ESTONIA: DHS SECRETARY CHERTOFF'S VWP VISIT TO

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TALLINN 000377 SIPDIS FOR EUR FRONT OFFICE FOR EUR/PGI, EUR/ERA, AND CA/VO E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/02/2018 TAGS: CVIS PREL EU RU GG IZ EN SUBJECT: ESTONIA: DHS SECRETARY CHERTOFF'S VWP VISIT TO TALLINN Classified by: CDA Karen Decker. Reasons 1.4(b/d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff visited Tallinn October 29-30 to welcome formally Estonia into the Visa Waiver Program (VWP),and to announce that eligible Estonian travelers will be able to commence visa-free travel to the United States on November 17, 2008. Both in press events and in meetings with the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, as well as at a private dinner with the President of Estonia, Secretary Chertoff called the achievement a milestone in U.S.- Estonian relations. Secretary Chertoff reiterated in each meeting and press event the mechanics of VWP travel, and he pressed for Estonian support of a DHS initiative to formalize an understanding between the United States and the EU on the basic principles of personal data sharing. The Secretary held discussions, often colorful, on a number of other topics with his Estonian counterparts, most notably Estonia's relationship with Russia. For his part, Prime Minister Ansip used Secretary Chertoff's visit to reiterate that Estonian troops will remain in Afghanistan and Iraq as long as they are needed. END SUMMARY. VISA WAIVER PROGRAM -- THE VICTORY LAP ¶2. (U) In a series of meetings in Tallinn on October 29 with the Foreign Minister, Prime Minister and President of Estonia, Secretary Chertoff congratulated Estonians on the country's accession to the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). Both sides agreed that this achievement -- building from President Bush's 2006 visit to Tallinn -- was a significant milestone in relations between the two countries, and should be seen as the "sweeping away of the last fragments of the Iron Curtain." In a press conference following his meeting with Prime Minister Andrus Ansip, the Secretary formally announced that Estonian travelers will be eligible to commence travel under the Visa Waiver Program on November 17, 2008. ¶3. (U) Secretary Chertoff took every opportunity, both privately and publicly, to clarify that only Estonian citizens holding biometric passports would be able to qualify for visa free travel under VWP. He also focused on the new Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) requirement, noting that ESTA is now open to Estonian applicants, and that the ESTA website is available in the Estonian language. Secretary Chertoff assured his counterparts that all VWP countries, including the 27 existing member countries, would soon be subject to the ESTA and biometric passport requirements, thus disposing of any confusion that Estonia would be joining a two-tier VWP system that favors existing VWP member countries. ¶4. (U) No issues of disagreement about Estonia's road to VWP participation were raised in the meetings, though Foreign Minister Paet and Prime Minister Ansip both urged the United States to expand VWP to all EU members as soon as possible. Both Paet and Ansip were receptive to Secretary Chertoff's explanation of the limits of U.S. legislation regarding VWP expansion -- particularly, as they relate to each candidate country's ability to meet a visa refusal rate threshold of ten percent, and the ability of the U.S. to effectively negotiate expansion of VWP in any manner other than through bilateral agreements with candidate countries. THE BEAR IN THE ROOM ¶5. (C) Estonia's prickly relationship with Russia colored many of the Secretary's discussions with his Estonian counterparts on VWP and other issues. Prime Minister Ansip and President Ilves both noted that the availability of VWP to Estonian citizens provides another important incentive for Estonia's more than 100,000 stateless (Russian- speaking) residents to apply for naturalization as Estonian citizens. Ansip and Ilves both noted the difficulty of competing with the Russian government in the struggle between Russia and Estonia to attract the allegiance of these stateless residents, suggesting that the Russians hand out their passports based on political considerations without subjecting applicants to any substantive process, while the Estonian naturalization process requires applicants to show a basic understanding of Estonian history and language. ¶6. (C) At a private dinner hosted by President Ilves for TALLINN 00000377 002 OF 002 the delegation, the President expressed dismay at steps taken by the EU to facilitate Schengen visas for Russian travelers. He noted that the move simplifies the visa process for Russians holding regular passports and allows visa free travel for holders of Russian diplomatic passports. Ilves questioned the criteria by which the Russian government determines who qualifies for a diplomatic passport, suggesting that they are more widely held than one would expect. (Another dinner guest grumbled that obtaining a Russian diplomatic passport was about as difficult as obtaining a flashing blue police light for one's car.) ¶7. (C) In connection with Russia's recent invasion of Georgia, President Ilves expressed pride at Estonia's public support for the Georgian government and people. He speculated that Russia realizes that it had gone too far with the Georgian invasion, resulting in increasing isolation in the international community. ESTABLISHING PRINCIPLES ON DATA SHARING WITH THE EU ¶8. (C) Secretary Chertoff took the opportunity in each of his closed meetings to ask for Estonia's support for a DHS proposal to memorialize an understanding between the United States and the EU relating to principles for the sharing of personal data. Secretary Chertoff, and DHS Assistant Secretary for Policy Development Richard Barth, described the U.S.' ongoing negotiations with the EU in this regard, and asked for Estonian support for the process. Secretary Chertoff explained that he is raising this issue with each of the VWP roadmap governments visited on this European trip (namely, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Latvia and Lithuania). Prime Minister Ansip and President Ilves were both receptive to the idea. IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN: ESTONIA DOES NOT FALTER ¶9. (C) FM Paet and PM Ansip both expressed Estonia's pride at the country's continuing support of coalition and NATO operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. PM Ansip expressed the GOE's anxiousness to receive a formal invitation from the Government of Iraq to continue operations, noting that Estonia will continue to support the United States in both Iraq and Afghanistan for as long as they are needed and welcomed. Ansip expressed doubts that the Estonian parliament would raise any meaningful obstacles to the country's continued military presence in Iraq under a yet- to-be-finalized Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA). Ambassador Phillips thanked the Estonians for their contributions in Iraq and Afghanistan, and noted the urgency with which the United States is working to finalize the U.S. SOFA with the Government of Iraq. MEDIA COVERAGE ¶10. (U) At Secretary Chertoff's joint press conference with PM Ansip, questions focused primarily on the mechanics of Estonia's participation in VWP. Secretary Chertoff took the opportunity to reiterate key points that have caused confusion among the Estonian public, including the biometric passport and ESTA requirements. Secretary Chertoff asserted that ESTA is not a new visa requirement, and also reiterated that there will not be a two-tier Visa Waiver Program with new countries subject to different requirements than those applicable to existing participant countries. The Secretary also gave a one-on-one extensive interview to Postimees, Estonia's most widely-circulated daily newspaper, in which the mechanics of VWP travel were reviewed. A full summary of the media coverage of the Secretary's visit will be reported septel. DECKER