A South African official says the government will ask the United Nations to hold off on listing two of its citizens as terror suspects as requested by the United States.
Deputy Foreign Minister Aziz Pahad said Wednesday that further discussions with the United States are needed to determine if the men belong on the U.N. sanctions list.
The U.S. government requested that the two men be placed on the list, accusing them of having ties to the al-Qaida terrorist network. They are suspected facilitators and financiers for al-Qaida and the Taleban.
The Johannesburg dentist, Junaid Dockrat, and his cousin, Farhad Dockrat, have denied the charges, and their lawyer is asking authorities to provide evidence to support the charges.
The men face having their assets frozen if they are placed on the list.
Their lawyer acknowledged that the dentist traveled frequently to Asia and the Middle East, but said the trips were for business and religious purposes.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.