CZECHS CONFIR THEY LICENSED SALE OF FIVE PASSIVE

S E C R E T PRAGUE 000861 SIPDIS SIPDIS NOFORN EUR/NCE FR FICHTE, PM/RSAT FOR DOWLEY, OSD/ISP FOR SADOWSKA E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/27/2016 TAGS: ETTC EZ STC PARM PGOV PK PREL SUBJECT: CZECHS CONFIR THEY LICENSED SALE OF FIVE PASSIVE SURVEILLANCE SYSTEMS TO PAKISTAN REF: A. PRAGUE 663 B.IIR 6 824 2004 06 ¶C. 05 STATE 174893 Clasified By: Acting Political-Economic Counselor Kren Choe Reider for reasons 1.4 (b) + (d). ¶1. (/NF) Poloff and DATT on July 28 met with MFA CFSP Director Vaclav Balek to discuss the Czech Republi's sale of five ASDD-01 passive surveillance detction systems to Pakistan (Ref A). There had bee rumors that the license for the sale had been refused at the insistence of the Czech Ministry of Defense (Ref B). Balek shared that the MOD Defense Policy Division had been opposed, but had lost out to other parts of the MOD in favor of the deal. Balek did not know who at the MOD had supported the deal, commenting that even the Director of the Defense Policy Division had not known he had lost out several days after the July 17 issuance of the license. Balek confirmed that he had personally seen the license, and that it contained a range of restrictive requirements designed to prevent proliferation of this technology (Ref A). Balek believed the manufacturer (ERA) could be hard pressed to deliver all five systems within the one-year validity of the license. ¶2. (S/NF) Comment: The GOCR's position on the Pakistan ASDD-01 deal remains unchanged. They believe that by imposing restrictive conditions (Ref A) on the transfer they are following the U.S. line that while "the United States itself would not permit the export of this sophisticated technology ... we ask that you refrain from making these transfers until effective measures have been put in place to mitigate against unauthorized diversions." (Ref C). End comment. MUNTER