Letter dated 31 December 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 2008 (see annex). The report is being submitted in accordance with the note by the President of the Security Council dated 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) Jan Grauls 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 2008 in accordance with the transparency measures outlined by the President of the Security Council in his note dated 29 March 1995 (S/1995/234). The previous annual report of the Committee was submitted on 8 January 2008 (S/2008/25). II. Background information 2. Following consultations among the members of the Security Council, the Council agreed to elect the Bureau of the Committee for 2008, which consisted of Ambassador Johan Verbeke (Belgium) as Chairman, with the delegations of Burkina Faso and the Russian Federation providing the two Vice-Chairmen (see S/2008/2). On 4 June 2008, Ambassador Jan Grauls (Belgium) succeeded Ambassador Verbeke as Chairman. The Committee was guided in the discharge of its mandate by Security Council resolutions 1735 (2006) and 1822 (2008), as well as other relevant resolutions. The Committee also benefited in its work from the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy (General Assembly resolution 60/288) and the review of its implementation that took place on 4 and 5 September 2008 (Assembly resolution 62/272). The Committee was assisted by the New York-based Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team, established pursuant to resolution 1526 (2004) and extended by resolution 1822 (2008), which worked under its direction. III. Summary of the activities of the Committee 3. During 2008, the Committee continued its proactive approach to discharging its mandate and enhanced its role in countering Al-Qaida- and Taliban-related terrorism. Three formal and thirty-two informal meetings were convened during the reporting period. In February and July, the Committee approved its programmes of work, based on the requirements outlined in Security Council resolutions 1735 (2006) and 1822 (2008), taking into account the 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. 4. The first half of the year was dedicated mainly to following up on the Committee’s report reflecting its position on the recommendations contained in the seventh report of the Monitoring Team (S/2008/16, annex) and the consideration of the eighth report of the Monitoring Team (S/2008/324, annex). The work of the Committee in the second half of 2008 focused mainly on the follow-up to Security Council resolution 1822 (2008), which was adopted on 30 June 2008. Concrete tasks before the Committee included the revision of its guidelines as well as the development of concrete modalities for conducting reviews pursuant to paragraphs 22, 25 and 26 of resolution 1822 (2008) and for making accessible on the Committee’s website narrative summaries of reasons for including all entries on the consolidated list, pursuant to paragraph 13 of resolution 1822 (2008). Improvements to the consolidated list and its dissemination 5. Keeping the consolidated list of individuals and entities that are subject to sanctions measures as up to date and accurate as possible remains one of the Committee’s central objectives and is essential for the effective implementation of the sanctions measures by Member States. Provisions to this effect were included by the Security Council in its resolution 1822 (2008), inter alia, in paragraphs 22, 24, 25 and 26 and paragraph (l) of the annex. 6. In total, the consolidated list was updated 25 times in 2008. By the end of the year, 507 individuals and entities were included on the list. The Committee decided to add 31 individuals and 1 entity to the consolidated list over the course of the year, compared with 8 individuals in 2007. Changes were approved with regard to 289 existing entries on the list. Two entries in the section entitled “Entities and other groups and undertakings associated with Al-Qaida” referring to the same entity have been merged into one entry. The Committee granted de-listing to three individuals, including one who was deceased. Out of the three names removed from the consolidated list, one request had been submitted through the focal point for the listing and two through the State of residence or nationality. Seven de-listing requests, three of which had been submitted through the focal point process, could not be acceded to in 2008. An account of listings and de-listings approved by the Committee in 2008 is attached to the present report (see appendix). 7. The Committee conducted the last round of reviews pursuant to section 6, paragraph (i), of its previous guidelines, with a view to possibly amending entries on the list that have not been updated in four or more years. A total of 38 names on the list were selected for review in 2008. After the completion of the review in 2008, the Committee will be reviewing the names on the consolidated list pursuant to paragraphs 22, 25 and 26 of resolution 1822 (2008) in accordance with the modalities set out in section 9 of the Committee’s revised guidelines. 