Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
10RIGA66
2010-02-09 14:17:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Riga
Cable title:
LATVIA: ENGAGING MEP'S ON TERRORIST FINANCE
how-toVZCZCXRO9763 OO RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHNP RUEHROV RUEHSL RUEHSR DE RUEHRA #0066 0401417 ZNY CCCCC ZZH O 091417Z FEB 10 FM AMEMBASSY RIGA TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6283 RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC IMMEDIATE INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
C O N F I D E N T I A L RIGA 000066
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/09/2020
TAGS: PTER PGOV EFIN PREL EU LG
SUBJECT: LATVIA: ENGAGING MEP'S ON TERRORIST FINANCE
REF: JONES-ROGERS E-MAIL FEBRUARY 5
Classified By: POLCOUNS BRIAN PHIPPS, REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D)
C O N F I D E N T I A L RIGA 000066
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/09/2020
TAGS: PTER PGOV EFIN PREL EU LG
SUBJECT: LATVIA: ENGAGING MEP'S ON TERRORIST FINANCE
REF: JONES-ROGERS E-MAIL FEBRUARY 5
Classified By: POLCOUNS BRIAN PHIPPS, REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D)
1. (C) Summary: The Government of Latvia supports sustenance
of the existing Terrorist Finance Tracking Program (TFTP).
As instructed in ref email, we reached out to Latvian MEP's
with whom we have close relations from both the governing
coalition and the opposition. Of Latvia's nine MEP's, we
believe six will support TFTP and three will oppose it. The
MEP's and staffers with whom we spoke greatly appreciated our
engagement on this issue.
2. (C) The office of MEP Sandra Kalniete assured us February
8 that Kalniete had decided to vote in favor of the existing
TFTP and that she would encourage both her three Latvian
colleagues within the European People's Party (EPP),as well
as others, to support the TFTP. MEP Ivars Godmanis, Latvia's
first post-independence Prime Minister, of the Alliance of
Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE),told us that he was
strongly inclined to vote against TFTP, and that his ALDE
colleagues were largely opposed to our position. We stressed
that we could use the remaining months of the agreement to
address European privacy concerns. We argued that a sudden
suspension of the agreement would put the citizens of Europe
and America at greater risk of terrorist attack, and urged
Godmanis to exercise the statesmanship he had shown so often
in the past to sway key liberal opinion in favor of a
precautionary position, allowing time to improve the
successor agreement. Godmanis appreciated these arguments,
indicated that he had been convinced, and undertook to use
our points in engagement with his fellow ALDE party members.
3. (C) On February 9, we conveyed similar points to the staff
of European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) MEP Roberts
Zile, who is likely to support the TFTP. Latvia's three
left-wing MEP's are highly unlikely to support TFTP and we
judge that it would be counterproductive to engage them.
GARBER
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/09/2020
TAGS: PTER PGOV EFIN PREL EU LG
SUBJECT: LATVIA: ENGAGING MEP'S ON TERRORIST FINANCE
REF: JONES-ROGERS E-MAIL FEBRUARY 5
Classified By: POLCOUNS BRIAN PHIPPS, REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D)
1. (C) Summary: The Government of Latvia supports sustenance
of the existing Terrorist Finance Tracking Program (TFTP).
As instructed in ref email, we reached out to Latvian MEP's
with whom we have close relations from both the governing
coalition and the opposition. Of Latvia's nine MEP's, we
believe six will support TFTP and three will oppose it. The
MEP's and staffers with whom we spoke greatly appreciated our
engagement on this issue.
2. (C) The office of MEP Sandra Kalniete assured us February
8 that Kalniete had decided to vote in favor of the existing
TFTP and that she would encourage both her three Latvian
colleagues within the European People's Party (EPP),as well
as others, to support the TFTP. MEP Ivars Godmanis, Latvia's
first post-independence Prime Minister, of the Alliance of
Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE),told us that he was
strongly inclined to vote against TFTP, and that his ALDE
colleagues were largely opposed to our position. We stressed
that we could use the remaining months of the agreement to
address European privacy concerns. We argued that a sudden
suspension of the agreement would put the citizens of Europe
and America at greater risk of terrorist attack, and urged
Godmanis to exercise the statesmanship he had shown so often
in the past to sway key liberal opinion in favor of a
precautionary position, allowing time to improve the
successor agreement. Godmanis appreciated these arguments,
indicated that he had been convinced, and undertook to use
our points in engagement with his fellow ALDE party members.
3. (C) On February 9, we conveyed similar points to the staff
of European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) MEP Roberts
Zile, who is likely to support the TFTP. Latvia's three
left-wing MEP's are highly unlikely to support TFTP and we
judge that it would be counterproductive to engage them.
GARBER