Sanctions important for preventing terror

UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 13 (UPI) -- Despite ongoing jurisdiction challenges, a top U.N. official said Thursday in New York that sanctions are an effective measure to prevent terrorism.

Richard Barrett, coordinator of the monitoring team for the U.N. Al-Qaida and Taliban Sanctions Committee, said that jurisdiction differences from recognized courts around the world and other legal issues remain an obstacle to establishing tough sanctions against terrorist groups, the United Nations reported.

Barrett said that while the legal challenges are significant, preventative sanctions are recognized as a critical component to stopping al-Qaida, the Taliban and other militant groups from committing terrorist acts.

"It's a great problem with all jurisdictions, to deal with this issue to prevent crime before it has happened," Barrett said in a news conference, according to the United Nations.

"We're not looking at somebody that has already committed a terrorist act and dealing with the consequences of their crime. We are trying to stop them from committing that crime in the first place."