TERRORISM FINANCE: UNSC 1267 DESIGNEE, SULIMAN

S E C R E T RIYADH 008314 SIPDIS NOFORN SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/17/2031 TAGS: EFIN PTER KTFN ETTC PREL SA SUBJECT: TERRORISM FINANCE: UNSC 1267 DESIGNEE, SULIMAN AL-BUTHE, FEATURED IN LOCAL PRESS, STILL ON SAG PAYROLL Classified By: Counselor for Economic Affairs Robert Silverman for reas ons 1.4 (b),(d),and (g). ¶1. (U) United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1267 Designee, Suliman H. Al-Buthe (aka Solaiman Al-Buthi) was featured in an article published in the Saudi Gazette, a mainstream Saudi publication censored by the Saudi Arabian Government (SAG). Al-Buthe, the Assistant General Manager for the Department of Gardens and Beautification, Riyadh Municipality, boasted about Saudi's three-day Eid celebration, which includes a circus and fireworks. ¶2. (C) Al-Buthe, who was designated in 2004 by the UNSC 1267 Committee for ties to the Taliban and Al'Qaida through the Al Haramain Islamic Foundation, has worked for the Riyadh Municipality, Department of Gardens and Beautification, for over twenty years and has control of its finances. Following his 1267 Designation, the SAG has promoted Al-Buthe twice. Currently Al-Buthe oversees a SAR 30 million (USD $8 million) project for a sporting complex in Riyadh. In 2004, the SAG enforced UNSCR 1267 sanctions by freezing Al-Buthe's assets and forcing him to turn in seven passports; he has been unable to leave the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) since this time. Due to these restrictions, the SAG pays his salary in cash and is paying for the schooling of his three children in Riyadh. In addition to working for the SAG, Al-Buthe has an import/export business in Riyadh with his brother, who is a textbook publisher in the KSA. ¶3. (S/NF) Comment. According to intelligence sources, the SAG may have provided at least two radical clerics with government employment to keep a watchful eye on them; the SAG's employment of Al-Buthe and its control over his children's education may be a way for the SAG to monitor Al-Buthe. However, while the SAG has complied with the minimum sanctions imposed by UNSCR 1267, their continued comfortable employment of this 1267 designee, specifically giving him budgetary responsibilities, is a troubling indicator of the seriousness with which the SAG takes the designation - at least in this case. Post plans on raising this case in our post-Eid meetings with counterterrorism officials. End comment. OBERWETTER