Cablegate: Exbs: Croatia/Slovakia/Slovenia Advisor Monthly Reporting

VZCZCXRO8403
RR RUEHDBU
DE RUEHVB #1015/01 3201420
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 161420Z NOV 07
FM AMEMBASSY ZAGREB
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8335
INFO RUEAORC/USCUSTOMS AND BORDER PROT WASHINGTON DC
RUEAHLC/HOMELAND SECURITY CENTER WASHINGTON DC
RHEBAAA/USDOE WASHDC
RUCPDOC/USDOC WASHDC
RULSSGG/COMDT COGARD WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC
RUCNEXC/EXRBS COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ZAGREB 001015

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR NP/ECC PVANSON, ACHURCH AND JMCCLELLAN; DEPT FOR EUR/ACE
DMARTIN; CBP/INA FOR PWARKER; USDOE/NNSA FOR TPERRY; DOC FOR
PETERSEN-BEARD

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ETTC MNUC PARM PREL KSTC KNNP HR LO SI
SUBJECT: EXBS: CROATIA/SLOVAKIA/SLOVENIA ADVISOR MONTHLY REPORTING
CABLE - OCTOBER 2007

1. SITE ASSESSMENTS AND MEETINGS

Croatia

----18 October, met with the Ministry of Interior (MoI) General
Police Directorate, Deputy Head of Border Police to present the
Coast Guard Toughbook computer donation and finalize coordination of
the Coast Guard Port Asset Protection and Security Training to be
held in Sibenik in November.

----25 October, Met with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA)
Department Head for International Security to coordinate planning of
their Industry Outreach Seminar scheduled for late November 2007,
and to complete scheduling of the first stage of the joint UNDP and
EXBS Twinning Project to run from 22 October to 02 November.

----31 October, Conferred with UNDP Chief Technical Advisor for
Small Arms Controls to discuss response and results following
completion of the first phase of the joint UNDP/EXBS Export Control
Licensing Technical Assistance Twinning Project. As a UNDP project,
the EXBS Advisor was initially only approached for guidance and
approval of the project and then to identify potential EU candidates
with the skills to perform the project requirements. The EXBS
proposal to utilize a former high ranking Estonian Foreign Affairs
official with strong EU ties, known and approved by the Croatians,
was summarily reviewed and approved by the UNDP. However, USG
(EXBS) assistance was again required to supplement additional
unplanned funding cost that exceeded the UNDP project budget. This
final request formally assured EXBS input and influence into the
project as a joint venture. The project plan, approved and
supported by the GOC, required the specialist to be sequentially
embedded within each Croatian Ministry to observe and evaluate their
export control capacity. It was agreed that this initial 2 week
phase of the project was successful. The first phase closing
commission round-table discussion determined that the point had been
successfully made and received that the EU and US were synonymous in
their standards and expectations for effective export controls. This
exposure helps to remove any lingering hesitancy to accept or
withhold implementation of reform assistance arbitrarily interpreted
as inapplicable or conflicting to EU candidacy requirements. As
expected, the critique revealed the primary areas for improvement to
be enforcement and verification capacity and completion of
legislative revisions. This first phase was intended to assess the
capacity of all stakeholders of the Croatian Export Control program
and present their strengths, weakness and offer suggestions for
improvement. The second phase, to be conducted from 19 - 30
November, will provide directed assistance to selected Ministries on
methods to improve performance.

----31 October, Met with the Assistant Director and staff of State
Office for Nuclear Safety (SONS) to discuss training schedules and
deliver two (2) laptop computer kit donations. The AD asserted the
office's continued commitment to develop their capacity to present
Commodity Identification Training (CIT) to Croatian Export Control
stakeholders. They would like to plan instructor training for the
spring in accordance with the availability of DOE NNSA
representatives.

SLOVAKIA

----11 October, Met with the Ministry of Economy MOE) Department
Head for Sensitive Goods Trading Management (Licensing) to discuss
preparation for their Tracker upgrade and status of the Internal
Control Program (ICP) project with the Chamber of Commerce. It was
advised that they still had not received the software upgrade and
the additional computer hardware necessary to add the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs (MFA) to the network and the additional server
terminal to extend the network. It was related that the task order
had been assigned and the items should be arriving soon. It was
also agreed that the training requirement would be limited to
expanding the network and training MFA.

----12 October, Met with the Ministry of Finance, Customs
Directorate with members of the Department of Energy (DOE) National
Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Commodity Identification
Training (CIT) team to plan a delivery date for instructor training
for designated Customs CIT trainers and delivery of a handheld metal

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analyzer provided by DOE.

2. TRAINING CONDUCTED DURING REPORTING PERIOD

Slovakia

----17-20 October, the NNSA presented a CIT course to approximately
25 Customs officers in Bratislava that was well received.

3. EQUIPMENT DONATIONS

Croatia

----18 October, Presented 14 toughbook laptop computer kits and 400
Mustang Marine Survival Suits, donated by the US Coast Guard, to the
Border Police.

----31 October, Presented two (2) Panasonic laptop computer kits to
the State Office for Nuclear Safety (SONS) donated by Homeland
Security Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

BRADTKE

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