UNITA: Sanctions (Hansard, 24 July 2000)

§ Baroness Scotland of Asthal

The UK has given full support to the ground-breaking work of Ambassador Robert Fowler, Chairman of the Angola Sanctions Committee, to ensure that UN sanctions against UNITA are made to bite. We financially supported the Angola Expert Panel to the tune of 200,000 US dollars. The panel investigated reports of sanctions breaking and reported to the UN Security Council on 15 March. The Security Council welcomed the panel's report in UN Security Council Resolution 1295, adopted on 18 April 2000.

The report gave a detailed analysis of the problem of sanctions breaking. It reports the alleged involvement of a number of individuals. For example, it states that the central figure in UNITA's external procurement and diamond trade operations is Marcelo Moises Dachala, known as "Karrica", based in Ougadougou, and that Imad Kabir "has been purchasing weapons for Savimbi which were being delivered to Kinshasa. From 1995–1996 until the fall of Andulo in October 1999, Kabir is said to have served as UNITA's primary broker for importing arms and military equipment".

Security Council Resolution 1295 (2000) requested the UN Secretary-General to establish a monitoring mechanism to collect further information and investigate relevant leads relating to allegations of violations of UN sanctions against UNITA and report to the Security Council by 18 October 2000. That mechanism has now been established. On 11 July the Secretary-General appointed five experts to serve on it.

We greatly welcome the fact that Ms Christine Gordon, a British national and independent writer, consultant and researcher, has been appointed to the monitoring mechanism, and wish her well in her important task.

Sanctions breaking must be stopped. The expert panel's report, the adoption of Security Council 18WA Resolution 1295 (2000) and the establishment of the monitoring mechanism show that the international community will no longer tolerate sanctions breaking.