SC/8446
14 July 2005

Security Council Committee Meets Senior Officials of Australia to Discuss Implementation of Sanctions against Al-Qaida, Taliban

NEW YORK, 13 July (UN Headquarters) -- The Al-Qaida and Taliban Sanctions Committee met on 5 July 2005 under the chairmanship of Ambassador Cesar Mayoral (Argentina). The meeting was convened for a briefing by senior representatives of the Government of Australia concerning issues relevant to the Committee’s mandate.  The meeting was arranged pursuant to paragraph 11 of resolution 1526 (2004) that provides States with an opportunity, at the Committee’s request, to send representatives to meet with the Committee for more in-depth discussion of relevant issues. This was the fourth such briefing by a Member State to the Committee.

The briefing included a presentation by Ambassador Les Luck, Australia’s Ambassador for Counter-Terrorism. The Committee was informed in detail of current efforts by Australia to implement the sanctions against Al-Qaida and the Taliban imposed by the Security Council under resolution 1267 (1999) and subsequent relevant resolutions.

The Committee appreciated the substantive information and clarifications provided by the Australian representatives. Members of the Committee find that this kind of dialogue and direct interaction with Member States can be a useful tool for further improving and enhancing effective sanctions implementation. The Committee and its Chairman strongly encourage other States to benefit from the opportunity to meet with the Committee. Those Member States interested in meeting with the Committee are encouraged to contact the Chairman’s office (Guillermo Kendall, e-mail: gek@mrecic.gov.ar, fax: (212) 980-8395); and/or the Committee Secretariat (Tatiana Cosio, e-mail: cosio@un.org, fax: (212) 963-1300).

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