Party of the Communists of the Republic of Moldova,
Contribution to the Athens Meeting 21J2002

By Mrs. Victoria Novik

Esteemed comrade Chairman,
Dear comrades, ladies and gentlemen,

Participation in the present International Forum is a great
honour and special pleasure for me and I am deeply grateful
to our Greek friends for their cordiality and hospitality.

Indeed the general topic of this International Forum "The
new situation in the world after September 11" demonstrates
the principal character of the changes that have taken
place. The terrorist attacks of September 11 against the
World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in
Washington have deeply shaken the whole world. Only a year
ago nobody could even think that in just a couple of months
our world would be transformed in such a dramatic manner.
After the inconceivable terrorist attacks in New York,
Washington and Pennsylvania which, obviously, were crimes
against humankind, all countries have shown resoluteness in
their efforts to bring the culprits to trial and prevent
future attacks. And though division of opinion concerning
the reasonableness of retaliatory military actions carried
out under the guidance of the USA, as well as concerning
some of the means used, was observed in various countries,
certainly there was no difference as far as the
aforementioned main goals were concerned.

The Republic of Moldova has reacted promptly to the
challenges which appeared after September 11. Among the
important measures it has taken we can mention:
-The Decree of the President of Moldova on actions to mark
the memory of the victims of the terrorist acts committed
in the USA 14.09.2001
- The decision of Moldova's Parliament on the struggle
against terrorism 27.09.2001
- The law on the struggle against terrorism 12.10.2001, as
well as modifications of this law 13.06.2002,
- Modifications of the articles of the Criminal Code
concerning terrorism and the financing of terrorist acts
27.12.2001
- Setting up within the framework of the Supreme Council on
Security a Working Group to elaborate a new concept of
national security
- Boosting the security regime of objects of national
importance
- Increasing budgetary finding of actions to ensure
national security and control state borders
- Reinforcing international cooperation in the struggle
against terrorism and organized crime
- Permission for the aircraft carrying cargo for
humanitarian purposes to enter Moldovan airspace granted to
the countries allied in the fight against terrorism
- Reinforcing security measures for diplomatic missions
- Reinforcing joint work between national power structures
with similar structures of other countries
- Elaborating an interstate programme within the borders of
the CIS for the struggle against terrorism etc.

At the same time it would be a mistake to consider that the
struggle against terrorism was neglected until September
11. I will mention just a few points:
-On 21.10.1997 an Agreement on cooperation between Hungary
and Moldova in the sphere of the fight against terrorism,
the illegal drug trade and organized crime was ratified.
-On 18.06.1999 the European Convention on the fight against
terrorism was ratified.
-On 27.10.1999 an Agreement on cooperation between Moldova
and Turkey in the fight against the international illegal
drug trade, international terrorism and other organized
crimes was ratified.
-On 27.07.2001 an Agreement on cooperation between the
member countries of the CIS on the fight against terrorism
was ratified,
-An Antiterrorist Center of CIS countries was established
etc.
-The Supreme Council on Security under the President of the
country coordinates the activities of the bodies fighting
terrorism. And the bodies which, within the limits of their
competence, directly carry out activities concerning the
fight against terrorism in our country are: the General
Prosecutor's office, the Information and Security Service,
the Ministry of the Interior, the Defense Ministry, the
Department of Border Forces, the Department of Emergency
Situations, the State Protection Service, the Customs
Department and the Department of Information Technologies.
Specialized structures for the fight against terrorism are
formed within the framework of these bodies.

For the time being there is no terrorist organization in
Moldova. At the same time we have noticed interest shown by
international terrorist organizations in the armaments
stockpiled and manufactured in the Dniester separatist
region of Moldova. In this connection an essential positive
change will be a future final settlement of Moldova's
integration problem. As you know, a decade ago the
irresponsible pseudo-democrats lit the fire of fratricidal
conflict, after which substantial weaponry has been left,
attracting, inter alia, terrorist organizations as well.
Striving to overcome the consequences of this conflict, the
present leadership of Moldova is making the resolution of
the Dniester region problem a priority by granting it broad
autonomy. The measures come up against counteraction on the
part of separatist leaders interested in the smuggling of
goods and other freight.

No large-scale terrorist actions have been observed in
Moldova, though some events which took place in recent
months have a terrorist shade, such as the explosions in
front of the building of the Editorial Board of the
newspaper "Communist" and in front of the Department of the
Romanian language.

UN requirements, particularly those expressed in UN
Security Council Resolutions 1363 of 30.07.2001, 1373 of
28.09.2001 and 1377 of 12.11.2001 provide for more rigid
measures to prevent financing and material assistance for
terrorist acts, as well as the laundering of illegal money
flows.

