Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08BERLIN555
2008-04-29 15:30:00
SECRET
Embassy Berlin
Cable title:
GERMAN RESPONSE - REQUEST FOR VIGILANCE REGARDING
how-toVZCZCXYZ0000 OO RUEHWEB DE RUEHRL #0555 1201530 ZNY SSSSS ZZH O 291530Z APR 08 FM AMEMBASSY BERLIN TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 1079 INFO RUCNFRG/FRG COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE RUEHTH/AMEMBASSY ATHENS IMMEDIATE 0343 RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON IMMEDIATE 8962 RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS IMMEDIATE 9527 RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS IMMEDIATE
S E C R E T BERLIN 000555
SIPDIS
SIPDIS, P, T, E, ISN, EEB, EUR, NEA/IR, IO
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/28/2018
TAGS: KNNP PTER EFIN MNUC GR IR GM
SUBJECT: GERMAN RESPONSE - REQUEST FOR VIGILANCE REGARDING
BANK SADERAT'S BRANCH IN ATHENS
REF: A. STATE 43492
B. BERLIN 405
C. BERLIN 333
D. DUESSELDORF 8
E. BERLIN 211
Classified By: EMIN Robert A. Pollard for reasons 1.4
(b) and (d).
S E C R E T BERLIN 000555
SIPDIS
SIPDIS, P, T, E, ISN, EEB, EUR, NEA/IR, IO
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/28/2018
TAGS: KNNP PTER EFIN MNUC GR IR GM
SUBJECT: GERMAN RESPONSE - REQUEST FOR VIGILANCE REGARDING
BANK SADERAT'S BRANCH IN ATHENS
REF: A. STATE 43492
B. BERLIN 405
C. BERLIN 333
D. DUESSELDORF 8
E. BERLIN 211
Classified By: EMIN Robert A. Pollard for reasons 1.4
(b) and (d).
1. (S) EconOff delivered ref A demarche April 28-29 to MFA
Deputy Director for International Economic and Financial
Policy Sabine Seidler, Economics Ministry Foreign Trade Law
Desk Officer Martin Lutz, and Finance Ministry Director for
Terrorism Finance and Money Laundering Michael Findeisen.
All three expressed appreciation for the information and
reviewed German Government action to date to increase bank
regulators' oversight and to inform German banks of their
legal obligation to undertake additional, rigorous due
diligence on all Iran-related transactions (see refs B - E).
Lutz stated that German banks are "already quite vigilant"
with respect to Iran-related business, pointing out that
German banks have dramatically scaled back their involvement
in Iran.
2. (S) Findeisen said ref A information comes as "no
surprise" given the recent Financial Action Task Force (FATF)
report on Greece's failure to implement an anti-money
laundering/combating terrorist financing (AML/CTF) regime.
"It's a nightmare," Findeisen exclaimed, "there's no
supervision." In response to a question, Findeisen said the
EU Commission has the legal competence to file a formal
complaint with the European Court of Justice to compel Greece
to enact and implement an AML/CTF regime. He pointed to a
previous instance when the EU successfully pursued a similar
course of action with Austria. He added that the German
branch of Bank Saderat is relatively small, noting that few
Iranians living in Germany do business with Saderat.
TIMKEN JR
SIPDIS
SIPDIS, P, T, E, ISN, EEB, EUR, NEA/IR, IO
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/28/2018
TAGS: KNNP PTER EFIN MNUC GR IR GM
SUBJECT: GERMAN RESPONSE - REQUEST FOR VIGILANCE REGARDING
BANK SADERAT'S BRANCH IN ATHENS
REF: A. STATE 43492
B. BERLIN 405
C. BERLIN 333
D. DUESSELDORF 8
E. BERLIN 211
Classified By: EMIN Robert A. Pollard for reasons 1.4
(b) and (d).
1. (S) EconOff delivered ref A demarche April 28-29 to MFA
Deputy Director for International Economic and Financial
Policy Sabine Seidler, Economics Ministry Foreign Trade Law
Desk Officer Martin Lutz, and Finance Ministry Director for
Terrorism Finance and Money Laundering Michael Findeisen.
All three expressed appreciation for the information and
reviewed German Government action to date to increase bank
regulators' oversight and to inform German banks of their
legal obligation to undertake additional, rigorous due
diligence on all Iran-related transactions (see refs B - E).
Lutz stated that German banks are "already quite vigilant"
with respect to Iran-related business, pointing out that
German banks have dramatically scaled back their involvement
in Iran.
2. (S) Findeisen said ref A information comes as "no
surprise" given the recent Financial Action Task Force (FATF)
report on Greece's failure to implement an anti-money
laundering/combating terrorist financing (AML/CTF) regime.
"It's a nightmare," Findeisen exclaimed, "there's no
supervision." In response to a question, Findeisen said the
EU Commission has the legal competence to file a formal
complaint with the European Court of Justice to compel Greece
to enact and implement an AML/CTF regime. He pointed to a
previous instance when the EU successfully pursued a similar
course of action with Austria. He added that the German
branch of Bank Saderat is relatively small, noting that few
Iranians living in Germany do business with Saderat.
TIMKEN JR