Here is a possible future excuse to do the deed on gold ownership, and illegalizing diamonds
quote.bloomberg.com
22 22:18
Al-Qaeda Uses Gold, Diamonds to Avoid Assets Freeze, UN Says
By Paul Tighe
United Nations, May 22 (Bloomberg) -- The al-Qaeda terrorist network may be transferring its financial assets into gold and diamonds and using the Internet to circumvent an international freeze on its funds, a United Nations report said.
The report was produced by the monitoring group set up by the UN Security Council after the Sept. 11 attacks in New York and Washington blamed on Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network.
The UN is ``concerned about the use of the Internet by al- Qaeda and many of its associates, not only regarding financial transactions, but also in support of their communications, command, control and logistics,'' the report said.
A total of $103.8 million in assets has been blocked worldwide since Sept. 11 with about ``half of this sum'' representing funds connected with al-Qaeda, the report said. As many as 144 countries have frozen funds as part of the international fight against terrorism, the group said.
Al-Qaeda is estimated to have assets worth $5 billion, Agence France-Presse cited Nicolo Pollari, the head of the Italian secret service, as saying at a conference in Italy this month.
Experts are looking into ways to ``disrupt and neutralize'' the criminal actions through the Internet, the monitoring group said. The report didn't give any estimates as to the amount of funds that may have been converted into gold and diamonds.
Nations involved in trading of rough diamonds should join the Kimberly process that is trying to set up an international certification program for the import and export of diamonds, the group said.
Al-Qaeda was driven from its training bases in Afghanistan by the U.S.-led war on terrorism that began last October. The U.S. has troops in Yemen, Georgia and the Philippines supporting military operations against suspected al-Qaeda members and their supporters. |
