Doc. 9254

8 October 2001

Need for intensified international co-operation to neutralise funds for terrorist purposes

Motion for a resolution

presented by Mr Marty and others

This motion has not been discussed in the Assembly and commits only the members who have signed it

1.       The terrorist attacks on New York and Washington DC on 11 September 2001 point to a worldwide network of conspirators. The attacks could not have been carried out without major funds transferred from supporters of terrorism to those implicated in these attacks and similar ones preceding them. The international community has sorely failed in neutralizing such funds and their transfer and has thereby unwittingly facilitated the attacks in question.

2.       The Assembly, in view of the above, calls for increased international co-operation, including in the Council of Europe where the United States enjoys observer status, to neutralise any funds suspected of being used for terrorist purposes, building on the Council of Europe’s extensive earlier work in this area, in particular the Convention on Money Laundering, Search, Seizure and Confiscation of the Proceeds from Crime (ETS no. 141) and the evaluation of anti-money laundering measures in non-FATF countries (conducted by the PC-R-EV Committee) as well as on the work of the Assembly itself, in particular Recommendation 1507 (2001) on Europe’s fight against economic and transnational organised crime: progress or retreat.

3.       Recalling that Convention no. 141 is open to non-member states and that a reflection group is currently reviewing its implementation and exploring possible ways of improving its effectiveness, the Assembly stresses that additional measures of international co-operation in this area should seek, inter alia, to facilitate the identification of shell-companies owned or administered by terrorist groups, their accounts in banks or other financial institutions and the operations conducted by such companies in the world’s financial markets for the benefit of terrorist groups. They should also enable the authorities to immediately freeze such accounts, stop such operations and declare the dissolution of such companies.

Signed (see overleaf)

Signed : ¹

Marty, Switzerland, LDR

Agudo, Spain, SOC

Fehr, Switzerland, LDR

Flynn, United Kingdom, SOC

Frey, Switzerland, LDR

Frunda, Romania, EPP/CD

Graas, Luxembourg, LDR

Gross, Switzerland, SOC

Jurgens, Netherlands, SOC

Maissen, Switzerland, EPP/CD

Martinez-Casañ, Spain, EPP/CD

McNamara, United Kingdom, SOC

Nabholz-Haidegger, Switzerland, LDR

Provera, Italy, LDR

Zapfl-Helbling, Switzerland, EPP/CD

¹        SOC: Socialist Group

      EPP/CD: Group of the European People’s Party

      EDG: European Democratic Group

      LDR : Liberal, Democratic and Reformers’ Group

      UEL: Group of the Unified European Left

      NR: not registered in a group