Vice-President M Hamid Ansari said on Saturday that the countries delaying the India-initiated Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT) at the United Nations on the issue of definition of a ‘terrorist’ are actually looking for an excuse to avoid committing themselves to a global response to combat terrorism.

While addressing the media onboard Air India One Special Aircraft while returning to India concluding five-day visit to Armenia and Poland on Saturday, Ansari has said that terrorism has become a pandemic and affects every country in a lesser or greater degree and the problem is understood by everyone.

He referred to the time when he was the permanent representative of India to UN in New York in 1994, when India had introduced a proposal on CCIT and since then it remains struck due to difference in perception with regard to defining a terrorist. Ansari said that while making an international agreement, all kinds of legal problems come up and those who do not want this to make progress, come up with legal technicalities.

“It is an excuse on part of some countries to try to avoid committing themselves,” he added. On CCIT countries like Pakistan have argued that freedom fighters and jihadis cannot be clubbed as terrorists. CCIT aims to work out a global response to terrorism and strengthening deeper cooperation among all nations. However, despite the pace of CCIT slow, Ansari said the countries are bilateral and regionally joining hands to fight the menace.

In fact during discussions in Warsaw, Poland ‘whole heartedly’ supported India on CCIT as the Polish side felt that it was a matter of chance that they were not hit by terrorism but it was time for a global response to the threat.

Talking about his visit to Armenia and Poland, Ansari said both are friendly countries and his visit has helped regenerate interest in mutual cooperation. Referring to Poland, the Vice President said that it is the biggest economy in Central Europe and India is expanding trade with them. “There are investments by both sides and during the course of discussions, with both the Polish President and the Prime Minister, we were able to identify some specific areas where cooperation between these two countries is either starting or can start very soon. We were able to focus on three particular areas of interest; clean coal mining technology, agricultural products and techniques and defence cooperation,” Ansari added.

The Vice President said that he had suggested to the Polish leadership for Poland to join the Make in India Programmes and instead of being a seller only, they could become an India based seller, which will give them a much additional advantages. He further said that the Polish side reacted very positively to the suggestion and there will be substantial progress in coming day when the Polish President visits India. India has interests in the air defence systems while the Polish side offered military recovery and transport auxiliary vehicles for the Indian security forces.