VZCZCXRO6191
RR RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHDIR RUEHKUK
DE RUEHAD #0260 0590955
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 280955Z FEB 08 ZDK CTG UR SVC
FM AMEMBASSY ABU DHABI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0480
INFO RUCNIRA/IRAN COLLECTIVE
RUEHDE/AMCONSUL DUBAI 7608
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0167

UNCLAS ABU DHABI 000260 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR ISN, NEA/ARP, IO, T, NEA/IR 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KNNP PREL PARM IR AE
SUBJECT: UAE JANUARY 31 NOTICE ON BANK SEPAH - DEMARCHE 
DELIVERED 
 
REF: SECSTATE 14956 
 
 ¶1. (SBU) On February 14, Econchief contacted Ahmed Al-Qamzi, 
Head 
of the International Division for the UAE Central Bank's Anti 
Money Laundering and Suspicious Cases Unit (AMLSCU) to ask 
the UAE to delay or withdraw its notification and to provide 
more information on  the origin of money used to process the 
payments.  Al-Qamzi explained that the payments were for 
contracts entered into prior to entry into force of 1737/1747 
and were not to any designated entity.  The UAE would 
therefore exercise its right under UNSCRs 1737/1747 to 
authorize the payments. 
 
¶2. (SBU) During the February 25 Counter Proliferation Task 
Force meeting, Al-Qamzi confirmed that the Central Bank had 
authorized five banks operating in the UAE to receive Sepah 
payments.  He reaffirmed that the Central Bank had checked to 
ensure that the payments were for contracts entered into 
prior to the relevant UNSCRs and that they did not accrue to 
any designated entity. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Comment:  This is the second tranche of payments 
from Bank Sepah to UAE based banks that the Central Bank has 
authorized -- the first being last summer/fall.  In both 
cases, the UAE was clear about both its rights and its 
obligations under the UNSCRs and asserted that the payments 
were for contracts entered into prior to entry into force of 
the UNSCRs and did not go to designated entities.  Post notes 
that the notification was made two weeks before we received 
the demarche, on the day the funds could be released, which 
sharply limited our ability to work with the UAEG to obtain 
either a delay or more information on the transactions.  End 
Comment. 
QUINN