Eight experts named to new UN panel monitoring sanctions on Al-Qaida
Drawing experts from all regions of the world, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has named six men and two women to a recently established panel helping to track the international sanctions against the Taliban, Al-Qaida and their operatives.
The appointments, detailed in a document released today at UN Headquarters in New York, come in response to a resolution adopted in January by the Security Council.
By that measure, the Council established a New York-based Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team to work at the direction of the existing UN committee dealing with sanctions against Al-Qaida and the Taliban. The new team, operating for the next 18 months, will periodically report to the Council on the implementation of the sanctions regime.
The resolution, which also tightened the sanctions on those groups, spelled out the kind of expertise required, calling for individuals with knowledge related to Al-Qaida and/or the Taliban in such areas as counter-terrorism legislation, terrorism financing, international financial transactions, alternative remittance systems, charities, the use of couriers, border enforcement, arms embargoes and drug trafficking.
Mr. Annan selected Richard Barrett of the United Kingdom, Stanislav Frolov of the Russian Federation, Wilson C. Kalumba of Zambia, Franck Kasbarian of France, Christine Lee of Singapore, Ashraf Mohsen of Egypt, Gary J. Peters of the United States and Lynne Walker of Australia.
The sanctions were originally adopted, and later tightened, in response to the indictment of Usama bin Laden for the 1998 terrorist bombings of US embassies in Nairobi and Dar-es-Salaam.
States are required to freeze financial assets, including property as well as funds derived or generated by any undertaking owned or controlled by the Taliban, and to ensure that they are not used by the group. Countries are also obliged to freeze funds, property and other financial assets of Usama bin Laden and his associates in the Al-Qaida organization, and to prevent their entry or transit through the State's territory. In addition, nations must prevent the supply, sale and transfer of all arms and materiel - along with any form of military training - to the named individuals and entities.