This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 SAN SALVADOR 003480 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PTER ASEC KCRM EFIN AA KHLS KPAO ES
SUBJECT: EL SALVADOR: 2005 TERRORISM REPORT 
 
REF: A. STATE 193439 
     ¶B. 2004 SAN SALVADOR 3554 
 
¶A.  Support for the Global Coalition 
 
El Salvador, which lost some citizens in the tragedies of 
September 11, has been a consistently strong supporter of the 
United States and other partners in the global war against 
terrorism.  El Salvador has ratified 11 of 12 UN conventions 
against terrorism and the Inter-American Convention Against 
Terrorism.  President Tony Saca was inaugurated in 2004, and 
maintains an outspoken position in support of the global war 
against terrorism and military operations in Iraq.  El 
Salvador sent their fifth troop rotation to Iraq in August 
¶2005.  The country has not offered sanctuary to terrorists, 
nor have any acts of terrorism occurred toward U.S. citizens 
or U.S. interests. 
 
¶B.  Host Nation Counterterrorism Actions 
 
The Government has continued to place a great deal of 
importance on counterterrorism.  Their working-level 
Inter-Agency Counterterrorism Working Group (GRICTE) is a 
platform not only for communicating with international 
partners, but also for building intra-governmental consensus 
on counterterrorism priorities and necessary reforms. 
 
--- Counterterrorism Legislation 
 
Counterterrorism Legislation was introduced in the 
Legislative Assembly on November 29.  Draft counterterrorism 
legislation includes provisions on terrorism financing, 
though in its current form it lacks language consistent with 
FATF recommendations on cash couriers, wire transfers, and 
nongovernmental organizations.  Controversy has arisen 
regarding the legislation's new sentencing requirements for 
some crimes including: assassination of political figures, 
armed occupation of buildings, adulteration of products, 
incitement of terrorism, fraud undertaken to conceal evidence 
of terrorism, membership in terrorist organizations, 
terrorist attacks, accessory to terrorist acts, possession of 
materials for purposes of commission of terrorist acts, 
hostage taking, destruction of transportation facilities, 
aircraft hijacking, destruction of aircraft, interference 
with flight crews, terrorist threats, terrorism financing, 
intent to commit terrorist acts, and complicity in commission 
of terrorist acts.  (Note:  Armed men allegedly affiliated 
with the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN) 
have twice recently taken control of public buildings.  End 
note.) 
 
--- Cybersecurity 
 
El Salvador has formed a cybersecurity team headed by 
Guillermo Funes, Chief of Technology Development for the 
Ministry of Governance. 
 
¶C.  Terrorism Finance 
 
The GOES investigates the names and organizations on all 
USG-provided terrorist-financing lists.  No bank accounts or 
assets of individuals or entities on these lists have been 
found in El Salvador.  In previous years, authorities have 
shown a willingness to freeze assets when found, as they did 
in a 2002 case involving the Red Brigade. 
 
El Salvador,s money-laundering laws provide a legal basis 
for the freezing and forfeiture of proceeds from illegal 
activities, but do not regulate the flow of legitimate money 
to terrorist organizations.  If the counterterrorism 
legislation currently proposed in the Legislative Assembly is 
passed, implementation would be challenging due to technical 
limitations, banking privacy laws, and a culture of 
protecting clients.  It is clear that banks have not been 
effectively incorporated into the regulatory regime, and do 
not play the important role that U.S. banks play. 
 
¶D.  Judicial System 
 
El Salvador has the basic statutory framework to prosecute 
terrorists.  Acts of terrorism and conspiracy to commit such 
acts are punishable under the Salvadoran Penal Code.  El 
Salvador,s comprehensive money laundering law extends to all 
criminal activity, including terrorism. 
 
The GOES did not extradite nor request extradition of 
suspected terrorists for prosecution this year.  There were 
no U.S. requests for extradition in terrorist cases.  Despite 
having laws in place to prosecute terrorists, one potential 
impediment to a successful prosecution remains the relatively 
weak and inefficient Salvadoran judicial system.  The 1911 
bilateral extradition treaty between the United States and El 
Salvador fails to provide for the extradition of nationals 
and contains a very limited list of extraditable crimes.  El 
Salvador amended its constitution in 2000 to permit the 
extradition of Salvadoran nationals when obligated to do so 
by treaty, but negotiations for a new bilateral extradition 
treaty that would contain such an extradition have stalled as 
a result of USG concerns over the Salvadoran constitutional 
prohibition against life imprisonment.  Nevertheless, the 
current treaty would cover many types of terrorist offenses 
committed by non-Salvadorans, as certain multilateral 
conventions designate specific offense as extraditable under 
our existing bilateral treaty. 
 
¶E.  Host Nation Law Enforcement Capabilities 
 
The National Civilian Police (PNC) is a professional force 
that is well-regarded by Salvadoran citizens and outside 
observers.  The PNC communicates well with the National 
Intelligence Service, the Immigration Service, and the Office 
of the Attorney General (FGR).  The PNC also works jointly 
with special military units to combat youth delinquency and 
gangs, and to respond to emergencies. 
A November 1 drill simulated a terrorist takeover of the 
Israeli Embassy.  The drill involved the PNC, rescue squads, 
and firefighters.  Subdirector Douglas Garcia Funes of the 
PNC Special Operations Division noted that they needed to 
improve the response time of rescue squads.  Future drills 
are planned at government buildings, embassies, malls, 
airports, and ports. 
 
