No apparent Arab plans to push for Qatar

There are no apparent plans by Arab states to propose that names from their Qatar blacklist be subjected to United Nations sanctions, diplomats said on Wednesday, a likely difficult move that would need approval by the 15-member UN Security Council.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Egypt and Bahrain on Friday branded 59 people, including Muslim Brotherhood spiritual leader Yousef al-Qaradawi, as terrorists and 12 entities, among them Qatari-funded charities Qatar Charity and Eid Charity, as having links to terrorism.

The move came days after the four Arab states severed relations with Qatar, accusing it of supporting Daesh militants and Iran. Several other countries followed suit.

At least six of the people on the Arab state's blacklist are already named on the UN Security Council al Qaeda and Daesh sanctions list, which subjects them to a global asset freeze, travel ban and arms embargo.

The UN Security Council has imposed sanctions on Al Qaeda, Daesh, the Taliban and related groups and people with ties to them. Iran is also subjected to a UN arms embargo.

The Arab states would need to link people or entities on their blacklist to those UN sanctioned groups or to breaches of the Iran arms embargo if they wanted to propose that they be subjected to UN sanctions.

For any names to be added to UN sanctions lists the Security Council can either agree by consensus behind closed doors or vote on a resolution, which would need nine votes in favor and no vetoes by the United States, Britain, France, Russia or China.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry signaled on Wednesday that Cairo was eyeing UN action but did not specify if it would be Security Council or General Assembly action.

"With regards to the United Nations, Egypt is moving forward without a doubt and I cannot clarify more than that," he said.

"But it will emerge within the coming days that there are impactful actions (being taken) and we will continue to use all of our resources to defend our national security," he told Egypt's state news agency MENA.

Last week Egypt called for the Security Council to launch an investigation into accusations that Qatar paid a ransom of up to $1 billion "to a terrorist group active in Iraq" to release kidnapped members of its royal family.

Source: Khaleej Times