Letter dated 8 January 2008 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 containing an account of the Committee’s activities from 1 January to 31 December 2007 (see annex). The report is being submitted in accordance with the note by the President of the Security Council of 29 March 1995 (S/1995/234). I would appreciate it if the present letter and its annex were brought to the attention of members of the Security Council and issued as a document of the Council. (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 2007, 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 7 February 2007 (see S/2007/59). II. Background information 2. Following consultations among the members of the Security Council, the Council agreed to elect the Bureau of the Committee for 2007, which consisted of Ambassador Johan Verbeke (Belgium) as Chairman, with the delegations of Ghana and the Russian Federation providing the two Vice-Chairmen (see S/2007/20). The Committee was guided in the discharge of its mandate by Security Council resolutions 1730 (2006) and 1735 (2006) as well as other relevant resolutions. The Committee also benefited in its work from the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy. The Committee was assisted by the New York-based Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team, established pursuant to resolution 1526 (2004), which worked under its direction. III. Summary of the activities of the Committee 3. During 2007, the Committee continued its proactive approach to discharging its mandate and enhanced its role in the fight against Al-Qaida- and Taliban-related terrorism. One formal meeting and 30 informal meetings were convened during the reporting period. In February and July, the Committee approved its programme of work, based on the requirements outlined in Security Council resolution 1735 (2006) and on the list of pending issues before the Committee. The Committee also agreed to continuously update its programme of work to allow for flexibility and responsiveness in its work. In order to increase the efficiency of its work, the Committee conducted an assessment of the follow-up to its reports to the Council in June and undertook a stocktaking exercise in July to evaluate the implementation of resolutions 1730 (2006) and 1735 (2006). Revision of the Committee’s guidelines 4. Following the adoption of resolutions 1730 (2006) and 1735 (2006) at the end of December 2006, the Committee thoroughly revised its guidelines on 12 February 2007 in order to align them with the two new resolutions. More specifically, the Committee updated the section on de-listing (section 8) in the light of the new provisions introduced in resolution 1730 (2006) with regard to 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 listed individuals and entities. The Committee also amended the section on exemptions to the assets freeze (section 9) to bring it in line with paragraph 15 of resolution 1735 (2006), which extended the period for consideration of notifications submitted pursuant to paragraph 1 (a) of resolution 1452 (2002) from 48 hours to three working days. Committee website 5. The Committee, with the assistance of the Monitoring Team and the Secretariat, has been working on further improving its website in terms of content as well as form. The improvements are aimed at providing information in a userfriendly way, in particular with a view to better assisting Member States in their efforts to implement the relevant Security Council resolutions. New content includes the “Latest news” section, which features information on the most recent developments in the Committee’s work, and sections providing information on the procedures related to listing, de-listing and exemptions to sanctions measures. Fact sheets have also been provided to make these procedures better known and to offer greater clarity. Improvements to the consolidated list and its dissemination 6. The completeness and accuracy of the Committee’s consolidated list remain essential for the effectiveness of the sanctions measures. Over the past year, the Committee has striven to further improve the quality of the lists and this endeavour remains high on the Committee’s agenda. In total, 23 updates were made in 2007, pertaining to 349 entries. As the consolidated list belongs to the broader membership of the United Nations, the Committee relies greatly on the input and assistance of all States in achieving the objective of maintaining a list of the highest quality possible. In this context it should be noted that the first edition of the review pursuant to paragraph 6 (i) of the Committee’s guidelines was concluded in July without any change to the list. 7. As requested by the Council in resolution 1735 (2006), the Committee paid particular attention to the improvement of the Taliban section of the list. Those efforts, which were greatly facilitated by the Monitoring Team, resulted in additional identifiers being introduced in 71 entries in the Taliban section of the list. This means that half of the 142 names of the Taliban individuals currently listed were amended in 2007. The original script of the names of all Taliban individuals was also added to the entries, and, for the first time since 2001, the Committee added one individual to that section. The Committee removed the last remaining entity from the Taliban section. 