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.

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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