US embassy cable - 05SANTODOMINGO5127

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 SANTO DOMINGO 005127 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR: OIG, WHA/CAR-SEARBY WHA/EX ONLY 
 
E.O.12958 N/A 
TAGS: ASIG, DR 
SUBJECT:  COMPLIANCE WITH OIG RECOMMENDATIONS, 2005 
 
 
1.  Following reports on follow-up actions taken to comply 
with the formal recommendations made by the OIG team that 
inspected Embassy Santo Domingo this year. 
 
2.  Recommendation 1:  Embassy Santo Domingo should develop 
a strategy for implementing a program to eliminate or reduce 
the discrimination now encountered by some African American 
employees who are denied entry to some private entertainment 
establishments in the Dominican Republic. (Action:  Embassy 
Santo Domingo/DCM/MGT) 
 
RESPONSE:  Post Management has implemented a comprehensive 
strategy to reduce discrimination now encountered by some 
African American employees who are denied entry to some 
private entertainment establishments in the Dominican 
Republic.  Post has held several meetings with the African 
American community at post to discuss their concerns.  The 
DCM and emboffs visited several Clubs that had been singled 
out as discriminatory and spoken to the owners to express 
our concern and clarify that their policies were not to 
discriminate.  The Ambassador and/or DCM discussed our 
concerns with senior Dominican government and business 
figures and explained the negative impact that 
discrimination would have for the Dominican Republic. 
Ecopol has continued to address race issues in our 
submission to the State Department's annual human rights 
report.  For our Mission staff specifically, the DCM has 
spoken with the headmaster of the school that most Mission 
children attend to encourage the school to develop diversity 
awareness among its students.  Post has also strengthened 
the briefing that we give to all newcomers on race issues in 
the Dominican Republic and added wording to the Post Profile 
to warn of the issue.  Post management plans to continue 
attention and activities related to this issue. 
 
3.  Recommendation 2: The Bureau of Human Resources should 
establish, well in advance to final assignment, a briefing 
program that fully apprises prospective African American 
employees of what they may encounter in the Dominican 
Republic.  (Action:  M/DGHR) 
 
[RESPONSE:  Action:  M/DGHR.] 
 
4.  Recommendation 3:  Embassy Santo Domingo should issue an 
administrative or management policy notice on Members of 
Household consistent with the latest Department policy on 
this issue.  (Action:  Embassy Santo Domingo) 
 
RESPONSE: In September, Post Management revised and issued a 
Mission Notice on Members of Household that brings post 
policy into line with current Department policy. 
 
5. Recommendation 4:  Embassy Santo Domingo should request 
funding from the Bureau of Consular Affairs to send two 
Foreign Service nationals, one from the immigrant visa unit 
and one from the nonimmigrant visa unit, to the call center 
in Mexico to assist in training operators on answering calls 
from Dominican citizens.  (Action:  Embassy Santo Domingo, 
in coordination with CA) 
 
RESPONSE:  Embassy agrees with the recommendation.  Embassy 
contacted CA/EX, and CA/EX also agrees with the 
recommendation.  We plan to send the senior IV FSN and the 
senior NIV FSN to Mexico in early CY 2006. 
 
6.  Recommendation 5:  Embassy Santo Domingo, in 
coordination with the Bureau of Consular Affairs, should 
request approval and funding from the Bureau of Overseas 
Buildings Operations' consular improvement initiative fund 
to construct a facility in a section of the outside 
nonimmigrant visa waiting room to perform the fingerprint, 
facial recognition and nonimmigrant visa data-entry 
functions.  (Action:  Embassy Santo Domingo, in coordination 
with CA and OBO) 
 
RESPONSE:  Embassy has inspected the NIV waiting room and 
concluded that a portion of the area could be utilized to 
build three new stand-alone fingerprint/biometric windows. 
Post has requested Department funding for the initiative and 
is awaiting final approval. 
 
7.  Recommendation 6:  Embassy Santo Domingo, in 
coordination with the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, 
the Bureau of Human Resources and the Bureau of Consular 
Affairs, should request the assignment of an entry-level 
officer to the American citizens services unit.  (Action: 
Embassy Santo Domingo, in coordination with WHA, DGHR and 
CA) 
 
RESPONSE:  Prior to the OIG visit, Embassy had already 
requested a new entry-level officer position for the ACS 
Unit.  Embassy reiterated this request to CA/EX in July 
2005, and the request is currently pending. 
 
