IRAN: UK EXPECTS EU WILL SOON DE-LIST THE MEK

C O N F I D E N T I A L LONDON 001468 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/27/2018 TAGS: PREL ETTC PTER IR IZ UK SUBJECT: IRAN: UK EXPECTS EU WILL SOON DE-LIST THE MEK REF: LONDON 1292 Classified By: Political Minister Counselor Maura Connelly for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) HMG will formally notify its EU partners at a May 30 experts' meeting of the UK's impending removal (reftel) of the Mujaheddin-E-Khalq (MEK) from the UK's domestic terrorist list (reftel),FCO contacts told London Iran Watcher (Poloff) May 23. Such notification will trigger an EU process to remove the MEK from the EU terrorism list, with EU de-listing likely to occur as soon as early August, according to the FCO. UK Will De-List MEK By July -------------- ¶2. (C) One Foreign and Commonwealth (FCO) contact said HMG will ensure the Parliamentary bill de-listing the MEK domestically, and implementing the UK Court of Appeals order, is completed by the July 22 close of the current session of Parliament; HMG, according to the contact, wishes to avoid any suggestion by UK or EU courts that it has failed to heed a court order. Once UK has Acted, EU Must Also De-List -------------- ¶3. (C) Though uncertain of the exact EU timeframe, the contact speculated EU de-listing could occur as soon as early August, but noted EU de-listing is in any case a foregone conclusion, since an EU listing depends wholly, according to the FCO, on the existence of a member government designation, with the UK having been the only EU member which listed the MEK. Visit London's Classified Website: http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki/Portal:Unit ed_Kingdom TUTTLE