ESTONIA URGES UN MEMBER STATES TO COOPERATE AGAINST CYBER CRIMES<br>New York,
Sep 25 2007 11:00PM<br>The international community should step up its efforts to
defeat cyber crime, starting by acceding to an international convention on the
issue and eventually building to the development of a globally negotiated and
comprehensive law of cyberspace, <"<a href="http://www.un.org/webcast/ga/62/2007/pdfs/estonia-eng.pdf%22%3EEstonia%E2%80%99s" target="_blank">http://www.un.org/webcast/ga/62/2007/pdfs/estonia-eng.pdf">Estonia's
</a>
President Toomas Hendrik Ilves told the General Assembly tonight.<br><br>Mr.
Ilves said his country's experience in April and May this year in coping with an
extensive cyber attack highlighted both the dangers faced and the value of
cooperation.<br><br>"Cyber attacks are a clear example of contemporary
asymmetrical threats to security," he said at the annual high-level debate.
"They make it possible to paralyze a society, with limited means, and at a
distance. In the future, cyber attacks may in the hands of criminals or
terrorists become a considerably more widespread and dangerous weapon than they
are at present."<br><br>The President said the threat posed by cyber attacks was
often underestimated because they have so far not resulted in the loss of any
lives and many attacks are not publicized for security reasons.<br><br>He called
for cyber crimes to be defined internationally and generally condemned in the
way that terrorism or human trafficking is denounced.<br><br>"Fighting against
cyber warfare is in the interests of us all without exception," Mr. Ilves said,
calling on all countries to accede to the Convention on Cyber Crime of the
Council of Europe. The pact is also open for accession to non-members of the
Council of Europe.<br><br>The President welcomed the launch of the Global
Cybersecurity Agenda of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), and
said the UN should serve as the "neutral and legitimate forum" for the eventual
creation of a globally negotiated and comprehensive law of
cyberspace.<br><br>Meanwhile, in his address, the President of the <"<a href="http://www.un.org/webcast/ga/62/2007/pdfs/macedonia-en.pdf%22%3Eformer" target="_blank">http://www.un.org/webcast/ga/62/2007/pdfs/macedonia-en.pdf">former
</a>
Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Branko Crvenkovski, emphasized the importance of
regional cooperation and voiced support for international efforts to resolve the
status of Kosovo, a Serbian province that has been under UN administration since
1999. <br><br>The issue should be dealt with "within a reasonable timeframe, in
the best interests of the stability in the region and its Euro-Atlantic
perspective," he said.<br><br>At the same time, he said his country does not
agree "with the recently mentioned idea of partition of Kosovo along ethnic
lines, since this may provoke serious negative implications for the entire
region." <br><br>He added that the demarcation of his country's northern border
with Kosovo "according to a predefined procedure and agenda" remains a priority
for the Government.<br>2007-09-25 00:00:00.000
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