EXBS: GEORGIA MONTHLY REPORT DECEMBER 2009

UNCLAS TBILISI 000043 SIPDIS DEPT FOR ISN/ECC - ACHURCH, EMCPHERSON AND LSPRINGER DEPT FOR EUR/ACE - DFROMAN AND MSTEWART CBP/INA FOR ESEYMOUR-REDD AND NSIMPSON USDOE/NNSA FOR TPERRY, EDESCHLER, AND RTALLEY COAST GUARD FOR SATAMAN, SHABTEMICHAEL, AND JCAIRL NRC FOR JRAMSEY E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ETTC MNUC PARM PREL KSTC KNNP GG SUBJECT: EXBS: GEORGIA MONTHLY REPORT DECEMBER 2009 ¶I. BROAD ITEMS OF INTEREST TO ADVISORS AND AGENCY MANAGERS: ¶1. The EXBS Advisor (EA) is in the U.S. for consultation and leave from December 14th through January 22nd. ¶2. Information regarding nominations for the U.S. Coast Guard Academy class of 2014 was provided to the Public Affairs Office, Office of Defense Cooperation and the Georgian Coast Guard (GCG). ¶3. Announcement has been made for the new EXBS LES position. Interviews will be scheduled at the end of January; however, the hiring process cannot be completed while still under a continuing resolution. II. COMPLETED ACTIONS FOR THE REPORTING PERIOD. ¶A. SITE ASSESSMENTS AND MEETINGS DURING REPORTING PERIOD 03 Dec: Th EXBS Advisor (EA),Maritime Advisor (MA) and the Program Coordinator (PC) met with the Head of Border Police Major General (MG) Gogava. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss upcoming EXBS funded projects and to make sure that the General supports the projects that had been discussed with the former Head of Resources. The projects include restoration of the GCG vessel repair facility, closed circuit television perimeter security system, dredging of Poti harbor, arrival of 1,135 sets of officer duty belts and equipment as well as 109 thermal imaging cameras. General Gogava mentioned that the dismissal of the Head of Resources, Commander Bibileishvili, who was the main point of contact for EXBS initiatives, will not affect the projects and that he intends to proceed with all planned initiatives. Additionally, MG Gogava emphasized that his intention is to utilize training opportunities offered at the Batumi Maritime Academy as a long term initiative. The GCG plans to use the Maritime Academy for recruitment. Current plans include offering a special curriculum designed for fourth year cadets interested in entering GCG service following graduation. The possibility of transferring USG donated equipment from the Border Police to the Patrol Police was discussed. A total of 61 personal pagers and 5 TSA/PRMs are currently stored at the Border Police warehouse. MG Gogava indicated his support for the proposed transfer since the main ports of entry fall under Patrol Police jurisdiction and such equipment would be more useful at the main ports of entry. MA discussed concerns regarding the poor hull condition of the U.S.-donated 82 foot patrol boats and indicated that extensive, costly hull repairs were likely necessary. Additionally, due to the extent of necessary repairs, MA expressed concern related to the ability to find suitable contractors in Georgia and whether or not he would be opposed to going outside Georgia for repairs (e.g., Turkey). MG Gogava was not opposed to sending GCG boats outside of Georgia for repair work. Regarding additional sector buildings for the green borders, MG Gogava mentioned that previous USG built sector buildings were larger than necessary and proposed that future sector building plans be modified to include smaller installations. 10-11 Dec: The EA and PC attended the latest in a series of seminars Qfocused on international cooperation in the development of Georgian export control legislation. This seminar, held in Warsaw, Poland, was hosted by the Polish Ministry of Economy and organized by EU member states Poland and Germany. Other participating countries included: Austria, Slovenia, and Sweden. The Georgian delegation consisted of department heads from the Ministries of: Economic Development, Finance, Defense, and Foreign Affairs, as well as the Security Council. The[jdf1] primary purpose of the seminar was to introduce the EU sponsored draft legislation to the legislative and executive branches of the Georgian Government. Unfortunately, while several ministerial level representatives were present, no representatives from the Georgian Legal Committee of Parliament or the President's Administration attended the seminar. The EA and Mr. Knapp discussed the possibility of organizing a joint half-day seminar in Tbilisi. The seminar would specifically target a maximum of (20) Georgian government officials at decision-making levels, and would stress the importance of export controls to Georgia as well as encourage rapid passage of relevant legislation. Without high-level political support, passage of the law is projected to take as much as a year. The seminar would have to be held before March in advance of the introduction of the draft law to Parliament. The Warsaw agenda included overviews of the present export control system in Georgia, the draft legislation, and the structure of EU export control systems. Final changes to the Georgian export control draft law were discussed and completed. The EA and PC presented an update of on-going EXBS activities in Georgia including Tracker implementation, industry outreach plans and the national strategy for commodity identification training. Future cooperation between EXBS and EU donor nations was discussed. EU partners expressed a strong interest in participating in the upcoming industry outreach seminars as presenters, and Mr. Knapp extended an invitation for EXBS to attend the EU sponsored 2010 Export Control conference. 18 Dec: MA attended briefing with Ambassador Bass, the Deputy Chief of Mission, the Defense Attach, and the Office of Defense Cooperation Chief. Purpose of the briefing was to discuss specific items related to the GCG. MA provided a background on the GCG and information related to current GCG operational capabilities. 