TERRORIST FINANCE: TURKISH REACTION TO BATASUNA

UNCLAS ANKARA 003059 SIPDIS SENSITIVE STATE FOR EB/ESC/ESP (GGLASS) S/CT, EUR/SE AND EUR/WE TREASURY FOR GENERAL COUNSEL (DAUFHAUSER),OFAC DIRECTOR (NEWCOMB),AND TREASURY TASK FORCE FOR TERRORIST FINANCING E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ETTC EFIN PTER PREL CVIS TU SUBJECT: TERRORIST FINANCE: TURKISH REACTION TO BATASUNA DESIGNATION REF: STATE 118179 Sensitive but unclassified. Not for internet distribution. ¶1. (SBU) On May 9, MFA Deputy DG for intelligence and research Hakan Okcal told us the MFA had circulated interagency reftel information about additional names affiliated with ETA (Batasuna, Euskal Herritarrock and Herri Batasuna). If GOT agencies found assets owned or controlled by these additional entities, they would blocked such assets using administrative means, he said. The GOT would not be able to formally designate these names on its terrorist finance freeze list, Okcal explained, because the GOT only designates names that are on the consolidated list of the UN sanctions committee. ¶2. (SBU) Okcal said Batusuna was well known in Turkey because Turks see parallels between ETA/Batasuna and KADEK/HADEP - both are political wings of terrorist groups, he claimed. He hastened to add that the GOT doesn't expect the designation of Batasuna to lead to similiar action on HADEP; rather he said he was characterizing private views of some Turks on the KADEK/HADEP connection. PEARSON