Cablegate: Blue Lantern Level 3: Pre-License Check On Appl

VZCZCXYZ0018
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHVB #0823 2501222
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 071222Z SEP 07
FM AMEMBASSY ZAGREB
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8098
INFO RUEHDS/AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA 0025
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RUCPDOC/USDOC WASHDC
RHMFIUU/FBI WASHDC
RUEPINS/HQ BICE INTEL WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS ZAGREB 000823

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

DEPT FOR PM/DTCC - BLUE LANTERN COORDINATOR
ADDIS ABABA FOR KEVIN SULLIVAN

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KOMC ETTC ET HR
SUBJECT: BLUE LANTERN LEVEL 3: PRE-LICENSE CHECK ON APPL
050057656

REF: STATE 109965

1. (SBU) PolOff reached Drago Venceslav Pensa, head of Tradel
D.O.O., by phone on September 5. Pensa confirmed the reftel
order for PRC-77 radio components under license application
050057656 and reported that he is selling directly to the
Ethiopian Ministry of National Defense through its Central
Procurement Department (CPD). He was cooperative but
maintained that there were no intermediaries in this deal.

2. (SBU) Pensa runs Tradel as a one-man operation doing about
a quarter million dollars in business per year. He has done
business in Ethiopia relating to radio equipment dating back
to the days of the former Yugoslavia and has maintained
contacts there. He is the registered Croatian representative
for the US company ITT and has facilitated Post-supported
purchases of U.S. radio equipment for the Croatian military.
He said he has tried to convince his Ethiopian contacts to
purchase ITT equipment, but the MND is not in a position to
change its equipment and continues to require components for
its PRC-77 inventory.

3. (SBU) When asked directly if he had heard of the Ethiopian
firm Lalibela, he said he thought it had been an entity
similar to the MND's CPD and may no longer exist, though he
admitted his memory on this issue was vague.
BRADTKE

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