Committee: General Assembly

Country: Republic of Turkey

Topic: Targeted Killings
Delegate: Renzo Leonardo Valencia Cornejo

Throughout its history, the Republic of Turkey has sustained freedom and self-
determination as founding principles of interstate affairs, on the understanding that
such is the best possible way to ensure both national unity and international security.
Under such premises, no preventive force should be accepted as a means for a state to
deal with perceived, yet non-actual, menaces to the integrity of its citizens. In its over
60 years, the United Nations has taken every possible non-interventionist measure in
order to uphold its purpose of “save succeeding generations from the scourge of war”,
an ideal that, based on Article 2(4) of its Charter, is conveniently renewed with the
widespread condemnation the international community responds to any unlawful
aggression. But this is not enough.

Currently, when threats to the security of States and their main reason of
existence, its citizens, multiply at the hands of terrorist organizations or even deranged
fellow countries, new measures have to be taken in order to insure national and
regional peace. To such end, a minimum consensus has to be reached on the legality
of preemptive strikes, inasmuch as declared by the UN. Bearing in mind that Security
Council’s dynamics are very prone to vetoes, and thus failure of swift responses, the
use of emergency special sessions of the general Assembly would be considered,
should the menace to peace be as dire as for uniting the international community in its
response. This proposal, however, necessarily requires that Member States succeed to
define, even in a non-binding manner, the true scope of Article 51 in the UN Charter,
which is known as the only possible exception from the general rule stated above.

Regardless of the agreements effectively reached at this meeting, the Republic

of Turkey considers that targeted killings is a subject that in no way can be exercised
one-sidedly, without international oversight. As a NATO member, and with our hopes
set on a future as a full member of the European Union, we clearly understand the
importance of regional dialogue and mutual help, which finally are the best guarantees
of security when it comes to peace between States. Dealing with terrorist
organizations is an entirely different matter, for which extensive cooperation is needed
between involved countries, so the attackers can be brought to justice without
disturbing friendly relations. In any case, our Republic will take active participation in
the resolution of this heated topic, inside the limits of sovereignty and International
Law, yet always with the goal of reaching international security in sight.