GUIDANCE -- WORKING WITH RUSSIA ON OSCE TRAINING

UNCLAS STATE 008490 SIPDIS SENSITIVE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL OSCE RS AF SUBJECT: GUIDANCE -- WORKING WITH RUSSIA ON OSCE TRAINING PROJECTS FOR AFGHANISTAN REF: USNATO 11 SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED; NOT FOR INTERNET DISTRIBUTION ¶1. (SBU) Washington welcomes continued engagement with Russia on potential OSCE police training projects that would benefit Afghanistan, with an emphasis on border security and counter-narcotics. ¶2. (SBU) In close consultation with the Russian delegation, USOSCE should work with the OSCE Secretariat to develop additional Afghanistan-related projects that have direct impact for regional security, are consistent with the Madrid Ministerial Decision on OSCE Engagement with Afghanistan (MC.DEC/04/07),and are based in Central Asian countries. Our objective is to eventually implement OSCE projects within Afghanistan. Projects could include a concrete police training project based out of the OSCE,s field operations in either in Dushanbe (where the OSCE has established a Border Security Management College) or Bishkek (where the OSCE Academy is located) and would help implement the Athens Ministerial Decision on Transnational Threats and Challenges(MC.DEC/02/09),which was co-sponsored by Russia and the USG. Washington would like to review all first dimension training projects that benefit Afghanistan, but is also interested in developing OSCE engagement on second and third dimensions extra-budgetary projects for Afghanistan as well. To that end, USOSCE should work with the Afghanistan delegation to the OSCE to see if there are other areas of potential OSCE cooperation sought by Kabul. ¶3. (SBU) Once the OSCE has developed the additional project(s) and received the go-ahead from both Washington and Moscow, USOSCE may re-program up to Euro 86K from the Central Asia Border Assessment Project (IRMA Project Number 1100584, Pledge Number 11823). Department will also seek additional sources of funds (as well as potential in-kind contributions),depending on the types and scope of projects developed by the OSCE. USOSCE should also ask Russia to seek financial (as well as in-kind) contributions for these important projects. CLINTON