Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
05ABUDHABI4828
2005-11-27 14:29:00
SECRET
Embassy Abu Dhabi
Cable title:  

PROPOSAL FOR A U.S.-UAE JOINT TERRORIST FINANCE

Tags:  KTFN PTER EFIN AE 
pdf how-to read a cable
null
Diana T Fritz 08/27/2006 05:45:35 PM From DB/Inbox: Search Results

Cable 
Text: 
 
 
S E C R E T ABU DHABI 04828

SIPDIS
CXABU:
 ACTION: POL
 INFO: LEGAT POLM RSO AMB DCM MEPI P/M ECON

DISSEMINATION: POL
CHARGE: PROG

APPROVED: AMB:MJSISON
DRAFTED: ECON:OJOHN
CLEARED: DCM:MQUINN

VZCZCADI765
PP RUEHC RUEHMK RUEHDE RUEATRS RHEHNSC
DE RUEHAD #4828 3311429
ZNY SSSSS ZZH
P 271429Z NOV 05
FM AMEMBASSY ABU DHABI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2528
INFO RUEHMK/AMEMBASSY MANAMA 1150
RUEHDE/AMCONSUL DUBAI 5595
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
S E C R E T ABU DHABI 004828 

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/ARPI, S/CT, EB/ESC
NSC FOR ZARATE
TREASURY FOR GLASER, MURDEN, AND HEFFERNAN
MANAMA FOR OFAC ATTACHE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/27/2015
TAGS: KTFN PTER EFIN AE
SUBJECT: PROPOSAL FOR A U.S.-UAE JOINT TERRORIST FINANCE
COORDINATING COMMITTEE

REF: SECSTATE 208617

Classified By: Ambassador Michele J. Sison for reasons 1.4 (b & d).

S E C R E T ABU DHABI 004828

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/ARPI, S/CT, EB/ESC
NSC FOR ZARATE
TREASURY FOR GLASER, MURDEN, AND HEFFERNAN
MANAMA FOR OFAC ATTACHE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/27/2015
TAGS: KTFN PTER EFIN AE
SUBJECT: PROPOSAL FOR A U.S.-UAE JOINT TERRORIST FINANCE
COORDINATING COMMITTEE

REF: SECSTATE 208617

Classified By: Ambassador Michele J. Sison for reasons 1.4 (b & d).


1. (S) On November 26, Ambassador and Econchief met with
Central Bank Governor Sultan Nasser Al-Suwaidi and the head
of the Central Bank's Anti-Money Laundering and Suspicious
Cases Unit, Abdulrahim Al-Awadi, to discuss reftel proposal
for the establishment of a Joint Terrorist Finance
Coordinating Committee. Al-Suwaidi welcomed the document
saying that he would give it his close consideration. He
said that the UAEG would need to discuss the proposal
internally in order to be able to provide appropriate input
to shaping the proposal, and promised to get back to the
Ambassador with his thoughts. Al-Suwaidi welcomed the fact
that the proposal focused on training cooperation, noting
that the UAE had been chosen to take the lead on MENA/FATF
training in three key areas: Hawala (informal money
remittances),Cash Couriers, and Charities.


2. (S) Turning the discussion to the regulation of charities,
Al-Suwaidi said that the government's focus should be on
ensuring that funds are not misused rather than on the
identity of donors. He explained that -- under Islam --
donations were a private matter. He stressed that it would
be both more efficient and more culturally sensitive to focus
efforts on ensuring that funds went where they were supposed
to rather than to expend efforts to try and identify all of
the donors. He mentioned that he had discussed his views on
charities with Treasury U/S Levey on the margins of the
IMF/WB annual meetings in Washington in September. Al-Awadi
noted that the governor's views were shared by other
countries in the GCC.


3. (S) Al-Suwaidi also stressed that charities needed to be
handled with sensitivity and that "indiscriminate" freezing
of assets would be counterproductive. He noted that the UAE
had frozen the assets of charities "belonging to orphans in
India" and had come under intense criticism for this action.
We have requested a follow-up meeting with Governor
Al-Suwaidi on December 10 to obtain UAEG interagency feedback
on the proposal.
SISON