CTC CONTINUES FOLLOW-UP ON VISITS

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 002179 SIPDIS SIPDIS FOR IO/PSC:JSANDAGE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: UNSC PTER PREL SUBJECT: CTC CONTINUES FOLLOW-UP ON VISITS REF: A. KONZET/SANDAGE EMAIL--11/15/06 ¶B. KONZET/SANDAGE EMAIL--11/16/06 ¶C. THOMAS/WILCOX EMAIL--11/17/06 ¶D. LIMA 4249 ¶E. BOGOTA 10215 ¶F. CAIRO 6677 ¶G. QUITO 2735 ¶H. STATE 174275 ¶I. SANDAGE/MCNICHOLAS EMAIL--10/30/06 ¶1. BEGIN SUMMARY: The Security Council's Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC) held its 175th meeting November 16, followed by an informal meeting to discuss the list of states the Committee's Executive Directorate (CTED) proposes to visit in ¶2007. The agenda focused on reports on CTED's state visits to the Philippines, Tanzania, and Jordan, and the CTC debated proposals of the UN special rapporteur on counterterrorism and human rights to collaborate more closely with the CTC. END SUMMARY. ¶2. CTC members suggested that CTED revise its draft report on its September 2006 visit to the Philippines to include recommendations to enhance its ability to freeze assets and stress the need for the Philippines to adopt an effective counterterrorism law. Members also accepted a French proposal for CTED to begin adding an executive summary to its trip reports, which would focus the host state's attention on key operational actions its should take to follow up on the visit. CTC Chairman, Danish PermRep Loj, tasked CTC members to submit written comments by November 21 concerning CTED's revised reports on its June 2006 trip to Jordan and its February 2006 trip to Tanzania. ¶2. The CTC also discussed proposals of Martin Scheinin, the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism. At an October 26 briefing for the CTC, Scheinin suggested collaborating on joint missions to states, exchanging information before and after separate missions, and cooperating to identify and compile best practices states' counterterrorism measures and their conformity with human rights. Aside from Qatar, which welcomed Scheinin's proposals, CTC members generally agreed that while the CTC should maintain links to Scheinin, accepting most of his specific suggestions would exceed the CTC's mandate. ¶4. In an informal meeting immediately following the formal session, the CTC agreed that CTED should approach the following states and request permission to visit them in 2007: Cambodia, Argentina, Laos, Vietnam, Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Niger, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Uganda, South Africa, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Uzbekistan. (Note: Referring to Peru, but not by name, the Chairman left open the possibility that another country could be added to the list. USUN will clarify to CTED and the Danes its understanding that Peru would not welcome a visit. USUN thanks Department and post's assistance in reaching out to Peru (refs C-D). USUN also thanks Department and Embassies Bogata, Cairo, Quito, and Riyadh for seeking states' support for CTED visits (refs E-I). End Note.) BOLTON