Venkaiah Naidu in Serbia: Vice-president calls distinction between good and bad terrorism most serious threat

Belgrade: Artificial distinction created between “good” and “bad” terrorism is the most serious threat in today’s world, which can be defeated by organised international action, Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu said on Saturday as he called for strengthening the global legal framework to combat the menace.

Naidu is in Belgrade as part of a three-nation tour to Serbia, Malta and Romania to boost ties with the Central European countries.

Naidu’s remarks came as he met Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.

The two leaders exchanged views on multilateral issues and agreed to intensify cooperation in the areas of mutual interest. “Terrorism is the most serious global threat in today’s world. What is even more dangerous is the artificial distinction created between good terrorism and bad terrorism,” Naidu said.

“This can only be defeated by organized international action. There is an urgent need to strengthen the global counter terrorism legal framework through expediting finalisation of the draft Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT), mooted by India in 1996,” the vice-president added.

Despite India’s efforts to push the global intergovernmental convention to tackle terrorism, the conclusion and ratification of the CCIT remains deadlocked, mainly over the definition of terrorism.