U.N. drops Saudi dissident from al Qaeda blacklist

Reuters ^ | Sun Jul 1, 2012 9:42pm EDT | Louis Charbonneau

[Olog-hai]

A U.N. Security Council committee is removing Saudi dissident Saad al-Faqih from the United Nations' al Qaeda sanctions list, despite strong objections from Saudi Arabia, a U.N. diplomat said on Sunday.

The London-based Faqih was added to the list in December 2004, days after the U.S. Treasury Department hit him with sanctions for suspected links to the late Osama bin Laden's militant network, which was responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States in 2001.

The decision to de-list Faqih came after the 15-nation Security Council's sanctions committee failed to reach a consensus to override the U.N.'s al Qaeda-sanctions-list ombudsman, who had recommended removing Faqih from the U.N. blacklist, the diplomat told Reuters on condition of anonymity.

Reuters reported on Saturday that the removal of Faqih from the U.N. blacklist appeared imminent. One envoy said Faqih's de-listing was expected to take effect at midnight New York time (12.00 a.m. EDT).

Faqih told Reuters in London it had been "a laborious battle" to get him off the list. …

Formerly a professor of medicine at a Saudi university, the exiled dissident heads the Movement for Islamic Reform in Arabia and has insisted that he and his group are committed to peace. Faqih is an outspoken critic of the Saudi leadership. …

[scooby321]

As long as the keep pumping gas to relect Obama do what ever you want and UN or Democrats give you Carte Blanc