UNITED NATIONS SECURITY COUNCIL

Statement by HE Mr Gary Quinlan, Chair, 1737 (Iran) Sanctions Committee

Mr. President,

1. I have the honour to present the report of the Committee established pursuant to resolution 1737 (2006), in accordance with paragraph 18 (h) of the same resolution. The present report covers the period from 13 September to 17 December 2014, during which time the Committee held two informal meetings, on 20 October and 8 December, and conducted additional work using the no-objection procedure envisioned by paragraph 15 of the guidelines for the conduct of its work.

2. In view of the recent developments relating to the Joint Plan of Action, the Committee welcomes the renewed commitment of all parties to continue the negotiations towards finding a comprehensive agreement. In this regard, I would like to emphasize once again that the Security Council measures imposed in resolutions 1737 (2006), 1747 (2007), 1803 (2008) and 1929 (2010) remain in full effect as negotiations between the P5+1 and Iran continue, and States have an obligation to implement them duly. The Committee remains fully committed to the implementation of all relevant resolutions and stands ready to provide guidance to Member States that request assistance. It is my hope that this extension will encourage Iran to engage constructively with the Council and the Committee.

3. In this respect, while no new incidents have been reported to the Committee during the current reporting period, I would recall that the Committee has twice reached out to Iran earlier this year in relation to incidents investigated by the Panel of Experts. The Committee wrote on 27 March in relation to a carbon fibre interdiction, and on 9 July in relation to an interdiction in the Red Sea of a cargo of conventional arms, seeking Iran's comments. Iran has not yet provided a response and the Committee continues to call on Iran to do so.

4. The Committee continues to assist States and international organizations in implementing the relevant Security Council measures. This includes considering requests for guidance covering a range of issues, including whether proposals for providing technical assistance to Iran in the fields of energy efficiency and mine action, as well as other cooperation proposals, are permitted by the sanctions measures. The Committee welcomes such engagement on matters of implementation and compliance and encourages parties to continue to seek guidance from the Committee on the application of the Council's measures.

5. Paragraph 15 of resolution 1737 (2006) and paragraph 4 of resolution 1747 (2007) allow for payments owed by a designated entity under a contract entered into force prior to its designation to be made from that entity's frozen funds, subject to prior notification to the Committee. The Committee received such a notification from a Member State in accordance with paragraph 15 of resolution 1737 (2006) and paragraph 4 of resolution 1747 (2007). Similarly, a Member State notified the Committee of its delivery of equipment, intended for use in a light water reactor, to the Bushehr nuclear power plant, in accordance with paragraph 5 of resolution 1737 (2006).

Mr. President,

6. During the reporting period, the Committee received a de-listing request from an entity that is currently on the Committee's Sanctions List through the Focal Point established by resolution 1730 (2006). As mentioned in my previous briefings to the Council, the Committee had considered a similar request from the entity earlier. On 30 September, the Committee again rejected the de-listing request and communicated to the Focal Point the reasons for the rejection, which the Focal Point has transmitted to the entity.

7. In view of actions taken by Member States to implement the relevant Security Council measures, the Committee encourages States that have not yet submitted reports, to do so as soon as possible, in recognition that national implementation reports are an important means of enhancing implementation of the sanctions measures.

Mr. President,

8. In connection with the Panel of Experts, the Committee considered the Panel's midterm report, which was submitted to the Security Council on 8 December. As mandated by resolution 2159 (2014), in advance of the submission to the Council, the Committee discussed the Panel's report during its last informal meeting on 8 December. The midterm report offered a snapshot of the Panel's range of activities and the on-going action of States in taking enforcement action related to sanctions. This includes the Panel's investigations into ongoing procurement by Iran, the transfer or alleged transfer of items alleged to be for Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programs, and possible violations of the travel ban. In Committee consideration of the midterm report, members welcomed the report and took note of the Panel's key activities since the renewal of its mandate in June.

9. The Committee also continued its consideration of the 2014 final report of the Panel of Experts (S/2014/394), in particular in view of any follow up action by the Committee. Taking into account the report's conclusions, the Committee intends to continue its deliberations on the recommendations of the report.

10. On behalf of the Committee, I would like to recognize the significant efforts of the Panel in assisting the Committee's work and wish them success and continued close and fruitful collaboration with the Committee and the incoming Chairmanship.

11. Lastly, Mr. President, I wish to note that this will be my last briefing to the Council in my capacity as Chair of the Committee. I would like to convey my thanks to the members of the Committee; the Panel; and our colleagues in the Secretariat for their hard work and assistance in advancing the Committee's work. It has been a privilege to serve as Committee Chair for the past two years.

Thank you, Mr. President.