IRAN AND DPRK: IMPLEMENTING UN SANCTIONS

C O N F I D E N T I A L MOSCOW 002437

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/24/2017
TAGS: PREL PARM ETTC UNSC IR KN RS
SUBJECT: IRAN AND DPRK: IMPLEMENTING UN SANCTIONS
RESOLUTIONS

REF: A. STATE 67462

B. MOSCOW 1535

Classified By: Political M/C Alice G. Wells. Reasons: 1.4(B/D).


1. (C) We discussed Russia's implementation of UNSCR 1737
and 1747 on May 24 with Vladimir Safronkov, Chief of the
MFA's UN Political Affairs Section. Drawing from ref A, we
urged that Russia take a broad definition of OP 5 of UNSCR
1747 regarding "arms and related materiel." Safronkov noted
that the presidential decree implementing UNSCR 1737 and 1747
was still being considered in the GOR interagency, but noted
that the definition of arms provided by the Wassenaar
Arrangement Munitions List was a useful interpretive device.
He said Moscow agreed that Iranian participation in arms
fairs or trade shows to promote Iranian arms sales was
inconsistent with UNSCR 1747.


2. (C) Turning to the status of decrees implementing the
DPRK and Iran sanctions resolutions, Safronkov said that the
DPRK sanctions decree had made it through the interagency and
was heading to the President's desk for signature "very
soon." The Iran sanctions decree remained stuck in the
interagency because of differences between the MFA and the
Finance Ministry and Central Bank over language regarding
asset freezes of proliferators. Safronkov explained that the
draft DPRK sanctions decree included a "conceptual
instruction" to the Russian interagency to resolve the
proliferation financing issue quickly. He thought that the
language from the DPRK sanctions decree might be incorporated
in the Iran sanctions decree, but conceded that the Finance
Ministry had not signed off on this compromise. The
financial agencies remained concerned about enforcement
procedures under Russian law and the legal implications for
Russian banks and companies doing business with Iran.


3. (C) Noting that this was a "delicate" issue, Safronkov
said that consultations between representatives of the U.S.
Treasury Department and the Russian Federal Financial
Monitoring Service and Central Bank on proliferation finance
had been useful in clarifying the challenges posed by the
proliferation finance issues. He hoped these exchanges would
continue because it helped focus GOR attention on the issue
and could encourage the financial agencies to move forward in
ways that helped Russia meet the obligations of the DPRK and
Iran sanctions resolutions.
BURNS