Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- On the eve of the United States vetoed a UN Security Council resolution on countering foreign terrorist fighters. The draft document, initiated by Indonesia, was supported by all other members of the council, including Russia. The text of the document suggested calling on all countries to investigate information about individuals they may suspect of involvement in terrorist activities, including foreign fighters and their families.

Commenting on the reasons for the US veto, experts believe that the main reason for Washington’s disagreement is the absence in the document of an obligation for all countries to repatriate their citizens from "hot" spots in the Middle East. At the same time, K. Kraft, the permanent representative of the United States to the UN, said that the document did not even mention the repatriation of foreign fighters to their countries of origin. In this context, it is necessary to pay attention to the following factors.

First, the controversy over the repatriation of foreign fighters. After the territorial defeat of ISIS in Syria and Iraq, the issue of the repatriation of foreign fighters became the subject of a dispute between the United States and its European allies. Despite Washington’s demands to take out its citizens, Western European states are in no hurry to make decisions on this issue. European countries demand to punish terrorists where they have committed crimes.

Secondly, the main reasons for the reluctance of European states to return their citizens. According to the head of the regional office of the Heinrich Böll Foundation in Beirut B. Scheller, the governments of European countries fear the resumption of terrorist activities by “former” fighters in the EU. In addition, there are problems with the collection of evidence of their crimes to initiate criminal prosecution. According to DW, in 2019 there were about 3 thousand citizens of European countries who fought on the side of ISIS in camps and prisons in Syria and Iraq.

Overall, the veto proves that the United States remains committed to its position on the need to repatriate foreign fighters to their countries of origin. At the same time, some independent experts consider the refusal of European states to repatriate militants as a direct violation of international norms.