This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
UNCLAS ANKARA 006676
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
TREASURY FOR OFAC, FINCEN AND TFFC
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EFIN PTER ETTC TU KTFN
SUBJECT: COUNTER TERRORISM FINANCE WORKING GROUP (CTFWG):
MINUTES OF 11/22/04 MEETING
1. (SBU) On November 22, DCM and Terrorism Finance
Coordination Officer (TFCO), Robert S. Deutsch, chaired the
meeting of the Counter Terrorism Finance Working Group
(CTFWG). Other participants included representatives from
ECON, RSO, RAO, DEA, FBI, CONS, and OSI.
2. (SBU) ECON gave an update on the status of preparations
for two upcoming training programs on money laundering and
terrorist financing provided by the USG to GOT officials.
Both programs will be held in Ankara. The first will be
conducted by the FBI and take place on December 6-10 and the
second will be conducted by the Department of Justice Office
of Overseas Prosecutorial Development (OPDAT) December 13-15.
Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) and OPDAT
officers will also meet a range of Turkish officials.
3. (SBU) ECON also gave a brief overview of developments on
terrorism finance. Following receipt of a letter from the UN
Counter-Terrorism Committee putting pressure on Turkey to
better comply with resolutions 1267 and 1373 and the
International Convention to Combat Terrorism, the GOT has
established a working group with representatives from the
Ministries of Justice, Foreign Affairs, Finance, and
Interior, plus the Treasury, MASAK (Turkey's financial
intelligence unit), and the Turkish General Staff, to develop
new legal language to criminalize terrorism finance and
re-define terrorism in accordance with the International
Convention on Terrorism Finance.
4. (SBU) The GOT is also working to improve its internal
capabilities on combating terrorism financing by re-writing
the law which governs MASAK's structure, operations, and
duties. The drafting for MASAK's new law has been moving
slowly. Though MASAK officials hope the law will be enacted
by early next year, they are wary that other government
agencies will pose objections and changes to the law and
cause further delays.
EDELMAN