8. The Committee continues to issue a press release, transmit a note verbale and send a notification to contact points in permanent missions in New York and in national capitals by e-mail following each update of the list. The Committee was encouraged by the interest of Member States in intensifying communication with the Committee, which was illustrated by a near doubling of the Committee’s contact points, from 300 by the end of 2007 to more than 550 by the end of 2008. The Committee also decided to standardize the language of the notes verbales that are used to convey updates to the list so as to avoid, where possible, time-consuming translation prior to their transmittal. In accordance with paragraph 19 of resolution 1526 (2004), the Secretariat also continued to transmit a hard copy of the consolidated list on a quarterly basis for the convenience of Member States. During 2008, the list was transmitted four times, on 29 February, 30 June, 29 September and 30 December (SCA/2/08(6), SCA/2/08(12), SCA/2/08(27) and SCA/2/08(37)). 9. Pursuant to paragraphs 15 and 23 of resolution 1822 (2008), the Committee’s secretariat notifies, within one week after a name is added to or removed from the consolidated list, the permanent mission of the country or countries where the concerned individual or entity is believed to be located and, in the case of individuals, the country of which the person is a national, of the listing or de-listing of the individual or entity. This notification reminds relevant States that they are required to take, in accordance with their domestic laws and practices, all possible measures to notify or inform in a timely manner the concerned individuals and entities of the Committee’s decision to add them to or remove them from the consolidated list, as well as provide them with relevant information. 10. In connection with the Committee’s consideration of ways to further improve its de-listing procedures, a standard form for de-listing has been developed and is available in the de-listing section of the Committee’s website. The de-listing form is an optional tool that can be used either by a petitioner to submit a de-listing request to the focal point or by a State to submit a de-listing request to the Committee. 11. In February, the Committee decided to separate former section E (de-listed individuals and entities) from the consolidated list because some States had reportedly encountered legal and other difficulties in incorporating this section of the list into their national databases. For future reference, the names of the de-listed individuals and entities can now be found in the de-listing section of the Committee’s website. 12. In follow-up to the eighth report of the Monitoring Team, the Committee requested the Team to propose a new format for the consolidated list. Following broad consultations, the Team presented an initial proposal to the members of the Committee in December; a final version will be submitted in 2009. The aim is to improve the presentation of the list to assist in searches and in the positive identification of the listed individuals and entities and to provide hyperlinks to the narrative summaries of the reasons for listing and to International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL)-Security Council special notices for each name, where they exist. The proposal will also include a new cover sheet for the Committee’s consideration, in accordance with paragraph 14 of resolution 1822 (2008). Revision of the Committee’s guidelines 13. Pursuant to paragraphs 28 and 29 of resolution 1822 (2008), the Committee conducted a thorough review of its guidelines in order to align them with the new provisions of the resolution. Several sections of the guidelines have been restructured, and substantive changes have been introduced, in particular in the sections on the consolidated list (sect. 5), listing (sect. 6), de-listing (sect. 7) and updating (sect. 8). Moreover, two new sections have been developed: one describing the procedures for conducting the review of the consolidated list pursuant to paragraphs 22, 25 and 26 of resolution 1822 (2008) (sect. 9) and the other detailing the procedure for considering requests for exemptions from the travel ban (sect. 11). 14. The updated guidelines, approved on 9 December 2008, will be made available on the Committee’s website in the six official languages of the United Nations and will also be transmitted to all Member States in January 2009. Reviews pursuant to paragraphs 22, 25 and 26 of resolution 1822 (2008) 15. While implementing the provisions of resolution 1822 (2008) pertaining to the Committee and its work, the Committee has devoted a great deal of attention to developing the concrete modalities of the comprehensive review of all names on the consolidated list by 30 June 2010, pursuant to paragraph 25 of resolution 1822 (2008). After thorough consideration, the Committee adopted, on 9 December 2008, a new section of its guidelines (sect. 9) that details the procedure for conducting this review. Pursuant to that section, every quarter the Committee will initiate the review of a subset of names on the consolidated list by circulating them to the designating State or States and the State or States of residence and/or nationality. The entire review pertains to 489 names on the consolidated list. The agreed procedure provides a role not only for the designating States and the States of residence and nationality, but also for the Committee members. 