TERRORISM FINANCE: SYRIA/LEBANON DESIGNATIONS

UNCLAS KATHMANDU 000026 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR EEB/ESC/TFS (CBACKEMEYER),NEA/RA (LGOTTLIEB), S/CT (TDROZDENKO),AND SCA/INS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ECON EFIN KTFN PREL PTER SY LE NP SUBJECT: TERRORISM FINANCE: SYRIA/LEBANON DESIGNATIONS DELIVERED TO NEPAL REF: STATE 161591 Designations Delivered to Foreign Ministry -------------- ¶1. On January 3 and 7, Emboff delivered reftel information regarding the U.S. domestic designation of Syrian and Lebanese individuals to Mani Bhattarai, Section Officer for UN and International Organizations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA). Bhattarai reviewed the information and said the MFA would inform post if it became aware of assets associated with these individuals. Central Bank Questions Relevance of Information -------------- -- ¶2. On January 7, Emboff delivered reftel information to Narayan Prasad Paudel, Director of Banks and Financial Institutions Regulation at Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB),the central bank of Nepal. Paudel requested a formal diplomatic note from post or the Department for the NRB to use as a cover sheet to distribute the information to Nepal's banks and financial institutions. The Rastra Bank office director also asked if the United States honestly believed these individuals' assets would be discovered in Nepal. Emboff said the United States would appreciate any help Nepal's government and banks could provide. Comment -------------- ¶3. The request by the NRB director, whom Emboff was meeting for the first time, for a diplomatic note came as a surprise. Other, more junior, NRB officials -- including Poudel's deputy -- have responded positively to previous designations provided as non-papers. Post will follow up with MFA contacts to address Rastra Bank's unusual reluctance to provide assistance. POWELL