POST RECOMMENDS DELAYING EXBS IN-COUNTRY ASSESSMENT

UNCLAS BRATISLAVA 000922 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR EXBS PROGRAM OFFICER NILS JOHANSON ZAGREB FOR EXBS ADVISOR DONALD JOHNSTON E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ETTC KNNP KSTC PARM PREL LO SUBJECT: POST RECOMMENDS DELAYING EXBS IN-COUNTRY ASSESSMENT REF: STATE 180780 ¶1. Summary. Post recommends delaying the start of the EXBS in-country assessment of Slovakia's strategic trade control system until all relevant GoS officials have been confirmed in their positions, likely no earlier than mid-January 2007. End summary. ¶2. Reftel advises of a contracted assessment of Slovakia's strategic trade control system that was to have started in September 2006 and been completed by November 30, 2006. Post notes that many of the interlocutors whom the locally contracted researcher will be required to interview have not yet been confirmed in their positions. These include Ladislav Brychta, nominated to be Director of the Department of Sensitive Goods Trading Management at the Ministry of Economy, and Eleonora Krocianova, who was confirmed as General Director of Customs Directorate only on November 6. ¶3. Poloff and EXBS LES spoke on November 14 with the locally contracted researcher, Ivo Samson of the Slovak Foreign Policy Association, who agreed that delaying the start of his research until mid-January would be a good idea. SILVERMAN