Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
05VIENNA2211
2005-06-30 10:14:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Vienna
Cable title:  

BORDER MANAGEMENT: AUSTRIA HOSTS FOURTH MEETING ON

Tags:  PREL SNAR PBTS PREF ETTC KCRM AU ECRM 
pdf how-to read a cable
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 VIENNA 002211 

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EUR/ACE, INL/AEE, EUR/RPM, NP/ECC, AND EUR/AGS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL SNAR PBTS PREF ETTC KCRM AU ECRM
SUBJECT: BORDER MANAGEMENT: AUSTRIA HOSTS FOURTH MEETING ON
THE CENTRAL ASIAN BORDER SECURITY INITIATIVE (CABSI)


UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 VIENNA 002211

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EUR/ACE, INL/AEE, EUR/RPM, NP/ECC, AND EUR/AGS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL SNAR PBTS PREF ETTC KCRM AU ECRM
SUBJECT: BORDER MANAGEMENT: AUSTRIA HOSTS FOURTH MEETING ON
THE CENTRAL ASIAN BORDER SECURITY INITIATIVE (CABSI)



1. Summary. On June 6-7 2005, in Gumpoldskirchen, Austria,
the Austrian Ministry of Interior (MOI) hosted the fourth
meeting of the Central Asian Border Service Initiatives Group
(CABSI),a component of the European Commission's border
management program for Central Asia (BOMCA). Representatives
of the Austrian MOI, European Commission, United Nations
(UNDP and UNODC),International Organization for Migration
(IOM),and International Center for Migration Policy
Development (ICMPD) discussed BOMCA programs. All called for
enhanced cooperation among the donor nations and stressed the
need to follow up on the February 2005 donor conference in
Dushanbe. Participants also discussed the situation on the
Tajik-Afghan border, which European Commission (EC)
representatives called BOMCA's "most pressing problem."

SPEAKERS URGE MORE DONOR COOPERATION


2. Soeren Klem from the European Commission's EuropeAid
Cooperation Office (AIDCO) in Brussels and Task Manager for
the Commission's TACIS (Technical Assistance to the
Commonwealth of Independent States) Drug Action Program,
called for enhanced donor cooperation. He said the February
2005 Dushanbe donor conference achieved good results in
improving cooperation with the U.S. and other donors in
Central Asia. He pointed out the need to "link our
activities" in Central Asia in order to maximize donor
cooperation and resources. He also urged expansion of border
management programs to the South Caucasus region. Klem
underscored the need for BOMCA to maintain credibility in
delivering its border management programs.


3. Karl Harbo, Head of the European Commission's office in
Afghanistan, noted that while the donors have different ways
of approaching the overall situation in Central Asia, their
objectives are the same. He said the situation on the
Afghan-Tajik border is the "most pressing problem" for BOMCA
in Central Asia. On Afghanistan, he said that the complete
absence of rule of law and of a robust police force are the
biggest problems for the country. This blocks progress in

capacity building, security, and stamping out transnational
crime. The CABSI forum, Harbo stressed, is important for
establishing good donor cooperation and program coordination
in the region. Ortwin Hennig, who leads Germany's efforts to
train Afghan and Iraqi police, advocated expanding BOMCA.
Interlinking border management projects in the region would
more effectively reduce "cross-border problems," he said.

THE BOMCA FRAMEWORK


4. BOMCA's overall goal, according to Klem, is to help
achieve political stability and regional economic growth in
Central Asia. It does this by achieving strict control of
the green borders, establishing a limited number of effective
border crossings, and fostering cooperation among border
police and customs services. Such measures, Klem said, will
facilitate the legal flow of people and goods. It will also
eliminate trafficking in illicit goods, corruption, and other
transnational crime. Klem introduced two subcomponents of
BOMCA. The Central Asia Drug Action Program (CADAP) prevents
drug trafficking and drug abuse. The European Commission's
new program for the fight against crime in Central Asia
(CRIMCA) will reinforce Central Asia's operational capacity
to fight money laundering and organized crime.


5. The European Commission's Department of Justice and
Homeland Affairs manages BOMCA from Brussels. According to
Sezin Sinanoglu, a Deputy Resident Representative for the
United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and for BOMCA and
CADAP in Kyrgyzstan, UNDP jointly implements BOMCA and CADAP
through field offices in Central Asia. It subcontracts
specialized projects to the United Nations Office of Drugs
and Crime (UNODC),the UN Office of the High Commissioner for
Refugees (UNHCR),and to the IOM and ICMPD. UNDP pays ten
percent of the costs of BOMCA and CADAP, and funds the
salaries of BOMCA's regional managers in Bishkek, Philip
Pierce and Alain Scolan. They are responsible for providing
technical advice, ensuring "European visibility," and
implementing BOMCA programs. Sinanoglu said that "delivery"
is a key theme this year for BOMCA. She also said Brussels
hopes to expand participation in BOMCA to the new EU Member
States, which have recent experience in reforming border
management practices to EU standards.


