PLANNING FOR SCI2007JCET330W MOVING FORWARD, ADVON

C O N F I D E N T I A L SANTIAGO 000530

SIPDIS

SIPDIS
NOFORN

STATE FOR WHA/BSC CCROFT, KMOSS; WHA/PPC MBORDERS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/03/2017
TAGS: MARR MOPS PREL CI
SUBJECT: PLANNING FOR SCI2007JCET330W MOVING FORWARD, ADVON
BEGINS APRIL 10

REF: A. VAZQUEZ-GALVIN EMAIL 02APR2007


B. SANTIAGO 0292

C. SANTIAGO 0266

D. SANTIAGO 0119

E. 06 SANTIAGO 2581

Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission Emi L. Yamauchi for reasons 1.4(
b) and (d).


1. (U) This is an action request. See paragraph 6.


2. (C) Summary: Deployment in Chile of the advance elements
for Joint Combined Exercise Training (JCET) SCI2007JCET330W
is set to begin on April 9. Deployment of advance elements,
munitions and weapons for the exercise will continue through
May 12, when the main body of U.S. participants will arrive
in country. Military-to-military arrangements are well
advanced, and it is our understanding that participants in
this exercise will be issued a "safe-conduct" letter from the
Chilean Army. However, there is to date no USG - GOC
agreement providing immunities and protections for
participants in this exercise. The U.S. to-date has not
responded formally to Chile's offer to accredit U.S. DOD
personnel as administrative and technical (A&T) personnel of
the Embassy while deployed on mutually-agreed activities in
Chile. That said, even in the absence of a formal government
to government agreement, Post believes the GOC will honor
past practice, extending effective protections to DOD
personnel deployed as part of this exercise. Post notes that
April 6 GOC offices will be closed for Good Friday, marking
the start of Holy Week (Semana Santa). It may be difficult
to contact some GOC officials the week of April 9. End
Summary.


3. (C) Exercise SCI2007JCET330W will take place in Chile
from from April 9, with the arrival of the first advance
elements, to May 31, when the final elements redeploy to the
United States. Approximately 115 U.S. personnel will be
deployed in Chile at the height of this exercise, during May
12 - 28. Brigadier General Cleveland, Commander of SOCSOUTH
will be in Chile to participate in operations during May 12 -

25. Post is securing permission for import and subsequent
export of munitions and weapons to be used during the
exercise, and has provided this information to the Chilean
Army's Department of Mobilizations. Names of all
participants in the exercise are being provided to the
Chilean Army as well. Those participants will be issued a
letter of safe-conduct, which requests civil authorities to
contact military authorities in the case of a problem or if
the bearer requires assistance. Although the letter is
technically non-binding, in all past cases where U.S.
military have been involved in incidents in Chile, those
personnel have been turned over to Chilean military
authorities, who then rendered them to U.S. military custody.


4. (C) There is currently no government-to-government
agreement providing immunities and protections to DOD
personnel deployed in Chile, as there has been in past years
(ref E). The GOC had to reject our request for status
equivalent to that of A&T staff of the Embassy for DOD
personnel deployed in Chile. They insist that
constitutionally the GOC only has authority to extend
protections to personnel accredited to the Embassy. The GOC
has offered to extend this accreditation to DOD personnel
deployed on exercises in Chile (ref D) as it did in 2004,
2005 and 2006. Although Post and State have explained to GOC
officials our reservations about accrediting non-diplomatic
personnel to the Embassy, to-date the USG has not formally
responded to the GOC offer of accreditation.


5. (C) Post believes political and civil prosecution risks
to participants in this exercise are low. It has been our
past experience that Chilean authorities have surrendered
U.S. personnel to our custody -- even in apparently egregious
circumstances. The GOC has repeatedly expressed its desire
for closer military cooperation with the U.S. The functional
units of the Army and Special Forces which will participate
in this joint exercise are eager for the opportunity to train
with U.S. forces. Conversely, a decision to cancel at this
late date could strain the relationship -- Chilean
authorities are aware that the recent FALCON-CONDOR exercise
in Peru was conducted without a SOFA and expressed concern at
the participation of U.S. F-16s in that exercise (ref B).
Further, cancellation at this time would imply considerable
lost costs to the USG.


6. (C) Action Request: While Post recommends going forward

with this exercise as preferable to cancellation, it urgently
requests coordinated State - DOD guidance on the deployment
for SCI2007JCET330W in the absence of a government to
government agreement extending immunities and protections to
DOD participants. Post notes that April 6, Good Friday, is a
USG as well as a GOC holiday. It may be difficult to contact
some GOC officials the following week as well.
KELLY