Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06BRUSSELS864
2006-03-13 15:03:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Brussels
Cable title:  

U.S.-EU COUNTERTERRORISM AND JHA AFFAIRS:

Tags:  KCRM KJUS PREL PTER CVIS EUN USEU BRUSSELS 
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 04 BRUSSELS 000864 

SIPDIS

FOR GLOBAL AFFAIRS OFFICERS; ALL MISSIONS FOR LEGATTS, DEA
COUNTRY ATTACHES, TREASURY ENFORCEMENT REPRESENTATIVES,
HOMELAND SECURITY REPRESENTATIVES; DEPARTMENT FOR INL/PC,
S/CT, EUR/ERA AND EUR/PGI; JUSTICE FOR OIA AND OPDAT;
TREASURY FOR
ENFORCEMENT

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KCRM KJUS PREL PTER CVIS EUN USEU BRUSSELS
SUBJECT: U.S.-EU COUNTERTERRORISM AND JHA AFFAIRS:
CONFERENCE INVITATION FOR OFFICERS AT POST

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 BRUSSELS 000864

SIPDIS

FOR GLOBAL AFFAIRS OFFICERS; ALL MISSIONS FOR LEGATTS, DEA
COUNTRY ATTACHES, TREASURY ENFORCEMENT REPRESENTATIVES,
HOMELAND SECURITY REPRESENTATIVES; DEPARTMENT FOR INL/PC,
S/CT, EUR/ERA AND EUR/PGI; JUSTICE FOR OIA AND OPDAT;
TREASURY FOR
ENFORCEMENT

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KCRM KJUS PREL PTER CVIS EUN USEU BRUSSELS
SUBJECT: U.S.-EU COUNTERTERRORISM AND JHA AFFAIRS:
CONFERENCE INVITATION FOR OFFICERS AT POST


1. Summary: The U.S. Mission to the European Union (USEU)
will sponsor a two-day conference in Brussels for U.S.
officers at posts in the EUR region on U.S.
counterterrorism policy in
Europe and Eurasia and critical issues in the area of
Justice and Home Affairs (JHA).
The conference will open with one day dedicated to U.S.
counterterrorism policy and
the role of posts in promoting the CT agenda. Proposed
topics include public diplomacy
and efforts to counteract radicalization and recruitment;
border and transport security;
and law enforcement and intelligence cooperation in
counterterrorism.


2. During the second day the participants will be divided
between those coming from EU and
non-EU posts. Those coming from EU posts will examine
European Integration and its impact
on JHA and Security Cooperation. Proposed topics include
EU CT Policy and Structure
and U.S-EU Counterterrorism Cooperation; The EU and its
relationship to third countries
and selected multilateral organizations such as NATO; EU
Enforcement Integration; critical
EU institutions; and data protection and information
sharing. For those coming from
non-EU posts, proposed topics include Crime Threats to the
Balkans and Eurasia, Best
Practices regarding issues of terrorist finance, UN
Committees/designations, corruption,
rule of law, and bioterrorism; and the relationship of non-
EU countries to the Council of
Europe.


3. Participants should also consider attending an optional
full-day breakout session on
terrorist finance on the day following the conference. See
para. twelve below.


4. The audience for this invitation-only conference
includes Department of State, and
law enforcement personnel from Justice, Treasury, and
Homeland Security assigned to EUR
posts. Due to space limitations, participation by
Washington, D.C. headquarters staff

will be reserved for speakers, with a limited number of
spaces for personnel with CT or
international law enforcement portfolios; Department will
follow up with agencies in
Washington directly. The conference will be held in
Brussels on May 31-June 1. Missions
are requested to review this cable and respond to USEU and
State with indications of
interest no later than April 1. Please slug cables for
USEU/DOJ/NAS, EUR/ERA, EUR/PGI and
S/CT. Negative replies are also requested. A separate
cable containing detailed
administrative information will be sent septel. End
Summary.

--------------
Background
--------------


5. U.S. cooperation with European and Eurasian countries
and the EU in combating global
terrorism is one of the most important aspects of our
transatlantic relationship. 9/11
and the Madrid, London, Beslan and other attacks in Europe
and around the globe have
focused attention on both sides of the Atlantic on the
importance of deep and effective
relationships to better protect our homeland. In addition,
there have been a number of
developments in the broader area of Justice and Home
Affairs (JHA) which impact on U.S.
law enforcement cooperation in Europe. With CT and JHA
issues asserting an ever more
prominent role in the overall transatlantic relationship,
the U.S. Mission to the EU will
sponsor a two-day conference to discuss these developments
and to further understanding of
U.S. counterterrorism policy. The conference will be held
in Brussels May 31-June 1 2006.
It is designed for embassy/consulate officers with
counterterrorism responsibilities and
law enforcement personnel who are stationed at EUR posts.


6. As reflected in the notional list of topics in para. 14
below, the objective is to
review recent developments in these areas, to consider
their potential impact on U.S.
law enforcement and foreign policy interests, and to
articulate steps for advancing the
U.S. agenda in this regard. We are asking that you
nominate or confirm participation of
appropriate personnel to this program. Due to space
limitations (a total of 150
participants - 100 from State and 50 from law enforcement
agencies),we are forced to
limit State Department participation to two participants
per post. Posts may nominate one
or two others but these will be put on a waitlist for
available slots. All other agencies
are invited to nominate one participant per post, with
additional nominations put on a
similar waitlist basis.

