Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08STOCKHOLM648
2008-09-26 14:34:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Stockholm
Cable title:
STOCKHOLM ON HSPD-6 TERRORIST
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UNCLAS STOCKHOLM 000648
SIPDIS
STATE FOR CA/P/IP BARBARA HALL, PETER THOMPSON, DIANE BEAN AND MARY
DOETSCH
SENSITIVE
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ASEC CMGT CVIS PTER PGOV PREL SW
SUBJECT: STOCKHOLM ON HSPD-6 TERRORIST
SCREENING INFORMATION EXCHANGE NEGOTIATIONS
REF: (A) STATE 101569 (B) WECHSLER/HALL E-MAILS 9/23/08 (C)
STOCKHOLM 510
UNCLAS STOCKHOLM 000648
SIPDIS
STATE FOR CA/P/IP BARBARA HALL, PETER THOMPSON, DIANE BEAN AND MARY
DOETSCH
SENSITIVE
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ASEC CMGT CVIS PTER PGOV PREL SW
SUBJECT: STOCKHOLM ON HSPD-6 TERRORIST
SCREENING INFORMATION EXCHANGE NEGOTIATIONS
REF: (A) STATE 101569 (B) WECHSLER/HALL E-MAILS 9/23/08 (C)
STOCKHOLM 510
1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Embassy delivered reftel demarche September 25
and urged that Swedish officials be prepared to meet with a
negotiating team to discuss implementation of Homeland Security
Presidential Directive 6 (HSPD-6) in October. Swedish officials
predict they will be able to assemble the right officials to discuss
the issue in detail, but implied that an agreement to share
terrorist screening information is unlikely to be concluded quickly.
END SUMMARY.
2. (SBU) POL Counselor and Consul delivered ref A demarche
requesting Sweden enter into negotiations to share terrorist
screening information under HSPD-6 to MFA America's Desk Deputy
Director Per Norstrom and Desk Officers Paula Wennerblom and Jemina
Holmberg on September 25. EmbOffs left behind copies of the model
document to guide negotiations, Q and A material, and releasable
sample screenshots from the U.S. Terrorist Screening Data Base that
would be made available to participating partner nations. Finally,
EmbOffs informed Norstrom that a negotiating team from the State
Department and the Terrorist Screening Center would like to travel
to Sweden the week of October 20 to both brief appropriate Swedish
stakeholders and begin concrete negotiations on an agreement.
3. (SBU) Norstrom accepted our talking points but was not prepared
to offer a specific response or to comment on how long it might take
to build interagency consensus on a way ahead. He informed us that
the MOJ would likely have the lead on negotiating any agreement and
would put us in touch with the right office in the coming days. He
felt that a negotiating team visit the third week of October
provided enough lead time to organize meetings and brief appropriate
principals. Norstrom and his colleagues were curious as to which EU
member states had already concluded HSPD-6 agreements with the
United States. ACTION REQUEST: Post would appreciate Department
guidance on this question.
4. (SBU) COMMENT: We think the Swedes will show up at the
appropriate level to meet the negotiating team. However, concluding
negotiations at the speed suggested in refs (A) and (B) is almost
anathema to the Swedish methodically consensus-driven approach,
especially in light of the privacy issues raised by such an
agreement. An earlier attempt to negotiate a working level
arrangement to satisfy HSPD-6 requirements faltered when the Swedish
Security Services were told by their lawyers that this issue could
quickly become a public liability in an atmosphere already highly
charged by the passing of a controversial surveillance bill in July
(reftel C).
SILVERMAN
SIPDIS
STATE FOR CA/P/IP BARBARA HALL, PETER THOMPSON, DIANE BEAN AND MARY
DOETSCH
SENSITIVE
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ASEC CMGT CVIS PTER PGOV PREL SW
SUBJECT: STOCKHOLM ON HSPD-6 TERRORIST
SCREENING INFORMATION EXCHANGE NEGOTIATIONS
REF: (A) STATE 101569 (B) WECHSLER/HALL E-MAILS 9/23/08 (C)
STOCKHOLM 510
1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Embassy delivered reftel demarche September 25
and urged that Swedish officials be prepared to meet with a
negotiating team to discuss implementation of Homeland Security
Presidential Directive 6 (HSPD-6) in October. Swedish officials
predict they will be able to assemble the right officials to discuss
the issue in detail, but implied that an agreement to share
terrorist screening information is unlikely to be concluded quickly.
END SUMMARY.
2. (SBU) POL Counselor and Consul delivered ref A demarche
requesting Sweden enter into negotiations to share terrorist
screening information under HSPD-6 to MFA America's Desk Deputy
Director Per Norstrom and Desk Officers Paula Wennerblom and Jemina
Holmberg on September 25. EmbOffs left behind copies of the model
document to guide negotiations, Q and A material, and releasable
sample screenshots from the U.S. Terrorist Screening Data Base that
would be made available to participating partner nations. Finally,
EmbOffs informed Norstrom that a negotiating team from the State
Department and the Terrorist Screening Center would like to travel
to Sweden the week of October 20 to both brief appropriate Swedish
stakeholders and begin concrete negotiations on an agreement.
3. (SBU) Norstrom accepted our talking points but was not prepared
to offer a specific response or to comment on how long it might take
to build interagency consensus on a way ahead. He informed us that
the MOJ would likely have the lead on negotiating any agreement and
would put us in touch with the right office in the coming days. He
felt that a negotiating team visit the third week of October
provided enough lead time to organize meetings and brief appropriate
principals. Norstrom and his colleagues were curious as to which EU
member states had already concluded HSPD-6 agreements with the
United States. ACTION REQUEST: Post would appreciate Department
guidance on this question.
4. (SBU) COMMENT: We think the Swedes will show up at the
appropriate level to meet the negotiating team. However, concluding
negotiations at the speed suggested in refs (A) and (B) is almost
anathema to the Swedish methodically consensus-driven approach,
especially in light of the privacy issues raised by such an
agreement. An earlier attempt to negotiate a working level
arrangement to satisfy HSPD-6 requirements faltered when the Swedish
Security Services were told by their lawyers that this issue could
quickly become a public liability in an atmosphere already highly
charged by the passing of a controversial surveillance bill in July
(reftel C).
SILVERMAN