16. The annual review of names that have not been reviewed in three or more years, to be conducted upon the completion of the above-mentioned comprehensive review pursuant to paragraph 26 of resolution 1822 (2008), as well as the annual review of names on the consolidated list of individuals reported to be deceased pursuant to paragraph 22 of the resolution, will be conducted according to the procedure set out in section 9, paragraph (a) of the guidelines. The three reviews pursuant to paragraphs 22, 25 and 26 of resolution 1822 (2008) replace the review pursuant to section 6, paragraph (i), of the previous version of the guidelines. Narrative summaries of reasons for listing pursuant to paragraph 13 of resolution 1822 (2008) 17. The Committee, on 10 December 2008, agreed on the concrete modalities for making accessible on the Committee’s website narrative summaries of the reasons for listing for all entries in the consolidated list, pursuant to paragraph 13 of resolution 1822 (2008). Making the summaries accessible to the public will contribute a great deal to the further improvement of transparency and to addressing challenges to measures implemented by Member States in accordance with the provisions of paragraph 1 of the resolution. 18. The narrative summaries will be based on information available to the designating State or States and/or members of the Committee at the time of the listing. It will also include the date of the listing, the basis for the listing according to relevant resolutions and, as appropriate, any other relevant information available after the date of the listing that would be provided at the time of the review of the name pursuant to paragraph 25 of resolution 1822 (2008), and the names and reference numbers of other entries on the list associated with the listed party. 19. In accordance with the modalities agreed upon by the Committee, the narrative summaries of reasons for the listing of individuals and entities whose names were added to the consolidated list following the adoption of resolution 1822 (2008) are being made available on the Committee’s website. For future listings, it is the intention of the Committee to post the corresponding narrative summary on its website at the time the consolidated list is updated to allow Member States receiving a notification after a listing pursuant to paragraph 15 of the resolution to include the summary when notifying or informing the listed parties of their designation pursuant to paragraph 17 of the resolution. 20. Following the ruling of the European Court of Justice in the Qadi and Barakaat cases on 3 September 2008, and at the request of the Presidency of the European Union, the Committee provided, on 21 October 2008, on a non-precedent basis, the narrative summaries of reasons for the listing of Yasin Abdullah Ezzedine Qadi (QI.Q.22.01) and the Barakaat International Foundation (QE.B.39.01). Identification of possible cases of non-compliance 21. Pursuant to paragraph 21 of resolution 1735 (2006) and paragraph 32 of resolution 1822 (2008), the Committee continued its discussion on the identification of and follow-up to possible cases of non-compliance with the sanctions measures, on the basis of a background paper submitted by the Monitoring Team in 2007. With the objective of improving the effectiveness and the implementation of the sanctions regime, the Committee (a) discussed each possible case of noncompliance mentioned in the Monitoring Team’s paper and (b) derived horizontal recommendations from this empirical analysis aimed at preventing the occurrence of such cases. Action taken by the Committee on specific cases included the gathering of additional information, informal démarches by the Chairman with permanent representatives, engagement by the Monitoring Team and subsequent reporting to the Committee and letters to the concerned States. The Chairman reported to the Security Council on the Committee’s consideration of this matter in a briefing held on 24 April 2008. A follow-up discussion on the actions taken by the Committee in the second quarter was held on 1 December 2008. Identifying possible cases of noncompliance constitutes an ongoing exercise, and the Committee will continuously follow up on them. Committee website 22. The Committee, with the assistance of the Monitoring Team and the secretariat, has continued to work on further improving both the content and the functionality of its website. 