VZCZCXRO9356
RR RUEHAG RUEHDA RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHLN RUEHLZ
RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHPG #0306 0821425
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 231425Z MAR 06
FM AMEMBASSY PRAGUE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 7132
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEHGB/AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD 0066
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO 1710
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0114

UNCLAS PRAGUE 000306 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL KDEM IZ EZ
SUBJECT: CZECHS TEACH IRAQIS IMMIGRATION CONTROL 
 
REF: A. PRAGUE 0097 
     ¶B. PRAGUE 0192 
 
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Summary 
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¶1. (U) Summary. The Czechs are helping the Iraqi government 
learn how to manage Iraq's borders. In February, the Czechs 
brought ten senior Iraqi government officials to Prague to 
learn best practices in asylum and migration policy. The 
visit -- sponsored by a partnership between the Czech 
government and the International Organization for Migration 
(IOM) -- was the first of three visits for Iraqi officials 
planned in 2006. End summary. 
 
-------------------------------------------- 
Ambassador Cabaniss Welcomed Iraqi Officials 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (U) Ambassador Cabaniss attended a dinner on February 27 
to meet ten Iraqi government officials in Prague to take part 
in a training program on border control, and other asylum and 
migration issues. The dinner was hosted by Czech Deputy FM 
Tomas Pojar and Iraqi Ambassador Al Dabbass. The Iraqi guests 
included Abas Hassan, DG of Ministry Affairs, General 
Secretariat of Ministers Council; Adnan Al-Asadi, Dep Min of 
 
SIPDIS 
Administration Affairs, Ministry of Interior; Nouri Mousa, DG 
of Customs, Customs Department of the Ministry of Finance; 
and other senior officials from the Ministries of Foreign 
Affairs, Interior, Displacement and Migration, and Labor and 
Social Affairs. Czech guests included Tomas Haisman, Director 
of Asylum and Migration Policy Department, Ministry of 
Interior; and Lucie Sladkova, head of the Czech office of the 
International Organization for Migration (IOM). 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
The Focus of the Program is Iraqi Border Security 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
¶3. (U) In an interview with the Czech press, Dep FM Pojar 
explained the program is part of the Czech's ongoing efforts 
to help the new Iraqi government. The program includes three 
visits to Prague in 2006. 
 
¶4. (SBU) The Czechs chose border security as the focus of the 
program because the IOM assessed the Iraqi migration 
management system, and concluded the Iraqi government needed 
training to improve its ability to: (1) ensure the security 
of borders with Iran and Syria (including preventing illegal 
migration and creating secure travel documents), (2) regulate 
the stay of foreigners, and (3) facilitate the return of 
Iraqis. As part of the first phase of the program the Iraqi 
delegation visited: 
 
-- the Prague Ruzyne Airport, to learn about airport security, 
-- the Czech Alien and Border Police Headquarters and the 
Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, to learn about 
migration, visas, and border control, and 
-- a Czech asylum facility, to learn about refugee facilities 
administration. 
 
¶5. (SBU) The project budget for the three visits in 2006 is 
US$135,000 (The GOCR provides two-thirds of the funding, and 
the IOM provides one-third and administrative support). For 
other examples of Czech capacity building training and 
humanitarian assistance to Iraq, see reftels. 
CABANISS