MEETING WITH CUBANS ON MISSION SECURITY

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 000090 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR IO/UNP, WHA/CCA AND DS/DSS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OFDP ASEC CU UN SUBJECT: MEETING WITH CUBANS ON MISSION SECURITY REF: 07 USUN 1088 ¶1. This message is sensitive but unclassified - please protect accordingly. ¶2. Following a meeting of the UN's Committee on Relations with the Host Country called by Cuba (septel) to complain that the host country was not taking the Cuban Mission's security concerns seriously enough, NYC Commissioner for the UN Marjorie Tiven called a meeting at which NYPD Deputy Commissioner David Cohen briefed the Cubans on what the NYPD considers an upgraded security response more in keeping with the sort of threat faced by the Cuban Mission (and certain unnamed other diplomatic missions) at the current time. USUN and DS/NYFO representatives were also present. ¶3. Cohen emphasized that the NYPD has not in fact withdrawn police protection from the Cuban Mission - instead "we have changed it and made it better". A police officer sitting in a security booth outside the mission provides "extremely limited" coverage which "may not really be appropriate for the times". Instead of an officer on duty around the clock, the NYPD stated that it has put into place a security plan consisting of four elements. (1) An unmarked car with two plainclothes detective specifically trained to think about protection matters will visit the Cuban Mission at least once a day, and the detectives will check in personally with the Mission's security officer. If the Cubans believe more than one stop-by is necessary on any given day, it will be arranged. Cohen added that it is possible that there had not yet been a meaningful dialogue in this respect because the Cubans "did not know what was going on". (2) an "Operation Hercules" team consisting of heavily armed officers accompanied by an intelligence officer will visit the mission on a regular but random basis. Their purpose is to undertake surveillance activity and show force as a deterrent. (3) a "Critical Response Vehicle" - a marked radio car with uniformed officers will go to the Cuban Mission several times a day on different days of the week. USUN officers have recently seen this vehicle parked in front of the Cuban Mission. (4) On Deputy Commissioner Cohen's determination, the 17th NYPD precinct will place an officer at the police booth which remains near the corner of 38th and Lexington in front of the Mission. Such a decision will depend on the threat assessment at that location at any given time. If a demonstration is planned, additional resources will be deployed, both uniformed and plainclothesed. Cohen concluded his presentation by arguing that the new procedures in place were "by far stronger" as well as more costly than the officer in the police booth, and that an extremely important aspect of the procedures was the daily interface with the Cuban Mission. ¶4. Cuban Security Officer Victor Alvarez and Legal Officer/Host Country Coordinator Anet Pino stressed that the Mission remained concerned at the loss of 24/7 police coverage, but did not explicitly reject Cohen's position that the new measures were inadequate or inappropriate for the times. They did express concern that the guidelines for demonstrations set forth in a USUN diplomatic note dated June 1995 - and particularly the areas into which participants in those demonstrations would be placed - had not been followed. The NYPD, which had signed off on the 1995 note, took the position that it could not expect to be bound by an agreement that is now almost 13 years old and it was up to the police to control the location of demonstrators in accordance with their numbers, the threat they posed to the Mission, constitutional guarantees, the safety and security of passing vehicles and pedestrians, and the facts and circumstances regarding the particular demonstration. ¶5. Not surprisingly, the Cuban Mission asked that USUN inform it in writing of the new security procedures to be put in place as well as confirmation that the provisions included in the 1995 note are no longer valid and what provisions will replace them. After coordination with the Department, USUN would prepare a draft, but we expect that NYC and NYPD officials will not agree to be bound by anything. KHALILZAD