(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