1267 COMMITTEE: BELGIAN DE-LISTING REQUEST

S E C R E T USUN NEW YORK 001235 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/19/2016 TAGS: ETTC KTFN EFIN UNSC PREL PGOV BE SUBJECT: 1267 COMMITTEE: BELGIAN DE-LISTING REQUEST Classified By: Political Minister Counselor William Brencick, for Reasons 1.4 (B and D) ¶1. (U) This is an Action Request. Please see Para 7. ¶2. (C) SUMMARY: The Belgian Mission recently provided more information to USUN about the background of two individuals for whom Belgium has requested de-listing from the 1267 (al-Qaida/Taliban) Committee's sanctions list. The information was provided as a follow-up to a May 26 meeting between Belgian PermRep Verbeke and Ambassador Wolff, where Verbeke pressed the U.S. to agree to de-list the two Belgian citizens. Belgian Mission Counselor Marc Pecsteen subsequently met with USUN on June 9 to explain the de-listing request for Nabil Sayadi and Patricia Vinck. Pecsteen acknowledged that Brussels has reviewed documents that show a link between Sayadi/Vinck and known terrorists. While Pecsteen acknowledged that Sayadi and Vinck did have terrorist ties, he emphasized that Belgian courts found insufficient evidence to convict them of any crime. In response to Pecsteen's presentation, USUN underlined the distinction between a criminal process, which relies on one set of evidentiary standards, and a sanctions process, which is political rather than judicial in nature, and relies on another set of criteria. USUN pledged to send the additional information to Washington for review. END SUMMARY. BACKGROUND -------------- ¶3. (C) During a May 26 meeting, Belgian PermRep Verbeke met with Amb Wolff to press the U.S. to agree to de-list two Belgian citizens currently under sanctions in the 1267 Committee. Amb Wolff told Verbeke he would convey the Belgian request to Washington. As a follow-up to that meeting, Belgian Mission Counselor Marc Pecsteen met with USUN on June 9 to provide additional information on Nabil Sayadi and Patricia Vinck. Following their designations in 2003, Sayadi and Vinck sued the Belgian Government and demanded that Brussels request their de-listing. A Belgian court ruled in the listed individuals' favor and instructed the government to forward a de-listing petition to the 1267 Committee, which was done in March 2005. In the request, the Belgian government made clear that it was responding to the court's instruction and did not explicitly support the court's findings. The United States, the UK, France, and Denmark all placed holds on the request. ¶4. (C) On April 4, 2006, the Belgians sent a new letter to the Committee regarding their de-listing request, in which they reported that a government investigation had concluded that the two individuals should be de-listed. However, in the same letter, the Belgians admitted that they possessed documents showing a link between Sayadi, Vinck, and known terrorists. When the Committee next met and discussed this most recent letter, Denmark, France, the UK, and USUN all underlined the need to learn more about Belgium's finding that the individuals may have continued ties to terrorism. TERRORIST LINKS -------------- ¶5. (S) In a June 9 meeting, Pecsteen presented additional information to USUN about Sayadi's and Vinck's terrorist ties. According to court documents, which Pecsteen could show to USUN but not hand over, two known al-Qaida financiers, Darkanzali and Galeb Kalaje Zouaydi, helped Sayadi raise money for his branch of the Global Relief organization (NOTE: The 1267 Committee designated Global Relief as an entity associated with al-Qaida. END NOTE). Darkanzali, living in Germany, and Zouaydi, living in Spain, allegedly had a close and continuing relationship with Sayadi. According to the court documents, Sayadi also had some type of relationship with Rabbih Haddad from Global Relief, and Tarek Krayem, who was Sayadi's employer. Sayadi also met (three or four times) with Imad Eddin Barakat Yarkas, currently living in Spain. ¶6. (C) Despite the links to known terrorists, Pecsteen emphasized that there is no indication Sayadi ever participated in any action connected to terrorism. Moreover, Pecsteen argued that the Belgian branch of Global Relief was proven to be a genuinely humanitarian organization. ¶7. (C) ACTION REQUEST: USUN requests Department guidance on the additional information provided by the Belgian Mission and any review of the Belgian de-listing request. BOLTON