EXBS: TURKMENISTAN EXBS ADVISOR MONTHLY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ASHGABAT 001540 SIPDIS DEPT FOR ISN/ECC JHARTSHORN, LSPRINGER, and JFRIEDMAN SCA/CEN FOR JGORKOWSKI SCA/RA FOR JMCCLELLAN DHS/CBP BMCCRAY DHS/ICE FOR AMEFFERD DOE/NNSA FOR JNOBLE, AND BPENTOLA DOC/BIS FOR DCREED USCG FOR SHABTEMICHAEL AMEMBASSY BERLIN FOR CBP ATTACHE AMEMBASSY MOSCOW FOR ICE ATTACHE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ETTC MNUC PARM PREL KSTC KNNP TX SUBJECT: EXBS: TURKMENISTAN EXBS ADVISOR MONTHLY REPORTING CABLE NOVEMBER, 2009 ASHGABAT 00001540 001.2 OF 003 ¶A. BROAD ITEMS OF INTEREST TO ADVISORS AND AGENCY MANAGERS: EXBS focus for November was receiving Embassy concurrences in Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan for the 2010 Program Plans, and End-Use Monitoring inventories for both countries. EXBS continues to support the Department of Energy's (DOE) Second Line of Defense (SLD) Program. Advisor continues the process of hiring a second assistant for Turkmenistan. EXBS Advisor was on leave from 9 - 13 November. EXBS Assistants were in Frankfurt for the EXBS LES Conference, 16 - 19 Nov. EXBS Advisor will attend the UNODC "Sub-Regional Workshop for Central Asian Countries on Non-Proliferation and International Legal Cooperation against Biological, Chemical and Nuclear Terrorism" Conference 2 - 3 Dec in Ashgabat. End Summary. ¶B. COMPLETED ACTIONS FOR THE REPORTING PERIOD. ¶1. Site Assessments and Meetings during this Reporting Period. a. SLD Radiation Portal Monitors (RPM). EXBS has located a Turkmen agency, Turkmenstandards (English translation), which is responsible for regulations concerning the importation of radioactive test sources for the radiation portal monitors. EXBS spoke with a lawyer who works for a company that specializes in helping companies begin businesses in Turkmenistan with the hope of locating the specific law that covers importing radioactive sources. The lawyer located not the law, but regulations controlled by a specific agency. EXBS is seeking a meeting with the agency in order to move forward our request to import the test and calibration sources for SLD and for RIIDs equipment that is in our warehouse. The meeting will most likely take place in January. b. On 4 Nov EXBS advisor and Assistant met with Ercan Saka of the Ashgabat UNODC Office. Ercan requested the meeting to update EXBS with UNODC initiatives. Ercan has worked in Turkmenistan for three and one half years. His assessment of cooperation with the GoTX was overall pessimistic. He expressed frustration at the bureaucracy of the government and how hard it was to get simple answers or approvals. Ercan felt that if he could produce a plan for cooperation at more than $1M in value, then he could get the attention of the government. Hence, he requested us to partner with him on a plan to build on the successful CENTCOM FARAP border crossing project. Essentially, the plan runs for two years. Year one is funded by the Turkish Embassy and the IMF. U.S. State INL is also a donor. Ercan needs commitments for funding year two before he can approach the GoTX. There are several areas where the UNODC plan overlaps with EXBS areas of interest. Ercan also spoke of the Container Control Unit, a parallel endeavor by the UNODC to our Container Security Initiative. He said their Turkmen program would become operational in Turkmenbashy on 16 Nov. On 4 Dec, units in Ashgabat would be operational. ASHGABAT 00001540 002.2 OF 003 ¶2. Training Conducted During Reporting Period. NONE. ¶3. Equipment Delivered During Reporting Period. NONE. ¶C. PENDING AND PLANNED TRAINING. a. The Department of Homeland Security/Customs and Border Protection (DHS/CBP) Air Cargo Interdiction Training (IACIT) is scheduled for 29 Mar - 2 Apr, 2010 in Ashgabat Airport. b. EXBS is working with Department of Energy (DOE) International Nonproliferation Export Control Program (INECP) to conduct a Commodity Identification Training (CIT) Course in Turkmenistan 19 - 21 Apr, 2010. c. EXBS is coordinating with DHS/CBP for the conduct of an International Border Interdiction Training (IBIT) Course in the U.S. 17 - 21 May, 2010. d. Interdict/RADACAD (Interdiction of Materials and Radiation Academy) will be held 28 June - 2 July, 2010 at the DOE/PNNL HAMMER facility in Richland, Washington for 20-24 Turkmen from Customs and the Border Service. RADACAD trains and equips international border enforcement officers to detect, identify, interdict and investigate all aspects of smuggling related to the proliferation and diversion of material, commodities and components associated with the development and deployment of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD - Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological weapons and their Missile delivery systems). e. An exchange between the GoTX and the Federal Law Enforcement Academy (FLETC) is being coordinated by ISN/ECC for FY2010. EXBS Advisor will tour FLETC in December. f. EXBS Advisor will be meeting with Commonwealth Trading Partners in WADC in December to work out the details of a three-phase Legal/Regulatory Workshop in Turkmenistan. g. EXBS is formulating the plan for a phased UNSCR 1540 Workshop in Turkmenistan. h. EXBS will conduct training for local Customs officials on Radiation Isotope Identification Devices (RIIDS) and the VaporTracer2 to include the donation of 15 detectors at the completion of training. The RIIDs require calibration, which will require the importation of small dose radioactive sources. EXBS is in the process of importing radioactive sources in support of the SLD Program and will build on the success of that importation in order to obtain the calibration sources for the RIIDs. ¶D. EQUIPMENT STATUS UPDATE. ¶1. End-Use Monitoring Status. Inventories are being checked and will be delivered to ISN-ECC NLT 15 Dec. ASHGABAT 00001540 003.2 OF 003 ¶2. Pending Equipment Deliveries. a. CT-30 Kits. EXBS is awaiting the delivery of 4 CT-30 Kits from WASHDC. Delivery is expected in early December, ¶2009. EXBS will combine training for the CT-30 Kits, RIIDs and VaporTracer2 prior to granting. b. EXBS has 15 rad-ID Systems (Radiation Isotope Identification Devices)(RIIDs) and 2 VaporTracer2 in our warehouse awaiting a system for importing the radiation test and calibration sources traps for calibration of the VaporTracer2. We are building on the lessons learned from our attempts to import sources for SLD. Once we receive the calibration materials, we will schedule training and handover of the equipment. c. Three X-Ray Fluorescent Technology scanners are enroute back to Turkmenistan. Training was previously conducted on the equipment. When they arrive they will be donated to te GoTX. d. EXBS will be working with the Turkmen State Border Service (SBS) to identify specific numbers and makes of Motorola Radios to order in 2010. $100,000 has been earmarked in the 2010 Program Plan for radios for the SBS. e. EXBS will be working with the State Customs Service (SCS) to identify the specifics of $120,000 in airport interdiction equipment to be earmarked for the new international airport in Turkmenbashy. ¶E. SIGNIFICANT DEVELOPMENTS IN EXPORT CONTROLS, NONPROLIFERATION, OR RELATED BORDER SECURITY. NONE. ¶F. RED FLAG ISSUES. NONE. ¶G. CONTACT INFORMATION. Barry A. Johnson is the Regional EXBS Advisor for Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan and can be reached at johnsonba8@state.gov, or +993-66-30-85-84. EXBS Assistant for Turkmenistan is Gulshat Jumayeva at jumayevaga@state.gov, and for Uzbekistan is Irina Kochetkova at kochetkovai@state.gov. EXBS Advisor will be in Brunswick, GA to visit the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) 7 -8 Dec, WADC for consultations with ISN/ECC 9 - 11 Dec, and on leave 14 Dec - 4 Jan. ECKSTROM