News Search Search this site or the web powered by FreeFind Site search Web search Story archive		March 13, 2004, Scotsman ROBERTSON ATTACKS 'PERVERSION' OF RELIGIOUS TRADITIONS IN ATTEMPTS TO JUSTIFY VIOLENCE Gethin Chamberlain THE former NATO secretary general Lord Robertson yesterday attacked what he called a growing trend towards the perversion of religious traditions by those who wanted to justify mass murder and called for military investment to counter future threats. Lord Robertson said the terrorist bombings in Spain demonstrated the dangers the international community faces, but he said he believed the world could be made safer if countries invested in the right capabilities, whether military, diplomatic or institutional. "The threat is still there but we can deal with it if there is international solidarity and if there is a capacity for retaliation if that is required and a new policy of deterrence that will suggest that a disproportionate price will be paid by those who use these tactics. "You may not be able to deter the individual suicide bomber but you most assuredly can indicate to those who back them and support them and shelter them that they will pay a very heavy price and I think al-Qaeda did that in Afghanistan and that led to some retrenching of the organisation." But he warned "traditional" terrorism had given way to a much more fanatical variant, often with extremist religious overtones. This new form of terrorism is both indiscriminate and bloodthirsty. "Al-Qaeda is a case in point. It doesn't ask for political concessions. It wants to annihilate all those who stand in its way - the more, the better. Indeed, more and more terrorists appear to be fascinated by the sheer number of deaths ...blood and chaos is the only object - just look at the carnage yesterday. "Let me stress that we should not characterise our enemy by his religious beliefs, nor should we ignore those who continue to use terrorist tactics to pursue 'political' ends. We must, however, acknowledge the growing trend towards the perversion of religious traditions by those who want to justify mass murder." In a week in which Geoff Hoon, the defence secretary, wrote to Gordon Brown, the Chancellor, to protest about Treasury demands for defence cuts of GBP 1.2 billion, Lord Robertson said Britain could ill afford such reductions. "If we are going to guarantee safety and security for future generations you have to make the investment now and our troops are being used because they are necessary and more usable troops are going to be absolutely critical if we are going to stop trouble spots becoming world crises."
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