EXBS ALBANIA REPORTING CABLE FOR AUGUST AND SEPTEMBER 2009

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 TIRANA 000694

SIPDIS
SENSITIVE

STATE FOR ISN/ECC - JFRIEDMAN, ACHURCH, JBALDWIN, LSPRINGER
STATE FOR EUR/ACE
USCBP INA FOR BSUBER
SECDEF FOR DTRA MMYERS
VIENNA PLEASE PASS TO ICE ATTACHE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ETTC MNUC PARM PREL KSTC KNNP AL
SUBJECT: EXBS ALBANIA REPORTING CABLE FOR AUGUST AND SEPTEMBER 2009


1. (U) BROAD ITEMS OF INTEREST TO ADVISORS AND AGENCY MANAGERS

--August: The results of the election were officially announced with
the Democratic Party winning by a small margin. The new cabinet is
as follows: Sali Berisha, Prime Minister; Ilir Meta, Deputy Prime
Minister; Ilir Meta, Foreign Affairs Minister; Lulezim Basha,
Interior Minister; Arben Imami, Defense Minister; Ridvan Bode,
Finance Minister; Sokol Olldashi, Public Works, Transport and
Telecommunications Minister; Dritan Prifti, Economy, Trade and
Energy Minister; and Petrit Vasili, Health Minister.


2. (U) COMPLETED ACTIONS FOR THE REPORTING PERIOD

See paragraphs 4 and 5 below discussing equipment and training.


3. (SBU) MEETINGS DURING REPORTING PERIOD

--August 4-7: Maritime Advisor (MA) participated in various meetings
with the Prototype Deployable Assessment and Assistance Team
(P/DAAT)in preparation for a Security Sector Reform Assessment in
Albania.

--August 18-21: MA in DC for consultations with EXBS and Coast
Guard. DHS has signed on to be a primary partner with FRONTEX. MA
met with representatives from NAVEUR at USCG HQ to discuss NAVEUR
engagement in Albania and NATO priorities for Albania.

--August 26-29: MA met with Montenegro Customs in connection with
the Best Practice Exchange at the Muriqan/Sukobirts to discuss the
outQoth land and sea borders. They are based in
Vlore and lack the resources to respond rapidly to incidents at land
borders or outside the Vlore arQa. They have five vessels, one
fiberglass hull bat and four inflatable boats. They have received
specialized training to respond to escalated incidents that exceed
the training of regular police officers but they need boarding
officer training as well as personal protective equipment and gear
to safely perform their job at sea.

--September 23: Met with Captain Artur Mecollari, Commander of the
Navy Southern Flotilla. Discussed personal protective equipment
needs for Coast Guard personnel and showed him the maritime
equipment that was donated and delivered to Navy Headquarters, of
which half is earmarked for the boarding team based at the Southern
Flotilla.

--September 24: Met with the Deputy Director of the Unit for the
Neutralization of Armed Elements (RENEA),Mr. Besim Sakajani. Mr.
Sakajani requested training on radiological materials and for RAD
pagers. RENEA recently responded to a possible radiological incident
at the border with Montenegro but they lacked the appropriate
expertise and equipment to assess such an incident. RENEA also needs
CO2 meters to detect other gases when they are doing confined space
searches. RENEA is another agency that is poorly supported but is on
the frontline for dealing with WMD and terrorist incidents.


4. (U) TRAINING CONDUCTED DURING THE REPORTING PERIOD

--August 24-28: A Best Practice Exchange was conducted at the newly
inaugurated Muriqan/Sukobine Joint Border Crossing Point. This
training was conducted in collaboration with the Police Assistance
Mission of the European Community to Albania (PAMECA). Two Austrian
Customs Officers and two Austrian Border Police Officers served as
subject matter experts (SMEs) to assist their Montenegrin and
Albanian counterparts with the operation and organization of a joint

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border crossing point. The SMEs are drafting a report outlining gaps
and recommendations to be shared with the Governments of Albania and
Montenegro.

--August 26-December 4: Two Navy/Coast Guard officers are attending
the U.S. Coast Guard International Maritime Officer Course at thetraining center in Yorktown, Virginia.

--Septemer 14-18: U.S. Customs and Border Protection officrs
conducted an Internat ional Border Interdictio Training in
Pogradec/Qafa Thane. The course wasdelivered to twenty-four
participants from Custom and Border Police and i(ncluded practical
exercie s conducted at the Qafa Thane border crossing poitt with
Macedonia.


5. (U) EQUIPMENT DELIVERED URING THE REPORTING PERIOD

--September: MA delieered maritime equipment to the Navy/Coast
Guard, Border Police's Delta Force and RENEA. The donated q uipment
included personal protective gear/tactical equipment with a total
value of $168,000.


6. (SBU) IMMINENT TRAINING OR EQUIPMENT STATUS REPORT:

--October 26-30: DTRA will provide a Basic WMD Investigative
Analysis Course to participants from Customs, Border Police,
Navy/Coast Guard, SHISH, Prosecutor General's Office, Center for
Applied Nuclear Physics and the Civil Emergencies Directorate.

--October 26-November 6: A representative from the State Export
Control Agency and a representative from Customs will attend a
two-week session at the University of Georgia Export Control
Academy.

--November 2-5: EXBS, in conjunction with IAEA, will provide a
Combating Illicit Trafficking in Nuclear and Radioactive Materials
course. Participants from Customs, Border Police, Navy/Coast Guard,
SHISH, Radiation Protection Office, Center for Applied Nuclear
Physics and the Civil Emergencies Directorate will attend the
course.


7. (SBU) SIGNIFICANT DEVELOPMENTS IN EXPORT CONTROLS,
NONPROLIFERATION, OR RELATED BORDER SECURITY

--None.


8. (U) PORTAL MONITOR ALERTS

-- None.


9. (U) RED FLAG ISSUES

-- None.


10. (U) POC: LT Cari Bower, email: bowerc@state.gov.