Letter dated 29 January 2007 from the Chairman of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1267 (1999) concerning Al-Qaida and the Taliban and associated individuals and entities addressed to the President of the Security Council I have the honour to transmit herewith the report of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1267 (1999) concerning Al-Qaida and the Taliban and associated individuals and entities (see annex), which was adopted by the Committee under the no-objection procedure on 26 January 2007 and is being submitted in accordance with the note by the President of the Security Council of 29 March 1995 (S/1995/234). I would like to underline that the report reflects the work of the Committee in 2006 under the chairmanship of my predecessor, Ambassador César Mayoral (Argentina), whom I thank for his leadership and for the considerable progress that has been achieved. (Signed) Johan Verbeke Chairman Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1267 (1999) concerning Al-Qaida and the Taliban and associated individuals and entities Annex Report of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1267 (1999) concerning Al-Qaida and the Taliban and associated individuals and entities I. Introduction 1. The purpose of the present report is to provide a factual summary of the Committee’s activities during the period from 1 January to 31 December 2006, in accordance with the transparency measures outlined by the President of the Security Council in his note of 29 March 1995 (S/1995/234). The last annual report of the Committee was submitted on 13 January 2006 (S/2006/22). II. Background information 2. Following consultations among the members of the Security Council, the Council agreed to elect the bureau of the Committee for 2006, which consisted of Ambassador César Mayoral (Argentina) as Chairman, with the delegations of Ghana and Greece providing the two Vice-Chairmen (see S/2006/66). The Committee was guided in the discharge of its mandate by Council resolution 1617 (2005) and other relevant resolutions. The Committee also benefited in its work from the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, discussed in detail in the Secretary-General’s report of 27 April 2006 (A/60/825). The Committee was assisted by the New York-based Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team, which worked under its direction. III. Summary of the activities of the Committee 3. The Committee continued its proactive approach to discharging its mandate and enhanced its role in the fight against terrorism. During the reporting period, the Committee held 3 formal meetings and continued its practice of holding informal meetings, holding 38 informal meetings at the expert level. In January and July, the Committee considered and approved its programme of work, based on Council resolution 1617 (2005), as well as the list of main pending issues to be discussed at informal meetings of the Committee. The Committee agreed to continuously update the programme of work to allow for the highest degree of flexibility in its work. Briefings given every 120 days by the Chairman of the Committee to the Security Council 4. On 21 February, Ambassador Mayoral and the Chairmen of the Security Council Committees established pursuant to resolutions 1373 (2001) and 1540 (2004) gave a joint briefing, at which he informed the Council of the current and future activities of the Committee and the Monitoring Team (S/PV.5375). The second and third joint briefings given by Ambassador Mayoral with the Chairmen of the above-mentioned Committees were held on 30 May (S/PV.5446) and 28 September (S/PV.5538), respectively. In addition, as outgoing Chairman of the Committee, Ambassador Mayoral gave a final briefing, in his personal capacity, on 20 December (S/PV.5601). Recommendations contained in the fourth and fifth reports of the Monitoring Team 5. During the opening months of 2006, the Committee, in the presence of experts of the Monitoring Team, considered in depth the recommendations contained in the Team’s fourth report, submitted on 31 January (S/2006/154, enclosure), with the aim of agreeing upon possible follow-up action to further improve the effectiveness of the Al-Qaida and Taliban sanctions regime. In September and October, the Committee considered the Team’s fifth report (S/2006/750, enclosure) in great detail. The Committee agreed with a great number of the recommendations contained in the two reports, and also identified a number of recommendations that would require further development and consideration by it, with regard to all three types of sanctions measures (arms embargo, travel ban and assets freeze). The Committee commended the Monitoring Team for the reports and submitted its position on the recommendations contained in the fourth and fifth reports to the Security Council in documents S/2006/635 and S/2006/1047, respectively. In those reports, the Committee noted that the recommendations should be brought to the attention of Member States, as they could significantly improve their implementation of the sanctions measures. Written analytical assessment pursuant to Security Council resolution 1617 (2005) 6. In order to comply with its obligation, pursuant to paragraph 17 of resolution 1617 (2005), to submit a written analytical assessment of action taken by Member States to implement sanctions measures, the Committee requested the Monitoring Team to assist it by providing