Icelandic Foreign Ministry welcomes DHS letter on

UNCLAS REYKJAVIK 000346 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR EUR/PPD AND EUR/NB; CA/VO/P AND CA/VO/F/P COPENHAGEN FOR DHS RICHARD KLUGMAN E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: CVIS KHLS PREL KPAO IC SUBJECT: Icelandic Foreign Ministry welcomes DHS letter on Arnardottir Detention Case REF: a) Reykjavik 336; b) Reykjavik 335 ¶1. The Ambassador delivered DHS Assistant Secretary for Policy Stewart Baker's letter regarding the Erla Osk Arnardottir case to Acting Foreign Minister Gretar Mar Sigurdsson on December 19. (Foreign Minister Gisladottir, to whom the letter is addressed, left the country this morning but will be forwarded the text.) Sigurdsson warmly welcomed DHS's thorough review of the circumstances of Arnardottir's detention at JFK Airport December 9-10. He took particular note of Secretary Baker's expression of regret for the circumstances of Ms. Arnardottir's treatment. Sigurdsson observed that from the point of view of the Icelandic government (and Ms. Arnardottir, who had discussed the incident with him) the most important message was DHS's commitment to reassess its current procedures in order to improve the treatment of visitors like Ms. Arnardottir. Sigurdsson hoped this means that Ms. Arnardottir's unhappy experience will result in more appropriate treatment for future visitors to the U.S. ¶2. In a subsequent phone conversation with Ms. Arnardottir, the Ambassador outlined the contents of the letter and invited her to visit the Embassy at her convenience to obtain the necessary visa. Ms. Arnardottir said that she had not brought her case to public attention out of spite or anger but to raise awareness of the existence of a problem at the U.S. border and to promote needed change. She was pleased to learn that DHS would be reviewing their procedures in light of her experience. van Voorst