VZCZCXRO2678
RR RUEHBI RUEHDE
DE RUEHLM #0534/01 1550606
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 030606Z JUN 08
FM AMEMBASSY COLOMBO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8212
INFO RUEHAD/AMEMBASSY ABU DHABI 0464
RUEHAN/AMEMBASSY ANTANANARIVO 0008
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 0994
RUEHKA/AMEMBASSY DHAKA 0931
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 7920
RUEHKT/AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU 6095
RUEHMS/AMEMBASSY MUSCAT 0074
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 2077
RUEHPL/AMEMBASSY PORT LOUIS 0522
RUEHGP/AMEMBASSY SINGAPORE 5736
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 3502
RUEHBK/AMEMBASSY BANGKOK 3405
RUEHCG/AMCONSUL CHENNAI 8531
RUEHDE/AMCONSUL DUBAI 0152
RUEHKP/AMCONSUL KARACHI 2357
RUEHBI/AMCONSUL MUMBAI 5976
RUCPDOC/USDOC WASHDC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC
RHMFIUU/DEPT OF HOMELAND SECURITY WASHINGTON DC
RHHMUNA/HQ USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RUCOWCA/COAST GUARD SECURITY CENTER CHESAPEAKE VA
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 COLOMBO 000534 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
SIPDIS 
 
C O R R E C T E D  C O P Y   ADDED ADDRESSEE AND STATEMENT 11 
 
DEPT FOR SCA/INS, SCA/RA, AF/E, EEB/TRA/OTP, AND S/CT 
 
E.O 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EWWT MARR PREL PTER BG CN IN MA MP MU MV PK SL
SUBJECT: MALDIVES HOSTS INDIAN OCEAN COUNTRIES FOR U.S. COAST 
GUARD-ORGANIZED MARITIME SECURITY CONFERENCE 
 
REF: COLOMBO 492 
 
COLOMBO 00000534  001.3 OF 003 
 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary:  In conjunction with the U.S. Coast Guard, the 
Government of Maldives hosted the "Partnering for a Safer Sea" 
conference May 19-22, at which Indian Ocean national and private 
maritime security and maritime industry stakeholders discussed 
regional security trends and issues.  Official delegates from the 
following countries participated: Bangladesh, Comoros, India, 
Madagascar, Maldives, Mauritius, Oman, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.  The 
U.S. Coast Guard conceived the conference as the inaugural event of 
an ongoing South Asia Regional Port Security Cooperative (SARPSCO). 
The conference concluded with the agreement that there should be an 
annual SARPSCO forum to discuss port security issues -- such as 
terrorism, illegal fishing, trafficking of drugs, weapons and 
persons, and piracy in the Indian Ocean region.  India sought to 
limit the new forum's scope to port, not maritime, security.  End 
summary. 
 
MALDIVES PRESIDENT, USCG ADMIRAL AND 
US AMBASSADOR OPEN CONFERENCE 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶2. (U) The "Partnering for a Safer Sea Conference" May 19-22 at Sun 
Island Resort, Maldives, brought together over 100 participants to 
discuss port and maritime security issues in the Indian Ocean 
region, and to explore the possibility of establishing a 
multi-national forum to enhance maritime cooperation in the region. 
The main organizers of the conference were the Maldives Ministry of 
Foreign Affairs; Maldives Ministry of Transport and Communication; 
and the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG).  Embassy Colombo provided 
administrative and logistical support.  Maldives President Gayoom, 
Minister of Transport and Communication Saeed, USCG Rear Admiral 
Craig E. Bone, and Ambassador Blake inaugurated the conference by 
speaking on the importance of regional cooperation and public and 
private partnership to address transnational maritime threats. 
 
¶3. (SBU) U.S. Coast Guard Activities Far East, based in Japan, 
originated the idea for a consultative group of Indian Ocean nations 
after having conducted port security audits in the region in which 
participants frequently mentioned their lack of contact with their 
counterparts in the region.  USCG envisioned a forum that would 
enable port and other maritime officials to discuss operational 
issues and establish contacts for sharing information and best 
practices.  Coast Guard initially considered advancing the 
initiative through the South Asia Association for Regional 
Cooperation (SAARC), but decided not to do so because it wanted to 
include non-SAARC Indian Ocean countries. 
 
