(S) GOS QUESTIONS USG MOTIVES IN LINKING LATHES TO

S E C R E T SINGAPORE 000227 SIPDIS NOFORN SIPDIS ISN/CPI FOR MARK FELIPE E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/01/2017 TAGS: KNNP PARM PREL MNUC ETTC SN MY KN SUBJECT: (S) GOS QUESTIONS USG MOTIVES IN LINKING LATHES TO UNSCR 1718 REF: A. SINGAPORE 224 ¶B. STATE 4238 ¶C. 06 STATE 184097 Classified By: E/P Counselor Ike Reed for reasons 1.4(b) and (d) ¶1. (S/NF) Tan Yee Woan, Director of MFA's International Organizations Directorate, on February 1 requested a meeting with E/P Counselor to provide an update on the status of the precision lathes shipment (ref A). Tan began by saying that it was a USG suggestion that the shipment might violate UNSCR 1718 that had prompted Singapore's decision to act in mid-December. After detaining the lathes, the GOS requested via separate channels additional information regarding the lathes, technical specifications. According to Tan, Singapore did not receive an adequate response. Nevertheless, GOS technical agencies performed their own physical inspection of the items in question and also requested and received additional documentation from the shipper, she continued. Based on its investigation, the GOS determined: a) the shipment did not violate UNSCR 1718; b) the lathes were not covered by the "catch-all" provision of Singapore's domestic export control laws; and c) the lathes were not controlled by any international export control regime. Therefore, Singapore had no legal basis to block the shipment, Tan said. 2) (S/NF) Tan provided more information about the onward movement of the lathes, saying they were scheduled to leave Singapore on February 3 aboard the vessel "Uni-Angel" 056DS-131 bound for Port Klang, Malaysia. Note: We were originally told the lathes were to leave Singapore on January ¶31. End note. ¶3. (S/NF) "Off the record," Tan said that some within the GOS were questioning why the USG had initially drawn a connection with UNSCR 1718, given that there did not appear to be a nexus with WMD and that we had later acknowledged the lathes did not appear to be controlled items. Stressing that the GOS takes its international obligations seriously, Tan said some in the GOS wondered if the USG had linked the lathes to UNSCR 1718 in order to spur Singapore into action. That suspicion and the U.S. inability to provide the details that could give the GOS legal grounds for holding the lathes had left a "bad odor" with some GOS officials, she said. E/P Counselor responded that although our information may have been incomplete when we first approached the GOS, we had presented the situation as we understood it to be in complete good faith. He reiterated points conveyed through other channels on the nature of our concerns about the shipment. ¶4. (S/NF) Tan also provided a short update on the status of the steel plates Singapore seized at USG request in November 2006 (ref C). She said that pursuant to our request that the plates not be released to the shipper, the GOS was continuing to hold the shipment and reexamining the details of the case, including reviewing the shipping documents (ref B). HERBOLD