AUSTRIAN RESPONSE: COMBATING WMD PROLIFERATION VIA

S E C R E T VIENNA 003203 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/27/2015 TAGS: PARM PREL MNUC AU SUBJECT: AUSTRIAN RESPONSE: COMBATING WMD PROLIFERATION VIA FINANCIAL INTELLIGENCE UNITS (FIUS) REF: STATE 158275 Classified By: Economic-Political Counselor Gregory E. Phillips for reasons 1.5 (b) and (d). ¶1. (S) On September 26, Economic Unit Chief delivered reftel talking points and nonpapers to Rudolf Unterkoefler, Head of the Ministry of Interior's Economic and Financial Investigations Division and to Josef Mahr, Head of the Austrian FIU, and separately to Johann Froehlich, Head of the MFA's Justice and Home Affairs Division. All GoA interlocutors noted that Austria does not currently have legal authority to freeze the assets of WMD proliferators, unless there is overwhelming legal evidence that the entity is involved in WMD proliferation. Froehlich said that, without a more specific UN or EU legal framework, it would be difficult for the GoA to take a proactive position on this issue. Froehlich agreed that the establishment of a regime, similar to procedures for freezing terrorist assets based on UNSC resolutions and the EU Clearinghouse, might present a model for developing an effective regime to stem financing for WMD proliferators. Brown