23. In March, the Committee decided to revise the introduction page of its consolidated list, as well as the document on guidance for conducting effective searches of the list. This revision was introduced following the addition of the consolidated list in XML format to the Committee’s website in November 2007, the above-mentioned separation of section E from the list and other technical issues. 24. Following the adoption of resolution 1822 (2008), the Committee updated its website to bring the relevant references and content in line with that resolution. The Committee has thus updated, as necessary, its guidelines, all fact sheets and the general information available on the website with a view to reflecting the provisions of the resolution. 25. Additional documents have also been posted on the Committee’s website to assist Member States in implementing their obligations. In June, two new tools were approved by the Committee to facilitate the provision of information by States on steps they have taken to implement the sanctions measures. These were the annual statements of information on updates to the consolidated list, which is intended as an annual reminder to Member States of all changes to the consolidated list in the preceding year, and the voluntary national assessment of implementation survey to help Member States to provide the Committee with necessary information on their implementation efforts. Both documents have been posted on the Committee’s website in the six official languages of the United Nations. These tools can also be useful for the States of nationality and residence that are encouraged to inform the Committee of the steps they have taken to implement the measures and with regard to notifications pursuant to paragraph 17 of resolution 1822 (2008). 26. In the third quarter, papers on explanation of terms were finalized, and they will be made available in the “useful papers” section of the website. Such papers were developed for the assets freeze and the travel ban, and the paper on the arms embargo, which was developed in 2006, has been updated. 27. In 2008, the Committee decided to enhance the user-friendliness of its website through simplification of the structure and the introduction of a site map. Those enhancements and an e-mail alert function will be added shortly. The alert function will allow users of the website to subscribe to press releases issued by the Committee in connection with updates of the consolidated list and other significant events. All interested users are encouraged to sign up for the e-mail alert function, which will be available on the Committee’s website. Requests seeking the Committee’s confirmation of the identity of certain individuals 28. The Committee continues to receive requests from States seeking assistance from the Committee in confirming the identity of certain individuals or entities for the purpose of implementing the sanctions measures, in particular with regard to the assets freeze. The Committee systematically assisted those States by contacting the relevant designating States and providing liaison, through its Secretariat, with the designating States in the event that they might have had more identifying information than that which appears on the Committee’s consolidated list. During the reporting period, the Committee received four such requests, pertaining to 44 individuals in total. Exemptions to the sanctions measures 29. 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 submitted pursuant to paragraph 1 of resolution 1452 (2002). The Committee’s secretariat also maintained and regularly updated the list of States that had approached the Committee pursuant to the above-mentioned resolution. In 2008, the Committee received 21 communications from States seeking exemptions to the assets freeze measures. No negative decision has been taken by the Committee in respect of 20 notifications pursuant to paragraph 1 (a) of resolution 1452 (2002), and 1 request pursuant to paragraph 1 (b) has been approved. In two cases, authorities requesting an exemption to the assets freeze were invited to provide further information in connection with the respective notification. 30. The Committee developed procedures, described in section 11 of its guidelines, for the consideration of requests for exemptions from the travel ban. During the reporting period, no such request was received by the Committee. Committee’s position on the recommendations contained in the seventh and eighth reports of the Monitoring Team 31. On 8 January, the Committee transmitted to the Security Council a report (S/2008/16, annex) reflecting its position on the recommendations contained in the seventh report of the Monitoring Team (S/2007/677). In May and June the Committee, in the presence of experts of the Monitoring Team, considered in depth the recommendations contained in the Team’s eighth report, submitted to the Committee on 31 March 2008 (S/2008/324), pursuant to resolution 1735 (2006). The Committee’s position on the recommendations contained therein was reflected in its