UN Security Council to vote Feb 12 on Russia’s resolution curbing ISIL cash flow

NEW YORK-The United Nations Security Council will vote on Thursday on a draft resolution intended to increase pressure on governments to cut off the cash flow to the so-called “Islamic State” (ISIL) terrorists, a spokesman for Russia’s United Nations mission told Itar Tass on Tuesday.

The resolution, proposed by Russia, will target the three main sources of revenue for Islamic State — illegal oil exports, the sale of antiquities and ransom from hostage-taking

Alexey Zaytsev, the mission’s spokesman, said: “Voting on the draft resolution will take place on Thursday morning. The final text has already been circulated among members of the Security Council.”

Russia’s UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said on Monday work on the text of the draft resolution had already lasted two months. “I am confident that it will be passed unilaterally this week,” he told Rossiya-24 television news channel.

The draft resolution, obtained by TASS, addresses all countries with a reminder that any oil and other transactions with the “Islamic State” group, Jabhat al-Nusra or other extremist terrorist groups are illegal, and those responsible should be brought to justice as accomplices to terrorism. According to the document based on Chapter VII of the UN Charter, the Security Council’s special committee on sanctions should immediately consider the question of including in its lists individuals and companies involved in such transactions.

The draft resolution also demands that all states should take the appropriate steps to prevent the trade in antiquities and other items of historical, cultural, rare scientific and religious importance illegally removed from Syria since August 1990 and from Syria since March 2011. The draft underscores the need for establishing interaction in that field with UNESCO, Interpol and other international organisations.

The proposed resolution contains a call upon all countries for preventing terrorists from deriving direct or indirect gains from hostage-taking. According to the document, all countries must maintain close cooperation for the sake of achieving safe release of kidnapped people, whereas ransoms paid merely provoked more hostage-taking.

Over the past few months, “Islamic State” terrorists operating in Iraq and Syria have taken a number of foreign citizens hostage to have eventually killed them and posted videos of the executions on the Internet. Videos showing the killing of Japanese journalist Kenji Goto and Jordanian Air Force pilot Moaz al-Kasasbeh appeared online last Saturday, January 31 and Monday, February 2. The UN Security Council has condemned the executions and urged all countries to step up the struggle against terrorism.

Itar Tass

H.M