"First of all, facing the truth, world terrorism cannot be defeated by using only force and the armed forces. Victory over terrorism can only be the result of a pooled effort of the secret services, armed forces, political and public including international organisations", Sergei Ivanov said at the opening of the 3rd international conference under the aegis of the Russia-NATO Council The Role of the Military in the Fight on Terrorism.
To Ivanov, the basis for success against terrorism is the antiterrorist conscience, which has to be formed in society.
"Antiterrorist conscience bases on the understanding by all societal forces of the need to combat terrorism. Society is to understand the involvement of everybody, to this of that degree, in this struggle and participation in it", Ivanov said.
"Of course, citizens should not themselves set hostages free or participate in demining", he noted.
In his opinion, citizens can and must be the central element in the terrorism-prevention system. "And, what is most important, participate in rendering inappropriate the slogans of terrorists", Ivanov said.
"Noteworthily, periodic antiterrorist outcries sometimes growing into hysterics are very dangerous", Sergei Ivanov said. He cited the example when a massive involved of the armed forces is the answer to terrorist threats.
