Adopt Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism, expand UNSC: India to UNGA

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Monday appealed to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to adopt the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT) which New Delhi has been proposing since 1996, under which terrorists shall be prosecuted or extradited.

"The CCIT was proposed by India in 1996. In 2016, despite the passage of two decades, we are yet to come to a conclusion. As a result, we are unable to develop a norm under which terrorists shall be prosecuted or extradited. Therefore, it is my appeal that this General Assembly acts with fresh resolve and urgency to adopt this critical convention," Swaraj said while addressing the 71st session of the UNGA here.

In the meantime, Swaraj also stressed on the need to expand the membership of the UN Security Council to reflect on contemporary realities. "Whether it is institutions or issues, we must come to terms with present day realities and the challenges that confront us. An expansion in the Permanent and non-Permanent membership of the Council to reflect on contemporary realities is therefore, an urgent necessity. We must move forward substantively towards text-based negotiations," she added.

The CCIT provides a legal framework which makes it binding on all signatories to deny funds and safe havens to terrorist groups.

The pact has been deadlocked since launched in 1996 by India, over differences on defining 'terrorism' and 'terrorists' by certain countries.

It is currently being discussed at the Sixth Ad Hoc Committee of the United Nations.