UN Told Al-Qaida And Taliban Constantly Evolving

Threat From Al-Qaida And Taliban Constantly Evolving, Security Council Told

Calling on the Security Council "to stay ahead of the curve," the head of the Council's committee that monitors sanctions against Al-Qaida and the Taliban said today the world needs "to think of new ways to defeat terrorism and its perpetrators" because the threat from the two groups keeps changing.

In an open briefing to the Council, Ambassador Heraldo Muñoz of Chile, Chairman of the sanctions committee, said while it was wrong to suggest that the sanctions approach to terrorist groups had failed, the response could be more effective by being both vigilant and flexible.

"The nature of the threat is constantly evolving, just as Al-Qaida itself has evolved from an organization with a structure and hierarchy into a global network of groups unbound by organizational structure but held together by a set of overlapping ideological goals," he said.

Mr. Muñoz said closer cooperation between States on operational issues was one example of how it could be much more difficult for terrorist groups to carry out their work.

He also called on States to submit fresh names to the Committee's list of individuals and entities belonging to, or associated with, Al-Qaida and the Taliban. Currently 429 names, or "only a small fraction of the actual number," appear on the list, he said.

"I understand that there can be many reasons for not submitting names to the Committee, including concerns regarding due process, delisting and potential stigmatization. I strongly believe, however, that Member States and the Committee can resolve such concerns together."

Improving the quality of the list was a priority for the Committee, he added.

Mr. Muñoz said he was also encouraged that the monitoring team, which examines what steps individual States have taken to comply with the relevant resolutions against the Taliban and Al-Qaida, has observed stronger interest from many nations in helping the Committee with its work.

The Council first imposed sanctions after the indictment of Usama bin Laden for the 1998 terrorist bombings of United States embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania, which left hundreds of people dead.

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