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UNCLAS STATE 053224 
 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KNNP KSTC OPRC PARM PREL XX
 
SUBJECT: PSI: PRESS GUIDANCE AND SUGGESTED TALKING POINTS 
FOR PSI FIFTH ANNIVERSARY 
 
REF: STATE 023570 AND 023568 
 
OBJECTIVES AND ACTION REQUESTS 
------------------------------ 
 
¶1.  This is an action request. Press guidance and 
action requested is in paragraph 2. Text of a &media 
announcement8 is in paragraph 3. Talking points are 
in paragraph 5 below. As described in reftel, the 
United States is hosting a series of events in 
Washington on the fifth  anniversary of the 
President's announcement of the Proliferation 
Security Initiative (PSI) centered around a Senior 
Level Meeting that will be held May 28. Washington 
hopes to use this occasion to increase public 
awareness of the PSI, its successes and its 
importance, to dispel public misconceptions about 
the PSI, and to invigorate public support for the 
PSI as a means of promoting the widest possible 
participation in the PSI. 
 
 
¶2.  Press guidance and action request. Addressees 
are requested to (a) coordinate with their local 
national counterparts to jointly disseminate the 
text of the &media announcement8 in paragraph 3 
below to local media outlets as appropriate, but no 
earlier than May 21, 2008, which will correspond 
with the release of a formal &Media Note8 by the 
Department Spokesman on that date; (c) to be aware 
of the schedule of events as noted in paragraph 4 
below; and (d) to draw upon as appropriate the 
talking points in Paragraph 5 below to answer any 
questions that may be generated by this 
announcement. 
 
¶3.  Begin text of &media announcement.8 
 
For release on May 21, 2008. 
 
The United States Announces Events Marking the Fifth 
Anniversary of the Proliferation Security 
Initiative. 
 
May 31, 2008, will mark the fifth anniversary of a 
new kind of international cooperative effort in the 
fight against proliferation of weapons of mass 
destruction (WMD): the Proliferation Security 
Initiative (PSI). Partner nations can be proud of 
a the PSI's solid record of success over these past 
five years. 
 
On the occasion of this anniversary, the U.S. 
Department of State is hosting a series of 
activities, including a meeting for policy-makers 
from all states that have endorsed the PSI, which 
will be held May 28, 2008, in Washington D.C. They 
will gather to review the PSI,s results and 
successes over the last five years and look at ways 
to continue strengthening the Initiative for the 
future. On the following day, the United States will 
host a one-day PSI workshop at the same location, to 
provide detailed information on the broad range of 
PSI activities for all states interested in learning 
more about he PSI. The PSI has made substantial 
contributions to strengthening the global commitment 
to stop proliferation of WMD and their means of 
delivery. From an initial group of eleven states who 
came together to establish the principles underlying 
the PSI, now there are almost 90 nations worldwide 
who have endorsed these principles, and participate 
in interdiction exercises, sharing information, and 
promoting international cooperation in stopping 
transfers of items and materials of WMD 
proliferation concern. 
 
The PSI has made substantial contributions to 
strengthening the global commitment to stop 
proliferation of WMD and their means of delivery. 
Beginning in 2003 with eleven states who came 
together to establish the principles underlying the 
PSI, there are now almost 90 nations worldwide who 
have endorsed these principles, and participate in 
interdiction exercises, sharing information, and 
promoting international cooperation in stopping 
transfers of items and materials of WMD 
proliferation concern. 
 
The effectiveness of the PSI is based in large part 
on successfully preserving discretion regarding 
specific operational details, thus ensuring the 
security and efficacy of its interdiction 
activities. 
 
The United States is pleased to have played an 
active role in the success of the PSI, by 
leveraging related counterproliferation efforts 
 across the U.S. government, by contributing naval, 
 law enforcement, and other maritime security assets 
to interdiction exercises, by hosting PSI 
counterproliferation meetings, workshops, and 
exercises with other PSI-endorsing states, as well 
as by working with specific partner states to 
improve their capacity for combating the 
proliferation of WMD. 
 
Rogue states, terrorist and criminal organizations, 
and unscrupulous individuals who contemplate 
trafficking in WMD related items must now contend 
with an international community united in detecting 
and interdicting such transfers whether by air, 
land, or sea. 
 
End text of media announcement. 
 
¶4. Description of events. 
 
John C. Rood, Acting Under Secretary of State for 
Arms Control and International Security will chair a 
Senior-Level PSI Meeting on Wednesday, May 28, open 
only to PSI endorsing states.  The focus of this 
meeting will be to review the Initiative's results 
and successes over the last five years and look at 
ways to continue strengthening the PSI for the 
future. 
 
