The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has decided to step up the world body’s sanctions regime against Osama Bin Laden, members of Al-Qaeda and the Taliban and other individuals and groups associated with them.
Unanimously adopting resolution 1526, the Council expanded the broad set of measures it had adopted in 1999, which required member states to, among other things, freeze financial assets, including those controlled by the Taliban, and to ensure that they are not used by the group. Countries were also obliged to freeze funds and other financial assets of Osama Bin Laden and his associates in the Al-Qaeda organization, and to prevent their entry or transit through the states’ territory.
The Council’s action covers additional kinds of financial assets while setting up mechanisms to ensure implementation. Under the wide-ranging text, the Council calls on states to not only freeze the economic resources and financial assets of Al-Qaeda-connected individuals or groups, but those of “undertakings and entities, including funds derived from property owned or controlled, directly or indirectly by them...and ensure that neither those funds or any other financial assets...are made available, directly or indirectly for such person’s benefit, by their nationals or by any persons within their territory”.
The resolution also strengthens the regime’s measures aimed at preventing the entry into or transit through their territories of those individuals, as well as preventing the direct or indirect supply, sale or transfer to those individuals or groups of arms and related materiel of all types, including weapons, ammunition, military vehicles and equipment. It also decided that those measures would be further improved in 18 months or sooner if necessary.
Under the ruling, the Council also established a New York-based Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team to work at the Committee's direction for the next year and a half. The Secretary-General was asked to name eight experts to serve on that team, which will periodically report to the Council on the implementation of the improved sanctions regime. — (menareport.com)
© 2004 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
