MEETING OF G8 COUNTER-TERRORISM ADVISORY GROUP IN

UNCLAS GEORGETOWN 001097

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

S/CT - SSCHLEGEL

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PTER PREL GY
SUBJECT: MEETING OF G8 COUNTER-TERRORISM ADVISORY GROUP IN
GUYANA


1. (SBU) SUMMARY: The Russian Embassy in Georgetown hosted
the first local meeting of the G-8 Counter-Terrorism Advisory
Group (CTAG) on October 20. Guyana ForMin Rudy Insanally said
the terrorist threat is not prominent in Guyana but also
called for capacity-building assistance in enacting
counter-terrorism legislation and in meeting U.N. mandated
reporting requirements. Post has reservations about the
pre-fabricated draft report of the meeting, which the Russian
Embassy was seeking to clear by the afternoon of Monday,
October 23. END SUMMARY.


2. (U) In his 10-minute opening statement, read from a
prepared text, Russian Ambassador to Guyana Vladimir Starikov
offered background on the CTAG and disseminated material from
the G8 Action Plan for Capacity Building to Combat Terrorism,
taken from the Russian G8 Presidency website. He also
mentioned the need to examine the intersection between drugs,
organized crime, and terrorism. Insanally then opened by
saying the CTAG meeting is a useful mechanism to transfer
counter-terrorism concerns at a high level but that the
Ministry of Home Affairs or the Ministry of Legal Affairs
would be in a better position to work on specific terrorism
threats. Insanally said that Guyana had signed OAS and UN
Conventions against terrorism and also endorsed the CARICOM
position against terrorism emanating from the Heads of
Government meeting in 2005. He said that terrorism is not a
prominent threat in Guyana, but that it must nevertheless be
aware of the threat, having first been affected by terrorism
with the bombing of the Cubana airliner in 1976 and also
through the three dozen Guyanese victims in the attack on the
World Trade Center.


3. (U) As far as counter-terrorism challenges are concerned,
Insanally said that Guyana has difficuly keeping up with
international reporting requirements resulting from its
participation in counter-terrorism agreements. Guyana last
submitted a report to the UN Committee on Terrorism in 2002,
and the GOG is in the process of preparing another
submission. Insanally also identified Guyana's porous borders
(Suriname, Venezuela, Brazil) as a vulnerability, noting
specifically that Plan Colombia has pushed illicit activity
to other parts of South America in the search for alternate
routes to the U.S. To this end, he said that foreign
assistance "is not in any measure comparable to the need". In
addition to making international reporting requirements more
"user-friendly", Insanally also called for legal assistance
to Parliament to build its capacity to enact
counter-terrorism related legislation. Insanally also said
the GOG has "an excellent working relationship with the FBI
and DEA". COMMENT: Post would characterize this relationship
as almost non-existent. END COMMENT.


4. (U) Following Insanally's departure, the
participants--from the Russian, U.S., European Commission,
Canadian and British embassies--discussed a pre-written draft
report of the meeting, which the Russians were hoping to
clear by that afternoon. The draft, apparently based on a
template from Moscow, did not incorporate any of Insanally's
remarks, and it also referenced "considerable" efforts on the
part of the GOG to prevent terrorist ideology. Emboffs as
well as the Canadian High Commissioner, Acting EU Head of
Delegation, and British Deputy High Commissioner took issue
with this language, as such effort on the part of the GOG is
not apparent. The Canadian also took issue with language in
the draft report saying that the GOG "recruits victims of
terrorism to counteract the terrorist menace on the country".
The Russian political counsellor, Maxim Pimenov, replied that
that language was part of what was sent by the G8 Presidency
but that he would be willing to remove it if that was the
group's consensus.


5. (SBU) Based on the group's concerns, Pimenov agreed to
rework the draft the same day and send for clearance by
Monday afternoon. The revised text incorporates some of what
Insanally said but otherwise exaggerates the GOG's efforts to
counter terrorist ideology. Post advised Pimenov at 1031 hrs
Monday October 23 that it cannot endorse the draft report at
present and is forwarding the latest iteration to Washington
for review. Post will e-mail a copy of the draft report to
S/CT and WHA/CAR.


6. (SBU) COMMENT: The haste with which the Russian chair of
the CTAG sought to finalize the report of the meeting
suggests that it is rubber-stamping the process rather than
trying to engage in meaningful dialogue. That view is
supported by Starikov's willingness to accept any and all
changes to the draft report without any substantial counter
discussions. END COMMENT.

ROBINSON