ARMENIA/OSCE EXTRA BUDGETARY-PROJECTS

UNCLAS YEREVAN 000525 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS USOSCE FOR HTRAUB AND JVANDREAL E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAID PGOV PHUM AM SUBJECT: ARMENIA/OSCE EXTRA BUDGETARY-PROJECTS REF: A) STATE 41062 B) TRAUB-PELLETREAU E-MAIL 4/25/07 Sensitive but unclassified. Please protect accordingly. ¶1. (SBU) Per ref B e-mail, Embassy Yerevan supports funding for proposed project 1300107 - Monitoring Places of Detention. Most prison monitoring in Armenian is done by two groups of NGOs (one convened under the Ministry of Justice and one under the police). We understand that there have been questions about the independence of the group convened under the police (which is currently receiving OSCE funding, see www.policemonitor.am) and would encourage that future OSCE projects be expanded to include the NGOs convened under the Ministry of Justice as well. Both groups have limited access to prisons and would benefit from the proposed OSCE program. ¶2. (SBU) We also reached out to the OSCE Office in Yerevan to consult about other extra-budgetary project proposals (ref A). The Office had two ideas, for a Freedom of Information project and a Trafficking in Persons project. We have decided these proposals are redundant with existing USG-funded programs, through USAID and INL, respectively. Thus, we have no additional extra-budgetary programs to recommend at this time. GODFREY