ACTION REQUEST: ASIA-PACIFIC AVIATION SECURITY

UNCLAS STATE 018175 SENSITIVE SIPDIS DHS FOR OIA (DPALMERI AND MMOONEY) TSA FOR OGS (DMCQUAID) E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ASEC EAIR IN PGOV PK PTER XB SUBJECT: ACTION REQUEST: ASIA-PACIFIC AVIATION SECURITY MINISTERIAL This message is sensitive but unclassified. Handle accordingly. ¶1. (U) This message contains an action request. See paragraph 3. It has been sent in collaboration with the Department of Homeland Security. Summary -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano will travel to Tokyo March 12-14, 2010 to attend a conference on aviation security. Japan is hosting the conference and has invited ministers with aviation or transport security-related responsibilities from Australia, Brunei, Cambodia, Canada, People,s Republic of China, Hong Kong, Macao, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and the United States. The ministerial level meeting will take place on March 13. (Note: the countries were chosen by Japan, in coordination with DHS and the Department, based on a list of major aviation hubs in the hemisphere and participation in regional Directors General of Civil Aviation annual meetings. In accordance with Japan,s direct request, we are asking action addressees to engage with host governments at the following posts, given their importance to regional aviation security: Bangkok, Beijing, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Manila, New Delhi, Seoul, Singapore, and Wellington. Japan has also invited ICAO and the Secretary General of ICAO will attend. This conference provides an opportunity to reiterate that the international community shares responsibility for global aviation security and to identify specific areas on which countries can focus their efforts to strengthen global aviation security. End Summary. Action Request -------------- ¶3. (SBU) Drawing on talking points provided in paragraph 10 and the background information below, action addressee posts should engage host governments at the highest appropriate level to express strong USG support for the GOJ's planned conference and to persuade the host government to facilitate the personal participation of the transportation minister. If the minister is unable to attend in person, post should encourage the government to send as high-level a substitute as it is able. Posts should underscore the personal participation of Secretary Napolitano, while avoiding the impression that the conference is a solely USG-driven or prompted event. Info addressee posts are also encouraged to ascertain their host government's participation and at what level it will be represented. This information should be conveyed by e-mail to Matthew Mooney, DHS Office of International Affairs, at Matthew.Mooney@HG.DHS.GOV; Brian Siler, Office of Transportation Policy in State's Bureau of Economic, Energy and Business Affairs, at silerbj@state.gov; and Susan Unruh, at State,s EAP Bureau-Japan Desk, at unruhsl@state.gov; Daniel A. McQuaid, Asia-Pacific Area Director, Office of Global Strategies, Transportation Security Administration, as daniel.mcquaid@dhs.gov. Post can direct questions about the ministerial to Matthew Mooney ( 1 202 282-8217). Questions from host country press should be referred to Matt Chandler ( 1 202 282-8010 Matthew.Chandler@HQ.DHS.GOV) in the DHS Office of Public Affairs. Background -------------- ¶4. (SBU) Following the attempted December 25, 2009 bombing of Northwest Airlines Flight 253, President Obama directed DHS to "strengthen international partnerships and coordination on aviation security issues." (In the President,s January 7, 2010, Memorandum to Department Heads). Secretary Napolitano dispatched Deputy Secretary Jane Holl Lute January 3-14, 2010 to the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Australia, Nigeria, and Brazil, as well as a January 28, 2010 trip to Canada. At the Spanish government,s invitation, Secretary Napolitano discussed aviation security with European counterparts at a meeting of European Union (EU) Justice and Home Affairs ministers in Toledo, Spain on January 21, 2010. At that time, Secretary Napolitano and her European Counterparts released a joint U.S.-EU Declaration on aviation security that captured a growing international consensus (The text is available at http://www.dhs.gov/ ynews/releases/pr 1264119013710.shtm). ¶5. (SBU) The U.S.-EU Declaration captured four key areas of focus for this international effort to strengthen aviation security: 1) information collection and identity management, 2) information sharing and collaboration in passenger vetting, 3) technology modernization, and 4) improved international standards, including the coordination of international training and technical assistance to help all countries achieve those new standards. ¶6. (SBU) On February 17, 2010, Secretary Napolitano joined representatives from North, Central, and South America, as well as the Caribbean, in Mexico City for a second international aviation security Ministerial. Building on the four key focal areas of the U.S.-EU Declaration, ministers who attended the conference agreed to a Joint Declaration on Civil Aviation Security which recognized that the air transportation system and aviation security constitute global goods and are shared responsibilities of the international community. Through the Declaration, participants agreed to support ICAO efforts to strengthen domestic and international civil aviation security standards, including Annex 17 to the Chicago Convention; explore means of improving information collection and exchange, including more effectively supporting screening by transmitting passengers, information in a timely manner prior to takeoff; promote national and international research on detection of prohibited items and identification of dangerous individuals; and enhance regional and international cooperation to support capacity building, improve aviation security measures, methods, and security frameworks. (The text is available at http://www.dhs.gov/ xabout/international/gc 1266421175567.shtm). ¶7. (SBU) The conference in Japan, along with upcoming similar ministerial meetings planned for the Middle East and Africa, seeks to build on the previous international engagements, and will set the stage for a global ministerial meeting on aviation security later in 2010 and/or the ICAO Assembly which is scheduled for fall 2010. ¶8. (SBU) Potential deliverables from the March 13, 2010 aviation security meeting in Tokyo include: commitment to enhance standards in ICAO,s Annex 17 and Annex 9; commitment to the ICAO Donors Conference and to coordinate training and technical assistance efforts; sharing best practices on screening and detection; and agreement to enhance communication on aviation security and threats. DHS will also seek bilateral deliverables related to each of the four focus areas outlined above. ¶9. (SBU) DHS will work with those countries attending the Ministerial to coordinate outreach to those countries in the region not attending. DHS is open to exploring other venues for consultation in the region, such as the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum (APEC). Talking Points -------------- ¶10. (SBU) Talking Points. The Aviation Security Ministerial Japan is hosting provides an opportunity to strengthen aviation security in Asia/Pacific and around the world. In particular, we hope that the conference will identify specific areas for enhanced cooperation and that the participants will publicly affirm the importance of securing the global aviation system and the role and responsibility every country has in this effort. On behalf of Secretary Napolitano, and in conjunction with the Government of Japan, I would like to request Minister (insert) to attend the Ministerial in Tokyo, in recognition of the critical role (country) plays in regional aviation security. Secretary Napolitano looks forward to meeting with Minister (insert) in Tokyo and together to help strengthen global aviation security. She looks forward to hearing the views and priorities of her counterparts from the region. U.S. priorities include commitment to enhance standards in ICAO,s Annex 17 and Annex 9; commitment to the ICAO Donors Conference and to coordinate training and technical assistance efforts; sharing best practices on screening and detection; and agreement to enhance communication on aviation security and threats. As host of the conference, the Government of Japan selected the location, date, and participants. Strengthening global aviation security requires broad international cooperation, however, and a sustained effort on the part of every country. The United States will continue to work with partners across Asia/Pacific both bilaterally and through multilateral fora, including the International Civil Aviation Organization, International Air Transport Association, and APEC. CLINTON