SAUDI FINANCE MINISTER TO VISIT MANILA;

S E C R E T MANILA 002749

SIPDIS

NOFORN

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/16/2015
TAGS: PTER EFIN PREL KTFN RP SA
SUBJECT: SAUDI FINANCE MINISTER TO VISIT MANILA;
OPPORTUNITY FOR ACTION

REF: A. STATE 106123


B. RIYADH 3812

C. MANILA 2042

D. RIYADH 3715

Classified By: A/DCM Scott Bellard, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (S/NF) Saudi Ambassador Wali has returned to Manila from
what he characterized a "family" visit back to Riyadh (he
said he escorted his mother and daughter here to Manila) and
feigned surprise that our Embassy in Riyadh was engaged in a
direct dialogue with his government about terrorist financing
links between Saudi Arabia and the Philippines. He noted,
however, that the Saudi Finance Minister would travel soon
for a one day visit to Manila to chair a bilateral
commission. When asked, he claimed that the issue of
financing links and enhanced cooperation between the SAG and
the GRP on terrorist finance was not on the Minister's
expected agenda.


2. (S/NF) Action request: The upcoming visit would provide
an excellent opportunity for the two governments to forge new
and possibly effective patterns of cooperation against these
recurrent links between Saudi financiers and Philippine-based
terrorists. Embassy recommends that the Department instruct
our Embassy in Riyadh to raise with the SAG and encourage
this addition to the Minister's talking points for Manila.

MUSSOMELI