MONTENEGRO - COLLECTION OF TERRORIST DATA OVERSEAS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PODGORICA 000012

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

DEPT FOR S/CT, EUR/SCE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KVPR PTER PREL PGOV PINR CVIS
SUBJECT: MONTENEGRO - COLLECTION OF TERRORIST DATA OVERSEAS

Immigration Databases

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1. (SBU) Montenegro has a central immigration database kept in
the Ministry of Interior headquarters which is used for tracking
entries and exits. The database includes the registry of
Montenegrin citizens, arrest warrants, etc. Montenegro has still
not established a network to connect all border crossings with
the central headquarters in Podgorica. In order to do that, an
"optical cable" is to be laid and connected to all border
crossings throughout Montenegro. So far the following border
crossings have been connected to the central database: Airports
of Podgorica and Tivat and the Port of Bar. Consequently, the
computerized immigration database is currently available only at
those three places of entry. The information from the other
border crossings (road crossing points into Croatia, Bosnia and
Herzegovina, Serbia (including Kosovo),and Albania) is
collected manually and backed up on portable computer devices,
and retrieved in the central database every 7 days. As this
system is slow, cables are sent, as the means of communication
between the border crossings and headquarters, for urgent cases.




2. (SBU) The major problem of the immigration database is the
fact that the system is not connected to the universal network
system to cover the entire Montenegro, which limits the
effectiveness of the system used to track entries and exits.
Second problem is that police officers must manually input
information on all passengers traveling from and to Montenegro
into the computers at the places of entry. This is not only
slow, but also prevents them from focusing more carefully on
their usual "policing" activities at the places of entry/exits.
In order to overcome this problem Montenegro would need
electronic "code readers" and more pro-active exchange of
information with other countries. Most police staff deployed at
the places of entry/exits are well trained. At some border
crossings (mostly with Bosnia and Herzegovina) border crossings
are faced with electricity supply problems (although posts are
supplied with the electricity generators, frequent drops of
voltage makes their operations more difficult). The problem
particularly increases during the summer holiday season, when
the requirement to input data about each traveler into the
computer, results in long lines.




3. (SBU) The national immigration data base is generally updated
every seven days.



Watch list and Information Sharing

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4. (SBU) At this stage Montenegro does not have a name-based
watch list system, used to screen travelers at the places of
entry. The reason for that is the recent dissolution (in June)
of the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro. The new watch-list
is still under construction.




5. (SBU) Montenegro maintains the following central data bases:

- list of persons wanted by domestic judiciary;

- operative data (police findings, various information etc.);

- punitive registry ;

- registry of temporary/permanent residence.



Montenegrin police screen travelers on the basis of available
information. This includes names of deported persons, terrorist
lookouts, criminal warrants, etc.


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For screening individuals, Montenegrin Ministry of Interior uses
Interpol, and UN lists.

Montenegro has signed bilateral agreements on combating
organized crime and terrorism with Greece, Bulgaria, Croatia,
Austria, Italy, and Albania.



Biometrics

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6. (SBU) Biometric systems are not in place at any port of
entry. For the purpose of tracking entries and exists
Montenegrin Interior Ministry does not use any of biometric
technology, such as fingerprint identification, facial
recognition, iris recognition, hand geometry, retinal
identification, DNA-based identification, etc.




7. (SBU) Montenegrin Interior Ministry does not issue a machine
readable passport containing biometric information. They plan to
issue a passport, and other identification documents, with
biometric data as of the middle of 2007; a U.S.-based firm
(Datacard Group) has been selected as the supplier.
FERRILL