US embassy cable - 04BRATISLAVA1099

UNCLAS  BRATISLAVA 001099 
 
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 
WARSAW FOR THOMAS YEAGER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ETTC, MNUC, PARM, PREL, KSTC, KNNP, ETTC, PREL, LO 
SUBJECT: EXBS: SLOVAKIA ADVISOR MONTHLY REPORTING CABLE 
- NOVEMBER 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)   November 4, 2004 - EXBS Advisor met with Director 
         Frantisek Babuska and Senior Officer Mrs. Jana 
         Dlhopolcekova from Slovakia's Ministry of Economy, 
         Department of Sensitive Goods and Trading Management. 
         Subject of discussion was their participation in the up- 
         coming 6th International Export Control Conference to 
         be held in London, England, November 8-10, 2004.  EXBS 
         Advisor provided them with their airlines tickets and 
         some information on the conference agenda and the hotel 
         where they will be staying in London. 
 
     2)   November 14-18, 2004 - EXBS Advisor and Program 
         Coordinator traveled to Warsaw, Poland for meetings 
         with U.S. Embassy staff and officials from the Polish 
         Customs Service and the Polish Border Guard.  Effective 
         November 1, 2004, EXBS responsibilities for Poland were 
         transferred to the EXBS Advisor in Slovakia. 
 
     3)   November 14, 2004 - EXBS Advisor and EXBS Program 
         Coordinators Katarzyna Dragan (Poland) and Dusana 
         Bartkova (Slovakia) met with DITRA Policy Analyst Ruth 
         Keipp and her training team of John Carmody, Charles 
         Dodge, Tim Kelly, and Mort Moriarty at the Sofitel 
         Hotel in Warsaw, Poland.  EXBS Advisor gave the opening 
         speech for a five day, forty hour, training session on 
         "Counterproliferation Awareness" that was attended by 
         50 Polish government officials representing the Border 
         Guard, Customs, Police Presidium and the General 
         Prosecutor's office. 
 
     4)   November 14, 2004 - EXBS Advisor met with U.S. 
         Embassy Charge d'Affaires Cameron Munter at the 
         American Embassy in Warsaw, Poland.  Discussion 
         included the status of the EXBS Program in Poland and 
         plans for the continued employment and use of the EXBS 
         Program Coordinator in Warsaw, Mrs. Katarzyna Dragan. 
         Mrs. Dragan has worked as the EXBS Program Coordinator 
         in Warsaw for the past three years.  Mrs. Dragan's 
         contract with EXBS runs through the end of September 
         2005.  With the closure of the EXBS Office in Warsaw, 
         Mrs. Dragan will work with the embassy's Political 
         Section until the end of her contract.  EXBS Advisor 
         also met with the embassy's Political Counselor, Mrs. 
         Mary Curtin and Political Analyst Thomas Yeager.  We 
         discussed the political sections' use of Mrs. Dragan 
         and how she could assist their staff over the next 
         several months.  Everyone at the embassy speaks very 
         highly of Mrs. Dragan and they are very appreciative 
         that EXBS has allowed her to join their section after 
         the phase out of the EXBS Program in Poland. 
 
     5)   November 15, 2004 - EXBS Advisor met with 
         representatives from the Polish Customs Service in 
         Warsaw, Poland.  Those present at the meeting were Mrs. 
         Krystyna Drezinska, Head of the Office for Professional 
         Development; Mr. Waclaw Gasiorowski, Chief Specialist 
         of the Customs Control Department; and Mr. Piotr 
         Wilczek, Chief Specialist of the Training Department. 
         The meeting took place at their Customs headquarters, 
         which is located in the Ministry of Finance Building. 
         Discussions included a briefing on the status of the 
 
 
         EXBS Program in Poland and briefings on the current 
         status of Polish Customs activities. 
 
     6)   November 16, 2004 - EXBS Advisor met with members 
         of the Polish Border Guard at their headquarters 
         building in Warsaw.  Those present at the meeting were 
         Col. Bogdan Pawlowski, Deputy Director of the Border 
         Control Department; Lt. Col. Tadeusz Hadys, Chief 
         Specialist, Border Control Department; and Lt. Marta 
         Krukowska, Head of the Section in the Office of 
         Personnel and Training.  Discussions included a 
         briefing on the status of the EXBS Program in Poland 
         and briefings on the current border security efforts in 
         Poland. 
 
     7)   November 22, 2004 - EXBS Advisor attended a news 
         conference with U.S. Ambassador Ronald Weiser in 
         Bratislava, Slovakia.  The purpose of the news 
         conference was to cover the donation of two motor 
         vehicles from the EXBS Program to the Border and Alien 
         Police of the Slovak Republic.  Ambassador Weiser gave 
         a speech in which he thanked the Slovak government for 
         the cooperation they have given the United States and 
         commending their efforts to strengthen their export 
         controls and enhance their border security.  He then 
         presented the keys to the vehicles to Slovakia's 
         Interior Minister Vladimir Palko.  Minister Palko then 
         turned the vehicles over to Mr. Michal Borgula, Head of 
         the Border and Alien Police.  The event received 
         widespread media coverage from local Television 
         stations, radio stations and newspapers. 
 
     8)   November 24-26, 2004 - EXBS Advisor traveled to 
         Prague, Czech Republic where he conducted a site 
         assessment of Prague International Airport.  A full 
         report of the site assessment will follow in a separate 
         cable. 
 
     9)   November 26, 2004 - EXBS Advisor attended a news 
         conference with U.S. Ambassador William Cabaniss in 
         Prague, Czech Republic.  The purpose of the news 
         conference was to cover the donation of a new Mercedes- 
         Benz X-Ray Autovan, from the EXBS Program to the Czech 
         General Directorate of Customs.  Ambassador Cabaniss 
         thanked the government of the Czech Republic for the 
         cooperation they have given the United States and 
         congratulated Czech Customs for their efforts to secure 
         their country's borders.  He then presented the key to 
         the vehicle to Czech Customs General Director Zdenek 
         Richtr.  The event received excellent media coverage 
         from local Television stations, radio stations and 
         newspapers. 
 
B.   TRAINING CONDUCTED DURING REPORTING PERIOD. 
 
     None 
 
C.   EQUIPMENT DELIVERED DURING REPORTING 
 
     1)   November 23, 2004 - Two motor vehicles (Skoda 
         Fabias) were donated to the Border and Alien Police of 
         the Slovak Republic.  Total value of the two vehicles 
         was $26,992. 
 
     2)   November 26, 2004 - One Mercedes-Benz X-Ray van 
         was ceremonially handed over to the Czech Republic's 
         General Directorate of Customs.  The van was actually 
         donated to Czech Customs on July 5, 2004.  Value of the 
         Mobile X-Ray van is $183,275. 
 
D.   IMMINENT TRAINING OR EQUIPMENT STATUS UPDATE. 
 
 
     None 
 
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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