VZCZCXRO7819
RR RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHLN
RUEHLZ RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHSQ #0991/01 3551320
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 211320Z DEC 07
FM AMEMBASSY SKOPJE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6837
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE 0139
RHEHNSC/WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL
RUEHSQ/USDAO SKOPJE MK
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC
RUEKDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RUESEN/SKOPJE BETA
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO 3728

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 SKOPJE 000991 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR G/TIP JENNIFER DONNELLY, EUR/SCE PFEUFFER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL MK
SUBJECT: MACEDONIA: CONTINUED ANTI-TIP MOMENTUM 
 
REF: A. SKOPJE 974 
     ¶B. SECSTATE 167709 
 
SUMMARY 
 
¶1. (SBU) A week after the Minister of Interior (MOI) agreed 
to adopt our seven priority recommendations for 
combating/preventing trafficking-in-persons (TIP) in 
Macedonia (ref A), we are seeing continued positive momentum 
in government anti-TIP efforts.  According to the latest MOI 
statistics, there were 24 police raids on 64 bars which 
uncovered 221 potential TIP victims in Macedonia in the 
period April 20-December 20.  Those actions led to 30 
prosecutions against 77 defendants on TIP-related charges, 49 
of whom have already been convicted and sentenced.  Five 
police officers and one Ministry of Justice employee 
currently are on trial for involvement in alien smuggling 
operations.  In an unprecedented move, the Ministry of 
Defense (MOD) has requested anti-TIP training for its troops 
deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq.  End summary. 
 
URGING SUSTAINED ANTI-TIP EFFORTS -- AIMING FOR TIER I 
 
¶2. (SBU) In a December 13 meeting with Minister of Interior 
Jankuloska, the DCM presented post's seven priority 
recommendations for fighting TIP, based on G/TIP's draft 
action guide for Macedonia (ref A).  On December 20, Post's 
TIP Officer met with the MOI's senior anti-TIP official, Kire 
Todorovski, to follow-up and to convey the points in the 
Department's final TIP Action Guide (ref B).  Todorovski 
provided the following updates on implementation of anti-TIP 
priority action recommendations: 
 
--One MOI and one Ministry of Labor and Social Policy (MLSP) 
employee currently are taking part in training at the 
International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) 
in Vienna on the use of a comprehensive database on TIP 
criminals and TIP victims.  This is the first step toward the 
implementation of Macedonia's TIP database, which will be 
fully functional in January 2008. 
 
--Unlike in previous years, when the GOM was not cooperative 
in sharing TIP-related information, Todorovski provided a 
detailed TIP report for the period April 20-December 20. 
According to his information, there were 24 police raids on 
64 bars which uncovered 221 potential TIP victims and 213 
smuggled migrants.  Almost half of the potential TIP victims 
(94) were Macedonian citizens, and 16 were minors.  There 
were no foreign minors in the group.  The spike in the number 
of raids resulted in 30 TIP-related prosecutions against 77 
defendants.  Out of those defendants, 49 already have been 
convicted and sentenced.  Five policemen and one MOJ employee 
currently are on trial for involvement in alien smuggling 
operations. 
 
--All relevant ministries have reviewed and approved the TIP 
Standard Operational Procedures (SOPs) drafted by an 
inter-ministerial working group with the help of OSCE.  The 
GOM plans to adopt the SOPs, for government-wide 
implementation, at its next session in December. 
 
--As part of a high-level anti-TIP week in January or 
February 2008, the GOM plans to unveil the TIP SOPs during an 
official ceremony in which the Prime Minister, the Minister 
of Interior, the Minister of Justice and the Minister of 
Labor and Social Policy are expected to take part. 
 
--The head of the MOI's Anti-TIP Sector is leading a working 
group, which includes NGO partners, to draft a proposal for 
improving GOM services provided in TIP victims shelters.  The 
working group is expected to look at various options for more 
efficient GOM-NGO cooperation in the running of the shelters, 
including combining the operations of the MOI-run Transit 
Center for foreign victims and the NGO-run shelter for 
internal TIP victims. 
 
--Parliament has committed to pass by mid-January the draft 
law for amending the Criminal Code, which will criminalize 
all TIP-related acts involving minors.  The draft is 
currently under discussion by a parliamentary committee. 
 
 
SKOPJE 00000991  002 OF 002 
 
 
--In an attempt to deal with the challenge of clearly 
distinguishing between Art. 418-b (smuggling) and Art. 418-a 
(TIP) cases, Todorovski is meeting this month with Ministry 
of Justice (MOJ) representatives to discuss the possibility 
of including language in verdicts for Art. 418-b crimes, when 
applicable, that indicates that the smuggled persons likely 
were TIP victims. 
 
ANTI-TIP TRAINING FOR DEPLOYED TROOPS 
 
¶3. (SBU) In addition to the GOM's heightened focus on TIP, 
our DAO is working with the MOD to develop an anti-TIP 
awareness module for Macedonian combat forces serving in 
Afghanistan and Iraq.  The MOI's Todorovski and Post's TIP 
Officer are working to produce a culturally appropriate 
brochure to be handed out to deploying soldiers.  In 
addition, the Macedonian MOD has requested "Force Protection" 
training, once in theater, that includes anti-TIP training 
(an unprecedented action by the MOD in our recent experience). 
MILOVANOVIC