The process of globalization has led to the fact that
terrorism has become much more dangerous than it was
previously. Today terrorists do not fear negative public
opinion with regard to their activities. Moreover,
globalization has enabled terrorists who formerly acted in
an isolated way to now be in close contact with each other.
Thanks to international trade growth, modern armaments have
become accessible to terrorists even just twenty years ago
their arsenal was limited to old rifles. Thanks to the
development of the world financial system, terrorists can
easily get money from their accomplices in other countries
and continents.

Unfortunately, we have to note that there are attempts
being made to carry on the arms trade, with their illegal
supply from the territory of the Dniester region as well,
which is not controlled by Moldovan authorities. In this
connection, the official Kishinev is taking measures to
increase checking procedures at all state borders. Among
other things, we can mention here the introduction of new
customs seals last September and cooperation with the
Ukranian customs services etc.

Speaking of the international dimension, it is an
interesting fact that the country-members of the
Commonwealth of Independent States had activated their
cooperation in this field long before the grievous events
of September 11 last year. Moreover, the Interparliamentary
Assembly of the country-members of the Commonwealth of
Independent States, the Parliamentary Assembly of the
Council of Europe and the European parliament, in
cooperation with the Parliamentary Assembly of the
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe
convened an Interparliamentary Forum on the struggle
against terrorism last March in Saint Petersburg.

Due to the irony of fate, the events of September 11
contributed to an improvement in the mutual relations
between Russia and the USA, Russia and NATO and Russia and
the European Union. It would be appropriate to note here
that Russia had long connected Chechen rebels with Bin
Laden and his organization "Al Qaeda". According to various
data, Bin Laden sent Arab and Afghan fighters to Chechnya
and his financial donations to separatists reached 5-10
million US dollars. In various Arab countries one can see a
poster depicting a man holding a grenade thrower. This
poster appeals for support for heroes waging jihad in
Chechnya, Kashmir, Afghanistan and Palestine.

Dear comrades, ladies and gentlemen,

Since 1937 when the League of Nations made efforts, the
international community has not yet managed to elaborate a
more or less generally accepted definition of terrorism.
The efforts to come to an agreement on such a definition
have not led anywhere. In any case, the following
definitions of terrorism are given in Moldova's
legislation:
According to the Criminal Code, terrorism is the criminal
activity of individuals or groups of persons aimed at
changing political, economic and social structures in the
Republic of Moldova and other law-abiding states, by
threatening to use or by using force against the population
or individuals, which poses a threat to basic human rights,
particularly the right to life, physical inviolability and
the right to freedom,
According to the law on the struggle against terrorism,
explosions, arson and other actions posing a threat to
human life, causing significant property damage, socially
dangerous crimes aiming at the violation of public
security, intimidating the population or influencing
decisions taken by public authorities or physical persons,
as well as the threat to carry out such actions with the
same objective are considered to be terrorist acts.

Some analysts assert that there are almost as many
definitions of terrorism as there are commentators on this
topic more than one hundred. We must concentrate our
attention on the reasons for terrorism, as well as on how
correctly the struggle against said phenomenon is being
waged. Terrorism in its essence is attacking innocent
civilians to achieve political, ideological or religious
objectives. The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki,
which constituted part of a well thought-out strategy to
intimidate Japan's population, correspond to this
definition as well.

Criminal acts aimed or calculated to create an atmosphere
of terror among wide social strata, a group of persons or
specific individuals for political aims can in no case be
justified, regardless of any political, philosophic,
ideological, ethnic, religious or any other reasons which
might be given as excuses.

Any anti-terrorist activity undoubtedly should be regulated
by international legal norms concerning human rights and
norms of humanitarian law. We should note that North
Africa, the Near East and Asian countries do not have a
monopoly on "supplying" terrorist practicians. Public
accusations made by the US administration concerning the
so-called "axis of evil" put us on our guard. This feeling
stems first of all from the fact that the list of countries
included by the Bush administration in this "axis" is
slowly but steadily growing. Thus, Cuba, Libya, Syria and
Sudan have joined the original outcasts Iran, Iraq and
North Korea, while China, Belarus and others could join
them as well. Secondly, in this case it is difficult to
define the scale of military action to which the US is
ready to resort against the outcast countries.

September 2001 should not bequeath recklessness and cruelty
to the world. We believe that any action taken by states
and international organizations against terrorism,
including forceful action, should be based on generally
accepted principles and the norms of international law and
be adequate and strictly regulated.

