UNSCR 1737: INITIAL GERMAN RESPONSE TO FREEZING

C O N F I D E N T I A L BERLIN 000307 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR ISN/CPI AND EUR/AGS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/14/2017 TAGS: PARM PREL KNNP EFIN ETTC IR GM SUBJECT: UNSCR 1737: INITIAL GERMAN RESPONSE TO FREEZING ASSETS OF IRANIAN ENTITIES NOT SPECIFICALLY LISTED IN THE ANNEX REF: SECSTATE 16917 Classified By: Global Affairs Counselor Donald R. Shemanski, for reason s 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Global Affairs officer delivered reftel demarche to Ursina Krumpholz and Ernst Roeder-Messell of the German Ministry of Economics on February 13 and to Claudia Schuett of the Germany Ministry of Foreign Affairs on February 14. The German officials thanked the USG for providing information on the Iranian entities and individuals not specifically listed in the Annex of UNSCR 1737. They said they would share the information with other appropriate government agencies. ¶2. (C) Krumpholz, the Office Director of the Foreign Trade Law and Law of the Sea Division, said the German Government, while waiting for the EU to announce its common position on implementing the UNSC sanctions and publishing the accompanying regulations, issued a preliminary order to freeze the assets of the entities and persons listed in the UNSCR annex. The EU regulations will override the German Government's preliminary order. Roeder-Messell said the EU Council had issued a draft common position on its Web site concerning the implementation of the UNSC sanctions. According to him, the EU plans to ban the export of Nuclear Supplier Group-listed items and Missile Technology Control Regime-listed items to Iran and also to freeze the assets and restrict the travel of the UNSCR-listed entities and persons. Krumpholz said the EU is close to finalizing its common position. ¶3. (C) Roeder-Messell said the UNSCR Annex would be more useful if it provided such information as dates and places of birth for the individuals. He also said the USG information concerning the Iranian entities and persons not on the Annex is similar to what the EU has. In answer to our question whether the EU would act against the newly provided unlisted entities and persons, Krumpholz predicted the EU would initially sanction only the names on the Annex. Once the EU regulations were promulgated, however, they could be amended readily, she continued, so that additional names could be added. ¶4. (C) Schuett, desk officer in the MFA's International Economic and Financial Policy Division, reported on the status of the draft EU common position. She also asked the basis for the USG in acting against the additional Iranian entities and persons. She said it would be helpful for the USG to share its evidence linking them to the listed entities and persons. TIMKEN JR