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UNSC acquits Kuwaiti entity, removes sanctions - Ambassador

By Hani Al-Bahrani

UNITED NATIONS, Sept 5 (KUNA) -- The UN Security Council Al-Qaida Sanctions' Committee removed Lajnat Al-Daawa Al-Islamiya from its sanctions' list, Permanent Representative of the State of Kuwait to the United Nations Ambassador Mansour Al-Otaibi said late Wednesday.
"We are content over the decision, which came as a result of many years of hard work, with many meetings held in New York and some capitals of UNSC Member States, during which, officials of the Lajnat Al-Daawa presented, through the Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry, detailed information on the entity's charitable nature and activities in many countries," Ambassador Al-Otaibi told KUNA after the UNSC Committee meeting.
The Security Council Committee, pursuant to resolutions 1267 (1999) and 1989 (2011) concerning Al-Qaida and associated individuals and entities removed the name of the entity from the Al-Qaida Sanctions' List after concluding its consideration of a delisting request submitted through the Office of the Ombudsperson, Judge Kimberly Prost, which was established pursuant to Security Council resolution 1904 (2009), and after considering the Comprehensive Report of the Ombudsperson on this delisting request.
"The Commission's officials also answered plenty of the Ombudsperson's inquiries, and provided her with all data she requested, which eventually led Member States to be convinced with the Commission's detachment of any terrorist or prohibited activities." "The removing mechanism is not an easy task. It takes a long time and requires convincing all UNSC Member States," Al-Otaibi pointed out.
Based on the decision, all assets and accounts of the Lajnat Al-Daawa Al-Islamiya (Islamic Missionary Commission) are also unsanctioned anymore, thus it can resume its charitable work.
"Acquitting the Commission reaffirms integrity of charitable activities run by Kuwaiti public welfare societies," Al-Otaibi underlined, adding that the primary goal of charity work in Kuwait "has been, still is, and will always be offering humanitarian aid and help to the poor and needy all over the world while abiding by the State's laws." The Committee's Al-Qaida Sanctions' List is updated regularly on the basis of relevant information provided by Member States and international and regional organizations. This is the 22nd update of the List in 2013.(end) hb.wsa KUNA 051000 Sep 13NNNN