PRESS CONFERENCE BY SECURITY COUNCIL SANCTIONS COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN

PRESS CONFERENCE BY SECURITY COUNCIL SANCTIONS COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN

Security Council resolution 1526 (2004), unanimously adopted on 30 January, improved and deepened sanctions on Al-Qaida and the Taliban, Heraldo Muñoz (Chile), Chairman of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1267 (1999) told correspondents today at a Headquarters press conference.

In addition to already established sanctions, the resolution called on States not only to freeze financial assets and economic resources of Al-Qaida and Taliban connected individuals or groups, but also economic resources derived from properties owned or controlled by those persons or groups or persons acting on behalf of them, he said.  Moreover, the resolution called on States to cut flows of funds derived from non-profit organizations and alternative/informal remittance systems to terrorist groups, and to address the problem of cross-border cash transport.

Also, he said, the resolution established an independent and expanded (from five to eight members) monitoring group that, in addition to the tasks of monitoring, would analyze issues and carry out case studies, reporting to the Committee.  Through the resolution, the Council further requested States to enforce local enactments of resolution 1267 provisions, and gave a deadline of 31 March to submit requested reports.  After that deadline, the Committee would circulate a list of countries that had not met the requirement with an analysis of reasons why.

Reporting on an anti-terrorism meeting organized in Bali, Indonesia, last week by Indonesia and Australia, he said that meeting had been attended, mostly at a ministerial level, by some 20 countries from the south-east Asian region, as well as by representatives from other countries, including France and Germany, and United States Attorney General John Ashcroft.  During the meeting, the complementarity of regional and global actions was underlined, but it was stressed that regional actions were not a substitute for global ones.  The threat of terrorism to regional economic development and the link between terrorism and drug trafficking and other criminal acts were stressed as well.

He said the meeting had established an ad hoc working group of senior legal officials of the region on the adequacy of the regional legal framework for counter-terrorism cooperation, and an ad hoc working group of law enforcement practitioners to share operational experiences, formulate best practices on counter-terrorism and develop a more effective database and intelligence exchange.  Financed by Australia, Indonesia would create a law enforcement cooperation centre in Bali, servicing the region.

In his capacity as permanent representative of Chile, Mr. Muñoz strongly condemned the terrorist attack in the Moscow subway last week, which took 31 lives.  That attack demonstrated that terrorism was active and global in scope, he said, as every week various countries were hit by terrorist attacks.

Mr. Muñoz also said his country supported the United Nations electoral mission to Iraq, but noted that, despite the best abstract electoral options, the most efficient option would be the one that commanded the most support from the Iraqi people.  His country was willing to collaborate with electoral efforts there and to share its experience in that regard.

Answering a correspondent’s question about the Bin Laden family in Saudi Arabia, he said the cooperation between that country and the Committee was good.  He had recently been there.  The country realized there were serious problems, including that of transfers by charities and alternative/informal transmittal systems.  However, regarding allegations voiced in a New York Times interview by a sister-in-law of Bin Laden, he said he wanted proof, not opinion.

Asked why the existing Monitoring Group had to be reconstituted, Mr. Muñoz said the group’s mandate had expired, and the Council had expressed a need for an analytical component, as well as a need for an independent group that would “not pull any punches”.  The group would not have investigative capacities but would be more focused on analysis and case studies.

In response to other questions, he said that since the spread of terrorism, support from Member States had increased.  There was also closer cooperation between his Committee and the Counter-Terrorism Committee, established in the wake of the 11 September 2001 attack.  The earlier mentioned 31 March deadline would demonstrate support in a concrete way.  He stressed, however, that some poorer countries with weak capacities needed technical support in implementing the resolution’s provisions.  Such help could be provided by the Counter-Terrorism Committee as well as by organizations beyond the United Nations system, such as the International Monetary Fund.

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