6. Klem and Pierce said the European Commission's total
budget for BOMCA is just over 43 million euros. This
includes money for ongoing projects (BOMCA 4.1, BOMCA 4.2,
and CADAP 2),contracted projects beginning later this year
(BOMCA 5 and CADAP 3),and projects the European Commission
has funded, but not yet approved (CADAP 4, BOMCA 7, and
CRIMCA). This figure does not include the UK's two million
euro contribution to BOMCA.

BOMCA, CADAP, AND CRIMCA TIMETABLE AND FUNCTIONS


7. According to Pierce, BOMCA 4.1 and BOMCA 4.2, implemented
in January 2005 and March 2005, have a total budget of over
8.5 million euros. The programs, main objectives are to
bring Central Asian legal frameworks in line with EU
standards, to demilitarize the border guard services, and to
develop cross-border cooperation. Further goals of these
programs are to standardize training curricula and to
modernize border guard training facilities. In the "pilot
border regions," BOMCA 4.1 and BOMCA 4.2 will provide new
infrastructure, equipment, and training, develop mobile
units, strengthen border dog capacities, and conduct other
capacity building measures. BOMCA 5 (January 2006 - June
2008),BOMCA 6 (January 2007 - December 2008),and BOMCA 7
(January 2008 - December 2009) will expand on these sectors
of assistance. The program plans to include Uzbekistan and
Kazakhstan during these next phases. According to its
planning forecast, the EC is budgeting a total 16.2 million
euros for BOMCA 5, 6, and 7.


8. Pierce noted that the EU and UNODC implemented the CADAP
2 program in March 2004, with a budget of over 4.9 million
euros. CADAP 2's legal assistance component encourages
countries to adopt international drug conventions. CADAP 2
is working to create Drug Profiling Units that will enhance
interdiction efforts at airports, seaports, and land borders.
The program will also establish a centralized drug
intelligence capability within the regional police forces.
UNDP and EU experts are also providing CADAP 2 assistance to
the Ministries of Health. This will improve collection and
analysis of drug abuse data, and will provide drug prevention
and treatment to high-risk groups in Central Asian prisons.
According to Sinanoglu and Pierce, CADAP's treatment efforts
include "harm reduction" efforts (e.g. needle exchange) to
fight the spread of HIV-AIDS.


9. According to its planning forecast, the European
Commission is budgeting three million euros for CADAP 3 (July
2005 to July 2007) and five million euros for CADAP 4 (April
2006 to April 2008). CADAP 3 will reinforce counter
narcotics measures in BOMCA's pilot border regions. It will
also improve the quality and collection of forensic drug data
for use in law enforcement investigations. CADAP 4 will
strengthen anti-drug units in the Ministries of Interior. In
addition, it will expand EU cooperation with the Central
Asian Ministries of Health to bring drug prevention and
treatment measures more in line with the EU acquis.


10. According to Klem, CRIMCA is a new Justice and Homeland
Affairs program that will reinforce Central Asia's
operational capacity to fight against organized crime.
CRIMCA will focus on developing Interpol information systems
and on additional measures to combat money laundering. The
Commission is budgeting five million euros for the project,
which will tentatively run from January 2007 to December 2008.

BORDER EFFORTS IN TAJIKISTAN


11. On Tajikistan, Klem said the European Commission is
working closely with the U.S. to ensure non-duplication of
efforts. Karl Harbo told poloffs the that EC is moving
forward with budgeting plans to fund port of entry facilities
on both sides of the Nizhiniy Pyanzh River Bridge. Harbo
added that senior Tajik and Afghan border guard officials
made official contact for the first time at the Dushanbe
donor conference. He said the EU should encourage regular
meetings between the Tajik and Afghan services to exchange
information and training ideas.


12. Giles Dickson, Head of the Drugs and International Crime
Department in the UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office, said
the UK is spending its two million euro contribution to BOMCA
on capacity building and mobile detection and communications
equipment for Tajikistan. Dickson said the UK is trying to
ensure this equipment is compatible with the Afghan border
guard service. Dickson urged BOMCA to deliver on its
programs by remaining engaged in the region "for the long
haul." One of the UK's main priorities for its EU
Presidency, Dickson added, will be to implement the new EU
Drug Action Plan. Among other things, the plan commits EU
member states to increase their counter narcotics assistance
to Central Asia and Afghanistan.
Brown