By NNN-LK News
Colombo : Sri Lanka will be hosting the International Conference on Countering Terrorism starting Thursday at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH).
The three-day event will be hosted under the theme, ‘Terrorism: A Challenge to Democratically Elected Governments’.
Dr. Gerard Chaliand, former director of the European Centre for the Study of Conflicts will attend the event as the principal speaker at the inaugural session.
On his speech he will deliberate on the threat posed by international terrorist networks.
Friday’s sessions will be on international responses to terrorism, regional responses to terrorism and domestic dimensions to terrorism, combating terrorist financing. Sunday’s sessions will focus on Socio-Economic Costs of Terrorism and Terrorism and the Role of the Media.
The renowned French investigating magistrate in charge of counter-terrorism affairs Judge Jean Louis Bruguiere will grace the event as the Guest of Honour. Judge Bruguiere, presently investigates the LTTE fund raising activities in France and was invited by USA in more recent years to assist in the investigations conducted in to the terrorist attack on 9/11 in New York and Washington.
Judge Bruguiere is also renowned worldwide for tracking down one of the World’s most wanted terrorists, Carlos (Jackal) and been involved in the case of UTA flight 772 which was sabotaged over the Sahara desert in 1989 with the loss of 170 lives.
The Conference is an initiative of the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute of International Relations and Strategic Studies, a body affiliated to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs named after the late Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar who was assassinated by the LTTE terrorists.
The need to compare experiences and discussions on strategies required to counter the threat of terrorism through enhanced international cooperation was one of the key factors that prompted the decision to hold the International Conference on Countering Terrorism.
Renowned political scientists and analysts, both local and foreign, will attend the conference as speakers.