MALAYSIA: DEMARCHE TO GOM ON DELISTING OF FOUR

C O N F I D E N T I A L KUALA LUMPUR 000850 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/19/2019 TAGS: EFIN PTER KTFN UN MY SUBJECT: MALAYSIA: DEMARCHE TO GOM ON DELISTING OF FOUR MALAYSIANS ON UN 1267 LIST REF: STATE 108944 Classified By: POLCOUNS Brian McFeeters for reasons 1.4 (b, d). ¶1. (U) This is an action request. Please see paragraph 5. ¶2. (C) PolCouns and RSI Regional Coordinator met October 23 with Ganeson Sivagurunathan, MFA Undersecretary of the Multilateral Political Division, Department of Multilateral Affairs, to deliver reftel demarche. RSI Coordinator discussed the background of the 1267 list and explained that the GoM had offered very little in the way of justification for removing the four known Malaysian terrorists from the 1267 list. This fact, together with the significant involvement of the four in the 2002 Bali bombing and in the planned "second wave" attack in the U.S. after 9/11, made it impossible for the U.S. to support Malaysia's proposal for their delisting. RSI Coordinator and Polcouns conveyed to Ganeson the U.S. request that Malaysia withdraw the names of the four, and that the U.S. would formally block their delisting if Malaysia did not withdrawn its proposal. ¶3. (C) Ganeson, who handles UN issues for the MFA, was familiar with the 1267 issue but not with the specifics of the four cases. He promised to take the information provided by PolCouns and RSI Coordinator to the relevant authorities and to share with them our concern for the delisting request. Ganeson asked about the time frame for a decision on the delisting, pointing out it would take some time for his government to reconsider the issue. PolCouns and RSI Coordinator promised to consult with EAP/RSP to determine when the U.S. would formally block the delisting. ¶4. (C) After the meeting PolCouns and RSI Coordinator met briefly with Radzi Jamaluddin, Principal Assistant Secretary for U.S. Affairs (MFA's U.S. desk officer),who pointed out that Malaysia had a robust rehabilitation program for terrorists and had concluded that the four individuals submitted for removal from the 1267 list had abandoned terrorism. PolCouns and RSI Coordinator countered that in the documentation it submitted to the UN Malaysia had not adequately explained how it had come to this conclusion. They suggested that for future delisting purposes the GoM could make a better case if it provided more detailed information on what it had done to rehabilitate persons with terrorist associations. ¶5. (C) Action request: Post would appreciate Department,s guidance regarding how long the GoM has to withdraw its delisting request before we impose a formal block. KEITH