Two South African cousins deny links to al Qaeda

JOHANNESBURG, Jan 21 (Reuters) Two South Africans today denied they had any links to al Qaeda after the United Nations Security Council named them as terror suspects.

South Africa's Foreign Ministry spokesman Ronnie Mamoepa confirmed a report in the local Sunday Times that Farhad Ahmed Dockrat and his cousin Junaid Ismail Dockrat were put on the UN list of terror suspects on Friday.

Papers submitted by the United States to the Security Council alleged Junaid is an al Qaeda ''financier, recruiter and facilitator'' who coordinated the travel of South Africans to Pakistan to train with the militant group, said the newspaper.

Junaid, a Johannesburg dentist, told Reuters there was no truth to the allegations.

''This is absolutely false. I have nothing to do with al Qaeda or any militant group,'' he said.

''I am sure our government will exonerate me of these charges.

We have a democracy. It is unfortunate that the power of the United States can have an impact on every aspect of my life and could hurt my standing in the community.'' Farhad, a cleric who lives near Pretoria, also dismissed the accusations and said he was an ordinary mosque preacher.

''These allegations are not true. I preach from the pulpit to students and other members of the public. I have no ties with any militant groups,'' he told Reuters.

The United Nations could freeze the two men's assets and prevent them from leaving South Africa, which assumes the presidency of the UN Security Council in March.

Asked if South Africa would take action against the two men, Mamoepa said: ''We are waiting for directives from the minister of foreign affairs.'' US officials say al Qaeda operatives are in Somalia, Sudan and North Africa, while fund raising and recruiting have become a serious worry in South Africa, Nigeria and the trans-Sahara region.

The United States believes al Qaeda would like to extend its reach and create a new safe haven in Africa's vast, hard-to-govern regions.

Africa, with its rich energy and mineral reserves, has become increasingly important to Pentagon strategists as they prepare for the expected return of battle-hardened African Islamists from Iraq over coming years.

Experts say it is difficult to root out al Qaeda because it inspires militants around the world who have no direct ties to the group but heed its calls for holy war.

REUTERS DKA RN1552