Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06LONDON3207
2006-05-05 16:01:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy London
Cable title:
DEMARCHE ON EU LISTING OF THE LTTE AS A TERRORIST
how-toVZCZCXRO5716 OO RUEHAG DE RUEHLO #3207 1251601 ZNY CCCCC ZZH O 051601Z MAY 06 FM AMEMBASSY LONDON TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 5061 INFO RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE RUEHLM/AMEMBASSY COLOMBO IMMEDIATE 0121 RUEHNY/AMEMBASSY OSLO IMMEDIATE 0632
C O N F I D E N T I A L LONDON 003207
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
STATE FOR SA/INS, EB/ESC/TFS, S/CT, EUR/ERA, EUR/PGI, AND
EUR/UBI
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/04/2016
TAGS: ETTC KTFN PREL PTER CO UK
SUBJECT: DEMARCHE ON EU LISTING OF THE LTTE AS A TERRORIST
ORGANIZATION
REF: A. STATE 66523
B. 05 LONDON 7704
Classified By: Economic Counselor Sandra Clark for reasons 1.4(b) and (
d)
C O N F I D E N T I A L LONDON 003207
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
STATE FOR SA/INS, EB/ESC/TFS, S/CT, EUR/ERA, EUR/PGI, AND
EUR/UBI
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/04/2016
TAGS: ETTC KTFN PREL PTER CO UK
SUBJECT: DEMARCHE ON EU LISTING OF THE LTTE AS A TERRORIST
ORGANIZATION
REF: A. STATE 66523
B. 05 LONDON 7704
Classified By: Economic Counselor Sandra Clark for reasons 1.4(b) and (
d)
1. (C) Embassy raised reftel points with Simon Bond of the
Foreign and Commonwealth Office's South Asia Department and
Ben Lyon of the FCO's Counterterrorism Policy Department.
Lyon said that the UK fully supports an EU designation of the
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). LTTE is already
proscribed in the UK (roughly akin to our Foreign Terrorist
Organization designation). Bond's boss, South Asia
Department Deputy Head John Yapp, said that the UK welcomes
our "more aggressive" stance towards disrupting LTTE's
sources of funding and weapons.
2. (C) Lyon (please protect) said that the next possibility
for the EU to consider a designation of LTTE would be the
June meeting of the Clearinghouse. Lyon said that the date
for the Clearinghouse meeting had not yet been finalized, but
that it was likely to be either June 12 or 14.
3. (C) Lyon said that the general feeling (not based on
specific reporting) within the FCO was that June represented
the "best chance ever" for gaining Clearinghouse consensus
for an EU designation. This is a factor both of LTTE's
actions in Sri Lanka, and the fact that Norway had decided to
no longer associate itself with the Common Security and
Foreign Policy (CSFP) decision which implements Clearinghouse
sanctions.
4. (C) According to Lyon, Norway was associated with the EU
CSFP on designations up until January 2006. This meant that
if the EU agreed to designate a terrorist entity, Norway
would automatically have to implement that decision. Lyon
said that Norway, as facilitator of the peace process, did
not want to be in a position of having to freeze LTTE's
assets because it would no longer appear neutral. Lyon said
he believed that other Nordic countries had previously
blocked consensus on an LTTE designation on behalf of Norway,
which is not a member of the EU and therefore could not block
consensus itself. Lyon speculated that Norway had decided to
no longer associate itself with the Clearinghouse process
because it saw a designation as inevitable and wanted to be
sure it would not have to freeze LTTE's assets. , as
facilitator of the peace process, it did not want to be put
in the position of having to freeze LTTE's assets. Yapp
believes that the Nordic countries will still follow Norway's
lead on this issue.
4. (C) Lyon said that, to his knowledge, Denmark, Sweden and
Finland have blocked EU consensus on a designation of LTTE in
the past.
Visit London's Classified Website:
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/london/index. cfm
Tuttle
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
STATE FOR SA/INS, EB/ESC/TFS, S/CT, EUR/ERA, EUR/PGI, AND
EUR/UBI
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/04/2016
TAGS: ETTC KTFN PREL PTER CO UK
SUBJECT: DEMARCHE ON EU LISTING OF THE LTTE AS A TERRORIST
ORGANIZATION
REF: A. STATE 66523
B. 05 LONDON 7704
Classified By: Economic Counselor Sandra Clark for reasons 1.4(b) and (
d)
1. (C) Embassy raised reftel points with Simon Bond of the
Foreign and Commonwealth Office's South Asia Department and
Ben Lyon of the FCO's Counterterrorism Policy Department.
Lyon said that the UK fully supports an EU designation of the
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). LTTE is already
proscribed in the UK (roughly akin to our Foreign Terrorist
Organization designation). Bond's boss, South Asia
Department Deputy Head John Yapp, said that the UK welcomes
our "more aggressive" stance towards disrupting LTTE's
sources of funding and weapons.
2. (C) Lyon (please protect) said that the next possibility
for the EU to consider a designation of LTTE would be the
June meeting of the Clearinghouse. Lyon said that the date
for the Clearinghouse meeting had not yet been finalized, but
that it was likely to be either June 12 or 14.
3. (C) Lyon said that the general feeling (not based on
specific reporting) within the FCO was that June represented
the "best chance ever" for gaining Clearinghouse consensus
for an EU designation. This is a factor both of LTTE's
actions in Sri Lanka, and the fact that Norway had decided to
no longer associate itself with the Common Security and
Foreign Policy (CSFP) decision which implements Clearinghouse
sanctions.
4. (C) According to Lyon, Norway was associated with the EU
CSFP on designations up until January 2006. This meant that
if the EU agreed to designate a terrorist entity, Norway
would automatically have to implement that decision. Lyon
said that Norway, as facilitator of the peace process, did
not want to be in a position of having to freeze LTTE's
assets because it would no longer appear neutral. Lyon said
he believed that other Nordic countries had previously
blocked consensus on an LTTE designation on behalf of Norway,
which is not a member of the EU and therefore could not block
consensus itself. Lyon speculated that Norway had decided to
no longer associate itself with the Clearinghouse process
because it saw a designation as inevitable and wanted to be
sure it would not have to freeze LTTE's assets. , as
facilitator of the peace process, it did not want to be put
in the position of having to freeze LTTE's assets. Yapp
believes that the Nordic countries will still follow Norway's
lead on this issue.
4. (C) Lyon said that, to his knowledge, Denmark, Sweden and
Finland have blocked EU consensus on a designation of LTTE in
the past.
Visit London's Classified Website:
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/london/index. cfm
Tuttle