US embassy cable - 05MANILA2749

S E C R E T MANILA 002749 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NOFORN 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/16/2015 
TAGS: PTER, EFIN, PREL, KTFN, RP, SA 
SUBJECT: SAUDI FINANCE MINISTER TO VISIT MANILA; 
OPPORTUNITY FOR ACTION 
 
REF: A. STATE 106123 
 
     B. RIYADH 3812 
     C. MANILA 2042 
     D. RIYADH 3715 
 
Classified By: A/DCM Scott Bellard, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
 1.  (S/NF) Saudi Ambassador Wali has returned to Manila from 
what he characterized a "family" visit back to Riyadh (he 
said he escorted his mother and daughter here to Manila) and 
feigned surprise that our Embassy in Riyadh was engaged in a 
direct dialogue with his government about terrorist financing 
links between Saudi Arabia and the Philippines.  He noted, 
however, that the Saudi Finance Minister would travel soon 
for a one day visit to Manila to chair a bilateral 
commission.  When asked, he claimed that the issue of 
financing links and enhanced cooperation between the SAG and 
the GRP on terrorist finance was not on the Minister's 
expected agenda. 
 
2.  (S/NF)  Action request:  The upcoming visit would provide 
an excellent opportunity for the two governments to forge new 
and possibly effective patterns of cooperation against these 
recurrent links between Saudi financiers and Philippine-based 
terrorists.  Embassy recommends that the Department instruct 
our Embassy in Riyadh to raise with the SAG and encourage 
this addition to the Minister's talking points for Manila. 
 
MUSSOMELI