SLOVAKIA WANTES TO HELP MAKE TRACKER BETTER

UNCLAS BRATISLAVA 000063 SENSITIVE SIPDIS ISN/ECC FOR MEGAN AMER E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PARM ETTC PREL KSTC LO SUBJECT: SLOVAKIA WANTES TO HELP MAKE TRACKER BETTER REF: SECSTATE 10416 ¶1. (U) This cable contains an action request in paragraph 8. ¶2. (SBU) Summary. Slovakia's Department of Sensitive Goods Trade Management (Ministry of Economy) appreciates USG donations of "Tracker" software, hardware and related training, and is anxious to offer its ideas about how it can be made better in future versions. The Department Director, Viktor Lehotzsky, asks that ISN/ECC send a Program Representative to Bratislava the week of February 9 to hear an initial presentation of Slovakia's concerns. If necessary and appropriate, Ministry of Economy would be willing to send representatives to Washington in March for a follow-on presentation with a wider audience, including Tracker software developers and trainers. Post recommends this course of action. End summary. ¶3. (SBU) Poloff delivered reftel demarche to Lehotzsky, and his deputy Lubomir Kovacik on February 5. As per telcon with Megan Amer on February 4, Poloff also extended an invitation for the Department of Sensitive Goods Trade Management to participate in ISN/ECC's Best Practices Conference in Warsaw in May 2009. Lehotzky said he will definitely send representatives to the conference, but expressed frustration that the USG has not created an opportunity for his people to present their reservations about the Tracker program and suggestions for its improvement earlier. Kovacik said his Department tried to make such a presentation twice in 2008 - once in Slovakia and once in Washington D.C. - and both times the USG representative failed to make himself available at the agreed time. (Comment: EXBS Contractor Charles Buehler confirmed this version of events in a separate conversation with Poloff. End comment.) ¶4. (SBU) Lehotzky and Kovacik described multiple, specific deficiencies in the current version of Tracker they are using in a lengthy meeting with Poloff and Buehler. Buehler said that most, but not all, of the deficiencies described will be resolved in Tracker version 7, which will be presented at the conference in Warsaw in May. Lehotzky appreciated that USG continues to upgrade Tracker, but continued to express dissatisfaction that Slovakia would not be offered a chance to describe its needs in detail in a timely way. (Comment: Slovakia is currently using version 4.1 of Tracker. EXBS provided an upgrade to version 5.1 in 2008, but due to technical difficulties and concerns about data security on the Slovak side, that upgrade was never installed. Buehler is currently in Slovakia installing version 5.2. End comment.) ¶5. (SBU) Lehotzky said that deficiencies in the current Tracker software makes him hesitant to push hard for its adoption by other GoS agencies involved in the licensing process. In response to Poloff's claim that Tracker is widely used across agencies in Poland and Hungary, Lehotzky laughed and said that he talks to his colleagues from those countries and knows that they have simmilar problems. ¶6. (SBU) Lehtozky asked Poloff to request ISN/ECC send a Program Representative to Bratislava the week of February 9 to hear a presentation of Slovakia's concerns. If necessary and appropriate, Lehotzky is willing to send representatives to Washington in March for a follow-on presentation with a wider audience, including Tracker software developers and trainers. He is also interested to offer a presentation of Slovakia's experience with Tracker in Warsaw in May. ¶7. (SBU) Lehotzky further offered to provide names of two representatives from each of the five Ministries (Economy, Interior, Defense, Foreign Affairs and Environment) and three agencies (Slovak Information Service, Military Information Service and Customs) that are involved in the licensing process, if Post would invite them to a Tracker demonstration the week of February 9, when trainers will already be in Bratislava. ¶8. (SBU) Action request: Post requests ISN/ECC send a Program Representative to Bratislava the week of February 9 to meet with Lehotzky and Kovacik and hear their concerns. Post further requests that ISN/ECC provide a fund site for up to USD 700 to fund a reception and demonstration of Tracker software for representatives of all the GoS Ministries and Agencies involved in the licensing process. If approved, Post would host such an event at an official residence the night of February 12, and would provide a full report to ISN/ECC. End action request. EDDINS