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UNCLAS STATE 026152 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KNNP MNUC PARM PREL
SUBJECT: PSI: MAY 2009 PSI OPERATIONAL EXPERTS GROUP AND 
OUTREACH MEETINGS - OFFICIAL INVITATION 
 
REF: 08 STATE 132842 
 
OBJECTIVES AND ACTION REQUESTS 
------------------------------ 
 
¶1.  As promised in REFTEL, below is the official U.S. 
invitation to the events the U.S. will host May 
12-14 in Miami for the Proliferation Security 
Initiative (PSI) Operational Experts Group (OEG) 
and Outreach meetings. 
 
¶2.  Addressees are requested to deliver the invitation 
letter under appropriate letterhead to appropriate 
government officials in host government and urge host 
government's participation in the PSI OEG and Outreach 
Meetings.  No original will be sent. Posts are 
encouraged to distribute the information to host 
government ministries involved in international 
security-related decision-making, nonproliferation, 
and export controls (to include international and 
customs law, intelligence, law enforcement and customs 
operations, border security, international trade and 
finance, exercise planning, and policy/diplomacy 
communities). 
 
¶3.  If any delegates from host government indicate 
they cannot complete registration using the official 
meeting website, please contact the POCs below and 
we will e-mail the registration forms and instructions 
for Post to pass to host government. 
 
REPORTING DEADLINE AND POC 
-------------------------- 
 
¶4.  Addressees are requested to deliver the documents 
below to host governments by March 23, and report 
delivery by March 27.  E-mail responses are acceptable. 
Points of contact are Carlos Guzman (202-647-6320), 
GuzmanCS@state.sgov.gov and Beth Flores (703-692-0147), 
beth.flores@osd.(smil).mil for matters pertaining to 
the OEG agenda and format, and Ms. Neoni Mattox 
(703-692-0103; neoni.mattox.ctr@osd.mil) for all 
logistical and administrative matters.  The Department 
greatly appreciates Embassies' assistance. 
 
INVITATION LETTER 
----------------- 
 
¶5.  Begin text of PSI invitation letter from OSD 
Assistant Secretary Of Defense Joseph Benkert: 
 
Dear Colleague: 
 
The United States will host the next Proliferation 
Security Initiative (PSI) Operational Experts Group 
(OEG) meeting on May 12 - 13, 2009, in Miami, Florida. 
As discussed in September at the Paris OEG, delegations 
from all PSI partners in the Western Hemisphere region 
are being invited to attend this meeting, as well as 
the regular OEG participants.  We are also hosting an 
Outreach meeting for other countries in the Western 
Hemisphere on May 14.  All OEG countries are invited 
to send representatives to the Outreach meeting.  An 
evening reception for delegates to both meetings will 
take place on May 13. 
 
The Miami OEG meeting will build on the work of the 
last two OEG meetings in Paris (September 2008) and 
London (February 2008), as well as the May 2008 PSI 
Fifth Anniversary conference in Washington.  A 
special emphasis will be placed on understanding the 
WMD proliferation challenge as it relates to the 
unique regional security issues in the Western 
Hemisphere.  The Miami OEG meeting will focus on 
operational issues, experimenting with a new 
small-group discussion format to analyze some of 
the challenges involved in undertaking PSI-related 
interdictions. 
 
All events will take place at the J.W. Marriott 
Hotel Miami in Miami, Florida.  Delegates are 
requested to stay at this hotel, where we have 
blocked rooms at a special rate (USD $121 per night) 
for all meeting participants during the period from 
May 11 - 15.  The blocked rooms will be held only 
until April 3, after which the special rate and/or 
rooms may no longer be available. 
 
We have set up a dedicated PSI OEG website with 
important details about the meeting, including 
instructions necessary for reserving hotel rooms at 
the special rate.  Please visit the website as soon 
as possible to register for the conference and 
reserve hotel rooms.  All delegates are encouraged 
to check the website often, as it will be used to 
post the latest agendas and other materials related 
to the meeting. 
 
Website: 
http://www.reddelasamericas.net/scj5/conferen ces/ 
Click on 'Start Conference Manager' button, and 
then log on using Conference ID: PSI-OEG-2009 
 
The points of contact are Ms. Beth Flores 
(703-692-0147; Beth.Flores@osd.mil) and CDR Carlos 
Guzman (202-647-6320; GuzmanCS@state.gov) for 
matters pertaining to the OEG agenda and format 
and Ms. Neoni Mattox (703-692-0103; 
neoni.mattox.ctr@osd.mil) for all logistical 
and administrative matters. 
 
We look forward to seeing you and your delegation 
in Miami and deepening our collaboration on this 
issue of great importance and common concern. 
 
     Sincerely, 
 
     Joseph A. Benkert 
 
LOGISTICAL INFORMATION 
---------------------- 
 
¶6.  Begin text of logistical information for the 
PSI OEG and Outreach meetings: 
 
Registration:  To register for the Miami OEG and 
Outreach meetings please visit the official website: 
http://www.reddelasamericas.net/scj5/conferen ces/ 
Click on the 'Start Conference Manager' button, and 
then log on using the following OEG Conference ID: 
PSI-OEG-2009 
 
If you cannot access the PSI OEG meeting website, 
contact your local U.S. Embassy, provide an email 
address or FAX number and the registration forms 
can be sent to you. There is no fee for these events. 
 