8.  Recommendation 7:  Embassy Santo Domingo should 
establish a locally employed staff position in the American 
citizens services unit.  (Action:  Embassy Santo Domingo) 
RESPONSE:  The Consular Section has discussed with the 
Embassy's HR office the need for a new FSN position in the 
ACS Unit.  On August 22, 2005, the Consular Section 
submitted a memo to the Management Section requesting the 
establishment of the position.  Once there is funding for 
the position, the Management Section will establish it. 
Then, the Consular Section will work with the local HR 
office to draft a position description and complete the 
additional steps needed to fill the position 
 
9.  Recommendation 8:  Embassy Santo Domingo, in 
coordination with the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, 
the Bureau of Consular Affairs, and the Office of the Legal 
Adviser, should formally request the government of the 
Dominican Republic to enter into a prison transfer treaty 
relationship with the United States by acceding to either 
the Organization of American States prison transfer treaty 
or the Council of Europe prison transfer treaty, since the 
United States is party to both agreements.  (Action: 
Embassy Santo Domingo, in coordination with WHA, CA and L) 
 
RESPONSE:  The Departments of State and Justice have both 
repeatedly stated - and Embassy has reiterated to the 
governments of the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico - 
that any agreement between the United States and the 
Dominican Republic on prisoner transfers should come via the 
Dominican Republic's accession to one of the two already 
extant multilateral conventions (i.e., Inter-American or 
Council of Europe).  The Embassy has sent a diplomatic note 
to the GODR urging accession to one of these two treaties. 
 
10.  Recommendation 9:  The Bureau of Consular Affairs, in 
coordination with Embassy Santo Domingo, should decide 
whether the United States will recognize the Dominican 
Republic as a signatory to the Hague Convention for the 
Abduction for Children.  (Action:  CA, in coordination with 
Embassy Santo Domingo) 
 
RESPONSE:  In July 2005, Embassy again asked for the Office 
of Children's Issues (CI) to take action as soon as possible 
on the Dominican Republic's accession to the Hague 
Convention.  Embassy repeated this request in August 2005, 
and will continue to follow up as necessary.  Post 
understands that the GODR response to the Hague Permanent 
Bureau's questionnaire is pending with the Office of 
Translations for eventual review by L.  Although there are 
other accession requests in the pipeline, CI has indicated 
that it will alert L that the Dominican Republic accession 
request is a priority.  In the meantime, Embassy will 
provide updated information regarding GODR efforts to be in 
compliance with this treaty. 
 
11.  Recommendation 10:  Embassy Santo Domingo, in 
coordination with the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, 
the Bureau of Human Resources and the Bureau of Consular 
Affairs should request an entry-level officer in the 
immigrant visa unit.  (Action:  Embassy Santo Domingo, in 
coordination with WHA, DGHR, and CA) 
 
RESPONSE:  Embassy agrees with this recommendation, which 
tracks with our Consular Package and Mission Performance 
Plan submissions.  Embassy contacted CA/EX in July 2005 to 
begin the process. 
 
12.  Recommendation 11:  Embassy Santo Domingo should 
coordinate with the Kentucky consular center and the Bureau 
of Consular Affairs to ship 212(a)(4) refusal cases under 
the Immigration and Nationality Act, or cases that cannot 
overcome the public charge criteria of the Immigration and 
Nationality Act, to the Kentucky consular center for 
scanning and storage.  (Action:  Embassy Santo Domingo, in 
coordination with KCC and CA) 
 
RESPONSE:  Embassy is currently in discussions with CA on 
possible implementation. 
 
13.  Recommendation 12:  Embassy Santo Domingo should 
establish a local housing assistant position in the general 
services housing office. 
 
RESPONSE: The new position has been established and filled. 
 
14.  Recommendation 13:  Embassy Santo Domingo should 
establish a local compensation and benefits position in the 
human resources unit.  (Action:  Embassy Santo Domingo). 
 
RESPONSE:  A new position was authorized by the ICASS 
council.  Interviews to fill the position are in process. 
 
15.  Recommendation 14:  Embassy Santo Domingo should employ 
a contractor or a regional trainer to provide leadership, 
supervisory skills, performance evaluation, team building, 
and customer service training for mission employees. 
(Action:  Embassy Santo Domingo) 
 
RESPONSE:  Post arranged for FRC to provide leadership 
training to mission employees in October 2005, and is 
working with FSI for supervisory training in March or April 
of 06. 
 
