PAKISTAN MANPADS COLLECTION PROGRAM: JULY 3 FIELD

S E C R E T ISLAMABAD 012689

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

S-ES/O - PLEASE PASS TO EMBASSY KABUL POL-MIL OFFICER

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/05/2016
TAGS: PK PREL PGOV MASS
SUBJECT: PAKISTAN MANPADS COLLECTION PROGRAM: JULY 3 FIELD
VISIT TO BALOCHISTAN

Classified By: DCM Peter W. Bodde, Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (U) This cable contains an action request: please see
paragraph 5.


2. (S) On July 3, 2006, poloff and PM/WRA Kabul-based EOD
contractor Drew Prater flew to Quetta, Balochistan to assist
Government of Pakistan (GOP) Ministry of Interior (MOI)
program manager COL Abbas and field manager COL Saeed conduct
an X-ray examination of items collected by the Balochistan
Frontier Corps in April 2006. The consignment (Balochistan
FC No. 304) included:

-- six (6) missiles
-- one (1) gripstock
-- ten (10) batteries

Prater confirmed COL Saeed's determination that all items in
this consignment are genuine. The Balochistan Frontier Corps
will retain custody of these items until arrangements can be
made for disposal. (Note: Post has requested that the
disposal date be scheduled in early September and that Prater
return from Afghanistan to witness the destruction, per the
Embassy's agreement with the GOP. End note.)


3. (S) As this was the first consignment since the USG
authorized the transfer of USD 100,000 in seed money In
November 2005 to underwrite the resumption of collection
activities, as well as the first consignment collected since
the USG had transferred an X-ray system to the GOP in October
2005 to verify the authenticity of collected items, COL Abbas
and COL Saeed requested that an USG EOD expert also examine
the consignment to confirm that the GOP collection team was
operating the X-ray system and analyzing its photos
correctly. The colonels were exercising an additional degree
of caution this first time out with the X-ray system, as
payment to the collecting agency depends on the MOI's
certification of authenticity as a control against payment
for counterfeit items. (Note: The colonels are extremely
wary of falling into a situation in which they are forced to
re-coup payment from a collecting agency for an item that
later proves to be a counterfeit. End note.) Under the
terms of the MOI's current agreement with its collection
agencies (ISI and Frontier Corps in North West Frontier
Province; Frontier Corps in Balochistan),COL Abbas will
not/not release payment to the collecting agency until COL
Saeed has verified the authenticity of the collected items
with the X-ray system. Following COL Saeed's July 3
certification that the items in Consignment No. 304 are
genuine, MOI will transfer payment to the Balochistan
Frontier Corps.


4. (S) Both COL Abbas and COL Saeed are confident that
Balochistan Frontier Corps have identified other items
available for collection, which they expect to come in soon
after the field teams receive payment for the items in
Consignment No. 304. The colonels' outlook for collections
in North West Frontier Province remains pessimistic, as poor
security conditions severely limit the mobility of field
collections teams operating in the tribal areas.


5. (S) Action Request: This one consignment was valued at
USD 54,000 (USD 7500/missile, USD 7500/gripstock and USD
100/battery),more than half of the USD 100,000 seed money
transferred to the GOP in November 2006. Post requests that
PM/WRA begin to prepare the paperwork for the next infusion
of seed money, so that post can facilitate a quick transfer
of funds should that become necessary. Additionally, as the
GOP program managers have already met and worked with EOD
contractor Drew Prater, post requests that PM/WRA make
arrangements with his employer so that he will be available
for follow-up visits and consultations. Post believes that
continuity in contacts between GOP and USG personnel is
important to establishing trust and rebuilding momentum in
the collections program.
CROCKER