VZCZCXRO8131
RR RUEHLA
DE RUEHMD #0484 1391452
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 191452Z MAY 09
FM AMEMBASSY MADRID
TO RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC
RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0650
RUEAHLC/HOMELAND SECURITY CENTER WASHINGTON DC
INFO RUEHLA/AMCONSUL BARCELONA 3983
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUEHNA/DEA HQS WASHDC
RUCNFB/FBI WASHDC
RUEILB/NCTC WASHINGTON DC
RHEFHTA/TSA HQ WASHINGTON DC
RUCNSE/US SECRET SERVICE WASHDC
RUEHMD/USDAO MADRID SP

UNCLAS MADRID 000484 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
EUR/WE FOR ELAINE SAMSON AND STACIE ZERDECKI 
PASS TO GIANFRANCO "KIKO" CORTI OF DHS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: CVIS CMGT KPAO PBTS PREL SP
SUBJECT: SPAIN REVIEWING DRAFT AGREEMENT ON PREVENTING AND 
COMBATING SERIOUS CRIME (PCSC) 
 
REF: SECSTATE 43131 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY.  Embassy Madrid delivered REFTEL talking 
points and passed a hard copy of English and Spanish versions 
of the draft agreement on Preventing and Combating Serious 
Crime (PCSC).  The GOS appears supportive of the draft and 
seemingly wants to move quickly on the issue.  In the 
meantime, Post currently is helping to organize a series of 
high-level meetings during a proposed June 24-26 visit to 
Washington, DC by Interior Minister Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba. 
A scenesetter cable will be sent SEPTEL. END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2. (SBU) On May 12, Arturo Avello, Director General for 
International Relations and Aliens within the Ministry of 
Interior's (MOI's) State Secretariat of Security, told POLOFF 
that the MOI - which has the lead on this issue within the 
GOS - plans to provide a written response to the draft by the 
end of May when it convenes a meeting with Embassy officials 
to discuss the GOS position.  That same day, Andres 
Villalgordo, Deputy Director for International Police 
Cooperation and one of Avello's key subordinates who has the 
day-to-day responsibility for the PCSC issue, confirmed to 
DHS officials via email the GOS's availability to negotiate 
the agreement.  Avello told POLOFF that, by July, the GOS 
will be ready to receive a DHS team from Washington to begin 
negotiations on the agreement. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Embassy Madrid's DHS/ICE Attache previously had 
delivered REFTEL demarche on April 23 to Villalgordo, who 
reacted favorably to the draft agreement, indicated that he 
thought an accord could be reached, and did not articulate 
any objection to the content of the draft or the exchange of 
information it proposed.  However, he did express interest in 
the manner in which the agreement would go into effect.  He 
informed the attache that the GOS preferred that Rubalcaba 
and DHS Secretary Napolitano sign a binding agreement that 
did not need parliamentary ratification, which Villalgordo 
suggested could mire the initiative in lengthy bureaucratic 
delays.  The attache remarked that the US-Spain Customs 
Mutual Assistance Agreement (CMAA) went into effect decades 
ago following a signing ceremony that did not involve the two 
countries' national legislatures. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Acting POLCONS on April 22 delivered REFTEL demarche 
to Fernando Prieto, MFA Deputy Director for North America, 
who expressed appreciation but had no specific comment other 
than that the MOI would take the lead on the GOS side in 
bilateral discussions on this issue. 
DUNCAN