--------------
Details
--------------


7. Costs: The costs of the conference will be met through
a conference fee to be paid by
each participant. The amount of that fee will be announced
in the administrative cable to
follow septel, but will be at least 100 Euros. Home
agencies/missions of attendees are
also responsible for travel costs and per diem.


8. Location: The conference will be held at the Hilton
Hotel in downtown Brussels near
the USEU Mission and bilateral embassy. Details will be
forthcoming in the administrative
cable.


9. Lodging: A block of 150 rooms has been reserved at the
hotel where the conference is
held. Participants will be required to contact the hotel
directly to make their
reservations. Information on making reservations and
alternate hotels within USG per diem
rates will be included in the administrative cable.


10. Attendees: Due to space considerations, the
conference is limited to the following
categories of participants:

-- Two State Department Global
Affairs/Political/Economic/Consular Officers with specific
responsibility for counterterrorism/JHA/transportation
security/transborder crime issues.

In addition, one officer from one of the agencies below at
post:

-- Department of Justice regional legal advisors or
attaches

-- Department of Homeland Security, including ICE, TSA,
CBP, USCG, CIS, FEMA, and Secret
Service.

-- Department of Treasury.


11. Nominations: Nominations should be made by cable no
later than April 1.
Cable information should include: name, position, title,
contact phone/fax numbers,
projected travel dates and dates of conference
participation, and level of security
clearance. Nomination cables should be sent to USEU
Brussels for USEU/NAS/DOJ. Info
addressees on the nomination cable should include Secstate
(captioned State for EUR/ERA
Alessandro Nardi and EUR/PGI Lonni Reasor),Department of
Justice, and Department of
Homeland Security. A separate cable containing detailed
administrative information,
including how to make hotel reservations, will be sent
septel. Note that nomination
cables and hotel reservations are two separate procedures.


12. Posts should also indicate their interest in sending a
representative who handles
terrorism finance issues to an optional full-day breakout
session Friday June 2 on
terrorist financing. This can be one of the
representatives already attending the
May 31-June 1 CT/JHA conference, or post can choose to send
the terrorism finance
coordination officer (TFCO) if this individual is not
already attending the CT/JHA
conference. Washington is prepared to organize a
practitioners workshop that day aimed
at a dialogue with embassy terrorism finance coordinators
(TFCOs) or deputies on
promoting greater cooperation with host governments and
Washington agencies.
Notional topics include: FATF and FSRB initiatives,
implementation of UN 1373,
listing/de-listing issues, cash couriers, non-profit
organizations, options for
cooperation on investigation, prosecution, designation and
technical assistance.


13. Contacts: Questions and requests for further
information can be addressed to
conference organizers:

At USEU:

-- Frank Kerber, Counselor for Narcotics/Law Enforcement
Affairs
-- Kristin Roberts, Staff Aide, USEU/EXEC
-- Fran Albers-Schoenberg, Staff Aide, USEU/ECON
-- Joan Klotz, Justice/INL Program Assistant (handling
administrative issues for conference)
Telephone: (32) (2) 508-2667; Fax: (32) (2) 512-0069
Email: Kerber/Roberts/Albers-Schoenberg/Klotz are on State
classified and unclassified systems.

At State:

-- Alessandro Nardi, EUR/ERA
Telephone: (202) 647-3843; Fax: (202) 647-9959
Email: NardiAP@state.gov

-- Lonni Reasor, EUR/PGI
Telephone: (202) 647-6736; Fax: (202) 647-0697
Email: ReasorLH@state.gov


14. List of Topics: Below is a notional list of topics to
be covered over the two days.
The final agenda is still being prepared and will be
available in April. Suggestions
from post are encouraged and welcomed.

Conference on U.S.-European Counterterrorism Policy and
Justice and Home Affairs
May 31-June 1, 2006
Brussels

Day 1 (May 31) Counterterrorism Conference
-------------- ---
Proposed topics:
- U.S. CT Policy and the Role of Posts in Promoting the CT
Agenda
- Public Diplomacy and Efforts to Counter Radicalization
and Recruitment (to include
Terrorist Exploitation of Cyberspace)
- Border and Transportation Security Issues (cross-border
transit of people, goods, and
conveyances, and urban/mass
transit)
- Law Enforcement and Intelligence Cooperation in
Counterterrorism

Day 2 (June 1) (for participants from EU and accession
state posts)
European Integration and its Impact on JHA and Security
Cooperation
-------------- --------------
--------------
Proposed topics:
- EU CT Policy and structures and U.S.-EU Counterterrorism
Cooperation (internal/external)
- EU and its relationship to third countries and selected
multilateral organizations,
including NATO (competencies, overlapping
responsibilities)
- EU Enforcement Integration (arrest warrant, mutual
recognition of judgments, etc.)
- Critical EU Institutions: Europol, Eurojust, FRONTEX,
OLAF, Eurodac, Schengen
- Data Protection and Information Sharing

Day 2 (June 1) (for participants from non-EU posts)
-------------- --------------
Proposed topics:
- Threats to the Balkans and Eurasia
- Best Practices for non-EU countries regarding: Rule of
Law, Corruption, Terrorist
Finance, UN Committees/Designations, and Bioterrorism
- Relationship of non-EU countris to the Council of Europe


15. Special note for participants coming from EU posts:
Conference organizers would like
to make the session on Day Two as participative as
possible. Participants from EU posts
are therefore requested to be prepared to discuss one or
more of the following topics as
it is currently being addressed by the government in their
host country and on any
relevant U.S.-host government cooperation: CT policy,
border and/or transport security,
data protection and information sharing, or use of the
European arrest warrant.

Gray

.