DEMARCHE ON UN AGENCIES AND TERROR ORGANIZATION

UNCLAS AMMAN 005286 SIPDIS SENSITIVE DEPT FOR IO, PRM AND NEA E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PTER XF UNRWA UN SUBJECT: DEMARCHE ON UN AGENCIES AND TERROR ORGANIZATION CONTACT: UNRWA'S INTERIM RESPONSE REF: SECSTATE 118455 Charge sent reftel letter outlining the pressing need for UN agencies to develop consistent financial controls that prevent contractual relationships with terrorist organizations to UNRWA's newly-appointed Commissioner-General Karen Abu Zayd on June 28. Post also provided copies to UNRWA's senior Legal Advisor James Lindsay, UNRWA Administration and Human Resources Department Director Dr. Issam Miqdadi, UNRWA Comptroller Ramadan Alomari and UNRWA External Relations Department Director Andrew Whitley. In an interim response, Abu Zayd told regional refcoord June 30 that UNRWA is in the process of vetting its contracting partners against the U.S. Treasury list in response to our request, and is determining how the agency can implement a more frequent and transparent vetting system that may include posting a complete list of UNRWA's contractors on its official website. (NOTE: In addition to the UN 1267 Sanctions Committee List, UNRWA has used the U.S. Treasury list to vet its contractors periodically in the past, most recently in 2003. END NOTE.) HALE