GERMAN MP REQUESTS TOUR OF BAGRAM THEATER

S E C R E T KABUL 000722 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR S/ES HTHOMAS, SC/A (SINGRAM),S/WCI (SHODGKINSON),EUR/AGS CENTCOM FOR CG CJTF-76, POLAD, CSTA-A DOD FOR EXECSEC (WMARRIOTT) AND OUSDP/ODA (ARICCI) E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/04/2017 TAGS: KAWC MARR PTER CONS GM AF SUBJECT: GERMAN MP REQUESTS TOUR OF BAGRAM THEATER INTERNMENT FACILITY Classified By: Political-Military Affairs Counselor Carol A. Rodley; re asons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (U) This is an action request: See paragraph four. ¶2. (SBU) In mid-February, German Ambassador to Kabul Dr.Hans-Ulrich Seidt wrote letters to Ambassador Neumann, COMISAF GEN McNeill, and CJTF-76 Commander MG Rodriguez on behalf of German parliamentarian Mrs. Elke Hoff of the Free Democratic Party (FDP). She requested meetings with each principal in mid-April as well as a tour of the US facilities in Bagram and the detention center (Bagram Theater Internment Facility, BTIF). Ambassador Neumann and both Generals have responded to acknowledge her request for a meeting, their schedules permitting. ¶3. (SBU) In response to our request for more information on Mrs. Hoff's interest in visiting Bagram and the BTIF, Post received the following additional information from German DCM Annette Klein on March 1: "Mrs. Hoff is a member of the Defense Committee of the German Bundestag. The Federal Republic of Germany is a member of both the anti-terror coalition Operation Enduring Freedom and NATO/ISAF and cooperates in this framework and beyond with its US allies. This is why Mrs. Hoff would like to get an idea of the facilities where detainees and prisoners within the context of these missions are being kept." ¶4. (S) Per guidance from the Deputy Secretary of Defense in the May 2006 memorandum "Foreign Government Access to Theater Internment Facilities (TIFs) in Afghanistan," requests by foreign government officials to visit theater internment facilities should be forwarded to DOD; CJTF-76 has confirmed that the decision is made by the Executive Secretary, OSD. Post therefore requests that Department relay the above request to the OSD Executive Secretary for decision and advise. Post will relay the OSD response to the German Ambassador here. Post is not aware of previous permission having been granted for a similar visit. There are no German detainees in the BTIF. NEUMANN