On Thursday, May 29, Patricia A. McNerney, Acting 
Assistant Secretary for the International Security 
and 
Nonproliferation Bureau of the U.S. Department of 
State, will chair a PSI Outreach Workshop.  This 
workshop will be open to both PSI endorsing states 
and states considering endorsement. 
 
This workshop will provide detailed information on 
the broad range of PSI activities and share best 
practices and tools that have been developed to 
assist countries with implementing their commitment 
to the PSI Statement of Interdiction Principles. We 
encourage participation in this workshop by experts 
in the defense, legal, law enforcement and customs, 
operational and intelligence communities. 
 
The opening of the conference on May 28, 2008, may 
be 
accompanied by a Statement by the President. 
Confirmation and further information will be 
provided septel. 
 
¶5.  Begin talking points for use by Post public 
affairs officials: 
 
PSI Background 
 
o     The Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) 
as established in May 2003 as a cooperative effort 
among states committed to stopping transfers of 
weapons of mass destruction (WMD), their delivery 
systems, and related materials to and from states 
and non-state actors of proliferation concern. 
 
o     The Initiative is a response to the threat 
posed by illicit procurement networks seeking to 
obtain and transfer the materials and expertise 
necessary to establish and sustain a WMD program. 
 It was created as an innovative complement to a 
broad range of nonproliferation tools, including 
formal nonproliferation treaties and regimes. 
 
o     The PSI is an activity and not an organization. 
It is based on a shared political commitment to the 
PSI Statement of Interdiction Principles, rather 
than a treaty-based organization governed by binding 
provisions and obligations. 
 
o     Its emphasis is on encouraging participating 
states to make full use of existing authorities * 
both under domestic and international law * to 
prevent transfers of proliferation concern. 
 
o     The PSI Statement of Interdiction Principles 
highlights that actions by participating states are 
voluntary, and consistent with national legal 
authorities and international law. 
 
PSI,s Record of Success 
 
o     The contribution of PSI to the broader 
nonproliferation strategy can be understood on three 
mutually-reinforcing levels ) a strengthening of the 
global commitment to stop WMD-related proliferation; 
a significant capacity-building effort that raises 
partners, readiness levels to conduct interdictions; 
and the improvement in national and international 
collaboration mechanisms that set the stage for 
conducting actual interdictions. 
 
o     First, the PSI has grown from a small group of 
11 endorsing states to more than 85 nations 
worldwide. This is an over seven-fold increase since 
the launch of the Initiative five years ago. These 
states have made a commitment to the PSI,s Statement 
of Interdiction Principles, which calls on states 
to: 
 
-- Take measures, either alone or with other states, 
to nterdict WMD, their delivery systems, and related 
equipment; 
 
-- Adopt streamlined procedures to rapidly exchange 
information concerning suspected proliferation 
activity; 
 
-- Review and strengthen their national legal 
authorities to take action against proliferation 
activity; 
 
-- Take action in support of interdiction efforts, 
consistent with their national legal authorities 
and international law and frameworks; and 
 
-- When necessary, work to strengthen relevant 
international law and frameworks in appropriate 
ways to support these commitments 
 
o     The political commitment that underpins PSI 
must not e underestimated. Prior to PSI, 
interdiction activities took place. However, they 
were conducted principally through sensitive 
channels only.  Today, the United States and any 
other PSI-endorsing state can call on another PSI 
adherent to take action based on their PSI 
commitments.  This alone is a singular innovation 
brought about by the PSI. 
 
o     Second, there is a significant capacity- 
building effort that is spearheaded by countries 
that participate in the Operational Experts Group, 
OEG, a group of twenty PSI partners that meets 
regularly to advance PSI objectives on behalf of all 
PSI participants. 
 
o     The OEG meets several times per year, most 
recently in London where the Ministry of Defence 
hosted the sixteenth OEG meeting in February. 
 
o     The OEG-participating countries bring their 
experts from the military, law enforcement, 
diplomatic, intelligence, and legal arenas to 
develop new operational concepts for interdiction 
and an impressive program of capacity-building 
activities, including regional exercises, table-top 
games and scenario-based discussions, industry 
conferences and outreach events. 
 
o     To date, PSI partners have conducted over 30 
live and table top exercises, involving over 70 PSI 
partner states and exploring all modes of 
transportation: ground, air, and sea. 
 
o     This represents one of the only truly global, 
international and interagency exercise programs that 
has been sustained over time.  Perhaps more 
importantly, we have seen the PSI exercise program 
evolve over time, from one dominated by the 
military,s role in interdiction to one that 
appreciates the true complexity of interdiction and 
integrates the legal, law enforcement, intelligence, 
and policy challenges, in a way that more accurately 
reflects real-world proliferation situations. 
 