a preliminary assessment of States’ compliance. Pursuant to annex I to the above resolution, the Monitoring Team submitted an update of its previous assessment (S/2005/761, annex I) on 27 October (S/2006/1046, enclosure). The Committee found it to be a valuable source of information that allowed the Committee to arrive at its own conclusions, which were reflected in its assessment (S/2006/1046, annex). The Committee submitted the assessment to the Security Council with the intention of assisting it in further improving the current sanctions measures, encouraging all States to implement the sanctions measures, providing feedback for Member States that had submitted their reports pursuant to resolution 1455 (2003) and checklists under resolution 1617 (2005) and encouraging non-reporting States to submit their reports. Exceptions under Security Council resolution 1452 (2002) 7. The Committee continued to consider notifications and requests submitted pursuant to resolution 1452 (2002) on an expedited basis. The Committee also maintained and regularly updated its list of States that have approached the Committee under the resolution. During the reporting period, the Committee received 41 communications from States seeking exceptions to the sanctions measures in accordance with subparagraphs 1 (a) or (b) of resolution 1452 (2002), an increase in comparison with 2005. Requests seeking the Committee’s confirmation of the identity of certain individuals 8. The Committee received a number of requests from States seeking assistance from the Committee in confirming the identity of certain individuals for the purpose of implementing the sanctions, in particular with regard to the assets freeze. The Committee assisted these States by providing liaison to them, through its secretariat, with designating States in the event that they might have had more identifying information than appears on the Committee’s list. The Committee intends to improve this established practice to respond more promptly and efficiently to States seeking the assistance of the Committee in this regard. Revision of the Committee’s guidelines 9. In accordance with paragraph 18 of resolution 1617 (2005), the Committee focused on revising the guidelines for the conduct of its work, in particular by addressing listing and de-listing procedures, so that the guidelines could serve as a better tool for rationalizing its own work and for providing guidance to Member States in their implementation efforts. Following intensive efforts by all of its members, in 29 November the Committee revised its working guidelines, specifically section 6 dealing with listing issues, and informed Member States accordingly (SC/8890). On 19 December, the Security Council adopted resolution 1730 (2006), regarding procedures for the removal of individuals and entities from sanctions lists. In that resolution, the Council requested the Secretary-General to establish, within the Secretariat (Security Council Subsidiary Organs Branch), an administrative focal point to receive petitions from sanctioned individuals and entities. The resolution provided the focal point with clear procedures to deal with the de-listing requests in order to ensure that petitioners get a fair hearing. Dialogue with States 10. On 30 March, the Committee issued a press release SC/8681, in which it recalled paragraph 14 of resolution 1617 (2005) and invited States to send their representatives to meet with the Committee to discuss relevant issues in greater depth. The meeting, held on 15 May, was attended by the representatives of Germany, Sweden and Switzerland, who informed the Committee about their joint efforts to increase the effectiveness of the sanctions and also referred to a paper written by the Watson Institute for International Studies dealing with the legal and political difficulties posed by sanctions targeting individuals. The presentation and subsequent discussion were useful to the Committee, in particular in connection with its preparations to revise its listing and de-listing guidelines. In this connection, the Committee and its Chairman strongly encouraged other States to benefit from the opportunity provided in resolution 1617 (2005) and to meet with the Committee to discuss any sanctions related issues. 11. On 25 April, the Committee, with a view to improving the transparency of its work, sent two notes verbales to States: one (SCA/2/06(9)) recalling resolution 1452 (2002), specifically reminded States of the exceptions provided to the sanctions regime; and the other (SCA/2/06(8)) clarified the Committee’s procedures concerning deceased individuals whose names appear on the Committee’s list. Open briefing to States 12. On 26 July, the Chairman gave a briefing to Member States at the United Nations, attended by 50 representatives, at which he informed them of new developments in the work of the Committee and invited them to seek clarification or raise any relevant sanctions-implementation issues. The briefing proved to be mutually beneficial. Improvements to the Committee’s list and its dissemination 13. The Committee continued to update its consolidated list of individuals and entities belonging to or associated with Al-Qaida and the Taliban on the basis of relevant information provided by Member States. The list continued to be the key instrument for States in enforcing and implementing the arms embargo, the travel ban and the assets freeze against listed individuals and entities. 