Al-Qaida's influence continues to spread, Security Council panel says

Al-Qaida's ideology continues to spread, especially in Iraq, raising the fear of more terrorist attacks, according to the second report issued by the monitoring group of the Security Council committee overseeing sanctions against Al-Qaida and the Taliban.

The report, issued today in New York, found that while progress had been made in cutting off Al-Qaida's access to financing, moves to freeze companies linked to the organization had proven much more difficult.

It also stated that serious obstacles remained to successfully monitoring and upholding the arms embargo against Al-Qaida and the Taliban.

Ambassador Heraldo Muñoz of Chile, Chairman of the Security Council sanctions committee, told a press briefing in New York that while there have been advances by the committee, a lot of work remained to be done.

Ambassador Muñoz said that not nearly enough countries - only 84 out of a possible 191 - had submitted reports on time on what they had done to comply with the demands of the committee.

He said too many charities are still being abused by groups connected to Al-Qaida or the Taliban. "This is a very distressing fact," he said. The Ambassador added that the travel ban imposed by the committee on certain figures was also being flouted.

The report said Iraq has become a fertile recruitment ground for Al-Qaida, with the country now easily accessible to followers anxious to battle coalition forces there.

Mr. Muñoz said about 4,000 people worldwide have been arrested in connection with Al-Qaida or the Taliban - "clearly a disappointing result."

But Ambassador Muñoz said that when members of the committee or monitoring group personally visited countries and held talks with their leaders, the "defensive attitudes" of some States were allayed. He said the committee had a busy schedule of trips ahead.

Video of press briefing