Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06PARIS7902
2006-12-26 06:02:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Paris
how-toVZCZCXRO3518 RR RUEHAG RUEHROV DE RUEHFR #7902 3600602 ZNY CCCCC ZZH R 260602Z DEC 06 FM AMEMBASSY PARIS TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3942 INFO RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES
C O N F I D E N T I A L PARIS 007902
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
STATE FOR EUR/WE; EB/ESC/TFS
Treasury for Michael Jacobson and Jim Freis
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/22/2016
TAGS: EFIN PTER ECON FR
SUBJECT: FRENCH UPDATE ON THE TFTP
REF: STATE 194473
Classified by CDA Karl Hofmann reasons 1.4 b and d.
C O N F I D E N T I A L PARIS 007902
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
STATE FOR EUR/WE; EB/ESC/TFS
Treasury for Michael Jacobson and Jim Freis
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/22/2016
TAGS: EFIN PTER ECON FR
SUBJECT: FRENCH UPDATE ON THE TFTP
REF: STATE 194473
Classified by CDA Karl Hofmann reasons 1.4 b and d.
1. (C) SUMMARY: France remains cautious about the Terrorist
Finance Tracking Program (TFTP). It is still debating
internally how to respond to the European Commission's queries,
mindful of the priority to ensure that counter-terrorism
cooperation continues. END SUMMARY.
2. (C) Drawing on points provided reftel, the Ambassador
expressed our concerns that the EU WP29 privacy opinion might
jeopardize the Terrorist Finance Tracking Program (TFTP) via
letter to Nicolas Sarkozy, Minister of the Interior, on December
7, with copies to the chiefs of staff of the Minister of Finance
and the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
3. (C) We subsequently spoke with Gilles Mentre, diplomatic
counselor for Finance Minister Breton, who said the Minister was
quite interested in the letter since, he recalled, Breton had
this past summer requested from the Embassy more information
about SWIFT (which we had provided). He said Breton had passed
the letter to staff for fuller consideration. According to
Corso Bavagnoli, the newly arrived office director for
International Financial Affairs at the Finance Ministry, the GOF
lead will be determined by how the European Commission decides
to handle the issue in Brussels. If Justice takes it up, France
will give the domestic lead to its Interior Ministry, but if
EcoFin takes it up, the French Finance Ministry will take the
lead. Bavagnoli believes the European Commission wants to deal
with this like the airlines' PNR issue: US/EU, rather than
bilaterally at the member state level. Bilaterally, France
does want to continue its counter terrorism cooperation, but
also faces legal constraints about privacy issues. The Ministry
has just begun its legal analysis, which will not be complete
until after the holiday break.
4. (C) We also spoke with Christophe Chaboud, the director of
the Interior Ministry's Unit for
Coordination of the Fight Against Terrorism (UCLAT).
Chaboud reported that Minister Sarkozy had just tasked him to
respond to the Ambassador's letter. While technical details
need to be addressed (the internal legal constraints as well as
dealing with the issue institutionally at the European
Commission),he assured us there is no question that France
wants to continue its counter-terror cooperation.
Please visit Paris' Classified Website at:
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/paris/index.c fm
HOFMANN #
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
STATE FOR EUR/WE; EB/ESC/TFS
Treasury for Michael Jacobson and Jim Freis
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/22/2016
TAGS: EFIN PTER ECON FR
SUBJECT: FRENCH UPDATE ON THE TFTP
REF: STATE 194473
Classified by CDA Karl Hofmann reasons 1.4 b and d.
1. (C) SUMMARY: France remains cautious about the Terrorist
Finance Tracking Program (TFTP). It is still debating
internally how to respond to the European Commission's queries,
mindful of the priority to ensure that counter-terrorism
cooperation continues. END SUMMARY.
2. (C) Drawing on points provided reftel, the Ambassador
expressed our concerns that the EU WP29 privacy opinion might
jeopardize the Terrorist Finance Tracking Program (TFTP) via
letter to Nicolas Sarkozy, Minister of the Interior, on December
7, with copies to the chiefs of staff of the Minister of Finance
and the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
3. (C) We subsequently spoke with Gilles Mentre, diplomatic
counselor for Finance Minister Breton, who said the Minister was
quite interested in the letter since, he recalled, Breton had
this past summer requested from the Embassy more information
about SWIFT (which we had provided). He said Breton had passed
the letter to staff for fuller consideration. According to
Corso Bavagnoli, the newly arrived office director for
International Financial Affairs at the Finance Ministry, the GOF
lead will be determined by how the European Commission decides
to handle the issue in Brussels. If Justice takes it up, France
will give the domestic lead to its Interior Ministry, but if
EcoFin takes it up, the French Finance Ministry will take the
lead. Bavagnoli believes the European Commission wants to deal
with this like the airlines' PNR issue: US/EU, rather than
bilaterally at the member state level. Bilaterally, France
does want to continue its counter terrorism cooperation, but
also faces legal constraints about privacy issues. The Ministry
has just begun its legal analysis, which will not be complete
until after the holiday break.
4. (C) We also spoke with Christophe Chaboud, the director of
the Interior Ministry's Unit for
Coordination of the Fight Against Terrorism (UCLAT).
Chaboud reported that Minister Sarkozy had just tasked him to
respond to the Ambassador's letter. While technical details
need to be addressed (the internal legal constraints as well as
dealing with the issue institutionally at the European
Commission),he assured us there is no question that France
wants to continue its counter-terror cooperation.
Please visit Paris' Classified Website at:
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/paris/index.c fm
HOFMANN #