SC/8394
26 May 2005

Chairman of Security Council Committee Visits Germany, European Union Institutions, Turkey, Syria

NEW YORK, 25 May (UN Headquarters) -- On 19 May 2005 the Al-Qaida and Taliban Sanctions Committee was briefed by its Chairman, H.E. Ambassador César Mayoral (Argentina), on his visit to selected States undertaken pursuant to paragraph 10 of Security Council resolution 1526 (2004) between 29 April and 9 May 2005.

Accompanied by members of the Committee from Algeria, Greece and the United Republic of Tanzania, and by an expert member of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team, the Chairman visited Germany, the European Union Institutions in Brussels (Belgium), Turkey and the Syrian Arab Republic.  In all the visited countries and the European Union the Chairman had relayed the Committee’s appreciation of efforts undertaken to implement the sanctions measures.  He had also emphasized the need for Member States to continue to submit the names of individuals and entities associated with Al-Qaida or the Taliban to the Committee in accordance with resolution 1526 (2004).

Among the many topics that were discussed, the Chairman noted that there was an increasing consensus that Al-Qaida has developed into a loose structure of cells that operate independently and thus constitute a new challenge before the international community.  The Chairman also noted concern expressed at his meetings regarding listing and delisting procedures.

The Committee expressed its high appreciation of the Chairman’s work and urged him to undertake further visits to selected States.

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