U.S.-POLISH COUNTERTERRORISM WORKING GROUP FOCUSES

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 WARSAW 001220 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/CE, EUR/UMB, S/CT, INL, L E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/15/2019 TAGS: PTER PREL PGOV KCRM PL SUBJECT: U.S.-POLISH COUNTERTERRORISM WORKING GROUP FOCUSES ON PRACTICAL COOPERATION AHEAD OF EURO 2012 SOCCER CUP Classified By: POL - Craig Conway for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: The U.S.-Polish Counterterrorism Working Group met December 11 to review ongoing bilateral counterterrorism cooperation, primarily between U.S. and Polish law enforcement, homeland security, and crisis management agencies. Visiting S/CT officials provided a briefing on the Obama Administration's approach to counterterrorism. Polish officials briefed on planning for the 2012 European soccer championship, to be hosted jointly by Poland and Ukraine. Moving forward, post aims to focus more CTWG attention and energy on what the U.S. and Poland can do together, especially in Eastern Europe. In the run-up to Poland's 2011 EU Presidency we hope to use the CTWG to explain U.S. views on the full range of U.S.-EU counterterrorism cooperation priorities in a bid to enlist Polish support. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (C) Polish Deputy Interior Minister Adam Rapacki and DCM co-chaired December 11 a plenary session of the bilateral Counterterrorism Working Group (CTWG). Established in 2004, the CTWG focuses primarily on improving already strong working-level cooperation and coordination between U.S. agencies and Polish counterparts on a range of domestic CT priorities, e.g., homeland security, border protection, terrorist finance, crisis management and incident response. Counterterrorism-related military and intelligence cooperation fall outside the CTWG's scope. Since February, the CTWG has increasingly focused on Polish preparations for the 2012 European soccer championships, which will be jointly hosted by Poland and Ukraine. VALUABLE FORUM FOR SHARING BEST PRACTICES ¶3. (SBU) Rapacki, who has lead on coordinating GOP counterterrorism policies and activities, kicked off the CTWG by noting it had been a valuable forum for sharing ideas, information, and best practices, as well as identify creative ways to strengthen and expand cooperation. Although there have been no terrorist attacks on Polish soil and the current threat level is low, the GOP devotes significant resources to counterterrorism activities to ensure the threat does not increase. Because Poland views terrorism as the greatest threat of the 21st century, it participates actively in international counterterrorism activities, including military engagement in Afghanistan. Poland understands that it strengthens its own security by confronting terrorist threats elsewhere. ¶4. (SBU) Visiting S/CT representatives James Cartwright and James Webster provided an overview of the Obama Administration's approach to counterterrorism. Rapacki agreed on the need to take a multi-faceted, multi-dimensional approach to counterterrorism and expressed interest in strengthening U.S.-Polish cooperation along similar lines. U.S. Embassy representatives (DHS/TSA, FBI, ODC, and POL) then provided brief overviews of ongoing cooperation initiatives, including visits/exchanges between Polish and U.S. officials, participation in joint CT exercises in both the U.S. and Poland, and sharing of best practices. ¶5. (SBU) Waldemar Zubrzycki, the Polish National Police captain who chairs the GOP's Counterterrorism/Crisis Management Task Force, reported on a May/June visit by 11 Polish officials to Illinois at the invitation of the Illinois National Guard (ILNG) and Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA). He explained that the visit had given Polish participants a better understanding of how Illinois' crisis management and incident response system functions, provided insight into potential solutions to Polish challenges, and lent confidence that recent approaches undertaken by Polish authorities will function effectively, based on evidence that they work well in the United States. He stressed that further cooperation and contact between U.S. and Polish counterparts would benefit both countries. Artur Skwarczynski, director of the Polish National Police Counterterrorist Operations Bureau, described the outcomes of a September visit by U.S. officials to review Poland's strategy for responding to hostage incidents. Polish participants expressed strong interest in participating in ILNG's 2010 Praire North exercise. EURO 2012 SOCCER CUP ¶6. (SBU) Polish Interior Ministry officials noted the unprecedented challenge Poland faces in ensuring safety and security for the 2012 European soccer championships. WARSAW 00001220 002 OF 002 Twenty-three matches will be held over the course of three weeks in four Polish cities -- Warsaw, Gdansk, Wroclaw, and Poznan -- as well as Kyiv, Ukraine. Poland's overriding goal is to provide sufficient security without excessive interference in the festivities. Poland is already deeply involved in conducting risk assessments and is working to address identified weaknesses, i.e., inadequate safety and security infrastructure; need to improve cooperation between the many national, regional, and local security agencies and other actors; inadequate civil society participation in security concepts; and the need for coordinated information strategy and policies. Poland and Ukraine plan to conduct extensive exercises for law enforcement, first responders, and crisis management agencies in the run-up to the soccer cup. ¶7. (SBU) Poland has worked with Ukraine to develop a joint safety and security strategy, as well as common communication and information exchange principles. The two countries hold regular meetings of joint groups responsible for planning cooperation. Ukrainian officials also participate in internships at Polish counterpart institutions. In terms of Polish-Ukrainian cooperation with the EU and other European countries, Ukraine participates in the EU Council's working group on sporting event safety and security and is a member of the Council of Europe committee established to counteract "excessive behavior" of soccer fans. Ukrainian police also participate in an array of pan-European training programs. Rapacki noted that Poland is pressing the GOU to ratify the EU convention on personal data protection. If not, EU member states might impose restrictions on exchanging information about problematic soccer fans. He noted that Ukraine had also been involved in exchanges of best practices with Germany and other countries that had sponsored large-scale sporting events. POLAND OPEN TO U.S. SUGGESTIONS ¶8. (SBU) Rapacki concluded the meeting by remarking on the extensive working-level cooperation already underway between U.S. and Polish counterterrorism agencies, including a wealth of training programs, joint exercises, exchanges, and direct cooperation on law enforcement investigations. He pledged the GOP would be open to further suggestions from the United States, particularly with respect to implementing the Obama Administration's multi-dimensional counterterrorism strategy. COMMENT ¶9. (C) As the CTWG evolves, we aim to focus less on what the U.S. is doing for Poland -- e.g., training and other forms of CT assistance -- and more on what the U.S. and Poland can do together, especially in Ukraine and other Eastern European countries. In addition, in the run-up to Poland's 2011 EU Presidency we hope to use the CTWG to explain U.S. counterterrorism priorities, particularly as they relate to U.S.-EU cooperation. The Poles share common values and purpose on most regional security policy issues. With a fuller understanding of U.S. counterterrorism priorities, they could prove to be strong allies in this field as well. FEINSTEIN