report to the Security Council (S/2008/408) submitted on 18 June 2008. In that report, the Committee highlighted those recommendations that it believed to be of particular relevance for the Council in its consideration of ways to strengthen the existing sanctions regime. Several of the recommendations were reflected in resolution 1822 (2008). Briefings by the Chairman of the Committee to the Security Council 32. The Chairman, together with the Chairmen of the Committees established pursuant to resolutions 1373 (2001) and 1540 (2004), which also deal with counter-terrorism issues, gave two joint briefings to the Security Council in 2008. The briefings were held on 6 May (see S/PV.5886) and 12 November (see S/PV.6015). In his statements, made pursuant to paragraph 31 of resolution 1735 (2006) and paragraph 38 of resolution 1822 (2008), respectively, the Chairman informed the Council about the current and future activities of the Committee and the Monitoring Team. The briefing held on 12 November 2008 focused mainly on progress made by the Committee in implementing those paragraphs of resolution 1822 (2008) pertaining to the Committee and its work. 33. As indicated in paragraph 21 above, the Chairman, pursuant to paragraph 21 of resolution 1735 (2006), reported to the Security Council in close consultations held on 24 April, on the Committee’s consideration of the issue of the identification of possible cases of non-compliance. Dialogue with States and outreach 34. Pursuant to paragraphs 31 of resolution 1735 (2006) and 38 of resolution 1822 (2008), the Chairman gave two briefings, on 21 July and 11 December, which were open to all interested Member States. The Chairman was encouraged by the great interest Member States demonstrated in both cases in the work of the Committee, illustrated, in particular, by the number of delegations participating in the briefings and by the number of questions asked by participating delegations. In his briefing on 21 July, the Chairman focused on the main elements of resolution 1822 (2008), which had been adopted three weeks earlier, while in his briefing held on 11 December 2008 he focused primarily on the implementation of the new provisions introduced in the resolution, in particular the review and the narrative summaries of reasons for listing, as set out in paragraphs 25 and 13, respectively, of the resolution. The question-and-answer sessions of the two briefings gave all Member States an opportunity to raise questions and share comments with the Chairman and the Monitoring Team. 35. On 5 May 2008, the Committee met for a more in-depth discussion on relevant issues with representatives of Denmark, Liechtenstein, Sweden and Switzerland pursuant to paragraph 29 of resolution 1735 (2006). The Committee had an interesting exchange of ideas and viewpoints with the representatives of the four countries, and, as always, it continues to encourage Member States to send representatives to meet the Committee for such interaction. The Committee would also like to reiterate the invitation to Member States to give briefings on their efforts to implement the measures, including any challenges that may hinder their full implementation. 36. As mentioned in paragraph 25 above, the Committee in June introduced a new tool entitled “annual statement of information”, which is intended to facilitate the provision of information from Member States to the Committee regarding all changes made to the consolidated list in the preceding year. The statement was introduced in accordance with paragraph 9 of resolution 1735 (2006), in which the Council directed the Committee to encourage States to submit additional identifying and other information on listed individuals and entities, including updates on assets frozen and the movement of listed individuals, as such information becomes available. The statement is thus intended to serve as a reminder to States to take the necessary action on such changes. The annual statement of information has been posted on the Committee’s website. Member States are encouraged to use the new tool, on a purely voluntary basis. 37. On 20 October, the Committee met with Martin Scheinin, Special Rapporteur of the Human Rights Council on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism. Mr. Scheinin and the Committee had a constructive exchange of views on issues related to the fairness and clearness of the Committee’s procedures, in particular as far as listing and de-listing are concerned. Visits by the Chairman to selected countries 38. Pursuant to paragraph 30 of resolution 1735 (2006), the Chairman undertook visits to Mauritania, Senegal and Mali (29 March-5 April). 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 6 May (see S/PV.5886) and in a press release, which can be found on the Committee’s website (SC/9322). 