The United States is looking to lead the international fight against terrorism but wants other countries to do more to contribute to the effort, US Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan said at the Western Hemisphere Counterterrorism Ministerial in Washington on Tuesday.
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 11th December, 2018) The United States is looking to lead the international fight against terrorism but wants other countries to do more to contribute to the effort, US Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan said at the Western Hemisphere Counterterrorism Ministerial in Washington on Tuesday."We seek to continue leading the fight against groups like ISIS (IS, or Daesh outlawed in Russia), al-Qaeda and the Lebanese Hezbollah, but we are also asking our allies and partners to join us in that fight and do more as well," Sullivan said. "Protecting our individual countries means protecting the entire region."
Sullivan also stressed that the fight against terrorism is not only about governments.
"To effectively counter terrorist threats, we need to consider collaboration across the broader range of actors, including civil society, community leaders, the private sector and religious figures," he said. "We all have unique resources, experiences, relationships and capabilities that if we listen to each other can help us develop a stronger, more innovative and more sustainable counter terrorism policy."
The Western Hemisphere Counterterrorism Ministerial kicked off on Tuesday in Washington, where senior officials from 12 North, Central and South American countries have gathered for talks on trans-national terrorist groups. Argentina, the Bahamas, Canada, Chile, Columbia, Honduras, Jamaica, Panama Paraguay, Peru and Trinidad and Tobago are participating in the talks, while Brazil is taking part in an observer role, the State Department said.
Senior US counterterrorism and security officials from the Departments of Justice, Treasury and Homeland Security, as well as from the US intelligence community are also expected to take part in the meeting, the State Department said.
