US embassy cable - 04SANTODOMINGO1052

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 SANTO DOMINGO 001052 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR S/CT AND WHA/CAR-MCISAAC 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PTER, ASEC, PREL, SNAR, EFIN, DR 
SUBJECT: DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: COUNTERTERRORISM ACTION GROUP 
 
REF: REF: STATE 14279 
 
1. Summary:  Embassy on February 6 hosted a coordination 
meeting of local embassies of nations involved in the 
Counterterrorism Action Group (CTAG).  Poloff and NAS officer 
briefly sketched U.S. plans as CTAG chair for 2004 and 
ongoing U.S. law enforcement assistance programs relevant to 
counterterrorism.  Other participants stressed a need to 
define the subject more precisely and avoid duplication of 
transnational efforts in other fora that deal with related 
priorities such as counternarcotics, money laundering, and 
border controls.  Embassy invited written contributions, 
which were received from five embassies.  Two of these have 
provided assistance to the GODR on counterterrorism.  End 
summary. 
 
2. Per guidance reftel, Embassy hosted a meeting of local G-8 
and other invited embassies involved in the Counterterrorism 
Action Group (CTAG) on February 6.  Participants included 
representatives at political counselor or similar level of 
Canada, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, United Kingdom, 
Spain, and the European Union (EU).  The French 
representative did not attend, but later met with poloff and 
provided written input.  Italy (with a very small mission) 
and the UN office declined the invitation. 
 
General Considerations 
- - - - - - - - - - - - 
 
3. Poloff and NAS officer briefly sketched the range of U.S. 
assistance to the Dominican Republic relevant to the war on 
terrorism, including training of border control and airport 
personnel, other police training, assistance with justice 
reform, counternarcotics assistance, anticorruption measures, 
and assistance with implementation of money laundering 
legislation.  Several other participants noted the broad 
range of these topics and suggested narrowing the definition 
to address a commonly accepted definition of "terrorism." 
Poloff subsequently circulated UNSC Resolution 1373 as an 
internationally accepted statement which highlights some 
elements such as money laundering. 
 
4. The Netherlands representative expressed concern that CTAG 
might duplicate efforts in other multinational groupings such 
as the Dublin Group (or "Mini-Dublin Group" here) and the 
Schengen Agreement.  He noted that the Mini-Dublin Group 
meets locally at ambassadorial level to exchange information 
about efforts against drug trafficking and money laundering, 
including police reform.  The EU presidency also holds 
meetings of Schengen Agreement member embassies to exchange 
information on illegal migration and falsification of 
documents.  The rep, seconded by the German rep, suggested 
that CTAG draw on the existing information exchanges under 
these programs. 
 
Ongoing Programs 
- - - - - - - - - 
 
5. France and Spain were the only participants to have 
provided assistance to the Dominican Republic specifically 
focused on counterterrorism (CT):  a French expert from RAID 
(French acronym for an elite French police unit specialized 
in CT) conducted an "audit" of the rapid action group of the 
Dominican National Police, November 28 - December 5, 2003. 
The same Dominican police group had already had two training 
sessions by experts from the BRI (Brigade of Research and 
Intervention) of the City of Paris.  Spain in March 2003 held 
an FATF/GAFI seminar for Latin American countries on 
combatting terrorist-related money laundering, which included 
Dominican participants. 
 
6. Japan provides training to approximately 80 Dominicans per 
year in all areas of assistance, including drug enforcement, 
crime prevention, criminal investigation, and police 
management.  There has been no CT-oriented training, but 
Japan offers courses in six CT-related areas which would be 
open to Dominicans if requested by the GODR (from a book of 
available cooperation programs which the GOJ distributes each 
year):  migration control, airport security, customs 
cooperation, export controls, police and law enforcement 
cooperation, and the fight against terrorist-related money 
laundering.  The Japanese Embassy here emphasized a need for 
governments receiving CT assistance to assign a priority and 
budget resources to CT efforts. 
 
7. Germany and the UK both have regional counterdrug liaison 
programs based elsewhere in the Caribbean, which coordinate 
with the GODR, and Germany provided an in-country training 
course on this topic for 22 Dominican policemen in 2003.  The 
Netherlands trains employees of Dutch Airline  Martinair on 
passport and visa control and provided a week of in-country 
counternarcotics training to police in 2003 as part of a 
continuing program.  France in 2003 provided in-country 
police training on "maintenance of order" and 
counternarcotics.  Spain in January hosted a meeting of NGOs 
on assistance to victims of terrorism. 
 
8. The EU has an ongoing project in the Dominican Republic 
for Modernisation and Reform of the State, budgeted at 36.4 
million euros for the period March 2002 - February 2006). 
This includes support for reform of the justice system and 
support for reform of public administration.  This program 
stresses good governance and anticorruption, but there is no 
EU program here specifically on CT.  The EU rep noted the 
long lead time required -- the assistance follows a five-year 
plan -- and the need for a host government request for CT 
assistance. 
 
Proposed Legislation 
- - - - - - - - - - - 
 
9. We understand the GODR intends to introduce draft CT 
legislation into Congress for consideration during its next 
session, which begins February 27.  Embassy will analyze the 
proposal and provide views and recommendations septel. 
KUBISKE