COMBATING INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM IN THE WORKS OF THE UNITED NATIONS ORGANIZATION

The paper is devoted to issues connected with the works on international conventions concerning combating international terrorism, which since the late 70s have been conducted by the UN. The author emphasizes the fact that the works are being conducted double-track. Firstly, there are attempts to work out a design of general convention on combating terrorism which would include both normative definitions of the phenomenon as well as establish international legal mechanism of combating terrorism. Secondly, the author demonstrates creating the so called sector conventions, concerning specific kinds of attack, the process taking place for nearly three decades now. The distinguishing criterion here is either a protected property (e.g. security of international civil aviation) or modus operandi (e.g. terrorist bomb attack). Discussing numerous conventions and designs, the author concentrates on issues connected with working out international legal definitions of terrorism, stressing their political character. In conclusion, he states that the events of September 11, 2001 did not bring different opinions closer, which still hampers adopting the general convention on terrorism by the UN.