SPAIN:DEMARCHE TO EU ON FREEZING MAOIST ASSETS

C O N F I D E N T I A L MADRID 003990

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/08/2014
TAGS: PTER KTFN NP SP
SUBJECT: SPAIN:DEMARCHE TO EU ON FREEZING MAOIST ASSETS

REF: A. STATE 213824


B. MADRID 2963

Classified By: Economic Counselor Whitney Baird for reasons 1.2 (b) and
(d)


1. (U) We delivered ref A points October 6 to Enrique Mora
Benavente, MFA Head of EU Planning. Mora Benavente assured
us that Spain considers the Maoist rebels to be terrorists.
He does not believe that other EU governments consider the
Maoists freedom fighters. Mora Benavente expects that Spain
will support action against the Maoists at the next EU
Clearinghouse meeting. He promised to discuss the demarche
points with his MFA colleagues covering terrorist issues.

2.(C) Mora Benavente went on to criticize the EU
Clearinghouse process. In Mora Benavente's opinion, most
delegates to the EU Clearinghouse meetings are professional
diplomats and politicians rather than technical terrorism
experts, and therefore only have knowledge of the most well
known terrorist groups such as Al-Qaida or ETA. When less
well known terrorist groups are brought up for listing, EU
Clearinghouse meetings become trading sessions, where another
country will respond by attempting to get a completely
unrelated group listed.
ARGYROS