Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07COLOMBO834
2007-06-12 12:22:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Colombo
Cable title:
UNSCR 1747: SRI LANKA HAS NOT YET SEVERED BANK
how-toVZCZCXYZ0002 RR RUEHWEB DE RUEHLM #0834 1631222 ZNR UUUUU ZZH R 121222Z JUN 07 FM AMEMBASSY COLOMBO TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6235 INFO RUEHKA/AMEMBASSY DHAKA 0183 RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 7164 RUEHKT/AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU 5271 RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 3817 RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0581
UNCLAS COLOMBO 000834
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
STATE FOR SCA/INS, EEB/ESC/TFS, ISN/CPI, NEA/IR, IO, VCI,
P, AND T
TREASURY FOR TFI
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EFIN KNNP UNSC IAEA IR CE
SUBJECT: UNSCR 1747: SRI LANKA HAS NOT YET SEVERED BANK
SEPAH LINKS
REF: A. SECSTATE 73219
B. COLOMBO 508
C. COLOMBO 676
UNCLAS COLOMBO 000834
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
STATE FOR SCA/INS, EEB/ESC/TFS, ISN/CPI, NEA/IR, IO, VCI,
P, AND T
TREASURY FOR TFI
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EFIN KNNP UNSC IAEA IR CE
SUBJECT: UNSCR 1747: SRI LANKA HAS NOT YET SEVERED BANK
SEPAH LINKS
REF: A. SECSTATE 73219
B. COLOMBO 508
C. COLOMBO 676
1. (SBU) Summary: Sri Lanka has not yet taken steps to
implement UN Security Council Resolution 1747, but says it
will do so soon. Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Bogollagama
visited Iran May 25-28. With that visit past, Sri Lanka is
likely to take steps to implement UNSCR 1747 in the near
future. End summary.
2. (SBU) DCM and EconOff met with Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Additional Secretary for Multilateral Affairs T B
Maduwegedera June 12 to follow up on Sri Lanka's progress in
implementing UN Security Council Resolution 1747 and to
deliver the United States' report on its implementation of
the resolution (ref A). Maduwegedera said that the MFA had
not yet issued instructions to government agencies on
implementing UNSCR 1747 because it had not yet received from
its mission in New York the annex listing sanctioned
entities. We gave Maduwegedara a copy of the annex, as we
had done when we initially delivered this demarche in March
(ref B).
3. (SBU) EconOff also spoke on June 12 with of Sri Lanka
Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) Director H.A. Karunaratne
about the status of the correspondent banking link between
the Bank of Ceylon and Iranian Bank Sepah. Karunaratne said
that the FIU had not yet acted to sever the Bank of
Ceylon-Bank Sepah link because it had still not received
instructions from the MFA on UNSCR 1747. He also said that
the May 15 Asian Clearing Union board meeting had not
discussed the issue of its members ties with Bank Sepah,
contrary to the GSL's intention to raise the issue in that
forum (ref C). Karunaratne reported that the FIU had found
"a few inactive accounts" linked to Bank Sepah, maintained by
various Sri Lankan banks, and that it would address these as
well as the Bank of Ceylon correspondent link when advised to
do so by the MFA.
4. (SBU) Comment: Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Bogollagama
visited Iran May 27-29. With that visit past, Sri Lanka is
likely to belatedly take steps to implement UNSCR 1747 in the
near future.
BLAKE
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
STATE FOR SCA/INS, EEB/ESC/TFS, ISN/CPI, NEA/IR, IO, VCI,
P, AND T
TREASURY FOR TFI
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EFIN KNNP UNSC IAEA IR CE
SUBJECT: UNSCR 1747: SRI LANKA HAS NOT YET SEVERED BANK
SEPAH LINKS
REF: A. SECSTATE 73219
B. COLOMBO 508
C. COLOMBO 676
1. (SBU) Summary: Sri Lanka has not yet taken steps to
implement UN Security Council Resolution 1747, but says it
will do so soon. Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Bogollagama
visited Iran May 25-28. With that visit past, Sri Lanka is
likely to take steps to implement UNSCR 1747 in the near
future. End summary.
2. (SBU) DCM and EconOff met with Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Additional Secretary for Multilateral Affairs T B
Maduwegedera June 12 to follow up on Sri Lanka's progress in
implementing UN Security Council Resolution 1747 and to
deliver the United States' report on its implementation of
the resolution (ref A). Maduwegedera said that the MFA had
not yet issued instructions to government agencies on
implementing UNSCR 1747 because it had not yet received from
its mission in New York the annex listing sanctioned
entities. We gave Maduwegedara a copy of the annex, as we
had done when we initially delivered this demarche in March
(ref B).
3. (SBU) EconOff also spoke on June 12 with of Sri Lanka
Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) Director H.A. Karunaratne
about the status of the correspondent banking link between
the Bank of Ceylon and Iranian Bank Sepah. Karunaratne said
that the FIU had not yet acted to sever the Bank of
Ceylon-Bank Sepah link because it had still not received
instructions from the MFA on UNSCR 1747. He also said that
the May 15 Asian Clearing Union board meeting had not
discussed the issue of its members ties with Bank Sepah,
contrary to the GSL's intention to raise the issue in that
forum (ref C). Karunaratne reported that the FIU had found
"a few inactive accounts" linked to Bank Sepah, maintained by
various Sri Lankan banks, and that it would address these as
well as the Bank of Ceylon correspondent link when advised to
do so by the MFA.
4. (SBU) Comment: Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Bogollagama
visited Iran May 27-29. With that visit past, Sri Lanka is
likely to belatedly take steps to implement UNSCR 1747 in the
near future.
BLAKE