8. In the Al-Qaida section of the list, the names of seven individuals were added in 2007, and improvements were made to the existing information in 112 out of the section’s 337 current entries. The Committee also decided to remove the names of 2 individuals and 12 entities from the Al-Qaida section of the list. 9. Since the focal point for de-listing became operational, the Committee has received 16 requests (from 4 individuals and 12 entities) through that process. The Committee granted de-listing to one individual and 12 entities and decided to maintain the names of the three other individuals on the list. Of the three de-listing requests submitted in 2007 through the State of residence or citizenship, the Committee has approved one, rejected one and is still considering one. 10. A comprehensive account of listings and de-listings approved in 2007 is attached to the present report (see appendix). Following each update of the list, the Committee issued a press release, circulated a note verbale and e-mailed the changes to the list to Member States. In this connection, e-mails are currently sent to more than 300 contact points provided by Member States and relevant international and regional organizations. In accordance with paragraph 19 of resolution 1526 (2004), the Secretariat also continued to transmit a hard copy of the committee’s list on a quarterly basis for the convenience of Member States. During 2007, the list was transmitted three times, in February, June and October (SCA/2/07(2), SCA/2/07(8) and SCA/2/07(22)). Pursuant to paragraph 10 of resolution 1735 (2006), the Secretariat notified, after publication but within two weeks after a name was added to the consolidated list, the Permanent Mission of the country or countries where the individual or entity was believed to be located and, in the case of individuals, the country of which the person was a national (when that information was known) of the listing of the individual or entity. The notification is to remind such State(s) to inform, to the extent possible, and in writing where possible, the individuals and entities on the consolidated list of the measures imposed on them, the reasons for the measures as included in the publicly releasable portion of the statement of case, the Committee’s guidelines, the listing and de-listing procedures contained in relevant Security Council resolutions and the provisions of resolution 1452 (2002), as revised by resolution 1735 (2006). The Secretariat included, when available, a copy of the publicly releasable portion of the statement of case with the notification. 11. With regard to the functionality of the consolidated list, the XML format has been provided in addition to the PDF and HTML formats. The Committee anticipates that the new format will enhance and facilitate the incorporation of the list into national watch lists and databases. This technical improvement should also make it easier for banks and other financial institutions, as well as relevant international organizations, to incorporate a searchable version of the list into their databases. All three formats of the list are available on the Committee’s website for downloading. Requests seeking the Committee’s confirmation of the identity of certain individuals 12. The Committee received a number of requests from States seeking its assistance 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 those States by providing them liaison, through its secretariat, with the designating State(s) in case they had more identifying information than what appeared on the Committee’s list. The Committee strove to improve this established practice by responding more promptly and efficiently to States seeking its assistance in this regard and continues to consider how it can further improve its responsibilities with regard to providing States with the required information. Exemptions to sanctions measures 13. During the reporting period, the Committee, mindful that the Council provided for exemptions to the assets freeze, including for humanitarian purposes, continued to consider notifications and requests for exemptions to the assets freeze submitted pursuant to paragraphs 1 (a) and 1 (b) of resolution 1452 (2002). The Committee’s secretariat also maintained and regularly updated the list of States that have approached the Committee pursuant to the above-mentioned resolution. In 2007, the Committee received 22 communications from States seeking exemptions to the assets freeze measures. In that connection, no negative decision has been taken by the Committee in respect of 15 notifications under paragraph 1 (a) of resolution 1452 (2002), and 5 requests under paragraph 1 (b) have been approved. 14. The Committee drafted and posted on its website a fact sheet on the general issue of exemptions to the travel ban and provided information regarding exemptions to the travel ban for religious obligations to one Member State. Committee’s position on the recommendations contained in the sixth and seventh reports of the Monitoring Team 15. In 2007, the Committee considered the sixth and seventh reports of the Monitoring Team, submitted pursuant to resolutions 1617 (2005) and 1735 (2006), respectively. In February and March, the Committee, in the presence of experts of the Monitoring Team, considered in depth the recommendations contained in the Team’s sixth report, submitted to the Committee on 7 November 2006 (see S/2007/132). The Committee’s position on the recommendations contained therein was reflected in its report to the Security Council (S/2007/229, annex) submitted on 24 April 2007. In that report, the Committee identified and commented on those recommendations from which the Committee felt Member States could benefit the most in their implementation of the sanctions measures. In November and December, the Committee considered the Team’s seventh report (see S/2007/677) and prepared a report to the Security Council to reflect its position on the recommendations contained in it. Briefings by the Chairman of the Committee to the Security Council 16. Ambassador Verbeke, together with the Chairmen of the Committees established pursuant to resolutions 1373 (2001) and 1540 (2004), which also deal with terrorism-related issues, gave two joint briefings to the Security Council in 2007, on 22 May (see S/PV.5679) and 14 November (see S/PV.5779). In