UN’s push against Al-Qaida yields results but States need more aid – diplomat
The Chairman of a United Nations Security Council committee monitoring international sanctions against the Taliban and Al-Qaida today reported that progress is being made against those groups, but stressed that all countries must be given the necessary resources to participate in this effort.
Ambassador Heraldo Muñoz of Chile, the outgoing Chairman of the committee, based his conclusions on his extensive investigations, including visits to the Philippines, Cambodia, Thailand, Australia, Libya, Iran and Switzerland.
During these trips, he said, it became evident that the international community is dedicated to enforcing the sanctions, although in practice results have been uneven. Some of the countries clearly needed further assistance from the international community, he said, pledging to raise awareness of the need.
A constantly evolving list of Al-Qaida and Taliban operatives maintained by the Committee has served as the basis for numerous arrests in various States as well as actions to stem the flow of money to terrorists.
He said Iran had frozen considerable assets in four separate accounts of an individual on the list, namely, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, and had apprehended a number of Al-Qaida operatives.
Some countries, especially in Africa, the Middle East and South Asia, had expressed frustration with what they saw as Western double standards in the fight against terrorism, Ambassador Muñoz said, adding that regardless of whether those perceptions were valid, they must be taken into account.
Member States must not feel that there was a group of States that were designing sanctions and monitoring their implementation, but that all States were an integral part of counter-terrorist strategies, policies and implementation efforts, he stressed. Only then could the most challenging battle of the current time be won for the benefit of each State and individual on the planet, and guarantee their right to live free from fear of terrorist attacks.