DEMARCHE REQUEST TO SECURE CHINESE SUPPORT FOR UN

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 STATE 052694 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: CH EFIN KTFN PREL PTER UNSC SUBJECT: DEMARCHE REQUEST TO SECURE CHINESE SUPPORT FOR UN 1267 TERRORIST LISTING OVER PAKISTANI OBJECTIONS REF: A. STATE 004359 ¶B. ISLAMABAD 1678 ¶C. STATE 36712 ¶D. ISLAMABAD 1739 ¶E. STATE 052473 ¶1. (U) This is an action request. Please see paragraph 5. -------------- BACKGROUND -------------- ¶2. (SBU) On May 16, 2008, USUN will submit a request to add the names of four operatives of Lashkar e-Tayyiba (LeT) to the Committee's list of individuals and entities associated with Usama bin Laden, the Taliban or al-Qaida, which are subject to UN Security Council mandated sanctions, including asset freezing, a travel ban and an arms embargo. We prenotified Pakistan and other relevant member states of our intent to submit this listing request on January 30, but held off for several months in an effort to secure Pakistani support for this submission. Despite several months of working with the Government of Pakistan (GOP) to gain support for this listing request, we anticipate the GOP will likely ask China to place a hold on the request. ¶3. (SBU) China placed a hold, at Pakistan's behest, on a January 2008 German listing request (for 3 Islamic Jihad Union terrorists) that the GOP did not support. Although the GOP did not dispute the validity of the facts of the German listing request, the Pakistani Mission to the UN told USUN that the GOP was angry that the Germans did not give Pakistan advanced warning that they were planning to submit the listing request. The Pakistanis said they were further disgruntled over the fact that the Statement of Case (SOC) provided by the Germans in support of their listing request did not acknowledge the positive role the GOP played behind the scenes in helping German law enforcement apprehend these terrorists and instead focused on the IJU terrorists' links to Pakistan. However, in the course of talks over the past few months over the German IJU submission and our planned LeT-4 submission, it is clear that Pakistan's unwillingness to support these listing requests has less to do with the GOP's perceived slight from the lack of pre-notification or precise wording of SOCs and more to do with the fact that the GOP does not support 1267 listings involving terrorist individuals/entities linked to or operating in Pakistan. ¶4. (SBU) When USUN officials spoke with an official from the Chinese mission to the UN about China's hold on the German submission, the Chinese official claimed that China was concerned about the stability of its neighbor in the run-up to the Beijing Olympics this summer and therefore China does not want to do anything that could potentially add to Pakistan's domestic political problems. The Chinese mission to the UN, upon learning of our planned LeT-4 listing request, expressed some discomfort over the possibility that the GOP would again ask China to place a hold on another well-substantiated submission. The Chinese Mission to the UN also confirmed that Beijing does not have a substantive objection to our submission. -------------- OBJECTIVES AND ACTION REQUEST -------------- ¶5. (U) Department requests Embassy Beijing and USUN, at the highest possible level and prior to the expiration of the No Objection Deadline (NOD) of May 23 for our LeT-4 submission, approach the Chinese interlocutors to solicit Chinese support for our LeT-4 listing request. USUN and Embassy Beijing officials should explain that we worked for months to secure Pakistani support to no avail and do not believe the Pakistanis have any legitimate substantive objections to our listing request. USUN and Embassy Beijing may wish to draw from the following points: - In the spirit of our counterterrorism cooperation, we ask China to support our LeT-4 listing request. - Despite our best efforts over the past several months to gain GOP support for our LeT-4 listing request, we were unable to secure Pakistani support for our submission. STATE 00052694 002 OF 002 - GOP reluctance to support our submission is based not on facts but on Pakistan's opposition to the 1267 sanctions regime. Likewise, Pakistan's opposition to the January 2008 German IJU listing request (which China placed on hold) was based not on substantive objections but on the GOP's stated reluctance to support 1267 listing requests for individuals/entities based in or linked to Pakistan. - Al-Qaida and Taliban linked individuals and entities in Pakistan, such as Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, pose a grave threat to Pakistan and the international community. - We are gravely concerned about the deterioration of internal security in Pakistan and the growing threat posed by al-Qaida and Taliban terrorists who are operating in Pakistan, particularly in the region near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. 1267 sanctions provide Member States the needed tools to help combat the terrorist threat facing Pakistan and the international community. - One of the main objectives of our LeT-4 submission is to help provide Pakistan and the international community with the needed tools to impede, in particular, travel and fundraising by these dangerous operatives. - The 1267 Committee should base listing decisions on facts. It is important to maintain up-to-date entries on the 1267 Consolidated List so that al-Qaida/Taliban sanctions accurately reflect realities on the ground. Support by Pakistan for 1267 listings is vital to committee efforts to preserve the overall vitality and efficacy of the al-Qaida/Taliban sanctions regime. Additional points for use at Posts' discretion: - In the spirit of our counterterrorism cooperation, we request that China not entertain Pakistan's requests to place holds on well-justified 1267 listings. - We request that China talk to GOP officials to stress the importance of Pakistan's acceptance of and compliance with 1267 sanctions, and explain that China will not place holds on well-justified submissions. - We would appreciate China's reconsideration of its current hold on the January 2008 German listing request for 3 IJU operatives. -------------- Reporting Deadline and Point of Contact -------------- ¶6. (U) USUN and Embassy Beijing should reports results of this demarche no later than May 22, 2008. Questions may be directed to IO/PSC (Erin Crowe: 202-736-7847; croweex@state.sgov.gov). ¶7. Tripoli minimize considered. ¶8. Department appreciates Missions' efforts. RICE