Visas:  Please submit any required U.S. visa 
application forms to your local U.S. Embassy as 
early as possible.  You may contact your local U.S. 
Embassy for guidance or assistance with visa 
processing. 
 
Agenda and Structure:  The PSI OEG meeting will be 
conducted on May 12-13.  The U.S. is inviting all 
PSI-endorsing countries from the Western Hemisphere 
to attend this meeting (Belize, Chile, El Salvador, 
Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, and The Bahamas), along 
with any additional countries from the region that 
endorse the PSI before the meeting.  The May 14 
Outreach meeting will be open countries from the 
Western Hemisphere that have not endorsed the PSI. 
OEG participants are also welcome to attend. 
A reception for all delegates to both meetings 
will take place on the evening of May 13.  Event 
check-in will be available in the J.W. Marriott 
Hotel Miami beginning the afternoon of May 11. 
 
Delegation size and composition:  There are no 
specific limitations on the size of a country's 
delegation.  We encourage governments to send 
delegations that represent the ministries that 
are involved in international security-related 
decision making.  Typically, PSI OEG delegations 
are comprised of 3-8 officials led by a one-star 
equivalent government official from the Ministry 
of Defense or Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 
Experts in the following areas would have 
something to contribute to OEG discussions: 
international and customs law, operational 
intelligence, customs operations, border security, 
international trade and finance, exercise 
planning, and policy/diplomacy. 
 
Location:  All PSI OEG and Outreach events will 
be held at the J.W. Marriott Hotel Miami, 
1109 Brickell Avenue, Miami, Florida.  The hotel 
is located approximately 9 miles from the Miami 
International Airport (approximately a USD $30 
one-way taxi fare). 
 
Accommodations:  Delegates are encouraged to 
stay at the J.W. Marriott Hotel Miami, where we 
have blocked rooms at a special rate (USD $121 
per night) for all meeting participants during 
the period from May 11 - 15.  Those delegates 
wishing to extend these dates should contact 
the hotel directly.  The blocked rooms will be 
held only until April 3, after which the special 
rate and/or rooms may no longer be available. 
We encourage participants to contact the hotel 
before April 3.  The hotel's website includes 
information on directions, local transportation, 
and local attractions: www.marriott/com/hotels/ 
travel/miajw-jw-marriott-hotel-miami/. 
Participants are responsible for their own 
accommodations costs. 
 
Hotel Registration:  The dedicated PSI OEG website 
has additional and important details about the 
meeting, including instructions necessary for 
reserving hotel rooms at the special rate (see 
above).  All delegates are encouraged to check 
the website often, as it will be used to post the 
latest agenda and other materials related to the 
meeting. 
 
Meals:  The PSI OEG meetings will include 
continental breakfast, luncheon, snacks and 
beverages.  Appetizers, wine, and non-alcoholic 
beverages will be served at the evening reception 
on May 13. 
 
Attire:  The attire for the OEG and Outreach 
meetings is business attire.  The attire for 
the evening reception on May 13 is "Florida casual" 
(e.g., casual pants and collared shirts for men, 
casual pants or skirts for women). 
 
Working language:  The official working language 
during the events will be English.  There will be 
no simultaneous interpretation services; most 
presentations delivered during the PSI meetings will 
be presented in both English and Spanish. 
 
Additional meeting room:  A small meeting room 
(12-person capacity) at the hotel will be available 
for side meetings if requested.  Arrangements can be 
made upon arrival or by contacting Ms. Neoni Mattox 
(703-692-0103 or neoni.mattox.ctr@osd.mil). 
 
Weather:  Average temperatures in Miami in May are a 
low of 72 and high of 87 degrees F (22-31 degrees C). 
Rain is possible at any time, including thunderstorms. 
 
Electricity:  Electricity sockets in the United States 
are set at 110 Volts and 60 cycles, and fit electric 
plugs with two flat blades, with or without a third 
cylindrical grounding pin.  Electrical appliances 
from outside the United States generally need a 
power converter and an adapter for use in U.S. 
sockets. 
 
Points of Contact:  Points of contact for the PSI 
OEG meeting events are Carlos Guzman (202-647-6320), 
GuzmanCS@state.gov and Beth Flores (703-692-0147), 
beth.flores@osd.mil for matters pertaining to the 
OEG agenda and participation, and Ms. Neoni Mattox 
(703-692-0103; neoni.mattox.ctr@osd.mil) for all 
logistical and administrative matters. 
 
Agenda:  Tentative agenda topics for the OEG include: 
- Global Proliferation Challenge and The Americas 
- PSI: Western Hemisphere Views 
- Break out group discussions among the legal, law 
  enforcement/customs, and intelligence experts 
- The PSI website 
- PSI reports from participating countries 
- Interdiction case studies 
- PSI and UNSCR 1540 
- Update on Financial Action Task Force 
- Upcoming PSI events 
 
Tentative agenda topics for the PSI Outreach meeting 
include: 
- Introduction to PSI 
- PSI Capacity-Building, including the PSI exercise 
  program 
- Developing a model national response plan 
- PSI and UN Security Council Resolution 1540 
- WMD Commodities Manual 
- PSI and the Law (domestic and international law; 
  customs law) 
- PSI Upcoming Events 
 
Full agendas are posted on the conference website. 
The website should be checked often for updates. 
 
End logistical information. 
CLINTON