EXBS: SLOVAKIA ADVISOR MONTHLY REPORTING CABLE

UNCLAS BRATISLAVA 001013

SIPDIS


DEPT FOR NP/ECC - PVANSON, ACHURCH, JOHN COFFEY
DEPT FOR EUR/ACE - DMARTIN
CBP/INA FOR PWARKER, BPICKETT
USDOE/NNSA FOR TPERRY
DOC FOR PETERSEN-BEARD
PRAGUE FOR MARK CANNING
VIENNA FOR KENNY MACDONALD
BUDAPEST FOR JEFFREY IZZO

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ETTC MNUC PARM PREL KSTC KNNP ETTC PREL LO
SUBJECT: EXBS: SLOVAKIA ADVISOR MONTHLY REPORTING CABLE
- OCTOBER 2004



1. BROAD ITEMS OF INTEREST TO ADVISORS AND AGENCY
MANAGERS.

None


2. COMPLETED ACTIONS FOR THE REPORTING PERIOD.


A. SITE ASSESSMENTS AND MEETINGS DURING REPORTING
PERIOD.

1) October 1 - EXBS Advisor attended the "Day of the
Slovak Customs Administration" display at the Incheba
Exhibition Center in Bratislava. The Slovak
Directorate of Customs, along with numerous other
federal and local agencies, displayed the tools they
utilize to fulfill their responsibilities. Customs
Canine Teams and Special Response Teams provided
demonstrations for the public. Various Customs
managers provided PowerPoint presentations on the
current structure and workings of Slovak Customs, as
well as statistics on enforcement actions and revenue
collections. Their static displays included some of
the equipment provided by the EXBS Program, including
their Mobile X-Ray Van, Enforcement Kits, Exploranium
Radioactive Isotope Identification Device and Radiation
Detection Pagers.

2) October 12-16, 2004 - EXBS Advisor assisted Mr.
Cassady Craft, Jonathan Davis and Christopher Leaman
from the Center for International Trade and
Security/University of Georgia (CITS/UGA) in their
assessment of Slovakia's current Export Control
program. Meetings were conducted with numerous
officials from GOS agencies, including the Ministry of
Economy, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Defense,
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nuclear Regulatory
Authority and the Directorate of Customs. On October
14-16, 2004, EXBS Advisor, accompanied by a
representative of the Slovak Customs Directorate, drove
the CITS/UGA team to Vysne Nemecke and Cierna nad
Tisou, on the Slovak/Ukraine border, for a tour of
their facilities and a first hand look at Customs
procedures for handling licensable exports.


B. TRAINING CONDUCTED DURING REPORTING PERIOD.

1) October 25-29 - EXBS provided Strategic Tracker
Training to twenty-eight Border and Alien Police (BAP)
officers at the Vysne Nemecke Border Station. Three
Native American Customs Patrol Officers from the Tohono-
Odham Indian Reservation, in southern Arizona, were the
instructors for the course. The students were a
diverse group of BAP officers, ranging in rank from Lt.
Colonel down to Constable. They came from all parts of
Slovakia for the training. Some had as much as
seventeen years of BAP service while others had only a
year of BAP service. BAP officers were taught how to
follow tracks left by smugglers/illegal aliens and how
to utilize hand held GPS systems. At the end of the
course, all of the BAP officers praised the training
and stated that they now felt confident that they could
follow the trail of smugglers and illegal aliens.


C. EQUIPMENT DELIVERED DURING REPORTING

1) Thirty Garmin 12 XL Portable GPS systems valued at
$5,700 were delivered to the Station Commander of the
Border and Alien Police at Vysne Nemecke, Slovakia.
These systems were used in the Strategic Tracker
Training course and then left as a donation.


D. IMMINENT TRAINING OR EQUIPMENT STATUS UPDATE.


1) October 29 - EXBS Advisor was notified that the
two new Skoda Fabia motor vehicles purchased as a
donation to the Slovak Border and Alien Police have
arrived at the dealership in Bratislava. The vehicles
will be donated in November with the Ambassador handing
the vehicles over to the Head, Border and Alien Police
at an event hosted by our Public Affairs Section.


E. SIGNIFICANT DEVELOPMENTS IN EXPORT CONTROLS,
NONPROLIFERATION, OR RELATED BORDER SECURITY.

None.


3. RED FLAG ISSUES.

None.

Questions regarding this report can be directed to
Larry Adkins, EXBS Senior Advisor, at AmEmbassy
Bratislava at telephone no.: 421-2-5922-3375, fax: 421-
2-5922-3497 or through email at adkinslh@state.gov.

WEISER


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