In Ongoing Effort to Prevent ‘Potential Spoilers’ from Disrupting Yemen’s Political Transition, Security Council Hears Sanctions Committee Report

Transparency, synergy, and cooperation were vital to the working methods of the 2140 Committee on Yemen, the Security Council heard today during a presentation of the body’s second report.

Raimonda Murmokaitė (Lithuania), Chair of the Committee established in February by Council resolution 2140 (2014) to support a smooth transition in Yemen, said that the most significant development of the reporting period was the designation of three individuals as subject to the assets freeze and travel ban.

She explained that they had met the criteria of engaging in or providing support for acts that threatened Yemen’s peace, security or stability, and all Member States were now required to implement those measures.

In discussions with the Panel of Experts, Committee members, she said, expressed interest in the rapid development of specific lines of enquiry and focused case studies in relation to “potential spoilers” to Yemen’s transition.

The expert Panel, she reported, had visited the country three times and had also travelled to the member countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council, meeting with a wide range of interlocutors, both Government and non-government entities.

The Committee also met with the Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee and the Counter-Terrorism Committee to discuss the need for targeted international support to Yemen, she said, adding that participants had also emphasized the need for information sharing.  At another meeting, the Secretary-General’s Special Adviser on Yemen briefed the Committee on the state of the political transition.

Yemen and the Gulf Cooperation Council countries had been invited to participate in a formal meeting of the Committee convened after the designation of sanctions measures, she said, noting participants’ support for resolution 2140 (2014).  She encouraged Member States’ timely response to information requests.

She drew attention to approval in November of a cooperation agreement with INTERPOL for the exchange of relevant information and the issuance of INTERPOL-Security Council Special Notices for the designated individuals.  The accord, she added, had gone into effect last week.  The Committee welcomed the cooperation of Yemen and other countries with the Panel, she said in closing.

The meeting began at 3:08 p.m. and ended at 3:15 p.m.