Paris Pact Partners Launch Next Phase of Cooperation to

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 UNVIE VIENNA 000548 OSD Policy for DASD Wechsler SIPDIS E.O. 12958:N/A TAGS: PREL UN SNAR AF SUBJECT: Paris Pact Partners Launch Next Phase of Cooperation to Target Afghan Heroin ¶1. SUMMARY: The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) hosted from November 26-27 a meeting of the 7th Policy Consultative Group of the Paris Pact Initiative during which more than 50 Paris Pact partners agreed to launch in 2010 the third phase of cooperation to target trafficking and consumption of Afghan heroin. The U.S. delegation (USDEL) successfully advanced reforms within the framework of the Paris Pact Initiative to increase its focus on operational activities, particularly in the area of precursor chemical control and border security, rather than identify new regional areas of focus. USDEL also found broad support for reforming the existing roundtable meeting format to small technical working groups with targeted agendas on the above Paris Pact operational priorities. Paris Pact partners agreed to meet again on the margins of the March 2010 UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) in order to further refine activities for the second half of 2010. UNODC is planning to host in early 2010 two previously-approved experts groups, one in Kabul on Afghanistan and its neighbors, the other in Almaty focusing on Central Asia and China. For logistical reasons, UNODC had previously postponed these meetings from 2009. END SUMMARY -------------- COMPOSITION OF USDEL -------------- ¶2. John Sullivan, Director of INL's Office of Policy Planning and Coordination served as head of delegation. In addition, the following officials comprised USDEL: INL Christine Cline, UNVIE Adam Davis, AFRICOM Stephen Johnston, INL Michael Overby, UNVIE Christopher Shahidi and EUCOM Howard Steers. -------------- REVIEWING PROGRESS IN 2009: WESTERN EUROPE, PRECURSOR CHEMICALS AND FINANCIAL FLOWS -------------- ¶3. Developed in 2003, the Paris Pact Initiative serves as a vehicle for garnering increased regional cooperation and buy-in among more than 50 partners to counter trafficking and consumption of Afghan opiates. To date, the Paris Pact architecture has included regional and thematic-focused Expert Roundtables to develop recommendations for implementation by UNODC and partner countries. UNODC used the occasion of the Policy Consultative Group meeting to review the Expert Roundtables and related activities conducted in 2009. Notably, UNODC convened an Expert Roundtable on Western Europe (October 22-23 in Paris),during which partners made recommendations on ways and means to counter heroin trafficking through the so-called Balkan Route and on modalities to increase dissemination of evidence-based prevention and treatment. The Paris Pact Policy Consultative Group endorsed the recommendations agreed to by the Expert Roundtable ¶4. In addition, UNODC reviewed Paris Pact thematic activities related to precursor chemical control and financial flows linked to production and trafficking of Afghan Opiates. Under Operation TARCET, Paris Pact partners have worked to identify and intercept smuggled consignments of precursor chemicals. Its second phase is currently underway and will focus on initiation of backtracking investigations. USDEL praised Operation TARCET as a model for future counternarcotics enforcement cooperation and urged the Central Asia Regional Information and Coordination Center (CARICC) to continue its role as the operational coordination unit for TARCET activities. With regard to financial flows, UNODC developed a questionnaire in order to collate information from Paris Pact partners on money flows to and from Afghanistan. UNODC will ask that the questionnaire be completed by April 2010 in order to inform future expert meetings, including possibly of Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs). ¶5. Due to logistical complications in fall 2009, UNODC announced their intention to reschedule in early 2010 an Expert Roundtable on Afghanistan and its Neighbors in Kabul and an Expert Roundtable on Central Asia and China in Almaty. -------------- U.S. ADVANCES AN OPERATIONALLY FOCUSED PARIS PACT -------------- ¶6. Building on recommendations issued by a UNODC external evaluation report upon the close of the 2006-2009 phase of Paris Pact operations, USDEL advanced its focus on precursor chemical control and cross-border security. The Paris Pact's Operation TARCET seized 20 tons of Acetic Anhydride in 2008 alone, and USDEL and others pushed for its continuation. USDEL encouraged expert-level regional meetings to review the implementation of previous recommendations, instead of further spreading Paris Pact roundtables to include new regional areas. UNVIE VIEN 00000548 002 OF 003 ¶7. While the Paris Pact holds annual meetings of the Policy Consultative Group - such