Certain military and political changes which might have
far-reaching consequences must certainly be taken into
account. Thus, an American antiterrorist base has been set
up in Georgia. A permanent military base has been
established in Hanab, Uzbekistan, where one thousand five
hundred soldiers have been stationed. Manas, which is
situated not far from the city of Bishkek in Kirghizia, is
considered to be a potential transport junction where three
thousand soldiers, combat and reconnaissance planes can be
stationed. Some other airports are under US control in
Tadjikistan and Pakistan. The temptations for the host
countries are obvious. Thus, in 2001 Uzbekistan got 64
million US dollars. In 2002, according to US administration
plans, Kazakhstan should receive assistance amounting to
52 million US dollars, this sum to be partly used to pay
for military equipment. The potential profits for the USA
are enormous: growing military dominance in one of the few
parts of the world not yet under the influence of
Washington, growth of strategic influence at the expense of
Russia's and China's, substantial political influence
and, most important, access to enormous reserves of Central
Asian petroleum and gas which are not controlled by OPEC.

The real reasons for the terrorists' emergence and attacks
remain unknown. That is why the struggle against terrorism
is turning into a "battle against a shadow" and could be
waged for an infinitely long time, since terrorism can
emerge again and again in any society and in any country of
the world.

It is clear that terrorism is caused by a complex of
factors. Future terrorists take this path under the
influence of society, the family, the mass media, religion
etc.; most of all they are influenced by the ideas in vogue
in the given environment. Every terrorist group pursues
concrete political and economic goals. Sacral commandments
and current political objectives are combined.

One of the main problems in the fight against terrorism is
that it is generally waged using military and police
methods. For the time being there are no tried ways to
fight the ideology of terrorism: it is plain that this
struggle should be waged in the fields of education, mass
culture, mass media and in the shaping of public opinion
etc.

There is no doubt that factors of provocation are often
pretexts for domination, discrimination and the humiliation
of whole groups and individuals. Solid democracy demands a
certain level of social expenditure to secure the basic
right of every person to adequate living conditions,
nutrition, medical care and education, as well as the
choice and opportunity to become an active and productive
member of the society. Though the ideologists of terrorism
themselves are frequently wealthy and influential people,
with their ideas they can mobilize those who live in abject
poverty, are disappointed by life, feel despair and are
ready to kill and to die themselves. There is a threat that
democracy will in the long term become weakened if
governments spend the lion's share of taxpayers' money on
"security" measures, neglecting all the socio-economic
programmes which are so necessary.

In this connection, it is impossible to disregard the fact
that the inhuman economic sanctions imposed on several
countries cause suffering to perfectly innocent people,
particularly children. Poverty, as Mahatma Gandhi once
said, is the worst form of violence. According to a recent
declaration made by the European Council Parliamentary
Assembly, a global approach to the struggle against
terrorism should include the understanding of its
socio-economic, political and religious roots, as well as
the capacity of man to feel hatred. If the appropriate
measures are taken to solve these problems, it will be
possible to seriously undermine the support of terrorist
organizations at the grass roots level, along with their
efforts to recruit followers.

Pursuing the legal protection approach to matters of
establishing and implementing the right to development is
of decisive importance in eradicating the root causes of
conflict and terrorism. The "Declaration of the
Millennium" approved by the General Assembly contains the
commitment to make every effort to liberate our compatriots
men, women and children from extreme poverty that
degrades human dignity, conditions in which more than one
billion people are forced to live nowadays. Terrorism is a
weapon of alienated, desperate people and quite frequently
is the product of despair. The property of the three
wealthiest people on the planet Bill Gates, Warren Buffet
and Paul Allen - comprises about 121 billion dollars and
is roughly equivalent to the volume of production of the
48 poorest countries of the world.

The struggle against poverty and disease should be the
focuspoint of our antiterrorist policy, along with a
protective approach to threatened ecological systems. Let
us not forget that, according to UNICEF data, on 11th
September thirty thousand children in the whole world died
of preventable diseases and starvation. Our countries
should immediately raise the level of state assistance they
grant for the aims of development up to the mark of 0,7% of
GNP set by the UN and move toward the cancellation of
foreign debts which are a heavy burden lying on the
shoulders of too great a number of the poor countries of
the world. The fact that the US President has declared his
intention to raise the foreign aid granted by the USA by
five billion dollars in the coming three years is
gratifying.

In this connection I would like to point out that one of
the main priorities in the policy pursued by the present
authorities of Moldova is improving the population's living
standards and pursuing the economic revival of the country.

Dear comrades,

Esteemed ladies and gentlemen,

The aforementioned shows that a fundamental change has
taken place in the field of international security. Today's
threats differ radically from the threats encountered in
the past as far as their character and scale are concerned.
Many traditional international documents and weapons seem
inadequate to solve the problems of the 21st century. The
mere continuation of former policies and practice will not
suffice to meet the growing number of challenges to
security in the new millennium. A genuinely international,
more large-scale strategy is needed.

Thank you for your attention.