RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (voa) – The six member Gulf Cooperation Council has announced it will freeze the financial assets of groups and individuals suspected of funding terrorists. The council reached agreement during a Saturday meeting of GCC finance ministers in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Bahrain Finance Minister Abdullah Saif says members agreed to cooperate with the United States and a United Nations Security Council resolution calling on member states to financially strangle terrorists.
The Gulf Cooperation Council is made up of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. The White House says the Bush administration welcomes the GCC action, saying it demonstrates the support it has on the war on terrorism.
Also Saturday, the governor of the Central Bank of Kuwait, Sheikh Salem Abdulaziz al-Sabah Said, declared Kuwaiti banks and financial institutions free of any financial dealings with terrorist suspects. The United States believes terrorist networks use a variety of Islamic businesses and charities as fronts.
The U.S. Treasury Department Friday ordered international banks and financial institutions to freeze the assets of 39 more groups and individuals it believes funds Osama bin Laden and other suspected terrorists.
President Bush announced an initial list of 27 names last month.
Gulf Cooperation Council Web Site: http://www.gcc-sg.org/index_e.html
