CTC DEFERS DISCUSSION ON BORDER CONTROL MEETING IN

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 000099 SIPDIS SIPDIS PLEASE PASS TO IO/UNP:JSANDAGE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PTER UNSC SUBJECT: CTC DEFERS DISCUSSION ON BORDER CONTROL MEETING IN AFRICA REF: A. KONZET/SANDAGE EMAILS - 01/31/07 ¶B. STATE 458 ¶C. WILCOX/SANDAGE EMAIL - 02/01/07 ¶1. (SBU) BEGIN SUMMARY: Under the new chairmanship of Ambassador Arias of Panama, the Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC) held its 179th meeting February 1, discussing several topics: 1) the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate's (CTED) preliminary conclusions on its 2006 visits to Kuwait and Nigeria; 2) CTED's new Technical Assistance Matrix; and 3) CTED's plan for completing Preliminary Implementation Assessments (PIAs) on all states' implementation of resolution 1373 (2001) (ref A). The Chairman deferred the CTC's discussion on the proposed Fifth Special Meeting with international, regional, and sub-regional organizations on the topic of "Prevention of Terrorist Movement and Effective Border Security," noting that he was still conducting bilateral consultations (ref B). The CTC agreed to post the updated Technical Assistance Matrix on its website so potential donors and states seeking assistance can access it easily. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (SBU) Visits - CTED staff reported briefly the preliminary conclusions of CTED's visit to Kuwait, which took place from December 2-6, 2006. The delegation met with Kuwaiti authorities from numerous relevant agencies and conducted on-site visits to Kuwait International Airport, Shuaiba Seaport, and al-Abdali land border crossing with Iraq. CTED noted that the Kuwaiti authorities are preparing a draft counterterrorism law, which will incorporate specifically into Kuwaiti law the requirements of the 11 international counterterrorism conventions and protocols to which Kuwait is a party. (Note: Kuwait is not yet a party to the International Convention for the Suppression of Terrorism Financing or the International Convention for the Suppression of Nuclear Terrorism, but Kuwait's Parliament is considering the issue. The Ministry of Communications is initiating the process to lead to ratification of the 2005 Protocols to the Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety of Maritime Navigation and its Protocol for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety of Fixed Platforms Located on the Continental Shelf.) ¶3. (SBU) CTED then reported the preliminary conclusions of its visit to Nigeria, which took place November 13-17, 2006. CTED noted that Nigeria was one of the states late in submitting reports to the CTC and that CTED had sought to achieve three primary goals through the visit: 1) revitalizing the CTC/CTED's dialogue with Nigeria; 2) collecting pertinent information from the Nigerian authorities; and 3) monitoring Nigeria's progress toward implementation of resolution 1373. Notably, UKUN expressed concern that the upcoming elections may complicate Nigeria's efforts to adopt counterterrorism legislation currently before its Parliament. ¶4. (SBU) Technical Assistance Matrix ) CTED briefed the CTC on the new Technical Assistance Matrix and how to use it. The new database permits users to search by the names of countries that have sought assistance, donors that have provided assistance, and regions and subregions seeking assistance. The database provides comprehensive information on the priority needs that CTED, with the relevant state's consent, have identified, as well donor action to meet those needs. The CTC agreed to post the database on the CTC's website so it would be accessible to donors and states seeking assistance. ¶5. (SBU) In an unrelated aside, Qatar took the floor to complain that the work of the CTC and CTED to facilitate the delivery of technical assistance did not reflect the CTC/CTED's mandate. Qatar asserted that the CTC/CTED should focus on monitoring implementation of resolution 1373, and complained that the CTC/CTED, through state visits and work relating to technical assistance, have focused on states in the South while ignoring states in the North that have serious counterterrorism problems. Chairman Arias briefly responded, noting that the CTC's success depends on its collective efforts, but asked members to communicate such concerns beforehand, so others would have sufficient time to prepare. CTED Executive Director Javier Ruperez affirmed that the main emphasis of the CTC/CTED has and continues to be the implementation of resolution 1373. (Comment: Qatar's unhelpful comments were typical of its repeated efforts to politicize the work of the CTC/CTED. Previous experience has shown that efforts to respond constructively to Qatar's diatribes only lead to extended debates in the CTC; thus it was not surprising that no delegations took the floor to respond to Qatar. End comment.) ¶6. (SBU) Fifth Special Meeting - Chairman Arias asked CTC members to defer their discussion on the CTC's Fifth Special Meeting with international, regional, and sub-regional organizations until the next meeting. The Special Meeting is scheduled to be held in Nairobi from March 7-9 and would focus on preventing terrorist movement and border security. Because the African Union has not accepted the CTC's request to cosponsor the meeting, the CTC has not reached a decision on whether to proceed, and no invitations have been extended. On the margins of the meeting, Chairman Arias asked for U.S. views as soon as possible, stressing his desire for the CTC to reach a decision to proceed with the meeting in Africa, despite the AU's decision to participate in rather than sponsor the meeting (ref C). ¶7. (SBU) Preliminary Implementation Assessments (PIAs) - CTED briefed the CTC on its timetable for completing Preliminary Implementation Assessments (PIA) on all states' implementation of resolution 1373 (2001). CTED plans to complete all of the PIAs by the end of May 2007. As of January 30, CTED had sent 44 PIAs to the CTC for its three sub-committees to review; it will send another 42 PIAs in February. ¶8. (SBU) Comment: Chairman Arias displayed strong leadership at his first CTC meeting. Notably, he steered the CTC efficiently through its discussions, cutting off unhelpful diversions and ensuring that members remained focused. End comment. WOLFF