o     Other notable PSI achievements include the 
creation, through volunteer efforts, of a collection 
of operationally relevant products that span the set 
of subject-matter areas deemed critical to 
interdictions including the PSI Model National 
Response plan, the flag-state consent matrix, and 
the WMD and Missile Commodities Handbook developed 
by the U.S. Department of Energy. 
 
o     These products have created a toolkit to 
assist countries to follow up on their commitment 
to the PSI Statement of Principles. Additionally, 
reaching out to key industry segments (e.g. air and 
maritime shipping industries) and port authorities 
has helped educate and raise awareness on 
interdiction challenges and identifying ways 
government and industry can work together to 
facilitate interdictions and minimize interruptions 
to legitimate commerce. 
 
o     The U.S. plays an active role in PSI capacity- 
building efforts, through direct contribution to PSI 
events and by leveraging related 
counterproliferation activities across the U.S. 
government. 
 
o     From contributing naval and other maritime 
assets to interdiction exercises to sponsoring the 
first-ever table top exercise of one of our PSI 
bilateral shipboarding agreements, the U.S. brings 
to bear all relevant issue areas and competencies to 
support the PSI commitment. 
 
o     Significant emphasis is placed on creating and 
strengthening the legal instruments to enforce 
international norms against proliferation and to 
provide the basis for interdicting cargoes of 
concern. 
 
o     The United States has successfully negotiated 
eight PSI bilateral shipboarding agreements that 
provide, on a bilateral basis, standard procedures 
for requesting authority to board and inspect sea 
vessels suspected of carrying illicit WMD-related 
cargo. 
 
o     These shipboarding agreements help deter WMD 
proliferation by sending a clear message to 
proliferators that participating governments will 
not tolerate the involvement of their flagged 
vessels in the trade of proliferation-related items. 
 
o     Several key endorsing states have provided 
assistance to other PSI partner nations, helping 
them to develop export control laws.  These actions 
improve the control of transfers of sensitive dual- 
use technology. 
 
o     Additionally, U.S. training has helped PSI 
partners, customs and law enforcement officials 
improve implementation and enforcement of export 
controls on such technology. 
 
o     Third, PSI,s success also can be observed in 
the increased effectiveness of both national and 
international collaboration process that support 
real-world WMD-related interdictions. 
 
o     Building upon the shared commitment against a 
common threat and leveraging the capacity-building 
activities described above, PSI partners are able to 
work together more effectively.  PSI,s contributions 
in this regard include: 
 
-- Encouraging partner governments to establish 
interagency mechanisms that enable them to share 
information and take action against proliferation- 
related transfers in a timely fashion 
 
-- Establishing relationships among partner 
counterproliferation agencies. 
 
-- Establishing an exercise program to improve 
partner nations, readiness to conduct interdictions. 
 
o     Although the public may never know about most 
successful interdiction cases due to their 
classified nature, there are examples of such 
successes that can be shared with the public. 
 
o     For example, U.S. officials worked with 
authorities in a PSI partner state to prevent the 
onward shipment of U.S. origin test equipment to 
Syria.  This equipment consisted of environmental 
test chambers used for testing ballistic missile 
components; the equipment is likely controlled under 
the Missile Technology Control Regime. The U.S. 
Department of Commerce issued a re-delivery order to 
the shipping firm involved in this transfer, and the 
equipment was returned to the United States. 
 
Future Outlook for PSI 
 
o     On May 28-29, 2008, the State Department will 
host two meetings in honor of the PSI,s fifth 
anniversary.  At the first meeting, senior policy 
makers from all PSI endorsing states will review the 
PSI,s progress over the past five years and exchange 
ideas for strengthening it for the future. 
 
o     The second meeting will be a more detailed 
workshop open to all states whose purpose is to 
encourage new PSI endorsements and to assist PSI- 
endorsing states with training, organizing for, and 
conducting interdictions. 
 
o     U.S. objectives for these Fifth Anniversary 
events are to: 
 
-- reinvigorate countries, political commitment to 
the PSI; 
 
-- receive ideas for strengthening the PSI to meet 
current and future challenges; 
 
-- inform states of opportunities for participation 
in PSI activities, and encourage greater 
participation by more states. 
 
-- encourage PSI endorsing states to host and 
participate in more PSI activities, including 
exercises, regional meetings, and other workshops. 
 
-- expand our public diplomacy efforts to highlight 
the successes and importance of the PSI. 
 
End talking points. 
 
POINTS OF CONTACT FOR FURTHER INFORMATION 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶6.  Points of contact for the PSI 5th Anniversary 
events are Jane Purcell (202-647-6186, 
purcelja@state.gov) and Carlos Guzman (202-647-6320, 
guzmancs@state.gov) for matters related to PSI 
policies and activities. Kerry Kartchner (202-647- 
5824, kartchke@state.gov) for press relations and 
inquiries.  The Department greatly appreciates 
Embassies' assistance. 
RICE 
 
 
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