VZCZCXRO7595
PP RUEHGA RUEHHA RUEHQU RUEHVC
DE RUEHOT #0339 0662139
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 062139Z MAR 08
FM AMEMBASSY OTTAWA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7467
INFO RUCNCAN/ALL CANADIAN POSTS COLLECTIVE
RUEHRL/AMEMBASSY BERLIN 1099
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 0918
RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW 2198
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 0990
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 3347
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS 0627

UNCLAS OTTAWA 000339 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR S/CT (RANGASWAMY AND ANDERSON) 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: CA KCRM KJUS OTRA PTER SNAR
SUBJECT: CANADA FOLLOW-UP RESPONSE TO G8 CASH COURIER 
INITIATIVE 
 
REF: A. OTTAWA 315 
 
     ¶B. STATE 18273 
 
Sensitive but unclassified 
 
1.(sbu) in a follow-up response to ref b nonpaper on the G8 
Cash Courier Initiative, Mark Moher, Senior Coordinator for 
International Crime and Terrorism at the Department of 
Foreign Affairs and International Trade, emailed Econcouns on 
March 5.  Text of the message follows below: 
 
¶2. (sbu) Begin text of message: 
 
"As I noted to you, it is Canada's intention to assist the 
United States in finding workable solutions to facilitate 
U.S. desire to advance the issue of cash couriers.  This was 
demonstrated by the Canadian Delegation in the 2007 Roma/Lyon 
meetings in Berlin and again in February 2008 in Tokyo.  Most 
recently we also played a constructive role in negotiations 
of the annual declaration for the OAS Inter-American 
Committee Against Terrorism, where U.S. also sought to 
include reference to cash-couriers. 
 
"That being said, there seem to be several junctures where 
our experts and analysts find some difficulties in 
reconciling their findings and experiences with some U.S. 
assertions. For example, in the recent OAS/CICTE declaration, 
the U.S. had proposed language which referred to an 
"increasing use of bulk cash smuggling and illicit cash 
couriers to finance terrorist activities."  Our experts find 
it difficult to endorse statements such as these without 
having the benefit of extensive analysis or ready access to 
evidence which would support the same.  In a similar vein, 
this makes it difficult for us to endorse without 
qualification the contention outlined in the draft G8 Threat 
Assessment that 'an increasing number of terrorist groups are 
likely to make more frequent use of cash couriers.' 
 
"As I indicated, Canada remains supportive of U.S. efforts. 
We would benefit in this respect from any evidence U.S. 
authorities could share with our experts on this issue. 
Moreover, we could be more helpful to your efforts provided 
we had a better understanding of U.S. objectives (i.e. policy 
objectives; programme objectives; focus of international 
action; etc.)  Finally, we wish to see the FATF as primarily 
engaged in these matters.  With our resources, we can only 
make focussed contributions and the FATF remains our priority 
mechanism in this field." 
 
End message text. 
 
 
 
 
 
Visit Canada,s Economy and Environment Forum at 
http://www.intelink.gov/communities/state/can ada 
 
WILKINS