EXBS: SLOVAKIA ADVISOR MONTHLY REPORTING CABLE

UNCLAS BRATISLAVA 001099

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
WARSAW FOR THOMAS YEAGER

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ETTC MNUC PARM PREL KSTC KNNP ETTC PREL LO
SUBJECT: EXBS: SLOVAKIA ADVISOR MONTHLY REPORTING CABLE
- NOVEMBER 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) November 4, 2004 - EXBS Advisor met with Director
Frantisek Babuska and Senior Officer Mrs. Jana
Dlhopolcekova from Slovakia's Ministry of Economy,
Department of Sensitive Goods and Trading Management.
Subject of discussion was their participation in the up-
coming 6th International Export Control Conference to
be held in London, England, November 8-10, 2004. EXBS
Advisor provided them with their airlines tickets and
some information on the conference agenda and the hotel
where they will be staying in London.

2) November 14-18, 2004 - EXBS Advisor and Program
Coordinator traveled to Warsaw, Poland for meetings
with U.S. Embassy staff and officials from the Polish
Customs Service and the Polish Border Guard. Effective
November 1, 2004, EXBS responsibilities for Poland were
transferred to the EXBS Advisor in Slovakia.

3) November 14, 2004 - EXBS Advisor and EXBS Program
Coordinators Katarzyna Dragan (Poland) and Dusana
Bartkova (Slovakia) met with DITRA Policy Analyst Ruth
Keipp and her training team of John Carmody, Charles
Dodge, Tim Kelly, and Mort Moriarty at the Sofitel
Hotel in Warsaw, Poland. EXBS Advisor gave the opening
speech for a five day, forty hour, training session on
"Counterproliferation Awareness" that was attended by
50 Polish government officials representing the Border
Guard, Customs, Police Presidium and the General
Prosecutor's office.

4) November 14, 2004 - EXBS Advisor met with U.S.
Embassy Charge d'Affaires Cameron Munter at the
American Embassy in Warsaw, Poland. Discussion
included the status of the EXBS Program in Poland and
plans for the continued employment and use of the EXBS
Program Coordinator in Warsaw, Mrs. Katarzyna Dragan.
Mrs. Dragan has worked as the EXBS Program Coordinator
in Warsaw for the past three years. Mrs. Dragan's
contract with EXBS runs through the end of September

2005. With the closure of the EXBS Office in Warsaw,
Mrs. Dragan will work with the embassy's Political
Section until the end of her contract. EXBS Advisor
also met with the embassy's Political Counselor, Mrs.
Mary Curtin and Political Analyst Thomas Yeager. We
discussed the political sections' use of Mrs. Dragan
and how she could assist their staff over the next
several months. Everyone at the embassy speaks very
highly of Mrs. Dragan and they are very appreciative
that EXBS has allowed her to join their section after
the phase out of the EXBS Program in Poland.

5) November 15, 2004 - EXBS Advisor met with
representatives from the Polish Customs Service in
Warsaw, Poland. Those present at the meeting were Mrs.
Krystyna Drezinska, Head of the Office for Professional
Development; Mr. Waclaw Gasiorowski, Chief Specialist
of the Customs Control Department; and Mr. Piotr
Wilczek, Chief Specialist of the Training Department.
The meeting took place at their Customs headquarters,
which is located in the Ministry of Finance Building.
Discussions included a briefing on the status of the


EXBS Program in Poland and briefings on the current
status of Polish Customs activities.

6) November 16, 2004 - EXBS Advisor met with members
of the Polish Border Guard at their headquarters
building in Warsaw. Those present at the meeting were
Col. Bogdan Pawlowski, Deputy Director of the Border
Control Department; Lt. Col. Tadeusz Hadys, Chief
Specialist, Border Control Department; and Lt. Marta
Krukowska, Head of the Section in the Office of
Personnel and Training. Discussions included a
briefing on the status of the EXBS Program in Poland
and briefings on the current border security efforts in
Poland.

7) November 22, 2004 - EXBS Advisor attended a news
conference with U.S. Ambassador Ronald Weiser in
Bratislava, Slovakia. The purpose of the news
conference was to cover the donation of two motor
vehicles from the EXBS Program to the Border and Alien
Police of the Slovak Republic. Ambassador Weiser gave
a speech in which he thanked the Slovak government for
the cooperation they have given the United States and
commending their efforts to strengthen their export
controls and enhance their border security. He then
presented the keys to the vehicles to Slovakia's
Interior Minister Vladimir Palko. Minister Palko then
turned the vehicles over to Mr. Michal Borgula, Head of
the Border and Alien Police. The event received
widespread media coverage from local Television
stations, radio stations and newspapers.

8) November 24-26, 2004 - EXBS Advisor traveled to
Prague, Czech Republic where he conducted a site
assessment of Prague International Airport. A full
report of the site assessment will follow in a separate
cable.

9) November 26, 2004 - EXBS Advisor attended a news
conference with U.S. Ambassador William Cabaniss in
Prague, Czech Republic. The purpose of the news
conference was to cover the donation of a new Mercedes-
Benz X-Ray Autovan, from the EXBS Program to the Czech
General Directorate of Customs. Ambassador Cabaniss
thanked the government of the Czech Republic for the
cooperation they have given the United States and
congratulated Czech Customs for their efforts to secure
their country's borders. He then presented the key to
the vehicle to Czech Customs General Director Zdenek
Richtr. The event received excellent media coverage
from local Television stations, radio stations and
newspapers.


B. TRAINING CONDUCTED DURING REPORTING PERIOD.

None


C. EQUIPMENT DELIVERED DURING REPORTING

1) November 23, 2004 - Two motor vehicles (Skoda
Fabias) were donated to the Border and Alien Police of
the Slovak Republic. Total value of the two vehicles
was $26,992.

2) November 26, 2004 - One Mercedes-Benz X-Ray van
was ceremonially handed over to the Czech Republic's
General Directorate of Customs. The van was actually
donated to Czech Customs on July 5, 2004. Value of the
Mobile X-Ray van is $183,275.


D. IMMINENT TRAINING OR EQUIPMENT STATUS UPDATE.


None


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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