Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
05BUCHAREST1510
2005-07-07 13:38:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Bucharest
Cable title:  

EXBS: ROMANIA & BULGARIA MONTHLY REPORTING CABLE -

Tags:  ETTC MNUC PARM PREL KSTC KNNP BU RO 
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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 BUCHAREST 001510 

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NP/ECC - JMCCLELLAN/AMAGOULIS
STATE ALSO FOR EUR/CACEN; EUR/ACE FOR DMARTIN
USCBP INA FOR JGOUGE/PWARKER
DTRA ALEX WASHDC FOR RVITKOVITSKY
USDOE FOR TMUSTIN/EMELAMED/KGARNER
VIENNA FOR CUSTOMS ATTACHE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ETTC MNUC PARM PREL KSTC KNNP BU RO
SUBJECT: EXBS: ROMANIA & BULGARIA MONTHLY REPORTING CABLE -
JUNE 2005


I. BROAD ITEMS OF INTEREST TO ADVISORS AND AGENCY MANAGERS

No points of interest on which to report this period.

II. COMPLETED ACTIONS FOR THE REPORTING PERIOD - ROMANIA

SUMMARY:

-- June 9 Advisor and Staff Assistant met with Nelu Pop,
Frontier Police Inspector General, for the formal donation
of EXBS provided equipment made over the past several
months. At the conclusion, an additional 30 Radiation
Detection Pagers were donated to the Frontier Police.

-- June 16 Advisor met with Vasile Soiman, Customs Chief,
Bacau Inland Clearing Station, as a follow-up to the May 13,
2005, EXBS review. There have been no improvements to the
facility's NBC detection capabilities. In addition, Bacau
has no x-ray systems for international airport, cargo, and
mail operations. This issue will be discussed with the
National Customs Authority. (NFM)

-- June 20 - 24 DTRA conducted a "Crime Scene Management"
course that was presented to law enforcement organizations
responsible for responding to NBC incidents.

-- June 24 Advisor met with John Conlon, DOS, to discuss the
outcome of the Black Sea Border Security Initiative (BSBSI)
Tabletop exercise held in Bucharest June 22 - 24, 2005.

-- June 26 - July 1 EXBS team (Advisor and Staff Assistant)
traveled to Bulgaria to meet with Embassy officials at Sofia
and Bulgarian Government contacts at Kapitan Andreevo and
Balchik.

-- July 1 Advisor met with Richard Meehan, DOE NNSA, and his
team to discuss the outcome of the Search and Secure
Training held in Bucharest June 27 - July
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 BUCHAREST 001510

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NP/ECC - JMCCLELLAN/AMAGOULIS
STATE ALSO FOR EUR/CACEN; EUR/ACE FOR DMARTIN
USCBP INA FOR JGOUGE/PWARKER
DTRA ALEX WASHDC FOR RVITKOVITSKY
USDOE FOR TMUSTIN/EMELAMED/KGARNER
VIENNA FOR CUSTOMS ATTACHE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ETTC MNUC PARM PREL KSTC KNNP BU RO
SUBJECT: EXBS: ROMANIA & BULGARIA MONTHLY REPORTING CABLE -
JUNE 2005


I. BROAD ITEMS OF INTEREST TO ADVISORS AND AGENCY MANAGERS

No points of interest on which to report this period.

II. COMPLETED ACTIONS FOR THE REPORTING PERIOD - ROMANIA

SUMMARY:

-- June 9 Advisor and Staff Assistant met with Nelu Pop,
Frontier Police Inspector General, for the formal donation
of EXBS provided equipment made over the past several
months. At the conclusion, an additional 30 Radiation
Detection Pagers were donated to the Frontier Police.

-- June 16 Advisor met with Vasile Soiman, Customs Chief,
Bacau Inland Clearing Station, as a follow-up to the May 13,
2005, EXBS review. There have been no improvements to the
facility's NBC detection capabilities. In addition, Bacau
has no x-ray systems for international airport, cargo, and
mail operations. This issue will be discussed with the
National Customs Authority. (NFM)

-- June 20 - 24 DTRA conducted a "Crime Scene Management"
course that was presented to law enforcement organizations
responsible for responding to NBC incidents.

-- June 24 Advisor met with John Conlon, DOS, to discuss the
outcome of the Black Sea Border Security Initiative (BSBSI)
Tabletop exercise held in Bucharest June 22 - 24, 2005.

-- June 26 - July 1 EXBS team (Advisor and Staff Assistant)
traveled to Bulgaria to meet with Embassy officials at Sofia
and Bulgarian Government contacts at Kapitan Andreevo and
Balchik.

-- July 1 Advisor met with Richard Meehan, DOE NNSA, and his
team to discuss the outcome of the Search and Secure
Training held in Bucharest June 27 - July 1.


A. SITE ASSESSMENTS AND MEETINGS DURING REPORTING PERIOD


1. June 9 Advisor and Staff Assistant met with Nelu Pop,
Frontier Police Inspector General, for the formal donation
of EXBS provided equipment made for the past several months.
Frontier Police requested this so that signatures could be

witnessed by a notary public.


