Terrorism can only be addressed by resolute agreed action through the United Nations, writes Brian Cowen, Minister for Foreign Affairs.
One year on, the memories are still vivid, the feelings still raw. None of us who watched in stunned silence as the terrible events of September 11th last year were relayed on television across the world will easily forget the dreadful images or the emotions which they provoked .
There was shock at the unexpected nature of the attacks; bewilderment at what exactly was happening; fear of when and where the terrorists would strike next; incredulity at the manner and scale of the atrocities; horror at the extent of the carnage; helplessness at the plight of the victims; and admiration for the brave members of the rescue services who fought to save those at risk, many of them at the cost of their own lives.
There was also disbelief that people, then unknown, were willing to execute deeds of such unspeakable evil, regardless of their own self-destruction.
On this first anniversary of that day of infamy, we should remember the more than 3,000 people of numerous nationalities who died, the injured, and the many more family members and friends for whom life will never be the same.
We also salute, once again, the men and women of the New York Fire and Police Departments and the other emergency services for their courage and bravery on that day and during the long months of search and recovery which followed.
We understandably give particular thought to our own, the Irish and those of Irish descent, who died, suffered or distinguished themselves on or after that day.
I am in New York today to represent the people of Ireland at a special ceremony of commemoration. I know that I carry with me the deep and sustained sense of solidarity with the victims, their families and friends, and with the American people as a whole which was so memorably demonstrated on our national day of mourning.
In the days which followed September 11th, the UN Security Council moved quickly, with Ireland playing a full and active part. It adopted Resolution 1368 demanding the fullest possible co-operation of the international community in bringing to justice those who had sponsored, organised and carried out the attacks and recognising the right of the US to act in self-defence.
Further resolutions were adopted aimed at cutting off the supply of funds to those aiding or abetting terrorist organisations.
The revelation that the attacks of September 11th were directly linked to Osama bin Laden, who had been associated with previous attacks on US overseas targets, and to the network of al-Qaeda terrorist training camps in Afghanistan posed a particular challenge to the international community.
The Security Council had been imposing sanctions on the Taliban regime for a number years in response to the Taliban's refusal to hand over bin Laden and close the terrorist camps. Not alone had the Taliban defied these sanctions but they had never been adequately implemented and had even been deliberately undermined by some members of the UN.
The cost of this failure of international solidarity was apparent for all to see. The notion of an international terrorist organisation bent on the overthrow of governments and global disruption had moved from the realm of celluloid fiction to fact.
Ireland believes fervently in a system of collective global security, founded upon the UN and the requirements of international law.
Consistent with our foreign policy traditions and with our obligations under the UN Charter and the terms of Security Council Resolution 1368, Ireland has sought to assist international efforts to bring to justice those who planned and carried out the attacks of September 11th in a number of different ways.
Among the measures taken by the Government has been to offer overflight and landing facilities to aircraft acting in pursuit of Resolution 1368.
The struggle against al-Qaeda and their Taliban protectors has intersected with a long-running and brutal civil war in Afghanistan. Considerable progress has been achieved over the past 12 months in bringing peace to that country. This is demonstrated by the many thousands of refugees who have returned from exile.
However, as recent events have shown, the sustained and wholehearted support of the international community will be essential if Afghanistan is to escape the violence and instability of the past.
Regrettably, despite the best efforts of the international coalition to ensure that the use of force was targeted and proportionate, many innocent Afghans have been killed or wounded in the fighting. They, and those who have died in the battle against al-Qaeda, are ultimately as much victims of the terrorist groups who carried out the attacks of September 11th as those who were murdered in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania. We should also remember them and their bereaved at this time.
The campaign against al-Qaeda and international terrorism is not over. Terrorist networks retain their financial and logistical capabilities.Evil men and women still plot to inflict pain and suffering on innocent people around the world. They continue to find safe haven.
Terrorism is a problem which can only be addressed by an international community that is united and resolute. September 11th proved that the fight against terrorism can only be as strong as its weakest link.
This week, I will join representatives of other nations at the UN General Assembly. When I address the assembly I will ask delegates to reflect on how much better a place the world could be if each and every UN member was willing to fulfil its commitment to carry out the decisions of the Security Council.
Would those who died on September 11th still be alive if the Taliban had responded to the demands of the Security Council that they hand up bin Laden and close the terrorist camps, or if the sanctions against the Taliban had been properly implemented?
Would the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian people still be raging if successive resolutions of the Security Council had not been ignored?
Would Iraq be in its present predicament if had complied with the Security Council's demands to allow UN inspectors to verify that it had discontinued its efforts to equip itself with weapons of mass destruction?
The fact is that we have it in our collective power to peaceably remove the dangers which threaten us. Our challenge is to find the collective will to do so.
We must seek to build an international system with which all the people of the world can identify. That means an international system which is seen to operate fairly, in the interest of all. An international system whose rules are drawn up by bodies which are as representative as possible of the global community. An international system where the rules are respected by all. An international community which, when necessary, is ultimately prepared to defend the rules against those who violate them.
Nothing can ever compensate for the deaths of those who died in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania on September 11th 2001, or who have since perished in the cities and mountains of Afghanistan.
The most we can offer to those they left behind would be the comfort that the passing of their loved ones has forced the governments of the world to realise that they must act together to ensure that nothing like September 11th and its aftermath will ever happen again.