his statements, given pursuant to paragraph 31 of resolution 1735 (2006), the Chairman informed the Council about the current and future activities of the Committee and the Monitoring Team. Dialogue with States 17. Pursuant to paragraph 31 of resolution 1735 (2006), in 2007 the Chairman of the Committee gave two briefings that were open to all interested Member States. On 20 July, the Chairman gave a briefing to inform them on the work of the Committee and the Monitoring Team and to present the new Committee website. The question-and-answer session gave all Member States an opportunity to raise questions and to share comments with the Chairman, as well as with the Coordinator of the Monitoring Team and with the focal point for de-listing of the United Nations Secretariat. In the briefing on 18 December, the Chairman focused on the current work of the Committee and the Monitoring Team with a view to providing more information to Member States on issues of mutual concern. The Coordinator briefly outlined the main findings of the Monitoring Team’s seventh report. In connection with this established form of mutually beneficial dialogue, the Chairman strongly encouraged non-members of the Security Council to benefit from the opportunity provided under paragraph 29 of resolution 1735 (2006) to send their representatives to meet with the Committee to discuss any sanctions-related issues. 18. In addition to notes verbales communicating to Member States the updates to the consolidated list, on 31 July the Committee issued a note verbale concerning the consolidated list and another concerning the arms embargo measure. In its note verbale on the consolidated list (SCA/2/07(11)), the Committee recalled that States that had been victims of Al-Qaida-related attacks have the possibility of requesting those identified as responsible to be added to the Committee’s consolidated list. In its note verbale on the arms embargo (SCA/2/07(12)), the Committee reminded States of its position on four recommendations pertaining to the arms embargo that were contained in the fifth (see S/2006/750) and sixth (see S/2007/132) reports of the Monitoring Team. Visits by the Chairman to selected countries 19. Pursuant to paragraph 30 of resolution 1735 (2006), the Chairman undertook two visits to selected States in 2007. The first took him to Ethiopia, Djibouti and Kenya (30 June-7 July) and the second to Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan (26 October-4 November). Oral and written reports were provided to the Committee upon his return. The outcome of the Chairman’s visits to Member States was highlighted in his briefing to the Security Council on 14 November (see S/PV.5779) and in two press releases that can be found on the Committee’s website (SC/9092 and SC/9182). 20. In his briefing to the Council, the Chairman reported on the value of such visits, as they provide for a unique opportunity to update Member States directly on the latest developments in the work of the Committee and at the same time allow him to listen to the suggestions and concerns of Member States that are on the front line in the implementation of the sanction measures imposed by the Council. The Chairman also noted that, although the commitment of States to address the threat posed by Al-Qaida- and Taliban-related terrorism is quite strong, these States still need to develop a better understanding of all the potential the Al-Qaida and Taliban sanctions regime can offer to assist them in their fight against terrorism. Coordination with the Counter-Terrorism Committee and the Committee established pursuant to resolution 1540 (2004) and their respective expert groups 21. 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. During the joint briefing to the Security Council on 14 November, Ambassador Verbeke made a joint introductory statement on behalf of the three Chairmen, in which he provided information on the cooperation between the three Committees and the respective expert groups. A concrete example of this cooperation is the common strategy for non- and latereporting States and its implementation through joint workshops held in cooperation with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in Dakar and Gaborone in September and November 2007, respectively. The Monitoring Team and the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate also made four joint visits in 2007. Cooperation with the International Criminal Police Organization and other international organizations 22. 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 sanctions measures. In the past year, the Committee further increased its cooperation with INTERPOL. In April, it approved a revised action plan regarding INTERPOL-United Nations Security Council special notices, which established an operational framework for joint notices for entities on the Committee’s list, in addition to the existing notices for individuals. All notices are available to national authorities through the Interpol National Central Bureau. Limited versions of the notices are also available to the public on the INTERPOL website. IV. Monitoring Team 23. The six-monthly programmes of work submitted by the Monitoring Team in January and July were both approved by the Committee. The Monitoring Team, whose mandate was renewed under resolution 1735 (2006) for another 18 months, continued to travel to all regions of the world, visiting 15 States in 2007 (11 on its own and 4 with the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate), including a fourth visit to Afghanistan. An expert of the Team also accompanied the Chairman on his two visits to selected States in the past year. The Team maintained close cooperation with international and regional organizations, and visited the offices of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the World Customs Organization, the International Air Transport Association, the International Civil Aviation Organization, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, INTERPOL and the European Union. The Team also participated in 33 international and regional conferences, which promoted a better understanding of the work of the Committee, in particular of the sanctions measures themselves, and thereby improved their implementation by Member States. 