US embassy cable - 04MADRID2759

C O N F I D E N T I A L MADRID 002759 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/19/2014 
TAGS: IR, PHUM, PTER, SP, PREJ, IQ, Counterterrorism 
SUBJECT: SPAIN:  RESPONSE ON MEK DETAINEE DEMARCHE 
 
REF: STATE 107318 
 
Classified By: Political Counselor Kathleen M. Fitzpatrick for reasons 
1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
1.  (C)   On July 9, the Spanish MFA finally responded with a 
definitive "no" to our 5/14 demarche (reftel) asking Spain to 
accept Mujahahedin-e Khalq (MEK) detainees.  MFA Ambassador 
Fernandez de la Pena told us that the GOS has reviewed our 
request on an interagency basis, including MFA, Interior and 
Spanish National Intelligence (CNI), and vetted the names we 
had provided.  According to de la Pena, the GOS interagency 
group determined that Spain could accept MEK parolees only if 
they had credible claims to Spanish citizenship, and found 
none among the names we submitted with a credible claim.  The 
GOS is not interested in taking any others or undertaking any 
further review of the individuals whose names we submitted, 
according to de la Pena. 
 
2.  (C)   De la Pena told us that, given the March 11 
terrorist attacks in Madrid, the GOS was not in a position to 
accept any possible MKE members or associates.  Keeping track 
of them would be an unacceptable burden on the police and 
intelligence agencies, he said, given the demands of the 
March 11 investigations and the continuing fight against ETA. 
 For these reasons, the GOS had to refuse our request 
ARGYROS