PACIFIC ISLAND STATES APPEAL FOR COUNTERTERRORISM

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 001407 SIPDIS SIPDIS PLEASE PASS TO IO/PSC:BFITZGERALD, S/CT:SSCHLEGEL/GNOVIS AND INL/C:ERINDLER E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PTER UNSC SUBJECT: PACIFIC ISLAND STATES APPEAL FOR COUNTERTERRORISM ASSISTANCE REF: STATE 119417 ¶1. Summary: The Security Council's Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC) and its Executive Directorate (CTED) hosted a meeting on July 21 between representatives of Pacific Island States, potential donor nations, and select international organizations to discuss the Pacific Island States' technical assistance needs for implementing UNSCR 1373 (2001). Primary areas of requested assistance included manpower, infrastructure, training, and equipment. Mission has emailed or sent documents provided at the meeting to IO/PSC. End Summary. -------------- Counter-Terrorism Technical Assistance Needs -------------- ¶2. On July 21 the CTC/CTED hosted a meeting between Pacific Island states Tuvalu, the Marshall Islands, the Solomon Islands, Fiji, Micronesia, Samoa, Palau, Tonga, and Papua New Guinea and potential donors Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and the U.S., to discuss technical assistance needs for compliance with UNSCR 1373. Representatives from Interpol, the International Monetary Fund, the International Organization for Migration, and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) also attended. Many Pacific Island delegations presented detailed lists of assistance needs while others stated their intention to submit lists to the CTC. USUN described current U.S. assistance to the region per reftel. ¶3. CTED's preliminary report on the Pacific Island States identified several areas of need, including legal assistance to facilitate counterterrorism treaty ratification, suppression of terrorist financing, border security, prevention of abuse of refugee processes, surveillance and early warning systems, and equipment/resources. ¶4. All Pacific Island States expressed the need for enhanced regional infrastructure, including the establishment of a communications network. Many reported that communication by phone or Internet is limited and often unreliable, since atolls in the region are spread across thousands of miles. A regional network would facilitate tracking international movement, combine intelligence efforts, and pool together equipment and manpower. ¶5. Many states, including Tuvalu, the Marshall Islands, the Solomon Islands, and Palau, indicated the need for manpower assistance to staff institutions tasked with counterterrorism. Tuvalu stated that with a national police force of fifty officers, extending surveillance was extremely difficult. In addition to law enforcement, Palau indicated that it did not have the human resources to staff a Financial Intelligence Unit, and the Solomon Islands stated the need for administrative assistance in preparing to ratify and implement the international counterterrorism conventions and protocols since it currently staffs only one person to deal with UN affairs. Tuvalu also indicated that a greater UN presence in the island region would be helpful, and said "the absence of the UN is hindering island nation participation" in countering terrorism. ¶6. Fiji, Micronesia, Samoa, Tuvalu, and others cited needs for equipment and training. All lauded the Australian Patrol Boat Project as an example of effective assistance in extending surveillance across the widespread but sparsely populated atolls of the South Pacific. (Comment: The Patrol Boat Project was originally created to combat piracy but is an example of ways assistance provided for one purpose can also serve to counter terrorism. End Comment.) Ocean patrol capabilities also greatly enhanced border control, since a canoe trip from Papua New Guinea to the Solomon Islands takes only 15 minutes. ¶7. Potential donor states promised to review requests and contact the Pacific Island States with plans for assistance. CTED stressed the importance of coordinating assistance efforts. The IMF stated that it is drafting a risk-based money-laundering model that would be made available through its Technical Assistance Center. Interpol described its abilities to improve communication through real-time, secure information exchanges; because Interpol databases are only accessible to member states Interpol's representative urged the Pacific Island States to seek membership. UNODC noted its plan to run regional workshops on counterterrorism treaty ratification and declared its hope to work in partnership with the Pacific Island Secretariat. -------------- Follow-Up -------------- ¶8. Comment: The July 21 meeting was the first CTC/CTED meeting bringing together potential donors with states that have the will, but not the capacity, to meet their 1373 obligations. The discussion was comprehensive and frank, and the meeting offers a good example of how the CTC and CTED can become more proactive in working to achieve concrete results in promoting implementation of UNSCR 1373. For this meeting to succeed, however, follow up is imperative. Potential recipients will need to work with CTED to reach agreement on priority needs, and donors will need to respond. If the CTC and CTED succeed in facilitating assistance to the Pacific Island States, that effort will enhance the credibility of the CTC in other regions of the world, showing that the CTC is more than a paper mill that merely requests and reviews reports and that the Security Council is a proactive and constructive part of the UN's counterterrorism efforts. ¶9. Mission recommends that Department authorize appropriate assistance to respond to the Pacific Island States' requests. Many of these states, such as Palau and the Marshall Islands, are the strongest supporters of the United States at the UN, often standing alone with the United States on key votes in the General Assembly. Although the region's needs are great, they do not require significant investments to address. Providing even modest counterterrorism assistance to this region will help cement our positive relationship with these states and demonstrate our commitment to enhancing the UN's counterterrorism efforts. End Comment. BOLTON