CZECH MFA: 10,000 ASSAULT RIFLES FOR PRIVATE USE?

C O N F I D E N T I A L PRAGUE 001167

SIPDIS

EUR/NCE FOR TANOUE, LYNN, AND FICHTE, PM/RSAT FOR GOROG,
PM/DTCC FOR PEARTREE, H FOR BORIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/08/2015
TAGS: KOMC PREL PGOV EZ
SUBJECT: CZECH MFA: 10,000 ASSAULT RIFLES FOR PRIVATE USE?

REF: PRAGUE 1145

Classified By: Political-Military Officer Brian Greaney
for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)

1) This is an action request, please see paragraphs 5 and 6.

2) (C) Summary: The Czech MFA licensing division has asked
for confirmation that the USG wishes to allow a U.S. company
to import 10,000 VZ-58 assault rifles for private sale to
domestic consumers. Post requests guidance on the appropriate
reply. End Summary.

3) (C) A reliable Embassy contact telephoned Pol-Mil Off
August 4 to express Czech MFA concern about the possible
transfer of 10,000 Czech VZ-58 assault rifles to the U.S. for
private sale to U.S. consumers. The VZ-58 is the standard
issue Czech Army assault rifle. The contact said that before
issuing a favorable opinion on the transfer, the MFA wished
to be sure that the United States actually wanted this deal
to go forward.

4) (C) Contact provided the following information:
U.S. International Import Certificate number: 04-07233
-- Issuance Date: Sep 16, 2004
-- U.S. Importer: Century Arms, Inc, 236 Bryce Blvd.,
Georgia, Vermont 05454.
-- Exporter: CZ Export Praha S.R.O., Czech Republic
-- Description of goods: "Machine Gun, cal. 7.62x39, model
VZ-58, made in Czechoslovakia, Magazines, 30rd, for the above
machine gun, made in Czechoslovakia." (sic)
-- Quantity of goods authorized on U.S. Import Certificate:
20,000 guns, 80,000 magazines
-- Value of contract on U.S. Import Certificate: $280,000
USD.

Czech Export Application
-- Producer: Cezka Zbrojovka
-- Exporter: CZ Export Praha s.r.o., Svatoplua Cecha 1283,
988 27 Uhersky Brod
-- "Volume of transaction:" 10,000 pcs accessories
-- Value of transaction: 3,500,000 CZK, 350 CZK per unit
($14.64 USD per rifle)
-- Purpose of transaction: "sale in the civil market after
modification into semiautomatic gun." ... "guns will be
dismantled at the US customs store and only some of the parts
will be used for the assembly of semiautomatic (single
action) guns, as there is prohibited to sell automatic
weapons in the US market." (sic)
-- Requested validity of the license: until June 30, 2006.

5) (C) Our initial internet research indicates that a U.S.
International Import Certificate is valid for only six months
after the date of issue
(atf.gov/firearms/feib/guidebook.htm). However this guidance
is dated 2003. Post seeks confirmation that U.S.
International Import Certificate number 04-07233 is no longer
valid for import of firearms into the United States.
If that is the case, we will advise the Czech MFA that the
U.S. importer cannot legally import these firearms into the
United States with this certificate.

6) (C) The Czech MFA has recently been careful to ensure U.S.
security interests are not impacted by its licensing
decisions. It has sought to confirm with us on numerous
occasions that arms transfers do not threaten U.S. security
(reftel). In the last 30 days we have had to confirm to the
Czechs that U.S. shipments of Czech military ammunition to
Iraq and Georgia would not fall into the wrong hands. Our
research indicates that the internet is a ready source of
information on turning a semi-automatic rifle into a
fully-automatic one. We also note that the U.S. International
Import Certificate was issued only three days after the
ending of the assault weapons ban. Embassy Prague requests
guidance to answer ongoing Czech concerns about diversion of
arms shipments. Specifically:
-- a) Does the USG allow the import of fully automatic
assault rifles for conversion to semi-automatics?
-- b) Does the USG have current policy concerns relating to
the possible diversion of such weapons for terrorist use
within the U.S.? (Concerns that would cause us to reconsider
issuing import certificates for the VZ-58?)
CABANISS