14. During the reporting period, the Committee decided to add the names of 18 individuals and 6 entities to its consolidated list and de-listed 3 individuals. In one case, the Committee was unable to accede to a request for the de-listing of a suggested individual. A comprehensive list of listings and de-listings in 2006 is attached to the present report (see appendix). Following each update, the Committee issued a press release, circulated a note verbale and e-mailed the changes in the list to Member States. Currently, e-mails are sent to over 300 contact points provided by Member States and relevant international and regional organizations. Member States were requested to provide the Secretariat with designated contact points at their permanent missions to the United Nations in New York and at the ministry/agency principally responsible for the implementation of the sanctions measures. The Committee continues to stress the importance of having Member States supply such information if they have not already done so and update it, as necessary, since email notification allows for very prompt implementation of the sanctions measures. 15. In accordance with paragraph 19 of resolution 1526 (2004), the Secretariat continued to transmit a hard copy of the Committee’s list on a quarterly basis for the convenience of Member States. During 2006, the list was transmitted twice, in April and October (SCA/2/06(7)) and SCA/2/06(17)). 16. On 31 July, the Committee approved several technical corrections to the list, based on information provided by some States that had been reviewed and processed by the Monitoring Team. The Committee also implemented certain changes in the layout of the list on 25 July (SCA/2/06(12)), including by adding permanent reference numbers, the rendition of all names in their original language and the alphabetical reordering of the names on the Taliban section of the list. Cooperation with Interpol and other international organizations 17. Enhanced cooperation with the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) continues to provide the Committee with better tools to fulfil its mandate more efficiently and gives States more effective means to implement the sanctions measures. At the initiative of the Monitoring Team, the Committee substantively increased cooperation with Interpol. In December 2005, the Committee initiated the issuance of Interpol-Security Council special notices, and continued the practice into 2006, during which time 275 notices were issued. The notices are available to national authorities through the Interpol national central bureaux. Limited versions of the notices are also available to the public at the Interpol website (www.interpol.org). In addition, the Committee also agreed with Interpol’s proposal that it publish posters of persons wanted by Interpol who are also subject to United Nations sanctions. 18. In May, the Committee approved the proposals of the Monitoring Team aimed at strengthening cooperation with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), in particular with regard to the dissemination of mutually useful information and OSCE assistance in the implementation of sanctions measures by Member States. In October, the Committee approved similar proposals regarding cooperation with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA). The Committee is presently considering which other key international and regional organizations could contribute to its work and with which it could cooperate in ways that could assist Member States in implementing the sanctions measures. 19. On 21 February, the Chairman sent a letter to the Office of Legal Affairs expressing the Committee’s satisfaction upon learning that there were no contractual relationships between organizations of the United Nations system and listed individuals and entities. The Committee also supported the decisions of the Secretary-General to carry out a review of all relevant internal procedures with a view to developing a uniform approach to this matter. Coordination with the Counter-Terrorism Committee and the Committee established pursuant to resolution 1540 (2004) 20. On numerous occasions, the members of the Committee have highlighted the complementary functions of the three committees in the fight against international terrorism and the need for a constant exchange of information among them. In order to increase such mutual benefit, avoid possible duplication, in particular with regard to visits undertaken at the levels of Chairmen and the Monitoring Team’s experts, and increase the exchange of information before and after visits, coordination among the three committees has become a regular practice. IV. Monitoring Team 21. The programme of work of the Monitoring Team, which it submitted in January and July, received the Committee’s approval. The Monitoring Team, whose mandate under resolution 1617 (2005) expired in December 2006, continued to travel to all regions of the world, visiting 25 States in 2006, including a further visit to Afghanistan. The Team also participated in 20 international and regional conferences, which it believed promoted a better understanding of the work of the Committee, in particular the sanctions measures themselves, and thereby improved their implementation by Member States. A representative of the Team also accompanied the Chairman on his visits to selected States. 