24. In addition to coordinating travel plans with the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate, the Team made joint visits with it to Bangladesh, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Indonesia and Turkey. Such joint visits have helped reduce the confusion on the part of some States regarding the different mandates of the Committee established pursuant to resolution 1267 (1999) and the Counter-Terrorism Committee and their respective expert groups. 25. Recognizing the particular need to coordinate its work with the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate and other relevant bodies in areas where States may feel overburdened by requests for information from the Security Council, the Team developed a common strategy with the Executive Directorate and the experts who support the Committee established pursuant to resolution 1540 (2004) to address the problems faced by States that are yet to submit reports required by the three Committees. Working with the Terrorism Prevention Branch of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime as facilitator, the three expert groups have organized a number of subregional workshops for national officials who are involved in the implementation of the relevant Security Council resolutions or are responsible for writing reports to the three Committees. The first workshop was held in Dakar in September 2007 for 23 West and Central African States; the second was held in Gaborone in November 2007 for 16 Southern African States; and a third is being planned for the remaining 14 North and East African States. Other aspects of the common strategy include similar proposals for States in Asia and the Pacific and in Latin America and the Caribbean. 26. In addition to its reports on its trips, the Team submitted some 15 papers in response to requests from the Committee. These covered issues such as Member States’ reporting strategies; listed individuals believed to have died; exemptions to the travel ban; cooperation with INTERPOL; humanitarian exemptions; possible cases of non-compliance; the views of the private financial sector towards the sanctions regime; the checklist; working with international and regional organizations; the use of the Internet for terrorist purposes; and a table of Member State experiences in implementing the sanctions. The Team also greatly assisted the Committee in enhancing its website. 27. The Team has devoted much effort to improving the consolidated list. It encouraged Member States to submit additional identifiers and other useful information, and as a result was able to submit no fewer than 347 proposed amendments to existing entries on the list, which have so far resulted in 324 changes being approved. 28. At the request of the Council, 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. The Team held three such regional meetings in 2007. It held its fifth meeting for the heads and deputy heads of intelligence and security services from Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Morocco, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Yemen in February 2007, and in the same month convened its first regional meeting of five States in South-East Asia: Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. In November it held its second regional meeting on Somalia, which was attended by Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Saudi Arabia, the Sudan (host country), the United Arab Emirates, the United Republic of Tanzania and Yemen. In February it held its first meeting of financial institutions in the private sector to discuss issues concerning implementation of the assets freeze. Such meetings have proved to be 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. 29. As mandated under resolutions 1617 (2005) and 1735 (2006), the Monitoring Team submitted two reports to the Committee, in November 2006 and September 2007. Those reports contained many useful suggestions for improving the effectiveness of the sanctions regime and have been thoroughly considered by the Committee, which has reported its own position on the recommendations contained therein to the Security Council. 30. The Monitoring Team has assisted the Committee in achieving progress in its work through high-quality reporting on sanctions implementation on the ground, and constantly provides valuable input to the Committee’s work by outlining and analysing issues that the Committee will need to address in the future. The Committee looks forward to the continuation of this highly professional support. V. Current issues and future work of the Committee 31. The Committee achieved tangible progress in its work during 2007, particularly in improving the quality of the consolidated list and in strengthening its outreach to Member States. The Committee fully realizes that a transparent and frank dialogue between the Committee and Member States is vital for achieving the full implementation of the sanctions measures. 32. The Committee is committed to further improving its procedures with a view to addressing outstanding relevant issues that could further improve sanctions implementation. 