MOROCCO SUPPORTS UNSCR 1874 ON NORTH KOREA

UNCLAS RABAT 000566

SIPDIS

STATE FOR ISN, T, EAP
STATE PLEASE PASS TO TREASURY

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ECON EFIN KNNP PARM PREL MO
SUBJECT: MOROCCO SUPPORTS UNSCR 1874 ON NORTH KOREA

REF: SECSTATE 66250


1. (SBU) Summary. Morocco supports the USG position on UNSCR
1718 and 1874 and has agreed to take financial measures
designed to limit the ability of the Democratic People,s
Republic of Korea (North Korea) to fund weapons of mass
destruction (WMD) and ballistic missile-related activities.
Implementation of UNSCR 1874 "should not be a problem," said
Abrahim Rahhaly, Chief of North America Division at the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA),highlighting Morocco,s
laws against money laundering. From a logistical
perspective, he said, the MFA will take the lead on
disseminating reftel information to appropriate ministries
and financial institutions as the new Financial Intelligence
Unit (FIU) is not yet prepared to manage these requests. End
Summary.


2. (SBU) Econoff delivered reftel demarche on July 1 to
Abrahim Rahhaly, Head of the North American and Caribbean
Division, and Mostafa Rezzouk, Director of North American
Affairs, at the MFA and Hassan Aloui Abdellaoui, President of
the FIU, at the Ministry of Finance (MOF). Econoff provided
copies of the Treasury Advisory in English and a non-official
translation in French. Rahhaly said he would provide the
Treasury Advisory to the relevant entities within the MFA,
the MOF, the Central Bank (Bank Al Maghrib) and the FIU,
which is still in a nascent stage.


3. (SBU) The FIU's Abdellaoui appreciated the information,
but emphasized that they are not ready to act as the central
authority for this sort of information. The MFA should
continue to disseminate accordingly until the FIU is
well-established, he stressed. The FIU is pursuing an
interagency approach to receiving and implementing financial
provisions, he said, recruiting staff from Bank Al Maghrib,
MOF, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Interior and law
enforcement agencies.


4. (SBU) Morocco is committed to promoting international
security, MFA's Rezzouk emphasized, noting the Government of
Morocco's role as host of the first Conference for the Global
Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism (GICNT). This event,
he continued, demonstrates Morocco's on-going commitment to
oppose the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction
materials and technology.


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Jackson