India to ask UN members to ensure zero tolerance for terror

India will urge all UN member states to ensure zero tolerance towards terrorism and take "urgent action" to prevent and combat it in all its forms and manifestations.

India will also work towards an early adoption of a Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism during the current 67th UN General Assembly session, Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai said at a media briefing here Wednesday.

"We will continue to stress the need for a proactive campaign against terrorism and will work towards an early adoption of a Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism," he said.

India, as chair of the UN Security Council's Committee on Counter Terrorism, will urge all member states "to ensure zero tolerance towards terrorism and to take urgent action to prevent and combat terrorism in all its forms and manifestations," said Mathai.

India also proposes to focus on the issue of "terrorist financing" at the Counter Terrorism Committee's special meeting scheduled in November, he added.

At the UNGA summit, India will actively pursue measures aimed at strengthening multilateralism "while ensuring that the interests and concerns of the developing world form the basis of these endeavours. A major part of India's efforts will be directed towards maintaining development as a centrepiece of the UN's priorities," he said.

India will also strive to ensure that the post-2015 development agenda retains its focus on poverty eradication and inclusive growth.

"We will be pro-active on the evolution of the Sustainable Development Goals in an inter-governmental process visualised at Rio+20, ensuring the primacy of development and addressing environmental and social concerns of developing countries," Mathai said.

"We will also seek the early implementation of the financing strategy and the facilitation mechanism for transfer of technology to support sustainable development."

External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna is scheduled to address the UN General Assembly debate on Oct 1 morning. He is also scheduled to meet US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton the same day.

Mathai said Krishna will participate in several high-level events, including a ministerial meeting of the India-Gulf Cooperation Council on Sep 28, the annual Commonwealth Foreign Ministers Meeting on Sep 29, and an informal meeting of SAARC foreign ministers on Oct 2.

He will also take part in events at the UN on Oct 2 being organised at the initiative of India on the occasion of the International Day of Non-Violence.

While in the US, Krishna will travel to Milwaukee and visit the Sikh gurdwara in Wisconsin on Oct 4 where he will meet relatives of the victims of last month's attack, said Mathai.