33. While recognizing their own responsibility with regard to updating the consolidated list, the members of the Committee encourage all States to continue to submit names of individuals and entities that are associated with Al-Qaida, Osama bin Laden and the Taliban, and to provide additional identifiers for the existing names on the list. States now have a template cover sheet as a guide for listing submissions at their disposal on the Committee’s website. The Committee will continue to pay the utmost attention to expanding existing data on the list and relies on assistance from Member States and the Monitoring Team in this regard. 34. Although the Committee believes that the most effective means of dialogue with Member States is direct contacts, including country visits by either the Monitoring Team or the Chairman, States are invited to provide the Committee with information regarding their implementation efforts, and in particular challenges they have encountered, by any other means they deem appropriate. This would allow the Committee to continue developing tools to assist States in the implementation of their obligations under the relevant resolutions. 35. Pursuant to paragraph 21 of resolution 1735 (2006), the Committee has started and will continue its work on the identification of possible cases of noncompliance based on a background paper prepared by the Monitoring Team. The Committee has developed a methodology to identify possible cases of non-compliance, to gather additional information if needed and to take action on specific cases. The Committee also agreed to develop specific and general recommendations derived from this empirical analysis on what could be done to prevent the occurrence of such cases, including by identifying the difficulties faced by States in implementing the sanctions. The overall objective of this exercise is to improve the effectiveness of the sanctions regime. The Committee intends to forward to the Security Council its findings once the discussion in the Committee has been concluded. 36. The Committee has also started an in-depth discussion on how to limit and reduce the number of pending issues. In addition, the Committee will further discuss issues such as the criminal misuse of the Internet and the involvement of banks and financial institutions in the effective implementation of sanctions. 37. The Committee is resolved to further deepen its cooperation with the Counter-Terrorism Committee and the Committee established pursuant to resolution 1540 (2004), especially through enhanced information-sharing and coordinated country visits. As noted above, the cooperation of the Committee with INTERPOL was strengthened during 2007. The Committee intends to further enhance this cooperation by issuing special notices on listed entities. The Committee is also committed to engaging further with other international and regional organizations and agencies. VI. Observations and conclusions 38. Al-Qaida and the Taliban, as well as their associates, continue to be one of the most serious threats to international peace and security. Violent terrorist acts undermine stability around the world, and the changing nature of the threat is a matter of growing concern. The Committee, by maintaining, updating and improving its consolidated list of individuals and entities associated with Al-Qaida and the Taliban, and by effectively monitoring the implementation by Member States of the sanctions targeting listed individuals and entities, plays a crucial role in the United Nations counter-terrorism efforts. The Committee is firmly resolved to continuously carry out the responsibilities entrusted to it, in cooperation with Member States. 39. In the fight against terrorism, sanctions offer the international community a powerful tool of deterrence and prevention at the same time. The Committee intends to further consolidate and strengthen, with the assistance of all Member States, what has already been achieved in its work and thus contribute to making the world a more secure place. Appendix Additions to and removals from the consolidated list of individuals and entities belonging to or associated with Al-Qaida and the Taliban in 2007 A. Individuals added Date Name Press release 8 June Salem Nor Eldin Amohamed al-Dabski (QI.A.231.07.) Said Youssef Ali Abu Aziza (QI.A.230.07.) Aly Soliman Massoud Abdul Sayed (QI.A.229.07.) SC/9046, 14 June 27 August Abdelmalek Droukdel (QI.D.232.07.) SC/9107, 28 August 13 September Sirajuddin Jallaloudine Haqqani (TI.H.144.07.) SC/9116, 14 September 9 October Fahd Muhammad ‘Abd al-‘Aziz al-Khashiban (QI.A.233.07.) Abdul Rahim Al-Talhi (QI.A.234.07.) Muhammad ‘Abdallah Salih Sughayr (QI.S.235.07.) SC/9140, 11 October B. Individuals removed Date Name Press release 17 September Lokman Amin Mohammed (QI.M.207.05.) SC/9120, 19 September 14 November Ahmed Idris Nasreddin (QI.N.66.02.) SC/9172, 15 November C. Entities removed Date Name Press release 1 August De Afghanistan Momtaz Bank (TE.D.7.00.) SC/9099, 17 August 14 November Akida Bank Private Limited (QE.A.74.02.) Akida Investment Co. Ltd. (QE.A.75.02.) Gulf Center S.R.L. (QE.G.77.02.) Miga-Malaysian Swiss, Gulf and African Chamber (QE.M.78.02.) Hotel Nasco (QE.H.80.02.) Nasco Nasreddin Holding A.S. (QE.N.81.02.) Nascoservice S.R.L. (QE.N.82.02.) Nascotex S.A (QE.N.83.02.) Nasreddin Company Nasco Sas Di Ahmed Idris Nasreddin EC (QE.N.84.02.) Nasreddin Foundation (QE.N.85.02.) Nasreddin Group International Holding Limited (QE.N.86.02.) Nasreddin International Group Limited Holding (QE.N.87.02.) SC/9172, 15 November The focal point became operational on 30 March 2007. http://www.un.org/sc/committees/1267/index.shtml. This figure includes entries that were added, removed, amended or otherwise changed. http://www.interpol.int/Public/NoticesUN/Default.asp. __________________ __________________  sss1 \* MERGEFORMAT S/2008/25 sss1 \* MERGEFORMAT S/2008/25 FooterJN \* MERGEFORMAT 08-21018 \* MERGEFORMAT 2 \* MERGEFORMAT 11 FooterJN \* MERGEFORMAT 08-21018 United Nations S/2008/25 Security Council Distr.: General 17 January 2008 Original: English jobn \* MERGEFORMAT 08-21018 (E) 300108 Barcode \* MERGEFORMAT *0821018*