--- Wiretaps 
 
The Salvadoran constitution expressly protects its citizens 
from electronic monitoring.  While there is some support for 
change from the political right and the law enforcement and 
intelligence communities, leftist politicians would legally 
challenge any provision that attempted to introduce 
electronic surveillance as a counterterrorism tool.  It is 
not likely that the draft counterterrorism legislation will 
attempt to fill this void. 
 
--- Plea-bargains 
 
Plea-bargaining, leniency for cooperation, and witness 
protection programs are less-used tools in the Salvadoran 
judicial system.  El Salvador's criminal law mandates 
punishments and requires prosecutors to charge defendants if 
evidence exists.  In some cases, provisions allow prosecutors 
to ask judges subsequently to drop certain charges, or to 
issue sentences of half the minimum, but these requests are 
not always granted.  Defendants often lack complete faith in 
prosecutor's assurances; this system makes it difficult for 
prosecutors to offer incentives for confessions or 
cooperation. 
 
--- Investigations and Evidence 
 
The Office of the Attorney General (FGR), in conjunction with 
the PNC, is required to initiate an investigation upon 
receiving intelligence of possible terrorist cases.  El 
Salvador does not have strict rules of evidence.  Judges may 
accept or reject evidence based on their own subjective 
determination of its probative value and the means of 
collection.  Nevertheless, the Criminal Procedure Code states 
that elements of proof can only be accepted if obtained 
through legal means and appropriately submitted in court. 
There are only limited good-faith, accidental discovery, and 
independent source exceptions.  Due to the constitutional 
prohibition against electronic surveillance, information 
obtained through the interception of oral, wire, or 
electronic communications is not admissible in any judicial 
proceedings.  Most intelligence information can be used only 
to provide leads in an investigation. 
 
Following the arrest of a suspected terrorist, the FGR is 
allowed a 72-hour detention period to prepare the indictment 
and make an initial presentation of the case to a judge. 
During this detention period, suspected terrorists cannot 
leave jail, and aside from contacting legal counsel, are not 
normally authorized access to phone or E-mail.  At 
arraignment, the judge determines if there is enough evidence 
to continue the case.  The Criminal Code prohibits the 
release on bail of defendants charged with terrorist-related 
crimes. 
 
Police take photographs and fingerprints of all detained 
persons.  DNA is not normally collected except pursuant to a 
court order.  Debriefings can be arranged through appropriate 
authorities. 
 
¶F.  Border Controls 
 
El Salvador does not have a customs and immigration 
record-keeping system that allows timely sharing of 
information among entry points and the central authority. 
Both funding and technical implementation are hurdles. 
Furthermore, better procedures at the international airport 
are needed, such as separating incoming and outgoing 
passengers, streamlining immigration processing by refining 
the use of administrative grounds for refusal, and 
establishing a secondary inspection area.  Under a 
cooperative agreement among El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, 
Nicaragua, and Costa Rica, citizens of other Central American 
countries may travel to El Salvador without a passport or 
visa.  Though flawed, El Salvador's immigration controls are 
still among the strictest in the region. 
 
¶G.  Regional/International Counterterrorism Cooperation 
 
El Salvador is the only other Western Hemisphere nation with 
troops deployed with coalition forces in Iraq (see paragraph 
A).  The Government has also continued to work closely with 
the UN's Counterterrorism Committee, and continues to play an 
active role in the Inter-American Committee Against Terrorism 
(CICTE). 
 
¶H.  See Paragraphs F and G. 
 
¶I. Countering Extremist Ideologies 
 
Because there exist no significant movements in El Salvador 
that support Al-Qaida, or that extol an extremist, 
violence-supported ideology, the GOES has not initiated any 
public information campaigns to counter them. 
 
¶J.  Deployment of Forces 
 
In addition to its current deployment of 380 soldiers to Iraq 
(see paragraph A), El Salvador has deployed police or 
military officers to Cyprus (8), Liberia (3), Western Sahara 
(5), Ivory Coast (3), Nicaragua (2), Guatemala (2), Sudan 
(5), and the UN in New York (1).  Thirty additional military 
officers remain on standby for participation in UN missions 
under the UN Standby Arrangement system. 
 
¶K.  Changes in Government Stance 
 
El Salvador remains committed to the global war on terrorism, 
and is energized to address weaknesses and prepare for 
eventualities.  There continues to be strong regional and 
international cooperation. 
 
¶L.  Constraints 
 
El Salvador's counterterrorism structure and institutions 
have received much attention in recent years, and were 
praised during the 2004 Diplomatic Security Anti-Terrorism 
Assessment team visit.  However, key constraints are: limited 
controls (see paragraph F), banking privacy laws and the 
culture of client protection (see paragraph C), and the 
country's prohibition of electronic surveillance, which might 
otherwise facilitate preventative counterterrorism actions 
(see paragraph E). 
 
M/N.  Host Government support for International Terrorism 
 
El Salvador does not support international terrorism in any 
way, and has not issued statements of support for any known 
terrorist organization, individual, or terrorist-supporting 
country. 
 
O/P.  Terrorist Operations 
 
No terrorist organizations are known to be operating in El 
Salvador.  While porous borders and relatively free travel 
are risks, there are no known terrorist sanctuaries or 
border-crossing points. 
 
Q/R.  None. 
Barclay