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