Fifty years ago | Move for U.N. steps to outlaw terrorism

Washington, Dec. 23: The United States is hoping that the Vienna kidnapping of OPEC Oil Ministers last week-end by pro-Palestinian terrorists will focus renewed attention on the urgent need to draw up a meaningful international treaty outlawing this form of blackmail too. It is noted that aerial hijacking, which was another weapon used by Arab extremists, has virtually disappeared since last year after the international community enacted a convention under which all countries agreed to deny asylum to hijackers and decided to look upon it as a common law crime rather than as a “political act.” Previous attempts at the United Nations to mete out the same treatment to terrorists resorting to kidnapping and murder had failed because Arab Governments, conservative as well as radical, with African support, blocked such moves, arguing that the move was aimed at curbing their Palestinian brethren’s attempts to demonstrate a legitimate political grievance - at the last count, only Tunisia, among the 30 odd Arab States had signed even a mildly worded UN convention outlawing kidnapping. It is now hoped that since the hostages taken at Vienna by the terrorists calling themselves an “Arm of the Arab Liberation” included several Arab Ministers, their Governments would be jolted into agreeing to a new international convention which will stamp political kidnappings too as a common crime. Published - December 24, 2025 04:45 am IST

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