Reykjavik, Iceland 15 May 2002

Address by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia, Dr Dimitrij Rupel, at the Meeting of the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council at the level of Foreign Ministers "EAPC's Role in the International Fight against Terrorism" The problem of terrorism has been put on our agenda and we should discuss it with great attention, but we must not neglect the other very important issues of this meeting. The ultimate goal of the anti-terrorist coalition is to preserve or establish peace, security and stability. This means to defend and strengthen the systems of international regulation and cooperation in such a way, that all diversities, problems and conflicts would be resolved in a rational political way- For this purpose, first, the "terrorist forces" have to be properly identified, isolated and confronted in an unambiguous manner. If necessary, strong repressive measures have to be adopted, while in any "confrontation", highest legal (UN, OSCE, EAPC...) standards have to be respected. Here, we are speaking about the process and the procedures of exclusion of terrorists. Let me, at this point, emphasize, that a fight against terrorism should in no way be used as an instrument of settlement of internal or international political conflicts. On the other hand, a political, social, cultural or economic... exclusion is at the bottom of the problems (ab)used by terrorists as an excuse for their violence. Exclusion is, still today, an undeniable fact of internal, but also international relations, and it manifests itself in discriminatory policies, lack of tangible economic interest, in relaxed moral attitudes or sheer ignorance. The international community and especially the EAPC are confronted with a complex task of exclusion (of terrorists), accompanied with an affirmative action of inclusion of the groups and societies threatened by terrorist subversion into projects of international assistance and cooperation. "' We are facing numerous tasks: we should all be educated and reeducated in the spirit of ethnic, ideological and religious tolerance. Then, we should develop a political "rapid reaction force" for an early detection of terrorist related phenomena; and a well studied concept of inclusive action to be administered in critical moments and places. Even if this sounds a little out of place, I should propose a political and cultural mobilization of the EAPC. It is sometimes easier to resort to "hardware" solutions, but at the present stage of social sciences in the Western world - in the area represented by the EAPC - we should no longer hesitate to organize as wide-spread as possible a network of diversity-management- and social-economic-opportunity- projects and missions to the terrorist-abuse-threatening critical spots. Partnership between NATO and partner countries can and will only gain importance in building stability and security if we are ready to share information and consult on important decisions. New forms of cooperation have to emerge among the Allies, between the Allies and Partners, and among Partners themselves. We should not fear discussions with certain regions or even discussions tackling sensitive issues There is no real partnership without addressing the right questions and without sharing views, or even fears and different opinions. The past of the Partnership is a proof that there is a great potential yet to be used. I believe that the Partnership between NATO and partner countries represents one of the most convincing steps towards a broader international security network- In my opinion, the chances to build such a network are significant. One reason is the fact that the Russian Federation is becoming closer to the Alliance, as seen in the most recent initiatives and meetings. This month's meeting in Rome and November's Prague Summit will convey the strongest assertion of this. Slovenia positively values the new arrangements in relations between NATO and Russia. That will undoubtedly contribute to the cooperation and stability in Europe. Various regional initiatives have been launched. Slovenia has joined these initiatives. In addition we will organize an international conference on "Combating International Terrorism at National and Regional Levels" in September this year. We are looking foreward for a large participation in this event which could be yet another opportunity to develop our common struggle for peace and security.