UN anti-terror panel focuses work on Mali, the Sahel, Somalia

Xinhua
Saturday, May 11, 2013

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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.

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