22. In addition to coordinating travel plans with the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate, in January the Team made its first joint visit with the Directorate, to the United Republic of Tanzania. The Team made three other joint visits with the Directorate, to the Philippines, India and Nigeria. In recognition of the need to coordinate its work with the Directorate whenever possible, the Team prepared a paper setting out a common strategy to deal with the States that have not yet submitted their resolution 1455 (2003) reports to the Committee or their reports to the Counter-Terrorism Committee and the Committee established pursuant to resolution 1540 (2004). The common strategy paper was jointly submitted to the three Committees by the Team, the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate and the experts supporting the Committee established pursuant to resolution 1540 (2004), which approved it. The three groups of experts are now working out the modalities for implementing the common strategy. 23. The Team also submitted several other papers at the request of the Committee, including a guide to assist States on how best to conduct effective searches of the Committee’s list and an “Explanation of terms” paper for the arms embargo (SCA/2/06(20)). Both papers will soon be made available to all States, in all six official languages of the United Nations, on the Committee’s website. 24. At the request of Member States in the respective regions, the Monitoring Team continued to organize regional meetings with the heads and deputy heads of intelligence and security services to discuss how the sanctions regime could be adapted to address changes in the threat posed by Al-Qaida-related terrorism. Since its last report, the Team held four such regional meetings; one in December 2005 and one in June 2006 to discuss general issues with heads of intelligence and security services from Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, the Libya Arab Jamahiriya, Morocco, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Yemen; one in May 2006 to discuss the threat from AlQaida-related terrorism in Somalia; and one in August 2006 to discuss the threat in the Western Sahel/sub-Saharan region. These meetings are an invaluable way to find out what is happening on the ground and to examine the changes in the threat from Al-Qaida and in its methodology. 25. As mandated under resolution 1617 (2005), the Monitoring Team submitted three reports to the Committee in 2006. The Team’s reports submitted on 31 January (S/2006/154, enclosure) and 31 July (S/2006/750, enclosure) have been thoroughly considered by the Committee, which has submitted its own position on the recommendations contained therein to the Security Council. At the request of the Committee, the Team submitted its final report under resolution 1617 (2005) on 7 November 2006 instead of 10 December 2006, as mandated under the resolution. 26. The Committee also requested the Monitoring Team to prepare a preliminary updated written assessment, under paragraph 17 of resolution 1617 (2005), of the action taken by States to implement the sanctions regime. The Team’s assessment covered the period from 1 August 2005 to 30 September 2006 and considered the six additional reports submitted by States under resolution 1455 (2003), the 54 checklists submitted pursuant to paragraph 10 of resolution 1617 (2005), including the information obtained by the Team during the Chairman’s trips and its own visits to 24 States within that period, its participation at international meetings and the regional meetings organized by the Team. The Committee has submitted its own assessment to the Security Council based on the assessment provided by the Team regarding States’ implementation of the sanctions measures and on the three nonmandatory measures contained in resolution 1617 (2005). V. Visits by the Chairman and members of the Committee to selected countries 27. Pursuant to paragraph 10 of resolution 1526 (2004) and paragraph 15 of resolution 1617 (2005), the Chairman and members of the Committee made two visits to selected States. Between 27 January and 4 February 2006, the Chairman and his delegation visited Japan and Indonesia. From 28 April to 8 May 2006, the Chairman visited Qatar, Yemen and Saudi Arabia. The outcome of the Chairman’s visits to Member States was detailed in his briefings to the Security Council (see S/PV.5375 and S/PV.5446). 28. The Chairman reported that the countries visited had made considerable progress in the struggle against Al-Qaida and the Taliban and associated individuals and entities. He had also learned that the national authorities felt that their countries’ security was intrinsically linked with international security. The Chairman was encouraged, therefore, to observe the high level of national and international coordination and cooperation evident in the countries he had visited. 29. Visits to Member States continue to provide the Committee with useful insights into how they are implementing sanctions measures. The visits also provide Member States with a direct opportunity to share successes and best practices and to articulate assistance needs and concerns with regard to the work of the Committee. 