New UN measures strengthen sanctions against Al-Qaida, chairman of panel says

The Chairman of a United Nations Security Council committee monitoring the sanctions against Al-Qaida and the Taliban today described a strengthened regime designed to stem the terrorist threat posed by those groups.

Briefing reporters in New York, Ambassador Heraldo Muñoz of Chile strongly condemned last week's bombing of a Moscow subway train, which he said demonstrates that "terrorism is active and it is global in scope."

At the same time, he voiced confidence that a Security Council resolution adopted in late January would tighten the noose around Al-Qaida, the Taliban and their associates. Among other measures, it "improves and deepens" the sanctions regime by freezing not only funds and financial assets but also other economic resources, including property.

The resolution also dealt with the role of non-profit organizations and informal, alternative remittance systems, while adding new internal reporting requirements to tackle currency movements across borders.

National reports are due to the committee by 31 March, and those governments that do not comply with this deadline will be named on a public list, according to the resolution. "I think this is an important message that we're serious about countries meeting the requirements that the Security Council has set up," he said.

In addition, the text set up a panel to provide the committee with comprehensive and independent reports on the situation. "We don't want a monitoring team that pulls its punches," Ambassador Muñoz said. "We want a monitoring team that analyzes the issues and conveys its best judgement on the implementation of the sanctions."

Asked about a different monitoring group that had been supporting the work of the committee, he noted that while that panel's mandate had expired, the new group set up under the resolution could retain some of its members, supplemented by other experts who will undertake more analytical tasks.

"In order to have an effective committee, we need objective, neutral, independent analysis," he stressed.

Asked about Saudi Arabia, Ambassador Muñoz said its Government was cooperating well with the committee. "I myself visited Saudi Arabia recently, and my perception is that they are doing hard work, and that they have realized there is a serious problem with terrorism and with Al-Qaida," he said, adding that the Government has begun addressing the role of charities in funding terrorist activities.

Video of press briefing