29 Dec: MA accompanied Defense Attach during a meeting with Head of Border Police, MG Gogava and Director of Coast Guard Department, Captain Shengelia. Purpose of meeting was to discuss GCG's current operations related to Abkhazia along with the GCG's rules of engagement/use of force policy. MG Gogava indicated that merchant vessels, as well as fishing vessels, continue to violate Georgian law by entering and exiting Abkhazian ports without first obtaining permission from the Georgian Government. Rather than attempt to boad and/or intercept these vessels, current GCG practice is to report such violations to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Regarding rules of engagement/use of force, a Presidential Decree exists, signed February 2008, which defines regulations on the use of weapon systems by Georgian Coast Guard vessels (cutters) against vessels violating either the Georgian or international law. MG Gogava also stated that GCG patrol boat commanders have been directed to avoid any potential confrontation, particularly with any Russian/Abkhaz patrol boats. ¶B. TRAINING CONDUCTED DURING REPORTING PERIOD: None ¶C. EQUIPMENT DELIVERED DURING THE REPORTING PERIOD: None ¶D. IMMINENT TRAINING OR EQUIPMENT STATUS UPDATE: --UPCOMING TRAINING: 1) February 2010: Tracker system administration training and installation of equipment. The arrival of the computer equipment is expected within 4 to 6 weeks, followed by installation and systems administration training weeks, followed by installation and systems administration training. 2) Date TBD: Controlled Delivery Training Training will be conducted by ICE and will include participants from the MOIA Special Operations Center, Special Operations Department, and Anti-terrorist unit. A selection of covert surveillance equipment will be provided as part of the course. 3) March 2010 USCG International Maritime Officer Course (1) GCG officer will attend the International Maritime Officer's Course (IMOC) at Yorktown, VA, from 15 April - 25 May. USCG Maritime Law Enforcement (MLE) Boarding Officer course / Prospective Commanding Officer course / on-the-job training (OJT) (2) GCG Officers will attend the above sequence of training from 31 March - 4 June. 4) April 2010 University of Georgia / Export Control Academy (2) Representatives from the Revenue Service and the Ministry of Defense will attend a two week training course. MLE Instructor course A USCG Mobile Training Team (MTT) will conduct this training in Georgia from 15 April - 24 April for a maximum of 12 students. MLE Joint Boarding Officer Course A USCG MTT will conduct this training in Georgia from 25 April - 8 May for a maximum of 24 students. 5) May 2010 USCG Machinery Technician "A" School, Yorktown, VA / OJT (2) GCG personnel will attend this training sequence from 12 May - 13 August. USCG Electricians Mate "A" School, Yorktown, VA / OJT (2) GCG personnel will attend this training sequence from 17 May - 8 October. 6) Spring 2010: Industry Outreach Seminar Seminar will be organized by the Department of Energy, NNSA/INECP. Participants will include 25-30 representatives from local industries. Revenue service provided full list of industries participating in Export Control activities. The list includes 63 companies. The representatives from the major industries will be invited to the seminar. 7) Commodity Identification Trainings (CIT): EXBS in cooperation with NNSA/INECP is planning a series of CITs throughout 2010. Letters with questionnaire have been sent to the relevant agencies as a follow up to the meeting held on Nov 4, 2009. Answers to the questions will be used to determine the frequency, timeframe and location of the regional trainings. The ultimate goal is to establish the national strategy for CIT in Georgia. --EQUIPMENT STATUS: PENDING PROCUREMENT OR DISTRIBUTION: (1,135)Utility Belts and Equipment - BP (NSOI) $286,916 Spare Parts, Equipment - GCG $100,000 (5)Radioactive Source Containers - NRSS (GTRI, EXBS) TBD (109) Thermal Imaging Cameras - BP (NSOI, EXBS) TBD ¶E. SIGNIFICANT DEVELOPMENTS IN EXPORT CONTROLS, NON-PROLIFERATION OR RELATED BORDER SECURITY: Georgian export control legislation will be introduced to the Parliament in March when the Parliament opens for the spring session. The draft has to go to the relevant Ministries for their input before forwarding it to the Parliamentary Committees. The draft law will be reviewed at the Committee hearing after which it will be passed on to the plenary session. The Parliament considers the draft law in three hearings after which the President signs it. III. RED FLAG ISSUES: Nuclear Radiation Safety Service (NRSS) is facing downsizing due to a limited budget. NRSS staff consists of 16 persons, six of whom are contractors. According to the head of NRSS he contracts will most likely not be extended. Cutting down the staff will significantly reduce the ability of NRSS to control the flow radioactive materials and respond to the incidents. The process for establishing the Western office is being delayed. The agreement has to be signed between the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources and the property owner on transferring the property to the Ministry for the use. The property is owned by the subcontractor of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). POC for this report is Charles Hiscock, EXBS Program Advisor. Telephone +995 32 277312. [jdf1]This doesn't make sense to me. the purpose of the seminar was to provide draft legislation to the Georgians? Why were all those countries there. and you say that the Govt wasn't represented but you just wrote in the para above that many dept heads were present. Please clarify. LOGSDON