Trudeau speaks with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani

PRIME Minister Justin Trudeau spoke with President Hassan Rouhani of Iran on Saturday regarding the shooting down of the Ukraine International Airlines plane, for which Iran has admitted responsibility.

Rouhani conveyed his profound regret for the shooting down of the aircraft by the Iranian military. Trudeau said that this is an important first step for Iran. He noted that Canadians were angry, hurt and grieving, and said it was imperative that there be justice, accountability, and compensation for the families of the victims.

Trudeau insisted on the need for a complete and thorough investigation. The President agreed and committed to ensure international participation including from Canada. Trudeau reaffirmed that Canada was ready to deploy air safety experts to facilitate black box examination and DNA specialists to assist with victim identification and the return of remains to Canada.

According to a statement by the Prime Minister’s Office, Trudeau was encouraged by Rouhani’s commitment to facilitate access to Iran of Canada’s consular and aviation experts in the efforts to support the families affected by this tragedy and the related investigation.

Trudeau condemned the Iranian rocket attacks on January 8 that put the lives of Canadians at risk in Erbil, Iraq. In discussing the situation in the region, Trudeau and the President agreed on the importance of de-escalation and dialogue to reduce tensions and promote stability in the region. Trudeau noted how the shooting down of the aircraft was an example of how heightened tensions can have tragic consequences for innocent civilians.

Both leaders agreed to continue dialogue between the two countries on this matter in the effort to alleviate the pain of people in Canada, Iran and other countries affected by this tragedy. Trudeau underscored the profound impact this tragedy has had on the large Iranian-Canadian community – and on all Canadians – across the country.

Rouhani acknowledged their deep loss and underscored the importance of foreign ministers and officials from the two countries working together, including through the International Coordination and Response Group for families and victims of flight 752.

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  1. https://www.fintrac-canafe.gc.ca/new-neuf/avs/2019-12-06-eng :

    “Iran

    “… the FATF (Financial Action Task Force: https://www.fatf-gafi.org/about/ ) welcomed Iran’s high-level political commitment to address its… AML/ CFT (Anti-Money Laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism) deficiencies in June 2016…

    “However: Iran’s action plan expired in January 2018.

    “In October 2019, the FATF noted that there are still items not completed and Iran should fully address:

    “(1) adequately criminalizing terrorist financing, including by removing the exemption for designated groups “attempting to end foreign occupation, colonialism and racism”;

    “(2) identifying and freezing terrorist assets in line with the relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions;

    “….. The FATF decided in June 2019 to call upon its members and urge all jurisdictions to require increased supervisory examination for branches and subsidiaries of financial institutions based in Iran.

    “In line with the June 2019 Public Statement, the FATF decided this week to call upon its members and urge all jurisdictions to introduce enhanced relevant reporting mechanisms or systematic reporting of financial transactions; and require increased external audit requirements for financial groups with respect to any of their branches and subsidiaries located in Iran.

    “->>> If before February 2020, Iran does not enact the Palermo and Terrorist Financing Conventions in line with the FATF Standards, then the FATF will fully lift the suspension of counter-measures and call on its members and urge all jurisdictions to apply effective counter-measures, in line with recommendation 19.

    “… the FATF expresses its disappointment that the Action Plan remains outstanding.

    “The FATF expects Iran to proceed swiftly in the reform path to ensure that it addresses all of the remaining items by completing and implementing the necessary AML/CFT reforms.

    “… Until Iran implements the measures required to address the deficiencies identified with respect to countering terrorism-financing in the Action Plan,

    “->>> the FATF will remain concerned with the terrorist financing risk emanating from Iran and the threat this poses to the international financial system.

    “The FATF, therefore, calls on its members and urges all jurisdictions to continue to advise their financial institutions to apply enhanced due diligence with respect to business relationships and transactions with natural and legal persons from Iran, consistent with FATF Recommendation 19, including:

    “(1) obtaining information on the reasons for intended transactions; and

    “(2) conducting enhanced monitoring of business relationships, by increasing the number and timing of controls applied, and selecting patterns of transactions that need further examination.”

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