邦人人質事件 テロ封じに国際連携が肝要だ

The Yomiuri Shimbun (Jan. 22, 2013)
Intl cooperation needed to stamp out terrorism
邦人人質事件　テロ封じに国際連携が肝要だ（1月21日付・読売社説）

The terrorist attack and hostage-taking incident launched by an armed Islamist group in Algeria has come to a bloody end.
　イスラム武装勢力によるテロが引き起こした惨劇である。

It will be essential to get to the bottom of this incident so measures to prevent any repeat occurrence can be devised.
　事件の全容を解明し、再発防止策につなげたい。

The incident at a natural gas plant at Ain Amenas in eastern Algeria ended Saturday, three days after it started, when Algerian special forces stormed the complex to bring the situation under control.
　アルジェリア東部イナメナスの天然ガス関連施設で発生した人質事件は、アルジェリア軍が制圧作戦を強行し、発生から４日間で終わった。

Dozens of Islamist militants and hostages have been confirmed dead, according to the Algerian government. The dead reportedly include Japanese employees of JGC Corp., a major plant engineering and manufacturing firm. We offer our sincere condolences to the victims caught up in this incident and their families.
　アルジェリア政府によると多数の武装勢力と人質の死亡が確認されている。プラントメーカー「日揮」の邦人関係者の死亡情報もある。事件に巻き込まれた犠牲者に哀悼の意を表したい。

Algerian government forces launched an attack on the terrorists Thursday, the day after the hostages were seized. This reflected its sense of urgency that similar terrorist attacks might follow unless the crisis was brought under control immediately.
　アルジェリア政府は、事件発生の翌日の１７日、武装勢力への攻撃を開始した。早期に制圧しなければ、同種のテロを誘発しかねないという危機感からだろう。

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Attack can't be condoned

In the 1990s, about 150,000 people were killed in an internal war between Algerian government forces and Islamist militants. In view of this, the Algerian government was unbending in its refusal of any request for negotiations with the terrorists this time.
　１９９０年代に政府とイスラム武装勢力との内戦で、約１５万人もの死者を出したという事情もある。テロリストとは「いかなる交渉も拒否する」方針だった。

The Islamist group's capture of plant workers and taking them hostage is a despicable act of terrorism that can never be condoned. This is obvious. But a question arises over whether the Algerian military operation was taken after carefully working out a strategy from the viewpoint of rescuing the hostages.
　武装勢力の人質事件は卑劣なテロ行為であり、断じて許すことはできないのは当然だ。ただ、アルジェリア政府の軍事行動は、人質救出の観点から周到に練られたものだったのだろうか。

In talks with Algerian Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal over the telephone Sunday, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe expressed regret that the crisis had ended in a bloodbath. Abe was quoted as telling Sellal: "Japan had called for giving top priority to the hostages' safety. It was regrettable that we received severe information about the Japanese hostages."
　安倍首相は２０日、アルジェリアのセラル首相との電話会談で「人命最優先と申し入れてきた。日本人の安否に関して厳しい情報に接することになったのは残念だ」と軍事行動に遺憾の意を示した。

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Lack of communication

British Prime Minister David Cameron has expressed dissatisfaction over the fact that his government was not told of the attack in advance. Communication between the Algerian government and countries affected by the crisis was not smooth, and Algeria's release of information on the safety of hostages has been insufficient.
　キャメロン英首相も、事前通告がなかったことに不満を表明した。アルジェリアと関係国の意思疎通は円滑ではなく、安否に関する情報の提供も不十分だった。

The Algerian government must unveil to the international community all the details of the hostage crisis and its rescue operations after investigating why it could not prevent the militants from entering a vital gas plant where many foreigners work.
　アルジェリア政府は、外国人が大勢働く重要な施設に武装勢力の侵入を許した原因や、救出作戦の詳細など、事件の全貌を国際社会に明らかにする必要がある。

Armed Islamist forces are active not only in Algeria but also in northern and western areas of Africa. Unraveling the hostage-taking incident will help shed more light on this situation.
　イスラム武装勢力はアルジェリアだけでなく、アフリカ北・西部一帯を股にかけて活動している。事件の解明により、その実態をつかむ手がかりが得られよう。

The international community must use this incident as a step toward standing firm against terrorism and taking effective steps to stamp it out.
　今回の事件を、国際社会がテロに対して毅然(きぜん)として立ち向かい、有効な手立てを講じるための一歩としなくてはならない。

The siege has left many issues to be addressed by Japanese companies operating overseas. They need to urgently review their crisis prevention and response arrangements.
　一方、事件は、海外展開する日本企業にも課題を残した。危機への備えの再点検が急務である。

Abe took the lead in working out government measures to handle the hostage crisis. It may be said that Japan reacted diligently to the crisis, with the Prime Minister's Office at the heart of the response.
　日本政府は安倍首相が陣頭指揮に当たった。首相官邸を中心に精力的な対応を見せたと言える。

However, the government's information-gathering and analyzing capabilities have been revealed to be inadequate. The government should consider necessary measures including a review of the personnel in diplomatic missions overseas. Further efforts must be made to bolster the country's crisis management system.
　ただ、政府の情報収集・分析が十分とは言えまい。在外公館の陣容の見直しなど必要な措置を検討すべきだ。危機管理体制を一層強化してもらいたい。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Jan. 21, 2013)
（2013年1月21日01時50分  読売新聞）