INDEPENDENT NEWS

Cablegate: Blue Lantern Pre-License End-Use Check On License

Published: Mon 15 Dec 2008 11:37 PM
VZCZCXYZ0001
OO RUEHWEB
DE RUEHME #3689 3502337
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 152337Z DEC 08
FM AMEMBASSY MEXICO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 4400
INFO RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE
RHMFIUU/FBI WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE
RHMFIUU/HQ BICE INTEL WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE
UNCLAS MEXICO 003689
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
FOR PM/DTCC - BLUE LANTERN COORDINATOR, WHA/MEX, AND INL/LP
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ETTC KOMC SNAR MX
SUBJECT: BLUE LANTERN PRE-LICENSE END-USE CHECK ON LICENSE
050126003
REF: STATE 109750
1. (SBU) Poloff met with President Mauricio Natale and his
assistant, Jose Eduardo Llanos, of Blindajes Mexicanos S.A.
de C.V. (whose commercial name is Global Armor) November 25
about the end-use check on license 050126003 (reftel).
Natale confirmed the order for steel armor plates from
Astralloy Steel Products and said the purpose of the contract
was to armor 20 SUVs for use by Mexican federal judges.
Natale told Poloff that Blindajes Mexicanos has been involved
in these kinds of sales since 1996. He indicated that
Blindajes Mexicanos had all the documentation necessary for
the transaction. He also said that he fully understands that
the items from the U.S. source, Astralloy Steel Products in
Birmingham, Alabama, are not to be re-transfered or
re-exported. He affirmed that Blindajes Mexicanos has secure
facilities and proper accounting (ISO 9001) and security
procedures.
2. (SBU) Natale emphasized that all sales by Blindajes
Mexicanos of armored vehicles are registered with the
Ministry of Public Safety (SSP). He said that each customer
must present its RFC (tax identification number that notes
the registered location of the business), in order to
generate a factura (legal receipt for goods and services in
Mexico that can be used for business expenses or for
deductions). Natale stressed that if anything were amiss,
his company would suspend the sale and alert the proper
authorities. Both Natale and Llanos said that their company
would not risk its reputation by selling to questionable
companies.
3. (SBU) Natale and Llanos told Poloff that their company had
no ill-intention in naming the same end-user on multiple
purchase orders. Rather, this occurred because Blindajes
Mexicanos often supplies multiple armored vehicles to a
single end user. They said that the company also had applied
for an export licence for steel plates from Astrolloy Steel
Products for 30 trucks for Grupo Mercurio for armored cash
transportation, and that they would like to apply for another
license to supply 60 vehicles to another part of the
Government of Mexico (GOM). They said their company would
like to make these purchases from Astrolloy because of the
high quality of the plates, but signaled that with delays in
the export licensing process, Blindajes Mexicanos might have
to look to European or other suppliers as it has done in the
past. They mentioned that for single sales, it was more
practical to supply the plates purchased from other
countries, but for larger contracts they still would like to
purchase their plates from the U.S. They said that they were
willing to resubmit their request for the license if
necessary to fulfill their contract with the Mexican federal
judiciary to armor 20 vehicles.
4. (SBU) Poloff has not/not been able to confirm the order
for Blindajes Mexicanos to armor 20 vehicles with Santiago
Solano, Director of Administration at the Federal Judicial
Branch's Council of Judgeship, the end-user for license
050126003. In a meeting with Poloff December 15, Solano
indicated that the Council has acquired armored vehicles
since 2002 from only two companies, Blindajes Alemanes and
Epel Blindajes, neither of which appear to be affiliated with
Blindajes Mexicanos.
Visit Mexico City's Classified Web Site at
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/wha/mexicocity and the North American
Partnership Blog at http://www.intelink.gov/communities/state/nap /
GARZA
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