Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09USOSCE123
2009-05-14 16:21:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Mission USOSCE
Cable title:  

FSC MAY 13: STOCKPILE AND BORDER SECURITY

Tags:  PARM PREL KCFE OSCE MD TI XG 
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VZCZCXRO4612
PP RUEHAST RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHLA RUEHMRE RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSK RUEHSR
DE RUEHVEN #0123/01 1341621
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 141621Z MAY 09
FM USMISSION USOSCE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6379
INFO RUCNOSC/ORG FOR SECURITY CO OP IN EUR COLLECTIVE
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0751
RUEHUNV/USMISSION UNVIE VIENNA 1308
RHMFISS/CDR USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE
RHMFISS/CDRUSAREUR HEIDELBERG GE
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHDLCNE/CINCUSNAVEUR LONDON UK
RUEKJCS/DIA WASHDC
RUEASWA/DTRA ALEX WASHINGTON DC
RUESDT/DTRA-OSES DARMSTADT GE
RHMFIUU/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL
RUEKJCS/JCS WASHDC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 1246
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 USOSCE 000123 

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

STATE FOR VCI/CCA, VCI/NRRC, EUR/RPM, EUR/PRA, EUR/CARC,
SCA/CEN, SCA/RA, PM/WRA, ISN/CPI
JCS FOR J-5
OSD FOR ISA (PERENYI)
NSC FOR HAYES
USUN FOR LEGAL, POL
EUCOM FOR J-5
CENTCOM FOR J-5
UNVIE FOR AC
GENEVA FOR CD

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PARM PREL KCFE OSCE MD TI XG
SUBJECT: FSC MAY 13: STOCKPILE AND BORDER SECURITY
HIGHLIGHTED

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 USOSCE 000123

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

STATE FOR VCI/CCA, VCI/NRRC, EUR/RPM, EUR/PRA, EUR/CARC,
SCA/CEN, SCA/RA, PM/WRA, ISN/CPI
JCS FOR J-5
OSD FOR ISA (PERENYI)
NSC FOR HAYES
USUN FOR LEGAL, POL
EUCOM FOR J-5
CENTCOM FOR J-5
UNVIE FOR AC
GENEVA FOR CD

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PARM PREL KCFE OSCE MD TI XG
SUBJECT: FSC MAY 13: STOCKPILE AND BORDER SECURITY
HIGHLIGHTED


1. (SBU) Summary: Moldova and the OSCE proposed construction
of new facilities to improve the safety of munitions storage
facilities near Chisinau at the cost of 834,000 euros and
requested participating State financial support. Tajikistan
outlined its Border Security and Management Strategy and
stressed the need to improve the training and equipment of
border forces who confront increasing levels of trafficking
and terrorism originating in Afghanistan and elsewhere. The
new Border Security Staff College in Dushanbe will include
students from Afghanistan. In the working groups, the Danish
proposal for a December 2009 meeting of heads of verification
agencies gained wide support. The draft decision on FSC
contributions to the Annual Security Review Conference will
be brought to plenary on May 20. End summary.

Moldova Stockpile Security
--------------


2. (SBU) OSCE Mission to Moldova project coordinator Kenneth
Pickles and Moldovan Colonel Andrei Sarban addressed
upgrading Moldovan conventional ammunition storage
facilities. They requested financial support for
constructing a new conventional ammunition storage facility
at the Bulboaca training area outside of Chisinau. Pickles
noted that the aging storage structures existing at Bulboaca
were originally designed as garages and storehouses for a
Soviet airborne unit. The existing facility does not provide
safe storage of conventional munitions for a number of
structural and environmental reasons, as well as inadequate
separation distances.


3. (SBU) Pickles noted Moldova's December 2006 request for
technical and financial assistance from the OSCE to enhance
stockpile security, as well as the May 2007 FSC assessment
visit to Moldova which recommended new construction at
Bulboaca among other tasks. In response to the FSC
assessment, Pickles said the OSCE proposed to improve the
site by constructing three new ammunition storage units.

