MEETING OF
CONSULTATION OF MINISTERS OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
TWENTY-FOURTH MEETING OF CONSULTATION OF
MINISTERS OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
OEA/Ser.F/II.24
RC.24/RES.1/01
September 21, 2001
Washington, D.C. Original: Portuguese
TERRORIST THREAT TO THE AMERICAS
(Resolution adopted at the first plenary session, held on September 21, 2001)
THE TWENTY-FOURTH MEETING OF CONSULTATION
OF MINISTERS OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS ACTING AS ORGAN OF CONSULTATION IN APPLICATION OF THE
INTER-AMERICAN TREATY OF RECIPROCAL ASSISTANCE,
CONSIDERING the terrorist attacks
perpetrated in the United States of America on September 11, 2001, against innocent people
from many nations;
RECALLING the inherent right of states to
act in the exercise of the right of individual and collective self-defense in accordance
with the Charter of the United Nations and with the Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal
Assistance (Rio Treaty);
EMPHASIZING that Article 2 of the Charter
of the Organization of American States (OAS) proclaims as essential purposes of the
Organization to strengthen the peace and security of the continent and to provide for
common action on the part of member states in the event of aggression;
CONSIDERING that the obligation of mutual
assistance and common defense of the American republics is essentially related to their
democratic ideals and to their will to cooperate permanently in the fulfillment of the
principles and purposes of a policy of peace; and
TAKING NOTE of resolution CP/RES. 797
(1293/01), dated September 19, 2001, of the Permanent Council of the Organization of
American States acting as Provisional Organ of Consultation of the Rio Treaty, which
called for a Meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs to serve as the Organ of Consultation
under the Rio Treaty, in connection with the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the
United States,
RESOLVES:
- That these terrorist attacks against the United States of
America are attacks against all American states and that in accordance with all the
relevant provisions of the Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance (Rio Treaty) and
the principle of continental solidarity, all States Parties to the Rio Treaty shall
provide effective reciprocal assistance to address such attacks and the threat of any
similar attacks against any American state, and to maintain the peace and security of the
continent.
- That, if a State Party has reason to believe that persons
in its territory may have been involved in or in any way assisted the September 11, 2001
attacks, are harboring the perpetrators, or may otherwise be involved in terrorist
activities, such State Party shall use all legally available measures to pursue, capture,
extradite, and punish those individuals.
- That the States Parties shall render additional assistance
and support to the United States and to each other, as appropriate, to address the
September 11 attacks, and also to prevent future terrorist acts.
- That the States Parties shall keep the Organ of
Consultation duly informed of all measures that they take in accordance with this
resolution.
- That this Meeting of Foreign Ministers in its capacity as
Organ of Consultation shall remain open for the purpose of ensuring the prompt and
effective implementation of this resolution and, if necessary, of taking appropriate
additional measures to address this matter.
- That we hereby designate a committee, to be composed of
the representatives to the OAS Permanent Council of each State Party to the Rio Treaty,
for the purpose of engaging in additional consultations and of taking measures in
furtherance of the foregoing.
- That we hereby request that all of the American
Governments and the Organization of American States lend their full cooperation in the
implementation of this resolution.
- That the Permanent Council be entrusted with taking
appropriate measures for implementing resolution RC.23/doc.7/01, adopted by the
Twenty-third Meeting of Consultation of Ministers of Foreign Affairs.
- That the Security Council of the United Nations shall be
informed promptly of the text of the present resolution and of any decisions that may be
taken in connection with this matter.
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