VZCZCXRO7032
OO RUEHAG RUEHDF RUEHIK RUEHLZ
DE RUEHFR #6075/01 2541531
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 111531Z SEP 06
FM AMEMBASSY PARIS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 1193
INFO RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES  PRIORITY
RULSDMK/DEPT OF TRANSPORTATION WASHDC PRIORITY
RHMFIUU/DEPT OF HOMELAND SECURITY WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS PRIORITY 1734
RUEAWJA/DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE WASHDC PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 006075 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EUR/WE, EB/TRA, L, S/CT 
USEU FOR MORENSKI 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAIR ECON PTER ASEC FR
SUBJECT: TSA & FRENCH CIVIL AVIATION AUTHORITY ON AVIATION 
SECURITY, NO FLY, AND PNR 
 
REF: A. PARIS 5958 
 
     ¶B. PARIS 5674 
     ¶C. STATE 125421 
 
SUMMARY 
-------------- 
 
¶1. (SBU).  In a detailed  September 5 discussion, Department 
of Homeland Security (DHS) Assistant Secretary for 
Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Kip Hawley and 
France DGAC Director General Michel Wachenheim discussed 
aircraft security in the wake of the recent foiled plot in 
the UK.  The GOF has adopted an inspection regime which goes 
beyond TSA's recent new Emergency Amendments (EAs), and 
Wachenheim and Hawley pledged to stay in close contact and 
coordinate efforts on emerging new standards.  On the 
Passenger Name Record (PNR) issue, Wachenheim stated clearly 
that airlines would continue to furnish PNR data on 
France-origin passengers to the USG after September 30, even 
if the U.S. and EU are unable to come up with a new PNR 
agreement by end September.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2. (U)  The DHS Assistant Secretary for TSA Kip Hawley called 
on French civil aviation agency (DGAC) Director-General 
Michel Wachenheim September 5.  Hawley was accompanied by 
TSA/TSNM General Manager Rich Stein, Economic 
 
SIPDIS 
Minister-Counselor, and Paris TSAR.  Wachenheim was joined by 
DGAC Technical and Strategic Affairs deputy Paul Schwach, 
Asst. Deputy DGAC Director Gerard Lefevre and DGAC Security 
Manager Jacques Le Guillou. 
 
AIRPORT SECURITY IN THE WAKE OF THE FOILED UK PLOT 
--------------------------------------------- ----------- 
 
¶3. (SBU)  Michel Wachenheim opened the discussions by 
welcoming Assistant Secretary Hawley to France.  He noted 
strong GOF support for the types of security measures 
promulgated in TSA,s newly implemented emergency amendments 
(EA/SDs), restricting gels and liquids in carry-on baggage. 
From a bilateral standpoint, he stressed the need for 
improving communication and information-sharing to streamline 
the process of implementing emergency security measures. 
Wachenheim fleshed out the complexities of complying with 
GOF,s own internal requirements, EU measures, and U.S. EAs 
simultaneously.  In addition, the French Interior Ministry 
put extremely tough measures in place in the wake of the UK 
plot, requiring both 100% checks of carry-on bags and 100% 
physical searches of U.S., Israel, and, initially, UK-bound 
passengers. 
 
¶4.  (SBU)  Looking to the development of new standards going 
forward, Wachenheim asked the DHS Assistant Secretary what 
would be the minimum percentage of screening that the U.S. 
could accept for gels and liquids. He also asked about what 
level of screening other countries were using.  Hawley 
explained that these items must be screened for at the main 
screening checkpoint (100%) and that there must be 
random/continuous screening at the boarding gate. The U.S. 
could probably accept a 10% random screeing rate, but would 
have a difficult time implementing a higher rate of random 
checks.  He noted that the UK currently screens at the 50% 
rate at the boarding gate. In the United States, items 
purchased in the Duty Free shops are placed in sealed 
transparent bags and delivered to the passenger at the 
boarding gate. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) Wachenheim said that the EU is requiring 10% 
screening of these items. By contrast, the UK is conducting 
50% screening. In France, for flights to the U.S. and Israel, 
the screening is 100%. For all other destinations the 
screening is currently set at 50%. He added that for France, 
somewhere between 10-30% would be acceptable, and France will 
work toward this in the EU context.. He stressed the economic 
impact on the Aroports de Paris (ADP) and the Duty Free 
shops in CDG. Some shops have claimed a 40% loss in sales 
since the release of the new security measures and have even 
planned on announcing future layoffs. 
 
¶6.  (SBU) DHS Assistant Secretary Hawley noted that the U.S. 
is considering permitting a certain number of small 
containers (perhaps up to eight 50-75 ml containers) onboard 
with each passenger.  This amount was determined by TSA 
experts to be an allowable quantity and could facilitate the 
need for certain overnight flyers to carry personal items on 
 
PARIS 00006075  002 OF 002 
 
 
board.  Hawley offered to make TSA experts available to meet 
with DGAC officials.  Wachenheim and Hawley further discussed 
acceptable x-ray and screening equipment, and Paris TSA 
Representative emphasized the need for proper training of 
screeners on how to detect containers potentially containing 
liquids.  Hawley is hopeful that a new standard can be 
devised quickly and applied consistently over the near 
future. 
 
¶7.  (SBU)  Both Wachenheim and Hawley agreed that purchases 
of duty-free items in a &sterile8 duty-free environment did 
not pose a major problem.  Wachenheim noted, however, that 
many airports are wrestling with how to handle purchases made 
in airports in non-sterile environments (e.g.., 
non-controlled pre-security screening shops).  This is a 
major problem at Schipol Airport in Amsterdam, for example. 
Wachenheim wondered whether it might be possible to have such 
purchases sealed by the vendor, sent through explosives 
detection systems, and delivered to passengers at the 
departure gate. 
 
NO FLY AND PNR ISSUES 
----------------------------- 
 
¶8.  (SBU) Assistant Secretary Hawley noted with satisfaction 
that the number of flight diversions on Paris-U.S. routes had 
diminished significantly over the past year. Hawley hoped 
that a future rollout of the APIS Quick Query (AQQ) system 
could further shift the burden of terrorist name matching 
from the air carrier to the U.S. Government. He added that he 
was actively working with his CBP counterparts on this issue 
and stressed that this was a definite priority for TSA. 
 
¶9.  (SBU) Economic Minister Counselor questioned Wachenheim 
about DGAC views on the US-EU PNR agreement discussions. 
Wachenheim stressed the importance of coming to an agreement 
by September 30, if possible, emphasizing that without an 
agreement the air carriers would lose their legal umbrella 
for providing PNR data to the USG.  However, Wachenheim 
stated clearly that carriers operating from France would 
continue to provide PNR data to US authorities even in the 
absence of an agreement by September 30. 
 
COMMENT 
----------- 
 
¶10. (SBU) The discussion with DGAC was positive and 
detail-oriented.  The GOF has adopted a robust security 
stance in the aftermath of the UK plot discovery, but clearly 
is hoping to move to a standard that is less onerous than 
100-percent checks and more viable over the medium-to-long 
term.   As we have heard from other interlocutors on the PNR 
issue, Wachenheim was reassuring that PNR information will 
continue to be transmitted post-September 30. 
 
 
Please visit Paris' Classified Website at: 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/paris/index.c fm 
 
HOFMANN