VZCZCXRO4886
PP RUEHAG RUEHDF RUEHIK RUEHLZ RUEHROV
DE RUEHBS #0292 0531517
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 221517Z FEB 08
FM AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7047
INFO RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 0636
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC

UNCLAS BRUSSELS 000292 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EFIN ETTC PTER BE TU
SUBJECT: BELGIUM FREEZES PKK-ASSOCIATED ROJ-TV'S ASSETS 
 
REF: A. SADLIKAR-VAN HABBERNEY E-MAIL 
     ¶B. 2/20/08 
 
 ¶1.  (U) Ref e-mail relayed a Turkish press report that "PKK 
mouthpiece" Roj TV has been levied a heavy tax fine by 
Belgian authorities.  The press report asserted that Roj TV 
officials in Belgium "claimed that Turkey's pressure on the 
U.S. and certain EU countries led to the Belgian decision to 
levy the fine." 
 
¶2.  (SBU) Post has confirmed that the corporate tax division 
of the Belgian Ministry of Finance has levied a 4.1 million 
euro ($6 million) fine on Roj-TV.  The fine is due before the 
end of February.  Since the local finance official believed 
Roj-TV would be unable to pay the fine, the official ordered 
Roj-TV's assets with Fortis Bank and ING Bank frozen. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Another source in the Finance Ministry stated that 
freezing assets in such a circumstance would be mandatory on 
any finance ministry official.  However, the magnitude of the 
fine likely indicated the approval of higher officials within 
the Belgian Ministry of the Interior or within the senior 
levels of the Belgian judicial police force. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) COMMENT:  This welcome move by the Belgian 
government shows that, after sustained pressure from the U.S. 
on confronting terrorism in general, Belgian authorities are 
now using whatever resources and tools it has at its disposal 
to restrict the operations of terrorist and 
terrorist-affiliated organizations in Belgium. 
.