SPAIN: POINTS DELIVERED ON FREEZING ASSETS OF

C O N F I D E N T I A L MADRID 000288 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/WE AND ISN/CPI (JENIFER CHALERS) E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/16/2017 TAGS: PARM PREL EFIN ETTC KNNP SP SUBJECT: SPAIN: POINTS DELIVERED ON FREEZING ASSETS OF IRANIAN ENTITIES AND PERSONS NOT SPECIFICALLY LISTED IN UNSCR 1737 ANNEX REF: SECSTATE 16917 Classified By: DCM Hugo Llorens per 1.4 (B/D) ¶1. (C) ESTHOFF delivered REFTEL points February 12 to MFA Disarmament Affairs Deputy Director General Ignacio Sanchez, urging Spain to freeze the assets of Iranian entities not specifically listed in the Annex to UNSCR 1737. ECONOFF presented the same points February 12 to MFA International Terrorism Affairs Deputy Director General Miguel Enrique Garcia Herraiz. In recent weeks, the Ambassador, DCM, and visiting UNVIE Ambassador Greg Schulte have urged the Spanish Foreign Minister, Deputy Foreign Minister and National Security Advisor to work with the U.S. and others to implement additional measures to pressure Iran that go beyond those mandated in UNSCR 1737. ¶2. (C) COMMENT: Spain can be expected to implement in good faith the February 12 EU Common Position Concerning Restrictive Measures Against Iran (which codifies the legal authority EU Member States can use to implement the UNSCR 1737 asset freezes and sets the bureaucratic stage for considering additional measures beyond UNSCR 1737). We expect Spain to use the Common Position as the basis to develop the domestic legal authority required to implement the asset freeze. But we do not expect Spain to take a leadership position in pushing for additional EU measures beyond the scope of UNSCR 1737. Aguirre