UN team talks counter-terror measures with govt, lawmen
Staff Correspondent
The visiting UN counter-terrorism team yesterday discussed local counter-terror measures and implementation of UN counter-terror resolutions with top government and law enforcement officials.The 11-member Counter-Terrorism Committee of the UN met, among others, chairman of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), heads of the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence and the National Security Intelligence, and chief of the NGO Affairs Bureau. The team discussed anti-money laundering legislation, its enforcement and use of illegally earned income in terror funding with the ACC chief. They also talked about Bangladesh's intelligence infrastructure during the meeting with the officials of the intelligence agencies. In the meeting with the NGO Affairs Bureau, the UN team brought up the issue of use of non-government organisations by different militant organisations to channel foreign and local funds, sources said. During the meeting with the director general of shipping, the visiting team inquired about the measures taken by the authorities for port security and implementation of the UN's International Ship and Port Facility Security code or ISPS. They particularly measured the ability of the security system to notice threats and implement security measures, collate security related information, and assess the port authority's capability to handle security during the changing circumstances. The team also met 65 local bankers and stressed stronger implementation of UN resolutions 1267 and 1373. The UN resolution 1373 obliges all states to deny financial support and safe haven to terrorists and share information about groups planning terrorist attacks. The resolution 1267, largely targeted at the Al-Qaeda network, obliges states to impose a ban on travel of identified militants, put a comprehensive arms embargo on designated individuals and entities and freeze funds or other financial assets or economic resources of designated individuals and entities without any delay. The bankers told the UN team that most terrorist organisations are homegrown so the chances of use of foreign funding in the local banking system are unlikely.
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