2. June 24 Advisor met with John Conlon, DOS, to discuss the
outcome of the BSBSI Tabletop exercise. This exercise was
hosted by Romania and included Bulgaria, Moldova, Georgia
and Ukraine. There is concern that some of the participants
are not fully involved in the exercise giving mixed results.
When the next BSBSI Tabletop is scheduled John Conlon
requests that the EXBS Advisors from the participating
countries solicit their cooperation.


B. TRAINING CONDUCTED DURING REPORTING PERIOD


1. June 20 - 24 DTRA conducted "Crime Scene Management"
course to members of the NBC Unit within the General
Directorate for Combating Organized Crime and Anti-Drug;
Frontier Police; Intelligence Service; Police Academy; and
Protection Service. This is a companion course to the
"Crime Scene Operations" course presented in March 2005.


2. June 27 - July 1 DOE NNSA conducted "Search and Secure
Training" held in Bucharest. Attendees came from Albania,
Georgia, Moldova, and Romania. The training focused on
familiarizing the attendees with an overall orphan source
search program to include practical field exercises.



C. EQUIPMENT DELIVERED DURING REPORTING PERIOD


1. June 9 Donation of 30 radiation detection pagers to the
Frontier Police.


D. IMMINENT TRAINING OR EQUIPMENT STATUS UPDATE


1. July 18 - 22 Seaport IBIT for Customs and Frontier Police
to be held in Charleston, SC.

2. Aug 1 - 5 RoBIT conducted by Frontier Police in
Timisoara. (Tentatively scheduled)


E. PORTAL MONITOR ALERTS


1. No significant alerts occurred during this reporting
period and, as noted in past cables, a listing of those
alerts can be supplied by advisor if desired.

III. RED FLAG ISSUES - None to report.

SUMMARY - BULGARIA:

-- June 17 A new point of entry in Lesovo was opened at the
Bulgarian/Turkish border. EXBS support: the Sofia mobile x-
ray van was used to support the Customs entry process. One
CTKit (Customs) and two radiation pagers (Border Police)
were transferred there to support the officers. (NFM)

-- June 20 - 22 Staff Assistant attended the Southeastern
Europe Seminar towards NATO and EU Accession: Effective
Export Control Legislation - Lessons Learned.

-- June 26 - July 1 EXBS team (Advisor and Staff Assistants
from Bulgaria and Romania) met with Embassy officials at
Sofia and Bulgarian Government contacts at Kapitan Andreevo
and Balchik.


A. SITE ASSESSMENTS AND MEETINGS DURING REPORTING PERIOD


1. June 20 - 24 Bulgaria hosted the "Southeastern Europe
Seminar towards NATO and EU Accession: Effective Export
Control Legislation - Lessons Learned." This seminar built
on the 2002 regional seminar aimed at contributing to the
process of harmonization of the export control legislation
and strengthening the mechanisms for its implementation.
Albania, Bulgaria; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Croatia;
Macedonia; Moldova; Romania; and Serbia and Montenegro
participated.


2. June 26 - July 1 EXBS team (Advisor and Staff Assistants
from Bulgaria and Romania) traveled to Kapitan Andreevo to
review the port operation and discuss the portal monitor
operation and location. Currently, the portal monitor at is
still giving false alarms. In addition, the vehicles queues
at the exit point continue to disrupt the portal monitor
operation. TTFSE Advisor Ivan Taborsky is attempting to
improve the exit queuing but the placement of the portal
monitor interferes with these changes. The DOE after action
report from their May 2005 site visit recommends that the
portal monitor be moved to a new location within the port.
By a separate action requests have been made to DOE to
accelerate this process.

--EXBS also visited the Customs Canine Training Center at
Balchik to observe their training procedures in preparation
for the Bulgarian Customs exchange in Sep 2005. As a result
of this visit the director of the training center is being
included in the group participating in the Customs exchange
so that he can observe the U.S. Canines program in training
and in action.


B. TRAINING CONDUCTED DURING REPORTING PERIOD


1. No training conducted during reporting period.


C. EQUIPMENT DELIVERED DURING REPORTING PERIOD


1. June 26 One CTKit donated to Customs and Kapitan
Andreevo.


D. IMMINENT TRAINING OR EQUIPMENT STATUS UPDATE


1. Aug 8 - 12 DTRA Cyber Crimes Training.


E. PORTAL MONITOR ALERTS


1. Follow-up to May cable. On May 3 Border Police reported
that the portal monitor at Ruse detected radioactive
material in a load of scrap material. Open source
information from the Nuclear Regulatory Agency reports that
the radiation source was a piece of metal used in mining.
It was contaminated with uranium related natural
radionuclides. The detained ionizing source was not
hazardous. At a distance of 10cm the dose rate measured 6.2
milli Sv/h.

III. RED FLAG ISSUES - None to report.

TAPLIN