UN sanctions make critical differences in countries - official

NEW YORK, Nov 25 (KUNA) -- UN sanctions have been used to support conflict resolution efforts, prevent the proliferation of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction, and counter terrorism, a UN Political Affairs official said on Tuesday.
On the Evolution of UN Sanctions session, Jeffrey Feltman, Undersecretary General for Political Affairs told the Security Council that its sanctions, together with UN peacekeeping and political efforts have made a critical difference in Afghanistan, Angola, Libya and other countries.
UN sanctions are also fairly economical, where total cost of supporting sanctions regimes "is a comparatively modest cost of under USD 30 million a year," he said.
Feltman stressed on the work required to raise awareness of all Member States that the sanctions are "supportive not punitive." UN sanctions have proved to be an effective complement to other Security Council instruments and actions, he concluded.
On his part, Secretary General of INTERPOL Jurgen Stock expressed support to the implementation of UN sanctions by enhancing the quality of information available to the Sanctions Committees.
As UN sanctions have become more targeted, he said, their implementation has become more complex for national authorities. INTERPOL can help countries to fulfil their implementation objectives, as well as enhancing the effectiveness of targeted UN sanctions for countries as they transition out of conflict, he added.
Moreover, during the Council's session on sanctions, Jordan hoped that the UNSC would be able to agree on a blueprint which will encourage Sanctions Committees and the UN Secretariat in laying the basis for an institutional dialogue between assistance providers, donors and adversely affected States. (end) mao.bs