(U) SECURING GOVERNMENT OF PAKISTAN SUPPORT FOR

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 03 STATE 036712 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/28/2018 TAGS: KTFN PREL PTER UNSC SUBJECT: (U) SECURING GOVERNMENT OF PAKISTAN SUPPORT FOR THE UN 1267 (AL QAIDA/TALIBAN SANCTIONS) REGIME REF: A. A) 06 ISLAMABAD 22000 ¶B. B) 06 STATE 187685 ¶C. C) 06 ISLAMABAD 22174 ¶D. D) 08 STATE 4359 Classified By: SCA ASSISTANT SECRETARY RICHARD A. BOUCHER FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D) ¶1. (U) This is an action request. Please see paragraph 5. -------------- BACKGROUND -------------- ¶2. (S) Al Qaeda and Taliban terrorists/affiliates in Pakistan pose a critical threat to Pakistan and the international community. We seek the Government of Pakistan,s commitment to support the UN 1267 (al-Qaida/Taliban sanctions) regime. Efforts to list these terrorists and their facilitators is part of an effort to help provide Pakistan, and many other countries, with the tools (asset freeze, travel ban, arms embargo) to take action to curtail terrorist activity. The Government of Pakistan has not played an active or productive role in the UN towards moving these listing requests for individuals/entities linked to Pakistan. Unfortunately, the Pakistani government has repeatedly asked China which, as a Permanent Member of the Security Council, sits on the 1267 Committee) to place holds on Pakistan-related 1267 listing requests. Pakistan has not followed through on its obligations to enforce UN-mandated sanctions against listed terrorist individuals/entities, specifically against three UN-listed entities: Al Rashid Trust, Al Akhtar Trust, and Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (see ref B for further information). Al-Akhtar and al-Rashid Trust continue to operate openly in Pakistan, despite their inclusion on the 1267 Consolidated List of individuals/entities subject to sanctions due to their links to Usama bin Laden/al-Qaida and/or the Taliban (see reftels for further details). ¶3. (S) Since January 2008, the Pakistani government has successfully prevented or stalled two 1267 listing proposals, one requested by Germany, the other by the United States. Pakistani officials objected to including key references to Pakistan in the German statement of case justifying a proposal to list three Islamic Jihad Union members arrested in 2007 in Germany. China placed a hold in January 2008 at Pakistan's behest on the German listing proposal. The Chinese mission to the UN confirmed to our mission to the UN that China will withdraw its hold only if Pakistan's concerns are assuaged. The Pakistani mission to the UN confirmed to USUN that Pakistan was dismayed that the Germans proposed the Islamic Jihad Union listing without pre-notifying Pakistan, in spite of the fact that Pakistan had helped the Germans behind the scenes to facilitate the arrest of these individuals. However, a subsequent offer from the Germans to recognize the positive role played by the Government of Pakistan behind the scenes has thus far failed to break the impasse. The Germans have said that they are STATE 00036712 002 OF 003 agreeable to giving kudos to the Pakistani government for their assistance, but German officials will not agree to any request to remove key references to these individuals' links to Pakistan in their Statement of Case. ¶4. (S) Also in January 2008, the U.S. Government prenotified (Ref D), including to the Government of Pakistan, our intention to list, under Security Council Resolution 1267 and related resolutions, four Lashkar-e-Tayyiba operatives. All four of these operatives are actively involved in raising funds for the Pakistan-based terrorist organization. A 1267 listing would, at a minimum, obligate UN Member States to impose an asset freeze, travel ban, and arms embargo on these individuals, and implementation of the travel ban alone could potentially impede the group's ability to raise funds. The Government of Pakistan has yet to agree to support our request, and without their consent, it is likely we face a Chinese hold on this high priority listing. We have been trying since January to obtain agreement from the Pakistani government to, at a minimum, not ask China to place a hold on our UN listing request, and preferably to co-sponsor our request. However, after months of working with the Pakistani UN Mission to secure Pakistani support for our listing request, officials from the Pakistani mission now say that although in principle they could accept our listing proposal, they need the agreement from high levels of the GOP and are awaiting instruction from Islamabad. Embassy Islamabad officials have thus far been told that while key officials in the government remained vacant, Pakistan would not be able to come to a decision. -------------- OBJECTIVES AND ACTION REQUEST -------------- ¶5. (S/REL TO PAKISTAN) Now that key positions in the government have been filled, Embassy, at the highest possible levels, should approach Pakistani officials to achieve the following objectives: Stress that Al-Qaida and Taliban linked individuals/entities in Pakistan, such as Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, pose a grave threat to Pakistan and the international community. Greater Pakistani support will preserve the overall vitality and efficacy of the al-Qaida/Taliban sanctions regime and help deter and eventually eliminate the high incidence of terrorism facing Pakistan today. It will also help to quiet criticism of Pakistan,s commitment to counterterrorism. Underscore to Pakistani officials the need for statements of case to accurately reflect facts on the ground Remind Pakistan of its stated commitment to take action against al-Qaida and Taliban-linked terrorists, including Lashkar-e-Tayyiba. Remind Pakistani officials that we have worked with the Pakistani mission in New York in good faith for many months now; with a new government in place, we urge the Government of Pakistan to finalize its support for the UN 1267 regime. State that we need an answer by April 18 from Pakistan on our request for Pakistani support for our request to STATE 00036712 003 OF 003 list four Lashkar-e-Tayyiba operatives. Underscore that we further ask Pakistan to inform China that Pakistan supports the German Islamic Jihad Union listing request and ask China to lift its hold on the Islamic Jihad Union listing as soon as possible. Encourage Pakistani officials to actively propose new 1267 listings, and to ensure the government,s compliance with obligations under the UN 1267 regime. -------------- Reporting Deadline and Point of Contact -------------- ¶6. (U) Embassy Islamabad should reports results of this demarche no later than April 18, 2008. Questions may be directed to IO/PSC (Erin Crowe, 202-736-7847). RICE