UN anti-terror panel focuses work on Mali, the Sahel, Somalia
Xinhua
Saturday, May 11, 2013
The United Nations counter- terrorism panel dealing with al-Qaida has
been stepping up its work and cooperation with related UN bodies to more
urgently address the evolving threats posed by the network in Mali, the
Sahel and Somalia, the chairmen of the group told the UN Security
Council here Friday.
During a briefing on the 15-nation council's
subsidiary bodies dealing with counter-terrorism and non-proliferation
of weapons of mass destruction, Gary Quinlan, chairman of the Committee
established pursuant to resolutions 1267 (1999) and 1989 (2011) on
al-Qaida, said the committee is making "every effort to ensure that the
sanctions framework is as effective a tool as possible in preventing
Al-Qaida and its affiliates from threatening international peace and
security."
The measures included making sure that the Al-Qaida
Sanctions List is updated and as accurate as possible to facilitate the
implementation of the sanctions.
The committee, known as the
Al-Qaida sanctions committee, has also implemented a special agreement
facilitating information exchange with the INTERPOL, which has improved
the quality of information and enhanced the implementation of the
sanctions via INTERPOL's special notice distribution system.
As
for Mali and the Sahel, the committee sanctioned entities closely linked
to the Organization of Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, as well as to
the leaders of, and other individuals associated with, these groups.
Quinlan also urged member states to continue their support for the committee and implementation of its measures.
"Al-Qaida
affiliates in the Maghreb have waged a vicious insurgency in Mali,
threatening the viability of that State and security in the region;
Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula continued to be a strong factor
affecting the on-going security situation in Yemen; and Al Shabaab
remained an ongoing threat to the security environment in Somalia," said
Quinlan.
Also on Friday, the UN Security Council heard a report
given by Mohammed Loulichki, the chairman of the counter-terrorism
committee created pursuant to resolution 1373 (2001), who said an
upcoming special meeting would be held to focus on "enhancing
cooperation and technical assistance to States in the Sahel region to
strengthen their capacity in the global fight against terrorism. " The
resolution 1373 was adopted shortly after the terrorist attacks on the
United States on Sept. 11, 2001.
The meeting is expected to be held in the last quarter of the year.
According
to Loulichki, his committee will also hold a meeting on May 24 on
"countering terrorism through the use of new communications and
information technologies," such as the internet and mobile phones.
Also
addressing the Council was Kim Sook, chairman of the 1540 (2004)
committee on the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) by
non-State actors, who said he looked forward to closer cooperation with
the other two committees and with member states.
In a joint
statement to the Security Council, the three committees said they
planned to increase their cooperation while maintaining respect for the
independence of their respective expert groups and mandate.
Among
the areas of further cooperation, the committees will coordinate on
common regional approaches to engage with member states, increase
engagement in on-site visits to member states, and enhance coordination
with the Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force (CTITF), set up in
2005, which brings together two dozen UN entities, working under
mandates from the UN General Assembly, the Security Council and various
specialized agencies, funds and programs.
