By EDITH M. LEDERER, Associated Press Writer
UNITED NATIONS – The U.N. Security Council voted unanimously Friday to bolster sanctions against Osama bin Laden, his al-Qaida terror network and Afghanistan’s former Taliban rulers.
The sanctions include a travel ban and arms embargo against individuals and groups on a list compiled by a council committee. Last month, the list had 324 names, including 232 individuals and 92 groups. It also freezes the assets of everyone on the list.
Friday’s resolution called for better coordination between that committee and another U.N. body that monitors what individual countries are doing to fight terrorism.
The new resolution asks the committee monitoring sanctions against al-Qaida and the Taliban to provide updated lists and as much identifying information as possible at least every three months to the U.N. body, which was created after Sept. 11 attacks.
It also calls on all countries to take “urgent steps” to enforce and strengthen anti-terrorist laws and administrative regulations, and to ensure that anyone involved in terrorist acts is punished.
The Security Council asked Secretary-General Kofi Annan to reappoint five experts monitoring implementation of the resolution for another year. It also asked for more frequent reports from the committee.
The resolution asks all countries to report to the committee monitoring sanctions against al-Qaida and the Taliban within 90 days on all steps taken to implement the resolution, and all related investigations and enforcement actions.
The council shifted sanctions from the government of Afghanistan to bin Laden, al-Qaida and remnants of the Taliban after a U.S.-led force ousted the Taliban in late 2001.
Heh.. we started putting sanctions and an arms embargo on AQ last year!
I found this article funny. WTF? The UN. Man. Sometimes the news can be a real comic relief.
I love the idea behind the UN. But the current application be FUBAR.