ADDITIONAL SAUDI VIEWS ON UNSCR 1267 LISTING OF

S E C R E T RIYADH 000062 SIPDIS DEPT FOR NEA/ARP, EEB/ESC/TFS, S/CT (BLAZAKIS),IO/PSC E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/10/2020 TAGS: ECON KTFN PREL PTER YM SA SUBJECT: ADDITIONAL SAUDI VIEWS ON UNSCR 1267 LISTING OF AQAP AND LEADERS REF: A. 09 STATE 130340 ¶B. 09 RIYADH 1664 ¶C. FLAHERTY - NEWTON JANUARY 6 EMAILS Classified By: Acting DCM Lisa Carle for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (S) A/DCM met Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister for Multilateral Relations Dr. Prince Torki bin Mohammed January 10 to follow up on the U.S. proposal (ref A) to designate Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and two AQAP leaders under UNSCR 1267, previously delivered to the Saudis December 23 (ref B). She pointed out that Saudi Arabia has cosponsored such designations with the United States in the past, most recently in 2004 (ref C). Prince Torki said his government is "in favor of" and "definitely has no objections" to the proposed designations. He said the Saudi government still was considering whether to cosponsor them and that more time would be needed for his government to reach a decision to do so. ¶2. (S) A/DCM asked if the Deputy Foreign Minister thought the Saudi government eventually would be able to agree to cosponsor the designations, and also whether postponing the submission of the names to the 1267 Committee in New York would substantially increase the likelihood of Saudi cosponsorship. Prince Torki indicated that it was impossible to predict either eventuality, but he re-emphasized that his government both supports the designations and remains committed in the strongest terms to the U.S.-Saudi counterterrorism partnership. ¶3. (S) Prince Torki asked if the U.S. had additional derogatory information, or intelligence on the whereabouts of the AQAP leaders, which he said might make it easier for the Saudi government to cosponsor the designation. A/DCM assured the Deputy Foreign Minister that the maximum information possible was being shared through security channels. ¶4. (S) Comment: Based on this meeting, we think the Saudi government may not be able to decide to cosponsor the designations within the likely USG timeframe. Prince Torki expressed support for the designation in stronger terms than usual for him or his government. However, his attention clearly was seized by the new TSA regulations designating Saudi Arabia publicly as a country of interest, a topic he raised and discussed for a majority of the meeting (septel). SMITH