GEORGIA: RECENT ARRESTS SHOW PROGRESS ON

S E C R E T TBILISI 002212

NOFORN
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/24/2018
TAGS: KNNP PARM PGOV PREL GG
SUBJECT: GEORGIA: RECENT ARRESTS SHOW PROGRESS ON
PREVENTING NUCLEAR SMUGGLING

REF: STATE 117568

Classified By: AMBASSADOR JOHN F. TEFFT FOR REASONS 1.4 (b) AND (d).


1. (S/NF) Summary and Comment: Joint cooperation between the
USG and the Georgian government has improved Georgia's
ability to prevent nuclear smuggling. One area in which the
government of Georgia continues to improve is the
investigation of nuclear smuggling cases and the prosecution
of traffickers. The latest example, an October arrest and
prosecution in Tbilisi of three Georgian radioactive
materials traffickers, highlights this progress. Despite
substantial advancement of its anti-nuclear smuggling
capabilities, the government's nonproliferation regime still
has considerable gaps. For example, it is not always able to
respond to incidents where radiation is detected in a timely
manner, due in large part to financial limitations. The
government continues to rely heavily on U.S. and
international assistance in strengthening Georgia's resources
to prevent nuclear smuggling. End Summary and Comment.

SUCCESS STORY


2. (S/NF) The USG and the government of Georgia have a long
history of close cooperation to secure radiological sources
in Georgia and to improve Georgia's efforts to prevent
nuclear smuggling. On October 16 and November 19, U.S. and
Georgian delegations met in Tbilisi to review the joint
action plan to improve Georgia's anti-nuclear smuggling
capabilities, which was signed on February 2, 2007 (see
reftel and septel). One area which was identified as a
priority need in the joint action plan was maintaining
Georgia's efforts to arrest and prosecute all identified
nuclear smugglers. The Georgians have had considerable
success in this area, as indicated by the October 13 arrest
of three Georgian radioactive materials traffickers, who were
later sentenced to imprisonment (see TD/314-076336-08). The
traffickers were arrested in Tbilisi after a sting operation
in which they attempted to sell cessium-137 to an informant.
The traffickers initially attempted to market the material as
uranium, but then acknowledged it was cessium, reportedly
from Russia. A fourth member of the group is still being
sought. Information regarding the arrests and prosecutions
has not been released to the press, and reportedly not even
to other government organizations, due to the sensitivity of
the operation. The investigation is ongoing, and in fact,
the associates of the traffickers are not even aware of their
arrest.

ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT


3. (S) The government struggles, however, to fully implement
all of the requirements set in the joint action plan.
Working level government officials attribute this primarily
to financial restraints and a lack of high-level government
support. One example is their inability to consistently
respond quickly to incidents of radiation detection. This is
due both to Georgia's geography and the absence of a western
field office of the Nuclear Radiation Security Service
(NRSS),the agency responsible for responding to incidents
involving radioactive sources. The only NRSS office is in
Tbilisi. However, while the Georgian government still has
much work to do to further develop its capabilities to
prevent nuclear smuggling, the ability to successfully
investigate and prosecute nuclear trafficking cases speaks
volumes for its efforts thus far.
TEFFT