Secretary-General reappoints expert group monitoring Al-Qaida sanctions

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today reappointed for another year, the five experts monitoring implementation of UN sanctions imposed on Al-Qaida and their associates.

In a letter, Mr. Annan informs the Security Council that he has reappointed the five-member Monitoring Group through 17 January 2004. The expert body was established in 2001 by Council resolution 1363, which concerns the sanctions placed against Usama bin Laden, Al-Qaida, the Taliban and their associates.

The experts will monitor the implementation of the UN sanctions regime, which covers arms embargoes and counter-terrorism, and follow up on relevant leads relating to any incomplete implementation of the measures.

The Secretary-General says the composition of the Group, which is chaired by Michael Chandler of the United Kingdom, will be unchanged. The other experts are Hassan H. Ali Abaza of Jordan, Victor Comras of the United States, Philippe Graver of France and Surendra Bahadur Shah of Nepal.

The Secretary-General’s decision follows the Council’s recent decision to improve the implementation of specific measures which date back to 1999. They include the freezing of funds and other financial resources of the Taliban as well as funds and other assets of Usama bin Laden and individuals and entities associated with him as designated by the sanctions committee established by resolution 1267 (1999), an arms embargo, and travel prohibitions.

By unanimously adopting resolution 1455 last month, the Council stressed the need for improved coordination and increased exchange of information between the relevant sanctions Committee and the Counter-terrorism Committee (CTC) established in 2001 in the wake of the 11 September terror attacks against the United States.