These units would be part of the larger effort to upgrade
existing storage sites and provide munitions destruction
assistance. Sarban noted that new facilities would bring the
Bulboaca site into compliance with international standards,
raise standards for stockpiling in Moldova more generally,
and promote OSCE best practices for storage of conventional
ammunition. Pickles estimated the cost of the construction
project to be 834,000 euros and requested financial support,
noting that the project timeline depends largely on the
timing and size of contributions.


4. (SBU) The U.S. (Neighbour) asked about the sustainability
of the project and questioned whether the Mission would
provide transparency measures to Transnistria to ensure that
de facto authorities therein are not threatened by improved
storage capabilities at Bulboaca and within Moldova more
generally. Pickles noted that the Mission would fully brief
Transnistrian authorities and that they are routinely invited
to visit and inspect the military sites and exercises. In
response to another U.S. question, Pickles noted that MANPADS
were not included in Moldovan plans for destruction of
surplus ordnance while S200 missiles and R60 air-to-air
rockets are slated for elimination.

Border Security in Tajikistan

USOSCE 00000123 002 OF 004


--------------


5. (SBU) General Kasym Gafarov, First Deputy Chief of the
State Committee for National Security of Tajikistan, briefed
on the finalization of the Tajikistan 2009-2015 National
Border Security and Management Strategy, crafted jointly by
the OSCE and the Tajik Border Task Force, and asked for
assistance in resulting joint OSCE-Tajik projects. Gafarov
noted that the Task Force, comprised of relevant Tajik
ministries, had identified core threats along the border,
including human trafficking, transnational criminal groups,
illegal migration, and terrorism and extremism. Based on
these threats, the task force recommended a long-term,
"integrated system of border management" consisting of five
initiatives:

- synchronization of national legislation with international
standards for border security;
- protection of human rights;
- increased coordination between border patrol and other
military units;
- streamlining of customs and border crossing; and
- upgrades to technical infrastructure.

Stressing the need to upgrade border units, Gafarov closed
his presentation by requesting expert and financial
assistance to implement the strategy.

Tajikistan Details Its Needs
--------------


6. (SBU) Colonel Saymudin Mirzoev of the Tajikistan State
Committee for National Security followed Gafarov with a more
detailed appeal for financial assistance to modernize Tajik
border patrols, noting the threat that increasingly
well-armed and trained non-state actors pose to Tajikistan's
current border security forces. To implement the new border
management strategy in this environment, Mirzoev stated that
the OSCE was working on a project with Tajikistan to create
"roving" border security patrols along the southern border
with Afghanistan. The patrol units will act as a separate
border detachment comprised of highly-trained and equipped
officers, akin to the system employed by Russia. Mirzoev
focused on the importance of state-of-the-art equipment such
as all-terrain vehicles and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)
and requested funding to proceed with necessary equipment
modernization.


7. (SBU) Mirzoev frequently referred to Tajikistan's concerns
over its border with Afghanistan, while presenting some
positive notes on Tajik-Afghan cooperation. On several
occasions, Mirzoev specifically noted Tajikistan's increasing
concerns with drug trafficking, terrorism, and religious
extremism originating from Afghanistan, which are not
expected to decrease in the short term. Kazakhstan (Asanov)
seconded this sentiment and encouraged other participating
States (pS) to contribute.


8. (SBU) Mirzoev stated that Tajikistan continued to seek
partner participation with Afghanistan and any other
interested party on border security. He noted that twenty
Afghan border officers will attend a June 2009
train-the-trainer session offered by Tajikistan, and that

USOSCE 00000123 003 OF 004


Tajikistan was in close contact with top Afghan border
security officials about potential cooperation on mobile
border patrols.


9. (SBU) Russia (Ulyanov) said it supported increased Tajik
border security and OSCE assistance for this, observing that
it planned to "pay particular attention" to the types
assistance offered by pS. The U.S. (Neighbour) praised the
cooperative efforts made by Tajikistan, especially with
Afghanistan, and hoped that its border strategy would work
well so it could serve as a model to its neighbors.


