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Deborah J Ash  03/16/2007 12:22:28 PM  From  DB/Inbox:  Jan 07 cables

Cable 
Text:                                                                      
                                                                           
      
UNCLAS    SENSITIVE     KYIV 00183

SIPDIS
CXKIEV:
    ACTION: POL
    INFO:   CONS AID ECON CUST AMB RAO DTRO DAO PAS DCM

DISSEMINATION: POL
CHARGE: PROG

APPROVED: POL:KDLOGSDON
DRAFTED: POL:MMUYEHARA
CLEARED: NONE

VZCZCKVI557
PP RUEHC RUEAWJA RUEKJCS RUEKJCS RULSJGA RUCNCIS
RUEHZG
DE RUEHKV #0183/01 0251324
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 251324Z JAN 07
FM AMEMBASSY KYIV
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1012
INFO RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RULSJGA/COMDT COGARD WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RUEHZG/NATO EU COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KYIV 000183 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT ALSO FOR EUR/UMB, EUR/NCE, EUR/PRA, ISN/CPI, L/OES 
(ROACH) 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PARM KNNP PHSA KTIA EWWT PL UP
SUBJECT: UKRAINE: PROLIFERATION SECURITY INITIATIVE AND 
SHIP-BOARDING AGREEMENT UPDATE 
 
REF: A. 06 KIEV 363 
     ¶B. 06 STATE 11182 
     ¶C. 05 KIEV 4998 
 
(U) Sensitive but unclassified.  Please handle accordingly. 
Not for Internet. 
 
¶1. (U) This is an action request.  See para 9. 
 
¶2. (SBU) Summary:  After a year-long hiatus (refs A and B 
were transmitted in January 2006), a Ukrainian MFA official 
said Ukrainian comments on a draft PSI ship-boarding 
agreement might be provided by the end of January, after 
which the Ukrainians would request a second round of 
negotiations.  The Ministry of Transport and Communications 
has assumed the over-all responsibility for PSI within the 
Ukrainian government.  Ukrainian officials said they were 
awaiting Polish responses on a concept/scenario for the 
jointly sponsored Ukraine-Poland Eastern Shield PSI exercise, 
which is scheduled to take place in September 2007.  They 
also invited U.S. comments on the concept (emailed to 
EUR/UMB, EUR/PRA and ISN/CPI) and inquired into the 
possibility of U.S. financial support for the exercise.  End 
summary. 
 
¶3. (U) We met January 22 to discuss the Proliferation 
Security Initiative (PSI) with MFA Arms Control and Military 
Technical Cooperation Department officials Oleksandr 
Bondarenko and Marina Strogaya and, from the Anti-Terrorism 
Center, Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) officials Oleksandr 
Marchuk, Serhiy Bobrovytsky, and Oleksandr Novikov. 
Bondarenko first briefed us on the status of internal 
Ukrainian government discussions regarding the Ukrainian 
position on a draft "United States-Ukraine Agreement 
concerning cooperation to suppress the proliferation of 
weapons of mass destruction, their delivery systems, and 
related material by sea," hereafter referred to as the PSI 
ship-boarding agreement.  He then briefed us on discussions 
with Polish officials on the Ukraine-Poland joint PSI 
exercise, "Eastern Shield," after which Marchuk provided 
amplifying and supporting comments. 
 
Ship-Boarding Agreement 
----------------------- 
 
¶4. (U) Saying that he had just met with the State Border 
Guards Service of Ukraine (SBGS), Bondarenko reported that 
the Ministry of Transportation and Communication (MTC)had 
assumed overall responsibility within the Ukrainian 
government for PSI coordination from the SBGS.  Bondarenko 
said the draft ship-boarding agreement was undergoing its 
final review, including whether the agreement was consistent 
with existing Ukrainian obligations under UN and other 
international agreements regarding maritime interdiction of 
weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and WMD material.  He 
predicted that the Ukrainian government response could be 
ready as early as the end of January.  Once the Ukrainian 
response had been forwarded to the U.S. side, the Ukrainians 
would request a second round of negotiations. 
 
¶5. (SBU) In response to our question, Bondarenko said the 
Ukrainians had accepted our argument that "Cabinet of 
Ministers" should not be substituted for "Government of 
Ukraine" in the draft text.  In an indication of what other 
issues MTC might be reviewing, Bondarenko said the Ukrainians 
were examining the responsibility of parties and necessary 
actions if nothing should be found after a ship were boarded. 
 He also noted the SBGS had analyzed ship transit through the 
Ukrainian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).  It had determined 
that, in the last seven years, only 31 U.S-flagged ships had 
entered Ukrainian waters -- 30 private yachts and just one 
cargo ship (which had brought cargo in support of the U.S. 
military's role in the bilateral "Sea Breeze" military 
exercise in the summer of 2006).  There were 209 
Ukrainian-flagged ships that plied international waters. 
 
Eastern Shield 
-------------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) Bondarenko said a Ukrainian delegation had met 
December 19 with Polish counterparts in Warsaw.  The 
Ukrainians had provided a concept regarding the joint 
Ukrainian-Polish PSI exercise, Eastern Shield, and invited 
Polish comments.  Bondarenko noted that the concept was the 
same as one he had e-mailed to Embassy Kyiv in mid-December. 
On February 6, Ukraine and Poland would jointly sponsor a PSI 
seminar to which representatives of Georgia, Azerbaijan, 
Armenia, and Moldova (note: with the exception of Armenia, 
these are all the other members of GUAM besides Ukraine) and 
during which the plan for Eastern Shield would be presented. 
 
¶7. (SBU) The ATC's Marchuk complained about a lack of Polish 
response to the Ukrainian exercise concept.  While the Polish 
position was important, since Poland was the other sponsor of 
the exercise, Polish officials appeared to have a more 
restricted approach than the Ukrainians.  Marchuk stressed 
that the Ukrainian side wanted a scenario that would be as 
realistic as possible so the exercise could uncover the 
practical difficulties of coordinating during a PSI 
situation.  The Ukrainians hoped to discuss the concept 
further with Polish officials on the margins of the February 
6 seminar and during a working group meeting on February 7. 
Marchuk invited U.S. participation on both days. 
 
¶8. (SBU) Bondarenko and Marchuk said there had been early 
indications that the U.S. might be able to support Eastern 
Shield financially.  They asked for confirmation of U.S. 
financial support and what the funding would provide.  They 
also asked for U.S. comments on the Ukrainian concept.  (We 
have e-mailed the concept to EUR/UMB, EUR/PRA, and ISN/CPI. 
In an initial read of the document, we see that "organizers 
of the training" are listed as "Ukraine, Poland, U.S." and, 
among the goals, "definition of the further path of 
cooperation among the security organs of Ukraine, Poland, the 
U.S. and other PSI country-participants."  The U.S. is not 
otherwise specifically identified in the document.) 
 
¶9. (SBU) Request that Department confirm whether a Washington 
official will participate in the February 6-7 meetings; and 
whether the USG will be able to provide financial support to 
the exercise and for what expenses.  We also ask that 
Department provide comments to the exercise concept that was 
translated and forwarded to the relevant offices. 
 
¶10. (U) Visit Embassy Kyiv's classified website: 
www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/kiev. 
Taylor