ANDORRA: 2008 COUNTRY REPORT ON TERRORISM

UNCLAS BARCELONA 000132 STATE FOR S/CT (RSHORE) AND TO EUR/WE (ESAMSON/SZARDECKI) E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PTER ASEC EFIN KCRM KHLS AEMR AN SUBJECT: ANDORRA: 2008 COUNTRY REPORT ON TERRORISM REF: STATE 120019 ¶1. (U) As requested in REFTEL, Post's submission for the "2008 Country Reports on Terrorism follows in paragraph 2. POC for the CRT for Andorra is Todd D. Robinson. Tel number 34-93-280-2227 e-mail: HYPERLINK "mailto:RobinsonTD3@state.gov" RobinsonTD3@state.gov ¶2. (U) Andorra continues to be a supportive partner in the global war on terrorism and its government has expressed interest in exchanging terrorist screening information pursuant to HSPD 6. The government has worked to build law enforcement capacity, enhance border security, and combat money laundering and terrorist financing. Changes from previous year's reports are few as no significant domestic or international-related terrorism occurred in the country in 2008. The government of Andorra is neither a sponsor of terrorism nor does it provide safe haven to terrorist organizations. After September 11, 2001, the government of Andorra signed three conventions in the Council of Europe (Convention on the Suppression of Terrorism, the Criminal Law Convention on Corruption and the Civil Law Convention on Corruption) and two conventions in the United Nations (International convention on Suppression of the Finance of Terrorism and the Convention against Transnational Organized Crime),all still pending ratification. The government of Andorra continues to point to staff shortage for translations and other bureaucratic obstacles to ratification by Parliament. Nonetheless, the Andorran government insists ratification will take place within the current parliamentary term. Andorra joined the GRECO (Group of States Against Corruption) on January 26, 2005. Andorra is also member of Moneyval, the Council of Europe's group to fight money laundering. Since March 2003, Andorra is a signatory to the Geneva Convention on the prohibition of developing, producing, storage, and use of chemical weapons and also on their destruction. In September 2006, the Council of Ministers approved the ratification of the Council of Europe's Convention on Terrorism prevention signed by the Andorrans in Warsaw on May 16, 2005. The Andorran Parliament ratified it in November 2007. The Money Laundering Prevention Unit, a governmental organization aimed at detecting criminal organizations in the Principality, works closely with the U.S. Treasury Department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FINCEN) and the Egmont Group. Andorra does not have a stock exchange or casinos. Securities and real estate are very controlled and have to declared as sources of income. In September 2005, a new Penal Code came into force. The Penal Code's article on terrorism increased punishment for terrorist individuals or groups to twenty years in prison, if found guilty. Penalties for money laundering and organized crime have also been increased. The government of Andorra cooperation with U.S. antiterrorism efforts is marked by efforts to combat terrorism financing and through adherence to international antiterrorism conventions. The Andorran government sent financial support to the Together Foundation aimed at helping children affected by the war in the former Yugoslav Republic. The Andorran government makes a yearly voluntary contribution to United Nations for the Peace Maintenance project. No U.S. citizen has suffered kidnapping or death in the preceding five years and no case has arisen in Andorra requiring government cooperation with the U.S to prevent acts of terrorism against U.S. citizens in the country. ROBINSON