New UN sanctions list to strengthen fight against terrorism

Two new UN resolution, 1988, 1989 will "allow council to custom-tailor and strengthen response" to Taliban, al-Qaida.

By JORDANA HORN, JPOST CORRESPONDENT
Taliban 311 (photo credit: REUTERS)
Taliban 311
(photo credit: REUTERS)
NEW YORK – The United Nations Security Council adopted two resolutions on Friday creating a new sanctions regime to target those associated with the Taliban and al-Qaida.
The two resolutions, 1988 and 1989, “will allow the council to custom-tailor and strengthen its response” to the Taliban and al- Qaida.
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Resolution 1988 targets those associated with the Taliban on a new sanctions list, with a new sanctions committee established to oversee this and prior lists.
Sanctions are to be lifted on individuals who meet conditions set by the Afghan government and the UN.
Delisting criteria include “renouncing violence, severing links to international terrorist organizations, particularly al- Qaida and affiliates, and respecting the Afghan Constitution,” the Security Council synopsis states.
Resolution 1989 specifically targets al-Qaida and reinforces the council’s goal of “disrupting, dismantling and defeating al-Qaida.”
US Ambassador David Dunn, alternate representative for special political affairs to the United Nations, said the US “welcomes and strongly supports today’s council action to implement significant reforms to the 1267 regime and create a new sanctions regime targeting violent extremists in Afghanistan.
“With these reforms, the council acknowledges that the nature of these threats has evolved and that events on the ground in Afghanistan have changed,” Dunn said. “The actions the council took today, with Afghan government support, are designed to support and promote Afghanled reconciliation, while targeting those associated with the Taliban in constituting a threat to the peace, stability and security of Afghanistan.”
The sanctions regime, Dunn said, “is one of the most important multilateral counterterrorism tools the international community has at its disposal.”