Joining ministers and top officials from more than 60 countries on the third and final day of a White House terrorism summit, Danish Foreign Minister Martin Lidegaard thanked participants for the "heartwarming" outpouring of support after the weekend attacks in Copenhagen synagogue. But he sounded a note of caution.
"It is difficult for modern man and modern society to deal with merciless cruelty… by persons devoid of reason and compassion, but we must. Our response must be based on trust, not mistrust. We have to react but we should not over-react."
Lidegaard also used the Washington summit to discuss Denmark's new anti-terror initiatives and offered to host a regional anti-terrorism conference, he wrote on Twitter.
Washington Summit. Fortæller om regeringens nye initiativer + tilbud om at holde regional konference #dkpol pic.twitter.com/hLD4rABf4m
— Martin Lidegaard (@martinlidegaard) February 19, 2015
The United States hosted the meeting in an attempt to galvanize global action against violent jihadist groups, amid warnings the world was confronted with "a new war against a new enemy."
US President Barack Obama pledged the United States would be "a strong partner" in seeking to halt the march of groups like Islamic State (Isis).
Governments must remain "unwavering in our fight against terrorist organizations," Obama said, vowing to work with unstable countries such as Yemen and Somalia to help "prevent ungoverned spaces where terrorists find safe haven."
Nations also needed to confront the "warped ideologies" espoused by groups like Isis and Al-Qaeda, Obama stressed, and must tackle the economic and political grievances which "makes those communities ripe for extremist recruitment."
But he stressed: "The notion that the West is at war with Islam is an ugly lie. And all of us, regardless of our faith, have a responsibility to reject it."
Amid all the talk and despite US assurances that the summit was aimed at drafting an action plan for going forward, it appeared few concrete steps were to be unveiled in Washington.
Indeed, Obama challenged nations to bring their ideas to the UN general assembly in September.
As a first step though, UN chief Ban Ki-moon said he would convene in the coming months a meeting of global faith leaders warning that the "emergence of a new generation of transnational terrorist groups… is a grave threat to international peace and security."
"These extremists are pursuing a deliberate strategy of 'shock and awful' – beheadings, burnings, and snuff films designed to polarize and provoke."
Denmark was also represented in Washington by Aarhus Mayor Jacob Bundsgaard, who discussed the city's controversial jihadist rehab programme and anti-radicalization efforts.
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