TERRORIST FINANCING: POST IN-HOUSE VIEWS ON

S E C R E T AMMAN 008403 SIPDIS NOFORN E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/06/2009 TAGS: KTFN PTER EFIN ECON ETTC SUBJECT: TERRORIST FINANCING: POST IN-HOUSE VIEWS ON DESIGNATION OF ISLAMIC AFRICAN RELIEF AGENCY (IARA) REF: SECSTATE 216187 Classified By: A/DCM CHRISTOPHER HENZEL FOR REASONS 1.4 B AND D ¶1. (S/NF) Post has no record of any activity of the IARA Jordan office; nor does it have any record of any activity by the IARA in Jordan. RSO sent FSN Investigator to verify the location of the IARA office in Amman given in reftel; FSNI found no IARA office at the given location nor in the rest of the Akarco Building. FSNI instead found at the given location the offices of the Al-Huda International Trading Company, previously designated by OFAC as a front company for the former Iraqi regime. ¶2. (S/NF) COMMENT: Based on Post's past experience with the GOJ on terrorism finance issues, we believe it unlikely that the GOJ would object to the designation of the IARA. However, due to considerations of domestic public opinion, the GOJ would likely prefer that the USG stress the links between the IARA and Al-Qaeda affiliate organizations (rather than the link between the IARA and Hamas) in our announcement of any domestic designation of the IARA and any subsequent submission of the IARA to the UN 1267 sanctions committee. HALE