39. Such visits provide a unique opportunity to update Member States directly on the latest developments in the work of the Committee and at the same time allow the Chairman to report to the Committee the suggestions and concerns of Member States, which are in the front line of implementing the sanctions measures imposed by the Security Council. Coordination with the Counter-Terrorism Committee and the Committee established pursuant to resolution 1540 (2004) and their respective expert groups 40. On numerous occasions, the members of the Committee have highlighted the complementary functions of the Al-Qaida and Taliban sanctions committee, the Counter-Terrorism Committee and the Committee established pursuant to resolution 1540 (2004) in countering international terrorism and the need for a constant exchange of information between the three Committees. During the joint briefings to the Security Council on 6 May and 12 November, a common message on cooperation and coordination among the Committees and their expert groups was read out on behalf of the three Chairmen. On the occasion of the 6 May briefing, a comparative table providing information on the distinct and complementary mandates of the three Committees and their respective expert groups was issued and posted on the websites of the three Committees. An updated version of that table was provided at the 12 November briefing. 41. A further example of their cooperation is the completion of a series of workshops held in Africa in furtherance of the common strategy agreed by the three Committees to help non-reporting and late-reporting States to meet their reporting requirements. The Monitoring Team and the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate made four joint visits during the year, and the Monitoring Team also made its first joint trip with the experts supporting the Committee established pursuant to resolution 1540 (2004). 42. Pursuant to paragraph 35 of resolution 1822 (2008), the Monitoring Team is working closely with the other two expert groups to develop a common approach to engaging with international, regional and subregional organizations and relevant United Nations agencies and entities so as to assist States more efficiently and to minimize overlap and duplication. The three expert groups will be jointly submitting their proposals on the modalities for such coordination and cooperation to the three Committees. Cooperation with international and regional organizations and agencies 43. In the past year, the Committee has also continued to develop its cooperation with international and regional organizations and agencies, mainly through the Monitoring Team (see also para. 49). Additional proposals for cooperation have been approved by the Committee. In order to provide such organizations with a better idea of its work and mandate, the Committee approved an information package in July and the Monitoring Team subsequently transmitted it to eight organizations and agencies for dissemination to their respective memberships. 44. On 21 April, Jean-Paul Laborde, Chief of the Terrorism Prevention Branch of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, briefed the Committee on the work of the Office. 45. On 16 May, INTERPOL published the first batch of INTERPOL-Security Council special notices for entities included in the Committee’s consolidated list. INTERPOL and the Committee have cooperated on notices for individuals since 2005. As at 31 December, there were 310 special notices for listed individuals and 20 for listed entities. The issuance of special notices for entities is part of ongoing cooperation efforts between INTERPOL and the United Nations and serves, inter alia, to assist Member States in implementing the relevant sanctions measures. The special notices are thus distributed to all 187 member countries of INTERPOL with the objective of alerting national law enforcement agencies that an assets freeze, a travel ban and an arms embargo are in place with regard to the targeted individuals and entities. IV. Monitoring Team 46. The Monitoring Team, whose mandate was extended under resolution 1822 (2008) for 18 months, submitted its semi-annual programmes of work in January and July, both of which were approved by the Committee. The Team continued to travel to all regions of the world, visiting 26 States by the end of the year, 22 on its own and 4 with the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate; it also attended a workshop organized by the Office for Disarmament Affairs and the expert group of the Committee established pursuant to resolution 1540 (2004). A member of the Team accompanied the Chairman on his visit to three States in the first quarter of 2008. The Team also conducted sanctions workshops in five States, at their request, to help relevant officials at all levels improve their implementation of the measures. 47. These individual trips and the Team’s joint visits with the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate also helped to reduce the confusion that some States have regarding the different mandates of the Al-Qaida and Taliban sanctions committee and the Counter-Terrorism Committee and their respective expert groups. 