Cablegate: Terror Finance - Brazil Asks for Delay, Coordination On
VZCZCXRO4283
OO RUEHRG
DE RUEHBR #2533 3351903
ZNY SSSSS ZZH
O 011903Z DEC 06
FM AMEMBASSY BRASILIA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7558
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE
INFO RUEHRG/AMCONSUL RECIFE 5970
RUEHSO/AMCONSUL SAO PAULO 8792
RUEHRI/AMCONSUL RIO DE JANEIRO 3488
RUEHBU/AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES 4457
RUEHAC/AMEMBASSY ASUNCION 5828
RUEHMN/AMEMBASSY MONTEVIDEO 6631
RUEAHLC/DHS WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEAWJA/DOJ WASHDC
S E C R E T BRASILIA 002533
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
NOFORN
NSC FOR T.HINNEN
TREASURY FOR TFI - HEFFERNAN
TREASURY FOR FINCEN - SHOWELL
STATE FOR S/CT - NOYES AND V.PALMER
STATE FOR WHA - D. MCCARTHY/C.CROFT
STATE FOR EB/ESC - DAS SIMONS AND JEAN CLARK
E.O. 12958: DECL:12/01/2026
TAGS: KTFN EFIN PTER SNAR ETTC PREL BR
SUBJECT: TERROR FINANCE - BRAZIL ASKS FOR DELAY, COORDINATION ON
TBA DESIGNATIONS
REF: STATE 192347
Classified by Deputy Chief of Mission Phillip T. Chicola,
Reasons 1.4 (B) and (D).
1. (S) Per reftel, Emboffs, ORA, Legatt and DEA delivered the
TBA designations pre-notification to the Foreign Ministry,
financial intelligence unit, Brazilian Intelligence Agency
(ABIN) and law enforcement agency counterparts on November 30.
2. (S) In a follow-up meeting December 1, Foreign Ministry
General Coordinator for the Combat Against Illicit Transnational
Activities Virginia Tonniatti made the following points to
Emboffs:
-- the GoB and its counterparts in Paraguay and Argentina take
seriously the common obligation that all countries have to fight
terrorism and its financing;
-- there is a common framework in the region (the three plus one
mechanism) for working together to address such threats;
-- the GoB is treating the information received seriously and
the foreign ministry had immediately asked the federal police
and ABIN to investigate in order to verify and clarify the USG
information;
-- in the Brazilian system, a judicial order is necessary to
freeze assets and obtaining one requires that a formal
investigation be opened;
-- the GoB was "surprised" that the USG would plan to publish
the list unilaterally on December 6 without first having
coordinated on the information with its partners through the
three plus one mechanism;
-- there was simply not sufficient time for the GoB to advance
an investigation to the point of being able to ask a judge to
freeze assets by December 6;
-- A unilateral USG designation on December 6 would be
counterproductive, for just as the USG was asking that the
designations be kept confidential to avoid asset flight, the GoB
required that the information remain out of the public realm in
order effectively to pursue its own investigation.
SOBEL