URGENT PRIORITY LEAHY VETTING REQUEST - CHDS

UNCLAS SANTO DOMINGO 001287

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

WHA/CAR FOR DAVID SEARBY

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: MARR PGOV PHUM DR
SUBJECT: URGENT PRIORITY LEAHY VETTING REQUEST - CHDS
COORDINATION AND COUNTERTERRORISM, JUNE 4


1. Embassy Santo Domingo requests, exceptionally, URGENT
PRIORITY attention to human rights vetting for the Dominican
MFA Director of International Organizations Amb. Michele
Cohen, to participate in preparation at the Center for
Hemispheric Defense Studies for a National Security Plan
senior level in-country meeting tentatively scheduled for
late June. This training directly upholds highest-priority
Embassy goals and involves a key Foreign Ministry contact.
Embassy regrets that paperwork on this request was submitted
to clearing agencies in Santo Domingo on April 25 but one
clearance was mislaid.


2. This is an action request. Please see para. 3.


3. Embassy requests the Department's assistance in conducting
human rights screening pursuant to the Leahy Amendment for
the following subject who has been nominated for training.
Post has no derogatory information. Please slug response for
EcoPol.


4. Name and identifying information of the proposed
candidate(s) for the CHDS coordination and counterterrorism
course beginning June 4 is as follows:

NAME: COHEN, Michelle
CEDULA: 047-0126992-2
DOB: 18 June 1976
POB: La Vega, Dominican Republic
RANK: Ambassador, Director of International Organization
Affairs
UNIT: Foreign Ministry, Dominican Republic

BULLEN