48. Recognizing the particular need to coordinate its work with the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate and other relevant bodies, especially in areas where States may feel overburdened by requests for information from the Security Council, the Team continued to develop and implement, with the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate and the expert group of the Committee established pursuant to resolution 1540 (2004), a common strategy to address problems faced by States that owe reports to the three Committees. With the Terrorism Prevention Branch of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime as facilitator, the three expert groups held a further workshop in Africa for national officials involved in the implementation of relevant Security Council resolutions or responsible for writing reports to the three Committees. This completed the programme of workshops for the Group of African States, and the Team is now planning with its partners to hold similar workshops for the Asia and Pacific and Latin American and Caribbean groups. 49. The Team maintained close cooperation with international and regional organizations and held meetings with the Organization of American States, the International Maritime Organization, the Financial Action Task Force, the World Bank, INTERPOL, the European Union, and the African Union Centre for the Study and Research of Terrorism. The Team also participated in 32 international and regional conferences, where it was able to promote a better understanding of the sanctions regime and the work of the Committee. 50. In addition to reports following its trips, the Team submitted 18 papers to the Committee in response to specific requests. They covered issues such as deceased individuals on the consolidated list; the scope of listings for entities; a paper on explanation of terms for each of the three sanctions measures; a paper on working with international and regional organizations and an associated information package; the criminal misuse of the Internet for terrorist purposes; new tools for the use of Member States such as a voluntary national assessment survey; and a modalities paper for making accessible narrative summaries of reasons for listing pursuant to paragraph 13 of resolution 1822 (2008). The Team also assisted the Committee in making improvements to its website. The Team started to prepare, for the Committee’s consideration, draft narrative summaries of reasons for listing in coordination with the relevant designating States, pursuant to paragraph 13 of resolution 1822 (2008). 51. The Team continued to work with Member States to improve the quality of the consolidated list and as a result was able to submit new information that led to 279 updates to existing entries. 52. The Team held its fifth meeting for heads and deputy heads of intelligence and security services from Algeria, the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Morocco, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen in January, and in February convened its second meeting for the heads of services from seven States in South-East Asia: Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam. Such meetings have proved to be a useful way to find out what is happening on the ground and to examine the changes in the threat from Al-Qaida and the practical difficulties of implementation. 53. In October, with the help of the Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates, the Team held the second Bankers’ Group meeting on issues related to the effective implementation of the assets freeze, which was attended by hawala brokers as well as formal banking sector representatives. This was the first time that the Team had engaged with the informal financial sector. The Team has also organized a study on typologies to be launched as part of its work in the Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force working group on tackling the financing of terrorism. 54. As mandated under resolution 1735 (2006), the Team submitted its eighth report (S/2008/324) to the Committee in March 2008. The Committee welcomed the report and, after a thorough consideration, submitted its position on the Team’s recommendations to the Security Council (S/2008/408). 55. The Team continued to play an active role in the Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force of the Secretary-General, established to coordinate United Nations system action in respect of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, adopted by the General Assembly on 8 September 2006 (resolution 60/288). When updated on the Team’s contribution in that framework, the Committee encouraged its expert group to pursue this involvement. V. Current issues and future work of the Committee 56. The Committee will continue to work on a number of issues that are currently under consideration or that are considered as ongoing matters, and will continue to work on new tasks as mandated by resolution 1822 (2008). As outlined above, the implementation of paragraphs 22, 25 and 26 of resolution 1822 (2008), pertaining to the review of the consolidated list, as well as paragraph 13 of the resolution, pertaining to the narrative summaries of reasons for listing of all names on the consolidated list, will be among the priorities of the Committee’s work. Moreover, the Committee will consider the ninth and tenth reports of the Monitoring Team, to be submitted in accordance with annex I to resolution 1822 (2008) by 28 February and 31 July 2009, respectively. The Committee will also continue its consideration of possible cases of non-compliance, pursuant to paragraph 32 of resolution 1822 (2008), report to the Council its findings regarding Member States’ implementation efforts and identify and recommend the steps necessary to improve implementation, pursuant to paragraph 31 of the resolution. VI. Observations and conclusions 57. As long as the threat posed by Al-Qaida and the Taliban and their associates persists, the robust implementation by all States of sanctions measures imposed by the Security Council remains a generally recognized tool in combating deadly terrorist activities. The Committee continues to believe that, with the professional support of the Monitoring Team, it can further enhance its active role in this endeavour. 58. In the future, the Committee will have to intensify its work with the ultimate goal of rendering its list as complete and accurate as possible. In striving to achieve this objective, the Committee relies on the support and cooperation of all Member States, as terrorism perpetrated by Al-Qaida, the Taliban and their associates can be defeated only by a sustained and comprehensive approach involving all States. The Committee, as encouraged by the Security Council, will also continue to ensure that fair and clear procedures exist for placing individuals and entities on the consolidated list and for removing them, as well as for granting humanitarian exemptions, while keeping its guidelines under active review in support of those objectives, as directed by the Security Council. The Committee intends to continue its constructive dialogue with all States, as such an approach remains vital for effectively addressing the terrorist threat. Appendix Additions to and removals from the consolidated list of individuals and entities belonging to or associated with Al-Qaida and the Taliban in 2008 A. Individuals added Date Name Press release 16 January Hamid al-Ali (QI.A.236.08) SC/9229 17 January Jaber al-Jalamah (QI.A.237.08) Mubarak Mushakhas Sanad al-Bathali (QI.A.238.08) 21 April Suhayl Fatilloevich Buranov (QI.B.239.08) SC/9306 23 April Najmiddin Kamolitdinovich Jalolov (QI.J.240.08) 4 June Angelo Ramirez Trinidad (QI.T.241.08) SC/9351 10 June Dinno Amor Rosalejos Pareja (QI.P.242.08) Feliciano Semborio Delos Reyes, Jr. (QI.D.243.08) Hilarion Del Rosario Santos III (QI.S.244.08) Pio Abogne De Vera (QI.D.245.08) Redendo Cain Dellosa (QI.D.246.08) Ruben Pestano Lavilla, Jr. (QI.L.247.08) Ricardo Perez Ayeras (QI.A.248.08) 3 July Yahia Djouadi (QI.D.249.08) SC/9385 3 July Abid Hammadou (QI.H.250.08) Salah Gasmi (QI.G.251.08) Ahmed Deghdegh (QI.D.252.08) 10 October Khalifa Muhammad Turki al-Subaiy (QI.A.253.08) SC/9475 16 October Abd Al-Rahman Muhammad Jaffar ‘Ali (QI.A.254.08) Adil Muhammad Mahmud Abd al-Khaliq (QI.A.255.08) 21 October Abdulbasit Abdulrahim (QI.A.256.08) SC/9481 23 October Maftah Mohamed Elmabruk (QI.E.257.08) Abdelrazag Elsharif Elosta (QI.E.258.08) 27 October Fritz Martin Gelowicz (QI.G.259.08) SC/9484 28 October Daniel Martin Schneider (QI.S.260.08) Adem Yilmaz (QI.Y.261.08) 12 November Redouane El Habhab (QI.E.262.08) SC/9499 13 November 10 December Muhammad Saeed (QI.S.263.08) SC/9527 10 December Zaki-Ur-Rehman Lakhvi (QI.L.264.08) Haji Muhammad Ashraf (QI.A.265.08) Mahmoud Mohammad Ahmed Bahaziq (QI.B.266.08) B. Entities added Date Name Press release 4 June Rajah Solaiman Movement (QE.R.128.08) SC/9351 10 June C. Individuals removed Date Name Press release 12 August Armand Albert Friedrich Huber SC/9421 13 August 26 September Mohamad Nasir Abas SC/9458 26 September 2 December Abdullkadir Hussein Mahamud SC/9521 4 December http://www.un.org/sc/committees/1267/delisting.shtml. http://www.un.org/sc/committees/1267/removed.shtml. http://www.un.org/sc/committees/1267/consolist.shtml. http://www.un.org/sc/committees/1267/pdf/sguidance.pdf. http://www.un.org/sc/committees/1267/annualstat.shtml. http://www.un.org/sc/committees/1267/pdf/New%20tool%20-%20survey%20-%20English.pdf. http://www.un.org/sc/committees/1267/usefulpapers.shtml. http://www.un.org/sc/committees/1267/pdf/annual%20statement-30apr08-English.pdf. Available at: http://www.interpol.int/Public/NoticesUN/Default.asp. __________________ __________________  sss1 \* MERGEFORMAT S/2008/848 sss1 \* MERGEFORMAT S/2008/848 FooterJN \* MERGEFORMAT 09-20616 \* MERGEFORMAT 14 \* MERGEFORMAT 15 FooterJN \* MERGEFORMAT 09-20616 United Nations S/2008/848 Security Council Distr.: General 31 December 2008 Original: English jobn \* MERGEFORMAT 09-20616 (E) 290109 Barcode \* MERGEFORMAT *0920616*