drug trafficking
The president said: "This would enormously strengthen the capacity of our continent to defeat the threat of terrorism, which has already claimed many African lives."
He added that the delegates would be aware of other similar interventions they could make. Mbeki said: "These might include such important maters as confronting the mercenary scourge, human and drug trafficking, gender equality and children's rights."
A Convention on the Prevention and Combating of Terrorism was passed by the Organisation of African Unity meeting in Algiers in 1999.
It came into force after 15 African countries ratified it. Four years later, the African Union also passed the convention.
President Mbeki signed the SA law giving effect to 12 anti- terror conventions and agreements including the AU one into law on December 31 2004.
- I-Net Bridge (News24)
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