DELIVERED: REQUEST TO CONTINUE DETAINING STEEL

S E C R E T SINGAPORE 000127

SIPDIS

NOFORN
SIPDIS

ISN/CPI FOR FELIPE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/18/2017
TAGS: KNNP PARM PREL SN
SUBJECT: DELIVERED: REQUEST TO CONTINUE DETAINING STEEL
PLATES SHIPMENT

REF: A. STATE 4238

B. SINGAPORE 23

C. STUMPF-REED E-MAIL 04 JAN 2007

Classified By: E/P Counselor Ike Reed for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (S/NF) E/P Counselor and Econoff on January 18 delivered
ref A demarche to MFA's International Organizations Director
Tan Yee Woan and Assistant Director Ong Soo Chuan, urging
that Singapore continue detaining the steel plates shipment
rather than requiring the shipper to return it to China (ref
B). Tan could not confirm the steel plates were still in
Singapore but pledged to study our non-paper and confer again
with relevant agencies to see whether Singapore could find a
legal basis to continue detaining the shipment if they were.
At the same time, she expressed confidence that GOS lawyers
had thoroughly studied the case in an effort to find a
defensible basis to detain the shipment. When they did not,
the GOS had decided the best alternative was to return the
shipment to China, rather than allow it to go to its intended
destination. Tan offered to arrange a meeting with MFA
lawyers so they could explain the reasoning behind their
original determination.


2. (S/NF) Tan noted that this case presented a dilemma the
GOS is facing with increasing regularity. The GOS often
lacks sufficient direct evidence to justify the seizure of
suspect shipments, and actions based on intelligence data are
difficult to defend in court because of the need to protect
sources. For this reason, Tan expressed concern that future
requests of a similar nature could prove problematic. She
urged us to put pressure on source countries (in this case,
China) to prevent shipments of concern in the first place
rather than depending solely on transshipment ports to
intercept them.

COUNTERPROLIFERATION DIALOGUE
--------------


3. (SBU) Ong took the opportunity to inform us that early
February would no longer work for Singapore as a time to hold
the next round of our bilateral counter proliferation
dialogue (ref C). Ong suggested as a possible alternative
holding the dialogue in June, just prior to the PSI exercise
in Newport, Rhode Island.
FERGIN