INTERIOR MINISTER VIEWS ON TFTP, AFGHANISTAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BERLIN 000176 SIPDIS STATE FOR EUR, SCA, S/SRAP, S/CT, L, S/GC E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/11/2020 TAGS: PTER PREL PGOV MARR AFDB AFIN GM SUBJECT: INTERIOR MINISTER VIEWS ON TFTP, AFGHANISTAN POLICE, COUNTERTERRORISM REF: A. BERLIN 138 ¶B. BERLIN 128 ¶C. BERLIN 38 Classified By: Greg T. Delawie, Deputy Chief of Mission, for Reasons 1. 4 (b and d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Federal Interior Minister de Maiziere told the Ambassador that the Chancellor and he were personally contacting German European Parliamentarians to obtain their support for the Terrorist Finance Tracking Program (TFTP) interim agreement in the run up to the February 11 EP vote. The Ambassador expressed appreciation for Germany's contributions to civilian police training efforts in Afghanistan, highlighted a number of problem areas, and asked de Maiziere to encourage Germany's federal states - which supply the majority of trainers - to reward service in Afghanistan. Regarding our bilateral (Pruem-like) agreement to prevent and combat serious crime, de Maiziere indicated that an official USG letter signaling U.S. willingness to discuss data privacy concerns should suffice to allow implementation to move forward. De Maiziere promised a response on the Guantanamo detainee resettlement before the end of February. End Summary ¶2. (C) Ambassador Murphy, accompanied by DCM, met with German Federal Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere on February 8 to review a range of key security and counterterrorism issues. De Maiziere, who assumed his position in October 2009 after serving as Chancellor Merkel's Chief of Staff, has so far proven to be a reliable partner and ally on these issues. Afghanistan Police Training -------------- ¶3. (C) The Ambassador shared his impressions of Germany's armed forces and civilian police trainers following his recent five-day visit to northern Afghanistan and Kabul (Ref A). The Ambassador complimented de Maiziere on the dedication, professionalism and competence of the German soldiers and police he met on his trip and expressed appreciation for de Maiziere's efforts to boost Germany's contributions to train Afghan police (see Ref C). However, the Ambassador highlighted three issues that require further attention. The first concerns the lack of incentives for voluntary service in Afghanistan for police coming from Germany's 16 federal states. During the Ambassador's visit to Afghanistan, some state police indicated that service in Afghanistan actually hindered their careers and reduced their opportunities for promotion. The Ambassador encouraged de Maiziere to look into this issue, which the Minister promised to do. Secondly, the Ambassador acknowledged Germany's important contributions to the Focused Police District Development (FPDD) program and highlighted the importance of partnering with Afghan security forces and embedding international mentors within Afghan forces in order to protect civilian populations. The Ambassador noted that moving more German police trainers into the field, as FPDD does, requires Bundeswehr force protection and corresponding coordination, manpower and security challenges. Lastly, the Ambassador drew attention to the difficulty faced by the Afghan Gendarmerie (formerly Afghan National Civil Order Police) who are tasked with policing in FPDD program districts during the eight-week period that local district forces are away at one of Germany's police training centers. The Afghan Gendarmerie who provide this "back fill" service are moved from one FPDD district to another which results in long absences from their homes/families and is unfortunately contributing to high dissatisfaction and attrition within the Gendarmerie. De Maiziere promised to examine these issues BERLIN 00000176 002 OF 003 further and welcomed the opportunity to continue a dialogue with the Ambassador on Afghanistan. Terrorist Finance Tracking Program -------------- ¶4. (C) The Ambassador stressed how important it is for the German federal government to lobby German European Parliament members on the usefulness of the TFTP. Although USG representatives are making many calls to German MEPs, MEPs need to hear directly from their own government. De Maiziere replied that the Chancellor and he are indeed personally contacting German MEPs to obtain their support for the TFTP interim agreement. However, de Maiziere cautioned that the U.S. should avoid any messages that appear to "threaten" the Parliament/Europe with consequences if the European Parliament vote does not go as we wish as this would likely spur a backlash. The Minister indicated that if the issue comes to a vote it could be a close one, but the issue is by no means "lost". ¶5. (C) De Maiziere identified two individuals with influence with whom we might wish to engage: Bavarian Manfred Weber, who is the Deputy Chair of the European People's Party (Christian Democrats),and Spanish Interior Minister Rubalcaba. De Maiziere described Weber, who had previously expressed skepticism about TFTP in the press, as a "fence sitter" who might be persuaded to come out in support of the interim agreement. (Note: Subsequently, Consulate General Munich and the Ambassador reached out to Weber.) De Maiziere described Rubalcaba as someone who understands the importance of TFTP, and given Spain's EU Presidency plus Rubalcaba's socialist party credentials, he could be particularly effective in changing minds within the socialist MEP block. Pruem-like Agreement to Prevent and Combat Serious Crime -------------- -------------- ¶6. (C) In response to the Ambassador's query, de Maiziere recommended the USG respond to his December 12 letter (written jointly with Justice Minister Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger) to DHS Secretary Napolitano and AG Holder with a message that expressed a willingness to discuss the concerns raised by federal states in the Bundesrat. De Maiziere made the point that all parties recognize that the agreement itself is signed and sealed. He explained that no one is asking for a re-negotiation. Rather de Maiziere said he needs a U.S. signal that we are open to address the concerns, raised principally by Hamburg state, in the "framework of an implementation arrangement". De Maiziere indicated that he had spoken with Hamburg Mayor Beust, who promised that such a message from the U.S. would suffice to assuage the Hamburg concerns. ¶7. (C) De Maiziere noted that there is an internal discussion occurring within the EU Commission's legal division on whether the U.S.-EU Passenger Name Records (PNR) agreement requires ratification by all 27 member states. De Maiziere hoped that ratification by all EU member states would not be needed, as it would add delays and possibly other complexities to the situation. Resettling Guantanamo Detainees -------------- ¶8. (C) The Ambassador inquired if the Minister had any news BERLIN 00000176 003 OF 003 regarding the U.S. request for German assistance in resettling Guantanamo detainees. De Maiziere replied that the U.S. request is still being reviewed, the ministry is having productive internal meetings on the issue and he expects to give us an answer by the end of February. De Maiziere to visit Washington -------------- ¶9. (SBU) De Maiziere indicated that he would be in Washington on April 28 and 29 and noted that he might approach us for assistance in scheduling meetings with U.S. officials. Murphy