Crackdown on sale of sensitive items in UAE
The UAE has shut down 40 international and local companies as part of a crackdown on money laundering and illegally dealing in strategic dual-use equipment and materials, a senior official said.
"The companies were proved to have been involved in money laundering and proliferation of dual use and dangerous materials banned under the NPT treaty and other UN resolutions," Abdullah Al Saleh, Undersecretary at the Ministry of Economy, said in a statement to the English daily Gulf News yesterday.
Al Saleh did not name these companies or the nationality of their owners. "The UAE is committed to meet its obligations towards the global effort for non-proliferation," he said.
Al Saleh was referring to the new UAE law of tightening control over sale of military equipment and dual-use items, giving federal authorities the power to restrict or ban the import, export or re-export of goods deemed a threat to the UAE's national security, foreign policy, natural resources, public health and safety or the environment.
The law, he said, was an important step in the UAE's continued efforts to ensure further transparency in global trade that passes through Emirati ports and strengthen the commitment to meet the country's international obligations, specifically over existing UN resolutions.
The law bans the export or re-export of strategic goods including arms and military hardware, chemical and biological materials and dual-use items without a special licence and orders creation of a special commission to monitor trade in potentially sensitive items.
"Non-proliferation and transparency is a global effort. It is not just the sole responsibility of one of the parties involved in a transaction but of all those in the chain. This is why international cooperation is needed to safeguard world trade," Al Saleh said.
"All countries need to pursue a broad range of foreign policy, intelligence, non-proliferation, export control and law enforcement initiatives designed to block smugglers' access to dual-use equipment and materials."He added.
Al Saleh ruled out that any pressure to step up scrutiny of UAE's exports prompted the issuance of this law. "The process to ensure transparency in global trade started prior to the law. We have a number of joint task forces with several partners," he said.
A source familiar with the issue said that several companies which have been shut down over the past few weeks were found in violation of import and export regulations, while others were closed for money laundering.
Some of the companies, the source said, had links with the international nuclear smuggling network allegedly headed by Abdul Qadeer Khan, the architect of Pakistan's nuclear programme. Source
"The companies were proved to have been involved in money laundering and proliferation of dual use and dangerous materials banned under the NPT treaty and other UN resolutions," Abdullah Al Saleh, Undersecretary at the Ministry of Economy, said in a statement to the English daily Gulf News yesterday.
Al Saleh did not name these companies or the nationality of their owners. "The UAE is committed to meet its obligations towards the global effort for non-proliferation," he said.
Al Saleh was referring to the new UAE law of tightening control over sale of military equipment and dual-use items, giving federal authorities the power to restrict or ban the import, export or re-export of goods deemed a threat to the UAE's national security, foreign policy, natural resources, public health and safety or the environment.
The law, he said, was an important step in the UAE's continued efforts to ensure further transparency in global trade that passes through Emirati ports and strengthen the commitment to meet the country's international obligations, specifically over existing UN resolutions.
The law bans the export or re-export of strategic goods including arms and military hardware, chemical and biological materials and dual-use items without a special licence and orders creation of a special commission to monitor trade in potentially sensitive items.
"Non-proliferation and transparency is a global effort. It is not just the sole responsibility of one of the parties involved in a transaction but of all those in the chain. This is why international cooperation is needed to safeguard world trade," Al Saleh said.
"All countries need to pursue a broad range of foreign policy, intelligence, non-proliferation, export control and law enforcement initiatives designed to block smugglers' access to dual-use equipment and materials."He added.
Al Saleh ruled out that any pressure to step up scrutiny of UAE's exports prompted the issuance of this law. "The process to ensure transparency in global trade started prior to the law. We have a number of joint task forces with several partners," he said.
A source familiar with the issue said that several companies which have been shut down over the past few weeks were found in violation of import and export regulations, while others were closed for money laundering.
Some of the companies, the source said, had links with the international nuclear smuggling network allegedly headed by Abdul Qadeer Khan, the architect of Pakistan's nuclear programme. Source
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