Russia to Propose Expanding U.N. List of Terrorist Groups

Russia plans to introduce a Security Council resolution today that could expand the definition of terrorist organizations to include Chechen and Palestinian groups.

The resolution would enlarge a list of terrorist individuals and groups beyond those linked to the Al Qaeda network and the Taliban who face a travel ban, a freeze on their assets, an arms embargo and expedited extradition.

It defines terrorism as “any act intended to cause death or serious injury to civilians or taking of hostages” to compel action. Such acts “are under no circumstances justifiable by consideration of a political, philosophical, ideological, racial, ethnic, religious or other similar nature.”

Security Council diplomats interpret that to mean no exemption for violent acts by Palestinian groups that say they are fighting for territory they consider occupied by Israel, or attacks by Chechen groups in the name of self-determination.

If adopted, the resolution would give international backing for moves against those on the list and provide the support Russian President Vladimir V. Putin has been actively seeking to crack down on Chechen rebels since a school siege in Beslan this month that left at least 335 children and adults dead.

“The time has come to renounce the double standard once and for all when it comes to terror, no matter what slogans it uses,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei V. Lavrov told the U.N. General Assembly on Thursday as he announced the initiative. “Those who slaughtered children in Beslan and hijacked the planes to attack the U.S. are creatures of the same breed.”

After meeting with ministers from the other four permanent members of the council -- Britain, China, France and the United States -- Lavrov told Russian reporters that an early draft had received “a positive response,” especially from the United States.

Secretary of State Colin L. Powell agreed, stopping to tell reporters, “We’re looking at the proposals they put forward.” But Arab nations said they would fight the move, and previous attempts have failed.

“We have been trying for years to draft a global convention against terrorism, but the stumbling block has been the definition,” said Algerian Ambassador Abdallah Baali, the lone Arab representative on the Security Council and the vice chair of its Counter-Terrorism Committee. “A clear line has to be drawn between acts of terrorism and the fight for liberation from colonial powers. Terrorism is one thing, and the fight for self-determination is another.”

Within days of the Sept. 11 attacks, the Security Council passed a resolution placing sanctions on people and groups linked to Al Qaeda and the Taliban. In other resolutions, the council got around the definition problem by not actually identifying who would be considered a terrorist.

The new Russian draft proposes adding names to the counter-terrorism sanctions list within three months, a prospect that drew opposition among Arab representatives.

“If they’re talking about Hamas, [Islamic] Jihad and Hezbollah, it would be a mistake to include this,” said Palestinian peace negotiator Nabil Shaath. “Hezbollah acted very positively to bring peace to Lebanon.”

Human rights groups have complained that the U.N.’s Counter-Terrorism Committee, which oversees the sanctions and approves names submitted for the list, has ignored abuses of civil liberties in its push to crack down on terrorism suspects.

A British court has rejected a Russian request for the extradition of Akhmed Zakayev, a spokesman for a Chechen rebel leader, ruling that he would not get a fair trial.