SOME POSITIVE SIGNS ON AVIATION SECURITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 DOHA 000698

SIPDIS

EMBASSY AMMAN FOR TSAR BRYANT CHEVALIER
EMBASSY ABU DHABI FOR FAA AND ICE
CONSUL GENERAL FRANKFURT FOR TSA
STATE DEPARTMENT FOR EEB JOHN BYERLY AND BRIAN SILER
STATE DEPARTMENT FOR DS, DSS, DS/T/ATA AND DS/IP

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/01/2019
TAGS: EAIR ASEC QA
SUBJECT: SOME POSITIVE SIGNS ON AVIATION SECURITY

Classified By: Charge d'Affaires, a.i. Mirembe L. Nantongo, for reasons
1.4 (b, d).

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(C) KEY POINTS
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-- TSA Deputy Director Victoria Reeder told GOQ officials
November 17 that TSA personnel continue to observe
improvements in the screening of passengers on U.S.-bound
flights from Doha International Airport.

-- If these improvements are sustained over time, Reeder
said, provisions of the Doha-specific Emergency Amendment
currently in effect could be adjusted, subject to the
approval of the TSA Administrator.

-- Reeder indicated TSA's desire to conduct another airport
assessment in January or February to document that
improvements witnessed to date are being sustained.

-- The Chairman of the Qatar Civil Aviation Administration
responded by seeking permission from TSA, which Reeder
readily granted, for Qatari inspectors to observe operations
at the U.S. airports served by Qatar Airways.

-- The TSA delegation was offered, and accepted, a tour of
the new airport construction site and meetings with the
consultant responsible for designing security systems for the
site.

-- Taking advantage of the presence of senior Ministry of
Interior personnel, the Civil Aviation Administration noted
the expected need for a "ten-fold" increase in airport
security personnel (provided by MOI) at the new airport, once
it opens.

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(C) COMMENTS
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-- Qatar aviation officials clearly would like to see the
Doha-specific Emergency Amendment lifted, and on the margins
of official meetings often seek to exchange greater access
for TSA personnel for a loosening of the Amendment's
requirements.

-- If TSA personnel can continue to measure sustained good
performance at security checkpoints, TSA is set to amend the
current requirements. The trick will be getting the Qataris
to see enough light at the end of the tunnel to allow the
assessments to go forward.

-- As Qatar moves to open the new international airport, we
assess it unlikely that MOI will be able to employ enough
trained security personnel to meet the higher demand for
their services. Qatar Airways would be happy to turn
security screening over to private companies meeting TSA
standards, but MOI resists. Finding a face-saving solution
for MOI will remain a challenge.

End Key Points and Comments.


1. (C) In a November 17 meeting hosted by Major General Saad
Al-Khulaifi of the Ministry of Interior (MOI),TSA Deputy
Director of International Operations in the Office of Global
Strategies Victoria Reeder noted that TSA personnel observing
passenger boarding that morning on Qatar Airways flights to
the U.S. found "improvements" in security at the boarding
gate check points since TSA's last assessment in March. Over
the course of the two years that TSA has inspected Doha
International Airport flight operations, she added that "vast
improvements" had been observed. Reeder was joined at the
meeting on the U.S. side by TSA representatives Anthony
Monreal and Bryant Chevalier and by DCM Nantongo, RSO Conord,
P/E Chief Rice, and Econoff Wahlstrom. On the Qatari side,
Major General Saad was joined by Chairman of the Qatar Civil
Aviation Authority Abdulaziz Al-Noaimi; his security advisor,
Ian Gilchrist; Head of Security for Qatar Airways Chris
Murphy; and head of MOI airport security Brigadier General
Nasser Al-Malki.

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2. (C) Despite the progress TSA personnel have recorded to
date, Reeder made clear that improvements in security
measures must be sustained over time in order for TSA to lift
the Doha-specific Emergency Amendment (requiring intensive
searches of each passenger). That said, she noted that the
progress made to date is all the more impressive given that
Qatar Airways has over a two-year period tripled its flights
to the U.S. (Note: there are now three direct flights from
Doha to Washington-Dulles, New York (JFK) and Houston.) To
ensure sustained progress, Reeder asked that TSA personnel be
allowed to return in three months to monitor continued
progress.


3. (C) Al-Noaimi thanked Reeder for her visit and stressed
that Qatar would not compromise on security and safety. He
asked Reeder for permission for Qatari inspectors "to audit
your airports as you audit ours." Qatar needed to make sure
security of its national airline is not compromised, he said.



4. (C) Reeder said TSA was happy to facilitate visits and
observations by Qatar's inspectors to the airports to which
Qatar Airways flies. She invited the inspectors to observe
"all aspects of airline and off-site security." Al-Noaimi
responded that the Qatari inspectors would require access
only to the "last point of departure."

-------------- ---
STATUS OF NEW FACILITY FOR U.S.-BOUND PASSENGERS
-------------- ---


5. (C) Gilchrist reported that Qatar Airways and the Airport,
in consultation with the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority, had
not taken a decision on opening and utilizing a new facility,
whose construction is nearly completed, that could be used to
segregate U.S.-bound passengers from others. He invited TSA
to give its input before this decision is made. Al-Noaimi
expressed concern that utilizing the new facility would
result in less passenger comfort. "There needs to be balance
between security and passenger comfort," he said.


6. (C) Major General Al-Khulaifi, learning from Al-Noaimi
that Qatar Airways would next launch a fourth direct flight
to the U.S., serving Los Angeles, observed that he found the
security at Los Angeles International Airport during his
recent trip to be well organized and respectful of
passengers. He implied that similar procedures, if applied
in Doha, would provide an acceptable balance between security
and passenger comfort.


7. (C) Asked by DCM Nantongo for the timeline for a decision
to open the new facility for U.S.-bound passengers, Gilchrist
said the decision could only be taken after a trial run of
passengers through the new facility was organized. He
emphasized that officials involved in the decision on the
Qatari side did not want to make any trial runs without first
consulting TSA. He said the soonest trials could begin was
likely mid-December.

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NEXT ASSESSMENT
--------------


8. (C) Reeder suggested that TSA personnel return in January
or February. Even if the new facility is not open, sustained
improvements in passenger processing in the current facility
could allow TSA to revise the requirements of the
Doha-specific Emergency Amendment, making them less
demanding. She said based on the current assessment alone it
likely would be possible to make "significant changes" to the
screening of "excessive property at the gate." Any changes
based on this visit or the next, though, would have to be
approved by the Administrator of TSA and based on continued,
sustained good performance at security checkpoints.

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DEFICIT OF TRAINED SCREENERS
--------------


9. (C) Gilchrist took advantage of Major General

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Al-Khulaifi's presence to note that the Civil Aviation
Authority had requested 30 percent more MOI staff at the
airport to address current needs and would need even more
personnel as airport operations expanded. Noting there are
700 total security personnel at the airport, 130 of whom are
screeners, Gilchrist said the airport needs 170 to 180
screeners in the near term. He added that the new airport,
once opened, would require a ten-fold increase in screeners.
Al-Noaimi, following his security advisor's lead, said he
would soon submit to MOI a needs assessment that would allow
MOI sufficient time to recruit and train the additional
personnel.


10. (C) At meeting's end, Al-Noaimi offered a tour of the new
airport construction site to the TSA delegation and asked
them to meet with Control Risk, the UK security consultant
designing the security for the new facility. TSA readily
accepted.


11. (U) The TSA delegation has cleared this message.

LeBaron