EXBS: ALBANIA MARITIME, ADRIATIC REGION REPORTING CABLE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 TIRANA 000175 SIPDIS SIPDIS SENSITIVE STATE FOR ISN/ECC - YWONG, ACHURCH, JBALDWIN, LSPRINGER STATE FOR EUR/ACE USCBP INA FOR JGOUGE, PWARKER SECDEF FOR DTRA CDRAKE USDOE FOR TMUSTIN, EMELAMED, KGARNER VIENNA PLEASE PASS TO ICE ATTACHE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ETTC MNUC PARM PREL KSTC KNNP AL SUBJECT: EXBS: ALBANIA MARITIME, ADRIATIC REGION REPORTING CABLE FOR FEBRUARY 2008 ¶1. (U) BROAD ITEMS OF INTEREST TO ADVISORS AND AGENCY MANAGERS -- February 17, KOSOVO: Formerly declared independence; the event was at the forefront of regional media (Albania, Croatia, Bosnia I Herzegovina, Montenegro, Macedonia and Serbia) reports. ¶2. (U) COMPLETED ACTIONS FOR THE REPORTING PERIOD -- February 29: EXBS Maritime Advisor underway accompanied US Special Forces assessment team during evaluation of training opportunities in Albania's Southern Naval District. Future US training event scenarios continue to develop through existing administrative channels. ¶3. (SBU) MEETINGS DURING REPORTING PERIOD -- February 04-08: EXBS Maritime Office hosted ISN/ECC Western Balkans Country Officer. Meetings were held with the Director General of Customs, Chairman of the Radiation Protection Office, General Director of Border Police, Director of Civil Emergency Department, Albanian Chief of Naval Operations and Command Center, Durres Customs Director, General Harbor Master, Director of the Port of Vlore, Naval Forces Training Center Commander Vlore, Southern Flotilla Operational Commander, and MOI Delta force commander regarding previous assistance and pending grants and training opportunities. Briefings were also held with American Embassy personnel including DCM, Pol/Econ Chief, DAO, RAO, ODC and ICITAP regarding budget and future plans for EXBS Maritime position. -- February 8: EXBS Maritime Office, Western Balkans Officer and EXBS Officer Skopje met with Border police and customs officials at the Qafe Thana and Kafasan Border Crossing point to discuss current operation and equipment conditions while coordinating upcoming training event in March (see training events below). -- February 12: EXBS Maritime Officer met with Professor Fatos Ylli at the University of Tirana, Centre of Applied Nuclear Physics (a.k.a. Nuclear Physics Institute). All documented radioactive waste in Albania is stored in the Tirana facility where the meeting was held. Radioactive materials in Albania primarily involve, medical, petroleum, geological and other industrial applications. There are four portal monitor locations in Albania. No portal monitors have been functional in over a year. Standard government downsizing and reduction in resources are impacting the Nuclear Institute/Applied Physics Centre which now falls under the Ministry of Education via University of Tirana. Professor Yilli explained that on 28 December 2007, the MoI local police guards left their positions as directed and the facility was unguarded. Professor Ylli stated he wrote letters on two separate occasions addressed to the Ministers of Interior, Health, and Education, the General Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the General Secretary of the Council of Ministers "strongly stating" the interest in maintaining a security presence around the facility. The General Secretary of the Council of Ministers, Gjergji Leshja, a former deputy Minister of Interior, directed security to be reinstated, which happened in January 2008. The local police station now provides security to the nuclear waste facility but there is no designated budget or resources for the future. -- February 15: Maritime Officer informally met with the Director of the Radiation Protection Office, the Chief Professor from the Centre of Applied Nuclear Physics and General Director of Custo*ms at the conclusion o the EXBS-hosted DTRA sponsored training. Specifi portal monitor locations, origins and capabilitis were addressed. A follow-on more formal meetin to address details and recommended courses of ation has been set for the morning of 20 March. Th EXBS Maritime office continues to engage all coccerned entities and provide appropriate assistance if possible. ¶4. (U) TRAINING CONDUCTED DURING HQE REPORTING PERIOD TIRANA 00000175 002 OF 003 -- February 11-15: Eight Albanian agencies participated in DTRA-sponsored WMD Threat Management course, resulting in over $445K worth of interdiction/detection equipment and operational training for Albanian law enforcement and emergency response organizations. ¶5. (U) EQUIPMENT DELIVERED DURING THE REPORTING PERIOD -- February 29: EXBS Maritime Advisor observed internet contract workers installing functional internet service plan for the Naval Department training center in Vlore, including networking of the existing computer lab and establishing wireless access for the instructor's office hallway. EXBS Maritime Office delivered ten Wi-Fi laptops, laser printers, uninterruptible power supplies, two large screen TVs, and DVD/VCR players which will be used in conjunction with two EXBS-granted generators. Installation and delivery will support EXBS-sponsored and coordinated USCG training in March and serve as an instructor and student resource at the training center for at least the next year. ¶6. (SBU) IMMINENT TRAINING OR EQUIPMENT STATUS REPORT: ALBANIA: -- Operational and communications equipment grant for Customs Maritime anti-contraband units delivery anticipated week of 17 March ¶2008. -- March 17 - March 22: USCG Maritime Law Enforcement Instructor Training and Joint Maritime Law Enforcement Boarding Course at Naval Department training center in Vlore. Original schedule adjusted due to five ship NATO visit to Durres 01-05 March. -- March 24-28: The CBP Cross Border Exercise for Macedonia, Albania and Greece will focus on the Kafasan (Macedonia)/Qafe Thana (Albania) area BCP's. -- April 21-25: DTRA International Counterproliferation Program Advanced Training Course, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina - invitations will include Croatia, Macedonia and Albania. -- May 8-18: USCG Incident Command System training for Inter-Ministerial Maritime Operations Center members. -- May 11: International Visitor Leadership Program - participants scheduled travel. -- May 19-23: DOE End Use-End User Training, Tirana -- June 2-6: CBP Targeting and Risk Management Training, Tirana and BCP's TBD. -- July 14-18: DTRA Targeting and Risk Management Training, Tirana -- Summer 2008: Anticipated delivery of the first DAMEN 42-meter patrol boat to Albanian Naval Forces. -- September 8-19: CBP Inspection/Detection Equipment Training, BCP's TBD -- September 11-28: USCG Seaport Security and Anti-terrorism course focused on newly hired Albanian Port Security Forces personnel in Durres. -- October 20-24: CBP International Border Interdiction II, Tirana and BCP's TBD -- November TBD: CBP International Seaport Interdiction Training, Durres, focused on Customs, Border police/MoI, Naval Forces and IMOC participant agencies. Schedule shifted to TIRANA 00000175 003 OF 003 accommodate USCG MTT in September. -- FY 2009 TBD: USCG Coastal Search and Rescue -- January 2009: CBP Undercover Ops, Controlled Delivery Training SERBIA: -- July 10-27: USCG Basic Small Boat Operations Course MONTENEGREO: -- September 4-13: USCG Maritime Law Enforcement Boarding Officer Course BOSNIA: -- June TBD: Undercover Operations, Controlled Delivery Training ¶7. (U) SIGNIFICANT DEVELOPMENTS IN EXPORT CONTROLS, NONPROLIFERATION, OR RELATED BORDER SECURITY -- None to report. ¶8. (U) PORTAL MONITOR ALERTS -- None. ¶9. (U) RED FLAG ISSUES -- None. ¶10. (U) POC: LCDR Timothy Conroy, email: conroyTC@state.gov, and Xhoana Kovaci, email: kovaciX@state.gov. WITHERS