US embassy cable - 04BRATISLAVA1013

UNCLAS  BRATISLAVA 001013 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
DEPT FOR NP/ECC - PVANSON, ACHURCH, JOHN COFFEY 
DEPT FOR EUR/ACE - DMARTIN 
CBP/INA FOR PWARKER, BPICKETT 
USDOE/NNSA FOR TPERRY 
DOC FOR PETERSEN-BEARD 
PRAGUE FOR MARK CANNING 
VIENNA FOR KENNY MACDONALD 
BUDAPEST FOR JEFFREY IZZO 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ETTC, MNUC, PARM, PREL, KSTC, KNNP, ETTC, PREL, LO 
SUBJECT: EXBS: SLOVAKIA ADVISOR MONTHLY REPORTING CABLE 
- OCTOBER 2004 
 
 
1.  BROAD ITEMS OF INTEREST TO ADVISORS AND AGENCY 
MANAGERS. 
 
     None 
 
2.  COMPLETED ACTIONS FOR THE REPORTING PERIOD. 
 
A.   SITE ASSESSMENTS AND MEETINGS DURING REPORTING 
    PERIOD. 
 
     1)   October 1 - EXBS Advisor attended the "Day of the 
         Slovak Customs Administration" display at the Incheba 
         Exhibition Center in Bratislava.  The Slovak 
         Directorate of Customs, along with numerous other 
         federal and local agencies, displayed the tools they 
         utilize to fulfill their responsibilities.  Customs 
         Canine Teams and Special Response Teams provided 
         demonstrations for the public.  Various Customs 
         managers provided PowerPoint presentations on the 
         current structure and workings of Slovak Customs, as 
         well as statistics on enforcement actions and revenue 
         collections.  Their static displays included some of 
         the equipment provided by the EXBS Program, including 
         their Mobile X-Ray Van, Enforcement Kits, Exploranium 
         Radioactive Isotope Identification Device and Radiation 
         Detection Pagers. 
 
     2)   October 12-16, 2004 - EXBS Advisor assisted Mr. 
         Cassady Craft, Jonathan Davis and Christopher Leaman 
         from the Center for International Trade and 
         Security/University of Georgia (CITS/UGA) in their 
         assessment of Slovakia's current Export Control 
         program.  Meetings were conducted with numerous 
         officials from GOS agencies, including the Ministry of 
         Economy, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Defense, 
         Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nuclear Regulatory 
         Authority and the Directorate of Customs.  On October 
         14-16, 2004, EXBS Advisor, accompanied by a 
         representative of the Slovak Customs Directorate, drove 
         the CITS/UGA team to Vysne Nemecke and Cierna nad 
         Tisou, on the Slovak/Ukraine border, for a tour of 
         their facilities and a first hand look at Customs 
         procedures for handling licensable exports. 
 
B.   TRAINING CONDUCTED DURING REPORTING PERIOD. 
 
     1)   October 25-29 - EXBS provided Strategic Tracker 
         Training to twenty-eight Border and Alien Police (BAP) 
         officers at the Vysne Nemecke Border Station.  Three 
         Native American Customs Patrol Officers from the Tohono- 
         Odham Indian Reservation, in southern Arizona, were the 
         instructors for the course.  The students were a 
         diverse group of BAP officers, ranging in rank from Lt. 
         Colonel down to Constable.  They came from all parts of 
         Slovakia for the training.  Some had as much as 
         seventeen years of BAP service while others had only a 
         year of BAP service.  BAP officers were taught how to 
         follow tracks left by smugglers/illegal aliens and how 
         to utilize hand held GPS systems.  At the end of the 
         course, all of the BAP officers praised the training 
         and stated that they now felt confident that they could 
         follow the trail of smugglers and illegal aliens. 
 
C.   EQUIPMENT DELIVERED DURING REPORTING 
 
     1)   Thirty Garmin 12 XL Portable GPS systems valued at 
         $5,700 were delivered to the Station Commander of the 
         Border and Alien Police at Vysne Nemecke, Slovakia. 
         These systems were used in the Strategic Tracker 
         Training course and then left as a donation. 
 
D.   IMMINENT TRAINING OR EQUIPMENT STATUS UPDATE. 
 
 
     1)   October 29 - EXBS Advisor was notified that the 
         two new Skoda Fabia motor vehicles purchased as a 
         donation to the Slovak Border and Alien Police have 
         arrived at the dealership in Bratislava.  The vehicles 
         will be donated in November with the Ambassador handing 
         the vehicles over to the Head, Border and Alien Police 
         at an event hosted by our Public Affairs Section. 
 
E.  SIGNIFICANT DEVELOPMENTS IN EXPORT CONTROLS, 
NONPROLIFERATION, OR RELATED BORDER SECURITY. 
 
     None. 
 
3.  RED FLAG ISSUES. 
 
     None. 
 
Questions regarding this report can be directed to 
Larry Adkins, EXBS Senior Advisor, at AmEmbassy 
Bratislava at telephone no.: 421-2-5922-3375, fax: 421- 
2-5922-3497 or through email at adkinslh@state.gov. 
 
WEISER 
 
 
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