30. Based on these and previous visits, the Committee and the Security Council need to remain aware of the gap between the sanctions obligations that have been imposed and the actual capacity of a number of countries to meet them. VI. Future work of the Committee and pending issues 31. The Committee achieved steady progress in its work during 2006, in particular in addressing the concerns raised by some Member States and international organizations with regard to its listing and de-listing procedures. The Committee believes that the revision of its listing guidelines and the adoption of Security Council resolution 1730 (2006), in which the Council requested the Secretary-General to establish a focal point within the Secretariat to receive de-listing petitions, will serve not only as a much needed tool for the Committee itself but, more importantly, for Member States in their efforts to implement the sanctions more effectively. 32. The definition of the term “associated with” provided in resolution 1617 (2005) was offered to Member States to assist them in their submission of new names for listing. The Committee strongly believes that adding all associates of AlQaida and the Taliban to its list can prevent them from committing terrorist acts and may possibly spare the lives of innocent civilians. The Committee notes that not all States have availed themselves of this definition and approached the Committee with a submission of the names of individuals and entities who would fall under this category. The Committee therefore continues to emphasize the need for further submissions of new names of associates of Al-Qaida and the Taliban and for corrections to the existing data on the list so that listed individuals and entities can be targeted with more precision. To further assist Member States, the Committee provided States with a cover sheet template as a guide for listing submissions on its website. 33. The Committee also looks forward to receiving information through the checklist, pursuant to paragraph 10 of resolution 1617 (2005). The first request of the Committee to Member States to submit relevant information through the checklist was transmitted on 30 January 2006 through a note verbale (SCA/2/06(4)). Member States are strongly encouraged to submit their checklists, if they have not done so. 34. The Monitoring Team has provided support and has helped the Committee achieve progress in its work. The Committee looks forward to the continuation of this support in the future. 35. As noted above, cooperation with Interpol was significantly strengthened during the course of 2006. The Committee continues to seek new ways to ensure that implementation of the sanctions measures against Al-Qaida and the Taliban is further strengthened, including through engaging in closer cooperation with other international and regional organizations and agencies. 36. The Committee, after having introduced several improvements to its website, such as the provision of general information about the work of the Committee and information on specific sanctions related issues, intends to further improve its functionality and presentation as the site continues to be a valuable tool for Member States in implementing the relevant sanctions measures. VII. Observations and conclusions 37. The Committee believes that it can continue to play an important role in the fight against international terrorism by maintaining, updating and improving its list of individuals and entities associated with Al-Qaida and the Taliban and by effectively monitoring, with the support of the Monitoring Team, the implementation by Member States of the sanctions targeting listed individuals and entities. 38. Al-Qaida and the Taliban and their associates continue to be one of the most serious threats to international peace and security. Their activities must be effectively addressed, including through the tool of sanctions. The Committee intends to further consolidate and strengthen what it has already achieved in its work and thus to contribute to a safer and more secure world. Appendix Changes made in the consolidated list of individuals and entities belonging to or associated with Al-Qaida and the Taliban in 2006 A. Individuals added Date Name Press release 7 February Ghuma Abd’rabbah Abd Al-Rahman Al-Faqih Mohammed Benhammedi Abdulbaqi Mohammed Khaled Tahir Nasuf SC/8632 8 February 21 April Abdullah Anshori Abu Bakar Ba’asyir Gun Gun Rusman Gunawan Taufik Rifki SC/8705 25 April 31 July Abu Sufian Al-Salamabi Muhammed Ahmed Abd Al-Razziq SC/8798 2 August 2 August Ismail Mohamed Ismail Abu Shaweesh Jamal Housni Nessim Ben Romdhane Sahraoui Merai Zoghbai SC/8799 3 August 4 August Abd Al Hamid Sulaiman Al-Mujil SC/8801 4 August 7 December Najmuddin Faraj Ahmad Mohamed Moumou SC/8893 7 December 12 December Mohammed Al Ghabra SC/8902 14 December B. Entities added Date Name Press release 7 February Meadowbrook Investments Limited Ozlam Properties Limited Sanabel Relief Agency Limited Sara Properties Limited SC/8632 8 February 4 August International Islamic Relief Organization, Philippines, Branch Offices SC/8801 4 August 9 November International Islamic Relief Organization, Indonesia, Branch Office SC/8866 9 November C. Individuals removed Date Name Press release 18 January Zeinab Mansour Fattouh Mohamed Mansour SC/8613 19 January 24 August Ali Ahmed Yusaf SC/8815 24 August   sss1 \* MERGEFORMAT S/2007/59 sss1 \* MERGEFORMAT S/2007/59 FooterJN \* MERGEFORMAT 07-23117 \* MERGEFORMAT 2 \* MERGEFORMAT 3 FooterJN \* MERGEFORMAT 07-23117 United Nations S/2007/59 Security Council Distr.: General 7 February 2007 Original: English jobn \* MERGEFORMAT 07-23117 (E) 130207 Barcode \* MERGEFORMAT *0723117*