Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
05LJUBLJANA116
2005-02-18 06:12:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Ljubljana
Cable title:  

SLOVENIA PROVIDES DETAILS OF NEW BIOMETRIC PASSPORT

Tags:  CMGT PREL KPAO SI 
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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 LJUBLJANA 000116 

SIPDIS


SENSITIVE

DEPT FOR CA/VO/F/P (DLOPES DA ROSA); EUR/NCE (VTRIM); EUR/PPD
(ARUPPE, FSCHMADEL); AND ECA/PE/V/R/E (KHAVENNER)
DHS FOR BCBP (CRONIN); USEU FOR POL/PRM (MMEZNAR); ROME AND VIENNA
FOR DHS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: CMGT PREL KPAO SI
SUBJECT: SLOVENIA PROVIDES DETAILS OF NEW BIOMETRIC PASSPORT
PROGRAM - CAN MEET OCTOBER DEADLINE, BUT MORE TIME WOULD BE
HELPFUL

REF: (A) STATE 023029 (B) 2002 LJUBLJANA 0940

Sensitive but Unclassified - Please Protect Accordingly

UNCLAS LJUBLJANA 000116

SIPDIS


SENSITIVE

DEPT FOR CA/VO/F/P (DLOPES DA ROSA); EUR/NCE (VTRIM); EUR/PPD
(ARUPPE, FSCHMADEL); AND ECA/PE/V/R/E (KHAVENNER)
DHS FOR BCBP (CRONIN); USEU FOR POL/PRM (MMEZNAR); ROME AND VIENNA
FOR DHS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: CMGT PREL KPAO SI
SUBJECT: SLOVENIA PROVIDES DETAILS OF NEW BIOMETRIC PASSPORT
PROGRAM - CAN MEET OCTOBER DEADLINE, BUT MORE TIME WOULD BE
HELPFUL

REF: (A) STATE 023029 (B) 2002 LJUBLJANA 0940

Sensitive but Unclassified - Please Protect Accordingly


1. (U) The Government of Slovenia anticipates being able to begin
issuing a new biometric passport by the October 26, 2005, deadline
imposed by the Enhanced Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act
(EBSVERA). The new passport will incorporate a number of new
classical security upgrades in addition to a contact-less chip.


2. (U) Conoff discussed Slovenia's biometric passport program in a
meeting February 16 that included State Secretary Vinko Gorenak
and State Undersecretary Bojan Trnovsek of Slovenia's Interior
Ministry (MoI),and State Undersecretaries Vlasta Valencic-Pelikan
and Andrej Ster of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' (MFA) Consular
Department. They provided response to questions posed in REF A as
follows:


3. (U) Project manager for the biometric passport is MoI's State
Undersecretary Bojan Trnovsek, who was a participant in the
Department's Voluntary Visitor program on biometric passports in
July 2004.


4. (U) The Slovenes were unable to give a timeline for pilot
testing. They said actual tests on passports for durability,
operability, etc., would commence when a contractor is selected to
produce the passport. In the meantime, Trnovsek said, the MoI is
testing other elements of the biometric system, including
equipment and procedures for capturing, storing, transmitting, and
reading the digitized facial image. The MoI is also upgrading its
computer system to be capable of storing biometric facial images,
signatures, and eventually fingerprints, all of which will be
accessible to Police and the 58 local Administrative Units in
Slovenia, as well to Slovenia's Border Police.


5. (SBU) The Slovene team acknowledged that while the project
still faces some technical challenges, none are expected to delay
or imperil deployment of the passport by the October deadline.
Still, they made clear that should more time be available, it
would be a definite benefit. "Slovenia is not asking for more
time," suggested Ster, "but any extension would be warmly
welcomed."


6. (SBU) Gorenak said Slovenia would publish a tender within the
next few weeks seeking bids for producing Slovenia's new biometric
passport. Gorenak, who is head of the inter-ministerial group
preparing the tender, stressed that the call for bids would be
"completely open," and would be aimed at attracting international
bidders. Gorenak made reference to recent accounts in the Slovene
press that questioned the openness of the bidding process (under
the previous LDS government in 2000) that awarded contracts to the
two Slovene companies (CETIS and Mirage) that currently produce
Slovene passports (REF B). Gorenak said the MoI (under the new
SDS-led government) had recently stopped these contracts with
CETIS and Mirage because they had been concluded without
appropriate controls to assure free and open competition. Gorenak
said one of the requirements of the new contract for the biometric
passport will be that it be produced in Slovenia. (COMMENT: The
Slovene press has for years alleged that close ties to the then
ruling LDS party won CETIS and Mirage lucrative contracts to
produce Slovene passports. END COMMENT.)


7. (U) Trnovsek said legislative changes are needed to implement
the new biometric passport. He said the MoI is preparing the
changes and expects to introduce them in May. In describing the
non-biometric, or "classical" security enhancements planned for
the new passport, he listed six new features that will make it
easier to identify photo-substitutions and other alterations to
the passport.


NNNN

2005LJUBLJ00116 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED



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