as this one - to review current-year activities and discuss upcoming programs, most dialogue occurs through multiple expert-level discussions each year among the partner countries, which in turn issue formal recommendations for consideration by policymakers. As described in the UNODC external evaluation of the Paris Pact, prior-year expert meetings have covered an ever-expanding range of geographical and operational themes, with little opportunity to review progress on implementing previous recommendations. While this has encouraged Paris Pact members to study and understand the Afghan opiate trade in a comprehensive manner, the wide array of topics covered during expert meetings has weakened opportunities for a proper exchange of technical best practices by participants. ¶8. After UNODC announced its intention to hold at least one geographic Expert Roundtable in 2010, USDEL encouraged deepening our focus on geographic areas previously reviewed by Paris Pact, in order to follow up on earlier expert recommendations, instead of expanding the Pact's focus to new and uncharted areas of discussion. UNODC also announced plans to host at least two thematic Technical Working Groups (TWG) during 2010, each focusing on a specific operational priority and reviewing implementation of prior expert recommendations on that specific theme. ¶9. USDEL emphasized that TWG sessions in 2010 could most contribute to enhancing operational cooperation on counternarcotics efforts by focusing on precursor chemical control and border security enforcement. While Russia emphasized its preference that at least one TWG study of financial flows and alternative remittance systems, it also voiced support for U.S. proposals on precursors and border security within the TWG framework. Iran and India each expressed interest in holding expert-level dialogue on precursor chemical control, while the French and Canadian delegations both reinforced U.S. preferences for discussing precursor chemicals and border security as priority areas of TWG focus in 2010. The UNODC chair (Deputy Director for the Division of Operations, Bernard Frahi) summarized the meeting as though he were reading from the USG talking points - two TWGs, one on precursors, one on border security/LE cooperation and no new regional roundtables. That said, final decisions by the Paris Pact on both regional and thematic expert areas of focus will be formally approved during a reconvened session of the Policy Consultative Group on the margins of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs in March 2010. We expect that some within the secretariat may try to add a regional roundtable on the Balkans, similarly, Russia may push for continuing the working group on financial flows. -------------- RESOURCE REQUIRMENTS FOR THE ROAD AHEAD -------------- ¶10. UNODC developed a project document that details resource requirements of $2.9 million for Phase Three of the Paris Pact Initiative. UNODC requires at least $700,000 in order to begin activities in June 2010. Russia announced a pledge of $200,000 at the Policy Consultative Group meeting, and UNODC anticipates that France will provide an additional $200,000, although no formal announcement has been made. On the margins, UNODC lobbied for U.S. funding support. USDEL did not provide a commitment to do so but noted that it would give due consideration to the proposal. (Note: INL has provided a small, annual contribution of approximately $100,000 to support the Paris Pact Initiative. For a copy of the Paris Pact project document, please contact INL's Christine Cline (ClineCM@state.gov) or Mike Overby (OverbyM@state.gov). End Note.) ¶11. Russia also expressed support for a Ministerial meeting to be held in 2010 in order to continue high-level attention to the Paris Pact Initiative. This Ministerial would follow those hosted by France in 2003 to launch the first phase and by Russia in 2006 to launch the second phase. No country came forward with an offer to host such an event. However, UNODC informed USDEL that Russia had been encouraging France to host such an event with a view to allowing Russia to host a fourth Ministerial meeting in 2012. -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶12. Partner countries demonstrated a commitment to continue the Paris Pact into a Third Phase, while recognizing the need to make reforms to the format and focus of its meetings. It will be important to continue outreach with UNODC in advance of the reconvened Policy Consultative Group meeting tentatively scheduled for March 2010 in order to ensure the agreements to streamline the Paris Pact architecture are reflected in the future work plan. Our UNVIE VIEN 00000548 003 OF 003 challenge is to move Paris Pact away from being just a debating society and to leverage its proven potential as a forum for mobilizing attention to Afghan counter drug issues and identifying programmatic synergies. END COMMENT.