NINE COUNTRIES PARTICIPATE 
-------------------------- 
 
¶4. (U) Conference participants included a mix of harbormasters and 
port authorities; customs and border control officials; and coast 
guard and navy officers and from Bangladesh, Comoros, India, 
Madagascar, Maldives, Mauritius, Oman, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. 
Seychelles was invited but did not send representatives. 
International non-governmental organization representatives 
participated from the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and 
INTERPOL.  Private sector participants included representatives of 
Dubai Ports World and Hutchison Ports Ltd.  In addition to Admiral 
Bone and Ambassador Blake, U.S. participants included USCG 
International Port Security Liaison Officers, USCG Public Affairs, 
USCG Activities Far East, USCG Pacific Area, a US Customs and Border 
Protection officer, and Embassy Colombo Econoff. 
 
COLOMBO 00000534  002.2 OF 003 
 
 
 
¶5. (U) Participants discussed maritime and port security issues that 
included piracy and armed robbery, drug and human trafficking, 
improving the IMO's International Ship and Port Facility Security 
(ISPS) code, updating security requirements for private ports and 
container terminals, long range tracking and surveillance, current 
and upcoming customs activities and regulations (such as the U.S. 
9/11 act, which requires 100% screening of U.S.-bound cargo 
containers), and new security requirements for participating port 
authorities. 
 
SARPSCO -- NOT AN ORGANIZATION, BUT A FORUM -- 
TO MEET AGAIN IN 2009 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
¶6. (U) The conference produced a SARPSCO Conclusions document that 
stated the participants' agreement that the conference was a "useful 
platform through which government officials and other professionals 
engaged in the development and implementation of measures to enhance 
security of ports..." and discussed issues such as piracy and armed 
robbery against ships, illegal trafficking of migrants, arms, drugs, 
illegal and unregulated fishing, and measures to enhance security of 
ports.  The participants "agreed that the establishment of a forum" 
with official representation from the participating countries, 
private sector stakeholders, and intergovernmental and 
non-governmental organizations involved with port security "would be 
useful to enhance security of the ports" in the Indian Ocean region. 
 The document welcomed Mauritius' intention to host a follow-up 
SARPSCO conference in 2009, and India's and Sri Lanka's interest in 
hosting future meetings. 
 
INDIA INITIALLY SUSPICIOUS OF USCG ROLE 
--------------------------------------- 
 
¶7. (SBU) The Indian delegation, led by India's outspoken defense 
attache to Colombo, initially opposed the SARPSCO concept due to the 
heavy USG involvement, which they stated they were unaware of prior 
to their arrival.  They were also opposed to the group discussing 
not just port, but broader maritime security issues, because, they 
argued, that was the domain of navies, not civilian maritime 
officials.  No other delegation openly opposed the U.S. role, but 
participants agreed to India's desire to keep the focus on ports. 
Almost all participants actively voiced their strong support for 
this conference and for the ongoing SARPSCO forum that Coast Guard 
envisioned.  Ultimately, the IMO representative and several private 
stakeholders, with the encouragement of the USCG representatives, 
successfully persuaded the Indian delegation to sign on to the 
Conlusions document supporting an ongoing SARPSCO form. 
 
¶8. (SBU) The role of the USCG at future SARPCO conferences was not 
addressed.  USCG international port security liaison officer told 
EconOff tat USCG does not intend to be a lead organizer, asit was 
this time, in future SARPSCO events.  TheUSCG role, he expected, 
would depend on whether the host nation and regional participants 
sought its involvement, and the level of support and resources 
provided by USCG headquarters. 
 
¶9. (SBU) The conference was reported on Television Maldives (TVM) 
and in local Maldivian, Sri Lankan, and Indian press, as well as the 
International Herald Tribune, with most reporting essentially the 
content of USCG press releases.  Some reports referred to SARPSCO as 
a new regional security "organization," as stated in Coast Guard's 
initial press release.  Subsequent Coast Guard press releases did 
not repeat the incorrect reference to SARPSCO as an organization. 
 
COLOMBO 00000534  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
 
COMMENT: VALUABLE FIRST STEP TOWARDS INDIAN OCEAN 
MARITME SECURITY COOPERATION 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
¶10. (SBU) The "Partnering for a Safer Sea" conference was a good 
first step in a valuable U.S. Coast Guard initiative.  The broad 
participation and attendees' receptive attitudes showed that the 
Coast Guard was correct in perceiving a need for a regional forum 
for maritime security consultations and information sharing.  It 
will be important to engage further with India to gauge the 
seriousness of its objections to U.S. involvement and issues beyond 
port security.  In part, at least, the Indian defense attache was 
understandably reacting to not having had in advance of the 
conference a clear picture of the U.S. role and the envisioned scope 
of the forum.  The Coast Guard intends to address those concerns in 
the course of its continuing bilateral discussions with its Indian 
counterparts. 
 
¶11. (U)  U.S. Coast Guard Activities Far East cleared on this cable. 
MOORE