Davutoglu and Clinton condemn terrorism and brutal violence

The Ministerial-Level Plenary of the coordinating committee meeting of the Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF) was held yesterday in Istanbul yesterday with participation of 17 foreign ministers, including US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The coordination committee is co-chaired by Turkey and the US. Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has called on the international community to come together to fight against terrorism, saying, "We cannot fight against terrorism, unless we join our hands." In an opening speech, Davutoglu said that while all countries are confronting the threat of terrorism, it is an unspoken reality that sometimes we have varying perceptions of threats and national priorities vis-à-vis terrorist organizations and offenders. Referring to Turkey's past experience of destructive terrorist attacks by the terrorist PKK, Davutoglu stated that Turkey cannot fight against terrorism only through military measures. "While the security component of the fight is critical, it is not alone sufficient to obtain the desired result. It is simply not possible to achieve lasting security at the cost of democratic freedoms. Hence, we have to preserve the critical balance between security requirements on the one hand, and democratic freedoms and basic human rights on the other," Davutoglu said, calling on the international community to support Turkey in its fight against terrorism. "The PKK should not be able to continue its activities abroad, particularly in Europe under seemingly legal structures and façade organizations. Their continuing ability to do so is an affront to us all." Davutoglu added that no country could support the massacre going on in Syria and that the silence of countries who haven’t spoken out against violations of human rights in Syria is a sore point in the international community. Speaking for her part, Clinton said that they were in close cooperation with Turkey over fight against terrorism. "The United States strongly stands with Turkey in its fight against the PKK and other groups," said Clinton, adding, "Over the past decade 120,000 suspected terrorists have been arrested around the world and more than 35,000 have been convicted. Osama bin Laden is dead; al-Qaeda cells have been devastated. Our citizens are safe because of the work we have done together." Clinton also mentioned the necessity of having a strategic and comprehensive approach to counterterrorism that integrates both military and civilian power and that uses intelligence, law enforcement, diplomacy, development and humanitarian resources. Clinton also pointed out the importance that the Syrian president Assad must transfer his powers and leave the Syria.