EXBS: KOSOVO MONTHLY REPORTING CABLE JANUARY 2010

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 PRISTINA 000071 SIPDIS SENSITIVE STATE FOR ISN/ECC RBALDWIN STATE ALSO FOR EUR/SCE FOR BEVANS; EUR/ACE FOR DFROMAN USCBP/INA FOR BSUBER DTRA DULLES WASHDC FOR MMYERS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ETTC MNUC PARM PREL KSTC KNNP KV SUBJECT: EXBS: KOSOVO MONTHLY REPORTING CABLE JANUARY 2010 SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED-PLEASE PROTECT ACCORDINGLY ¶1. (SBU) BROAD ITEMS OF INTEREST TO ADVISORS AND AGENCY MANAGERS N/A. ¶2. (SBU) COMPLETED ACTIONS FOR THE REPORTING PERIOD N/A. ¶3. (SBU) SITE ASSESSMENTS AND MEETINGS DURING REPORTING PERIOD A) January 12, 2010: EXBS Advisor Milam and Program Assistant met with Bahri Berisha, Customs Director of Law Enforcement and Bajram Rexha, Customs Director of Revenue Operations, to discuss upcoming equipment donations and Kosovo training needs. EXBS Advisor suggested offering a refresher course for technical EXBS donated equipment. EXBS informed Berisha and Rexha of the upcoming baggage X-ray scanner scheduled to arrive in Kosovo within 60 days. The baggage X-ray unit will be donated to Customs for use at the Vermica Border Crossing Point (BCP). Additionally, EXBS Advisor gave course information on the upcoming joint Kosovo and Albania International Border Intervention Training (IBIT II),which is scheduled for late March at the Hotel Sharr, near Prizren. Kosovo Customs agreed to support the IBIT II training by providing transportation for Customs officers from Pristina to the training site at the Vermica BCP. EXBS Advisor offered to fund a future Best Practices Visit by Kosovo Customs to the Croatian Customs Academy in Zagreb Croatia. The Visit will help build the capacity of Kosovo Customs and identify which courses could be held by Croatian Customs academy officials in Kosovo. B) January 12, 2010: EXBS Program Advisor and Program Assistant met with core group members Suzana Krasniqi, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Izer Arifi, Ministry of Trade and Industry, to review the draft Law on Export Control. The core members agreed to schedule a second meeting with Commonwealth Trading Partners, in Pristina, during the first week of March, 2010, to work on the draft Law final version. C) January 13, 2010: EXBS Advisor Milam and Assistant conducted a site visit at Vermica BCP and met with Customs and Border Police field staff to discuss the use of EXBS donated equipment and training. EXBS informed Customs Head of BCP, Xhemajl Prekaj, on the details of upcoming baggage scanner. EXBS Advisor examined the site where Customs will house the Baggage X-ray scanner. Border Police were equipped with Mini-Rad pagers. A request was made for additional rechargeable type batteries specific to the flashlights donated by EXBS. D) January 14, 2010: EXBS Advisor Milam and Assistant met with Aurora Castillo, ICITAP, and George Clarke, ICITAP, to discuss upcoming EXBS training and equipment to be donated to Border Police. The purpose of the meeting was to de-conflict future trainings and equipment donations that would be provided to the Kosovo Border Police by EXBS and ICITAP. EXBS Advisor informed ICITAP that he would continue to keep an active line of communication with them and share information on upcoming equipment and training scheduled for the Kosovo Border Police during FY10. E) January 20, 2010: EXBS Macedeonia and EXBS Kosovo hosted a meeting between Macedonia and Kosovo Border Police at the U.S. Embassy Skopje conference room. The meeting was attended by the following border police officials: Macedonian Border Police Assistant Director Marinko Kochovski, Training Advisor Kire Mitrev, Kosovo Border Police Head Colonel Shaban Guda, Administration Director Colonel Mentor Shabani, EXBS Kosovo Advisor Christopher Milam, Program Assistant Shpresa Kusari, EXBS Macedonia Advisor Matthew Jones, Program Assistant Frosina Ivanovska, and KFOR/U.S. Army Captain Shane Clennon. The purpose of the meeting was to encourage both border agencies to discuss training and equipment needs. EXBS sought to gain a better understanding of the preferred future training requests for each agency and to identify logistical and administrative issues. The meeting focused on recommendations for joint training with Kosovo and Macedonia. PRISTINA 00000071 002 OF 003 --TRAINING RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE DISCUSSIONS: A two week joint training course to be held in Macedonia. The first week of training will take place in Macedonia, and the second week will be conducted on the Kosovo-Macedonian border. -- Training needs identified include the following: 1) Operation and maximization of results using thermal imagers. 2) Ground sensor application and use. 3) GPS joint patrol coordination in identification and interdiction of border incursions. 4) First-aid/rescue. 5) A request to coordinate the training with U.S. Border Patrol BORTAC unit was made by KPS Colonel Mentor Shabani. -- EQUIPMENT RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE DISCUSSIONS: Kosovo will need a ground sensor kit donation. A) January 22, 2010: EXBS Advisor Milam and Assistant visited Gllobocica BCP, which is limited to non-commercial vehicles. This BCP has very light traffic, with a reported average crossing of 500-600 vehicles in a 24-hour period. B) EXBS Advisor Milam met with the Gllobocica Customs Head, Shefqet Rexhepi, and the Border Police Logistics Assistant to discuss EXBS donated equipment and future trainings. Customs and Border Police are using EXBS equipment together, but lack a dedicated vehicle examination area for detailed inspection. EXBS Advisor observed the following equipment at the BCP: mini-rad pagers, night vision monocular, buster, inspection mirror, flashlight, and Gerber tools. C) January 28, 2010: A Kosovo delegation consisting of members from the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Kosovo Security Force traveled to Zagreb for a two-day working session with Croatian experts on export control. EXBS Advisor and Program Assistant met with Croatian export control officials at U.S. Embassy Zagreb for a final review of Kosovo's Export Control draft law. ¶4. (U) Equipment usage report: N/A. ¶5. (SBU) TRAINING CONDUCTED DURING REPORTING PERIOD N/A. ¶6. (U) EQUIPMENT DELIVERED DURING REPORTING PERIOD N/A. ¶7. (SBU) IMMINENT TRAINING OR EQUIPMENT STATUS UPDATE A) February 1 to February 4, 2010: DTRA/ICP instructors will provide Terrorism and Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) Course, Vushtrri, Kosovo. B) February 10 to February 12, 2010: DHS/ICE instructors will provide a joint Kosovo and Albania Export Enforcement course to 30 Border Police officers in Tirana, Albania. C) Legal/Regulatory training for GOK officials is scheduled to begin on the week of March 1, 2010. ¶8. (U) SIGNIFICANT DEVELOPMENTS IN EXPORT CONTROLS, NONPROLIFERATION, OR RELATED BORDER SECURITY PRISTINA 00000071 003 OF 003 N/A. ¶9. (U) PORTAL MONITOR OR RADIATION PAGER ALERTS N/A. ¶10. (SBU) Point of contact is EXBS Advisor Christopher Milam, telephone +377-44-508-016, e-mail MilamCJ@state.gov. MURPHY