AL-QAIDA SANCTIONS: INCREASING TRANSPARENCY

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 001435 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ETTC EFIN UNSC PREL PGOV SUBJECT: AL-QAIDA SANCTIONS: INCREASING TRANSPARENCY ¶1. SUMMARY. The Chairman of the UN Security Council's 1267 (al-Qaida/Taliban) Sanctions Committee, Argentine Ambassador Cesar Mayoral, held an open briefing and question and answer session for the general UN membership on July 26. This was the first such session conducted by Mayoral. The goal was to increase transparency of the Committee's work, strengthen dialogue with the wider UN membership, and trumpet specific Committee accomplishments, specifically the adoption of a standard coversheet to be used for sanction designation requests. END SUMMARY. ¶2. Approximately 30 delegations attended an open briefing by Argentine Ambassador Cesar Mayoral, the Chairman of the 1267 (al-Qaida/Taliban) Sanctions Committee. Delegations in attendance included Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Italy, Brazil, and Switzerland. The Committee hoped the briefing would address concerns among some Member States that it failed to publicize its important work and that decisions made by the Committee were somehow lost in the UN's bureaucratic system of communication via note verbale. The Chairman announced that the Committee had completed changes to the sanctions list that would make it more user-friendly, such as establishing permanent reference numbers for entries on the list and presenting all names in the original script (often Arabic). ¶3. The Chairman highlighted the Committee's agreement on a way to handle de-listing of deceased persons, which is an issue of great importance to the Muslim world because of religious obligations to the dead. The Committee agreed to examine de-listing requests for deceased persons on a case-by-case basis, and to ask for proof of death and proof that no part of the estate would be inherited by any other individuals or entities under sanctions. Regarding this and other issues of importance, Mayoral reminded all States that the Committee is eager to enhance dialogue through direct meetings and briefings. (NOTE: During the Chairman's recent trip to Riyadh, the Saudi government accepted an invitation to brief the Committee on how to combat the misperception that al-Qaida sanctions target Islam. No date has been set for the briefing. END NOTE.) ¶4. The Chairman also announced that the Committee was close to agreeing on revised guidelines for listing. (NOTE: The revised guidelines are currently under a No Objection Deadline, due to expire August 2. END NOTE.) Mayoral also expressed hope the Committee could achieve consensus on new de-listing guidelines in the near future. Turning to the excellent cooperation between the 1267 Committee and Interpol, Mayoral explained the new Interpol-UN Security Council Special Notices, which Interpol issues for 1267-sanctioned individuals. These Special Notices strengthen enforcement by ensuring that vital information about sanctioned individuals reaches law enforcement agencies around the world. ¶5. Mayoral also trumpeted the important adoption by the Committee of the standard cover sheet for designating States to use when submitting new names for sanctioning. The U.S. proposed the cover sheet in our paper on procedural protections and fairness in the 1267 Committee. ¶6. Although many delegations criticize the 1267 Committee for not being "transparent," only Switzerland and Brazil took advantage of the session by making comments. Both countries thanked Mayoral for holding the briefing and both delegations urged the Committee to revise de-listing procedures in order to afford sanctioned individuals "due process." ¶7. COMMENT: Although few delegations participated in the session, the open briefing achieved its desired goals by underlining important Committee achievements and by stressing the Committee's desire to strengthen dialogue with the wider UN membership. BOLTON