DEMARCHE TO BELGIANS ON COMBATING PKK TERRORISM IN

S E C R E T BRUSSELS 003038

SIPDIS

NOFORN
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/01/2017
TAGS: PTER PREL TU BE
SUBJECT: DEMARCHE TO BELGIANS ON COMBATING PKK TERRORISM IN
EUROPE

REF: A. STATE 134271


B. BRUSSELS 2884

Classified By: POLCOUNS TED ANDREWS. REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D).


1. (S) Poloff delivered ref A demarche to Andre Ceulemans,
the Foreign Ministry's Deputy Political Director and Adviser
for Counterterrorism Issues. Ceulemans stressed Belgium's
commitment to countering the PKK, saying Belgium was already
"very conscious" of PKK activities and financial
transactions, and was monitoring PKK members throughout the
country. He said not only was Belgium looking at PKK
activities from a terrorism angle, but also as a source of
criminality that could be pursued under criminal laws, for
example anti-money laundering statutes. Ceulemans pointed to
Belgian cooperation with France on arrests of PKK members as
well as ongoing Belgian efforts to monitor and link PKK
members throughout the country as further evidence of Belgian
political will on the issue.


2. (S) Ceulemans was optimistic about the use of Belgium's
2003 antiterrorism law as a tool to go after PKK members,
despite the April Supreme Court ruling striking down a
Belgian appellate court's imposition of stiffer sentences on
three convicted members of the DHKP-C (Ref B). He thought
the relative speed of starting a new trial this month was
encouraging for effective use of the 2003 law in going
against members of a terrorist organization, and felt the law
might influence the PKK to limit their activities in Belgium.


3. (S) Ceulemans complained about the quality of information
on the PKK provided by Turkey. He said the MFA took the list
of PKK members in Belgium that Turkey provided seriously, but
found it "hard to give practical effect" to the information
because it was "not precise." According to Ceulemans, "we
need better information from Turkey," in order to pursue
legal cases under Belgian law.


4. (S) Ceulemans said he had, unfortunately, just learned
the court case against BRD Media Production Company, one of
the PKK's media outlets in Belgium, had been "annulled" on
September 6 because the statute of limitations to conclude
legal action had expired. (Belgium raided BRD in 1996 and
instigated a court case that was never settled.) Ceulemans
said the Federal Prosecutor had lodged an appeal with
Belgium's Supreme Court to reinstate the case.

FOX
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