2009-11-20 16:39:00
09BERN498
Embassy Bern
SECRET
09STATE115194
VZCZCXYZ0000
PP RUEHWEB
DE RUEHSW #0498 3241639
ZNY SSSSS ZZH
P 201639Z NOV 09
FM AMEMBASSY BERN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6183
INFO RUEHDM/AMEMBASSY DAMASCUS 0132
S E C R E T BERN 000498
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR ISN/MTR (JP.HERRMANN) AND EUR/CE (Y.SAINT-ANDRE)
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/20/2034
TAGS: PARM, MNUC, PREL, ETTC, SY, SZ
SUBJECT: QUARTZCOM: CONCERN ABOUT SWISS FIRM’S ENGAGEMENT WITH SYRIAN ENTITY
REF: STATE 115194
Classified By: Poloff Chris Buck; reasons 1.4(b), (c), and (d).
1. (S) Poloff delivered the reftel non-paper on November 10 to Pierre-Andre Farine, Acting Director of the Export Controls Section, Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO). Farine thanked poloff for the information and undertook to look into the matter.
2. (S) On November 20, Juergen Boehler, Director of SECO’s Export Controls Section, informed poloff that SECO shares USG concerns about the Syrian entity noted in the reftel non-paper, and would not approve any shipments of quartz oscillators to it. He said that he had been in touch with Quartzcom’s head manager, warning him not to proceed with any
transactions with Syrian entities. According to Boehler, the manager currently is on business travel in Asia. SECO has requested a meeting with the Quartzcom manager upon his
return to Switzerland, and has asked him to provide any documentation Quartzcom has relevant to possible orders from Syrian entities. Boehler underlined that Swiss authorities
are keeping an eye on the company, and said he thinks it will be possible to prevent the quartz oscillators from being exported, per USG concerns in reftel.
BEYER