FOLLOW-UP TO THE MARCH 1 COUNTERPROLIFERATION TASK

S E C R E T ABU DHABI 000873 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR T, ISN, AND NEA/ARP TREASURY FOR A/S O'BRIEN E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/24/2017 TAGS: PARM PREL ETTC NK AE SUBJECT: FOLLOW-UP TO THE MARCH 1 COUNTERPROLIFERATION TASK FORCE MEETING REF: A. ABU DHABI 803 ¶B. STATE 64579 ¶C. STATE 43363 Classified By: Ambassador Michele J. Sison for reasons 1.4 (b & d). ¶1. (U) This is an action request. Please see para 5. ¶2. (C) On May 23, econchief met with Yacoub Al-Hosani, MFA Director for International Organizations (and a member of the UAE's Counterproliferation Task Force --CTF) to thank him for information the MFA provided Embassy on May 22 responding to follow-up requests from the March 1 CTF Meeting. (Note: Post has passed the Arabic-language MFA document back to NEA/ARP with a request for urgent translation by May 31. End Note.) ¶3. (C) According to Al-Hosani, the information provided is more detailed than the information that the UAE is providing to the UNSC on its implementation of UNSCRs 1737 and 1747. He added that his team would be prepared to respond to questions for clarification during the meeting. ¶4. (S/Rel UAE) As part of the response, the UAE provided the following information on Tanchon Commercial Bank (previously Changgwang Credit Bank). According to the records of the UAE correspondent banks (holding the "Vostro Accounts:" (NFI)), Tanchon officials are: -- Mr. Kye Chang Ho - President of the Bank -- Mr. Kim Ryong Chan - Vice President of the Bank -- Mr. Song DO II - Director International Division -- Mr. Kim Song Chol - Manager Correspondent Banking Department UAE Banks note that this information could be dated as the accounts have been frozen "for a long time. ¶5. (S/Rel UAE) The UAE Anti-Money Laundering and Suspicious Cases Unit provided the following additional comment/clarification. --"The above bank is not a license financial institution in the UAE. As per a request for assistance received from the U.S. authorities, and based on a seizure order issued by the competent judicial authority in the UAE, the Central Bank of the UAE has frozen the accounts of Tanchon Commercial Bank of North Korea in the UAE, on 14 March 2004" --"The above bank is allegedly associated with Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan's case. Tanchon Commercial Bank holds accounts at two local banks and one foreign bank operating in the UAE, these accounts are frozen at present." ¶6. (C) Al-Hosani tentatively confirmed June 11 for the next round of CTF working group meetings and expressed a preference for a one day meeting. He added that several of the task force members would not be available on June 12. Al-Hosani also asked that the USG provide a proposed agenda NLT the week of May 28. He suggested that the meeting take place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The MFA would then host a lunch for the delegates. ¶7. (C) Action request: Post has forwarded the UAEG's Arabic language CTF response to NEA/ARP and ISN. Please have this response translated as quickly as possible. Please note, the UAE considers the response "secret." Please provide a draft agenda that we can share with the UAE. End Action Request. SISON