16.  Recommendation 15:  Embassy Santo Domingo should 
request from the Management Development Division of the 
Foreign Service Institute assistance and materials to hold a 
series of sessions on improving interpersonal skills, 
communication and team building. 
 
RESPONSE:  Post is in the process of identifying a local 
trainer who would be able to provide customer service and 
team building training in Spanish. The Management Counselor 
also held workshops on developing metrics to measure 
performance and customer service.  Post is working with FSI 
to arrange communications and team building sessions in 
Santo Domingo. 
 
17.  Recommendation 16:  Embassy Santo Domingo should submit 
data to the Department using the State Automated Federal 
Information Security Management Act Reporting Environment 
information tool as required by Department guidance. 
(Action:  IMO) 
 
RESPONSE:  Post has reviewed its procedures to assure 
meeting SAFIRE reporting deadlines in the future.  Post 
successfully met the March 2005 deadline for reporting 
security training data, as well as the June 2005 deadline 
for reporting security training data and completing its 
computer security self-assessment questionnaire. 
 
18.  Recommendation 17:  Embassy Santo Domingo should 
develop and maintain a training program to keep information 
technology staff proficient and ensure the staff's technical 
skills are current.  (Action:  IMO) 
 
RESPONSE:  Post has identified, prioritized, and funded the 
appropriate technical training for our IRM staff. 
 
19.  Recommendation 18:  Embassy Santo Domingo should 
request the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, in 
coordination with the Bureau of Information Resource 
Management, to assign supervisory personnel in the 
information management office of the embassy to management 
training courses before arriving at post.  (Action:  Embassy 
Santo Domingo, in coordination with WHA and IRM) 
 
RESPONSE:  Post has asked that WHA and IRM assure that our 
IMO personnel receive requisite supervisory training in 
advance of arrival at post. 
 
20.  Recommendation 19:  Embassy Santo Domingo, in 
coordination with the employee association, should contract 
for a qualified food service vendor for the chancery and 
consulate buildings, with some attempt to provide reasonably 
priced options for all employees.  (Action: Embassy Santo 
Domingo) 
 
RESPONSE: Embassy Santo Domingo, American Employee 
Recreational Association has contracted with a local vendor 
to provide food concession services to the Mission. The 
American Employee Recreational Association also signed a 
contract with a local firm which provides vending machine 
food and beverage service to the Mission and Post Management 
is in the process of remodeling the Embassy Cafeteria area 
the Rincon Verde as well. We expect the cafeteria to open by 
Christmas. 
 
21.  Recommendation 20:  Embassy Santo Domingo should ensure 
that the recreation association board resolves all 
exceptions noted on its auditor management letters. 
 
RESPONSE:  This has been completed.  All exceptions have 
been resolved.  In addition, the AREA hired a manager to 
provide continuity. 
 
22.  Recommendation 21:  Embassy Santo Domingo should 
conduct an embassy wide management controls review as 
described in 2 FAM 021.  (Action: MGT) 
 
RESPONSE: Embassy Santo Domingo held an embassy wide 
management controls meeting in September.  A review 
subsequent to the IG visit of May 2005 has been held to 
evaluate findings. 
 
23.  Recommendation 22:  Embassy Santo Domingo should enroll 
all embassy managers with management control 
responsibilities in the Foreign Service Institute 
correspondence course for the Management Controls Workbook. 
(Action: DCM/MGT/HR) 
 
RESPONSE: Post Management has arranged for FSI to conduct 
management controls training at post in February.  In 
addition, Post Management has provided all embassy managers 
with management control responsibilities with information to 
allow them to sign up with the Foreign Service Institute for 
a correspondence course for the Management Controls 
Workbook. 
24.  Recommendation 23:  Embassy Santo Domingo should 
implement a process for keeping cumulative running totals of 
machine-readable visa fees collected compared to 
nonimmigrant visa applications processed.  (Action:  Embassy 
Santo Domingo) 
 
RESPONSE:  As of July 2005, Post completes the Periodic 
Audit Form for NIV Processing Fees, in accordance with 
Chapter 700 of the Consular Management Handbook. 
 
25.  Recommendation 24:  Embassy Santo Domingo should 
implement management control procedures to verify overtime 
requests for on call hours worked and require maintenance 
supervisors maintain a log of all emergency after hours 
calls.  (Action:  GSO) 
 
RESPONSE: Post has implemented procedures to verify overtime 
requests.  All emergency overtime is entered in a log that 
the Facility Manager and the Maintenance Engineer review 
every Monday morning. 
HERTELL