10. (SBU) Given the funding requests by both Gafarov and
Mirzoev, several pS noted the upcoming May 27 launch of the
Border Management Staff College in Dushanbe and questioned
whether financial shortfalls would prevent its operation.
Both Mirzoev and the OSCE Conflict Prevention Center director
(Salber) agreed that the college still needed funding but
fully expected needs would be met and noted that the college
was moving forward on hiring and equipment purchases.

FSC Inputs to ASRC
--------------


11. (SBU) The draft decision on the FSC contributions to the
2009 Annual Security Review Conference (FSC.DD/2/09) was
approved by the working group and will be considered by the
May 20 plenary. Per the draft, the FSC would:

- present an oral and written report of its activities
through the FSC chair;
- propose that an FSC Troika member of the director of the
Conflict Prevention Center coordinate and chair a working
session of the ASRC; and
- submit to the CiO a list of politico-military elements for
discussion and use in keynote speeches.


12. (SBU) The chair (Giorgadze, Georgia) announced that the
list of politico-military elements will be distributed May 15
and discussed in the May 20 working group.

Vienna Document
--------------


13. (SBU) Turkey (Bekar) announced it hosted Vienna Document
Chapter IV contact events May 4-8, including visits to a
military facility and an air base, and the demonstration of
new equipment. Representatives of 48 participating States,
the OSCE Secretariat, and the Zagreb-based RACVIAC Center for
Security Cooperation attended.


14. (SBU) The CPC announced a May 26-27 conference on Vienna
Document implementation in Almaty. The CPC, the OSCE Center
in Astana, and representatives from Central Asia and Caucasus
participating States will attend.

HOV Meeting
--------------


15. (SBU) The Danish proposal for a meeting of heads of
verification agencies on December 14, 2009, received wide
support (FSC.DEL/107/09). The U.S. (Silberberg) asked
Denmark to elaborate on the relative advantage of a meeting

USOSCE 00000123 004 OF 004


in December instead of on the margins of the Annual
Implementation Assessment Meeting (AIAM) in the spring. The
U.S. also asked what was the added value of a free-standing
meeting, noting there was wide agreement that recent HOV
meetings had only duplicated discussions in the AIAM.


16. (SBU) Denmark (Petersen) replied that a meeting in
December would allow delegations and capitals sufficient time
to consider and develop any proposals made by the HOV.
Petersen said a December meeting need not impose additional
costs if held in conjunction with the annual information
exchange. The Czech Republic, Greece, Luxembourg, Spain,
Sweden, Austria, and Georgia support the proposal. Canada
(Linteau) offered general support, but proposed a January 10,
2010 meeting. Petersen noted the later date might entail
added expenses. The proposal will remain on the working
group agenda.

Code of Conduct
--------------


17. (SBU) The FSC coordinator for the Code of Conduct
(Eischer, Austria) will start discussion in the May 20
working group on a proposal for annual review of
implementation of the Code of Conduct.

Conventional Ammunition
--------------


18. (SBU) The CPC announced that the Handbook of Best
Practices on Conventional Ammunition has been issued as a
CD-ROM. Also, the CPC has recently translated the handbook
into Russian.

Information Exchanges
--------------


19. (SBU) The CPC (Martynuk) noted that national submissions
were due June 30 for the information exchanges on measures to
prevent illicit air transport of SALW (FSC.GAL/53/09) and
conventional arms transfers (FSC.GAL/43/09/Rev.1).


20. (SBU) Martynuk also noted that the UN was reviewing its
reporting instrument on military expenditures. As the OSCE
used the same instrument for its annual information exchange,
it would need to consider revisions if the UN made changes.

Next Meeting
--------------


21. (SBU) The next FSC will be on May 20 and will feature Dr
Alexander Lambert of the Geneva Center for the Democratic
Control of the Armed Forces on the recent technical update of
the Code of Conduct questionnaire (FSC.DEC/2/09).
SCOTT