NEW ZEALAND AGREES TO FUND HOMELAND SECURITY PRESIDENTIAL

C O N F I D E N T I A L WELLINGTON 000970 SIPDIS SIPDIS CA/VO/BIP, L/CA, EAP/ANP E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/08/2016 TAGS: CVIS PTER PINR PGOV PREL NZ SUBJECT: NEW ZEALAND AGREES TO FUND HOMELAND SECURITY PRESIDENTIAL DIRECTIVE (HSPD)-6 TERRORIST LOOKOUT INITIATIVE REF: STATE 19032 Classified By: Classified by DCM David J. Keegan, for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Summary: GNZ has approved necessary funding needed to implement an HSPD-6 agreement with the United States, and would like NZ's liaison in Washington to meet with CA to go over next steps. End summary. ¶2. (C) PE Couns and Econoff met on December 1 with Mike XXXXXXXXXXXX manager of the counter-terrorism branch of the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service (NZSIS) and Ash Johnson, liaison at the New Zealand Embassy in Washington, to discuss GNZ's review of a possible HSPD-6 Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the U.S. XXXXXXXXXXXX said that NZSIS remains GNZ's choice for a lead agency for this project, and the Ministries needed to approve funding of the project (i.e., the "O-Desk") would meet on December 6. (NB: As XXXXXXXXXXXX predicted, the O-Desk met and approved funding on the 6th). ¶3. (C) XXXXXXXXXXXX said there is high-level support for the project; PM Clark herself called it "a no-brainer." He also said NZSIS hoped to review and complete comments on the U.S. draft agreement by December ¶8. To ensure that Washington is fully apprised of developments, Johnson has requested a meeting with CA for the week of December 11 to go over specifics with the hope of starting negotiations soon thereafter. Johnston will continue to be the main point of contact at the New Zealand Embassy for the purpose of these negotiations, as well as to liaise with USG agencies if there are any "hits" once the system is up and running. (A main use for the funds needed to implement the agreement will be to send a second NZ liaison to Washington, to ensure that someone will always be on the ground there if a hit is made.) ¶4. (C) PE Couns and Econoff also used the December 1 meeting to deliver the questions raised in reftel asking for details on host government efforts/ability to collect expanded biometric and biographic data to bolster counter-terrorist efforts. XXXXXXXXXXXX confirmed that while GNZ officials had discussed many of the questions already in general terms with USG counterparts, they'd not done so in much detail. He promised to convey any comments to Emboffs. McCormick