VZCZCXRO5205
PP RUEHDE RUEHDH RUEHDIR
DE RUEHDO #0698/01 3361235
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 021235Z DEC 09
FM AMEMBASSY DOHA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9546
INFO RUEHZM/GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL COLLECTIVE
RUEHAM/AMEMBASSY AMMAN 0775
RUEHFT/AMCONSUL FRANKFURT 2297
RHMFISS/DEPT OF HOMELAND SECURITY WASHINGTON DC
RHMFISS/TSA HQ WASHINGTON DC
RHMFISS/FAA NATIONAL HQ WASHINGTON DC

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 DOHA 000698 
 
SIPDIS 
 
EMBASSY AMMAN FOR TSAR BRYANT CHEVALIER 
EMBASSY ABU DHABI FOR FAA AND ICE 
CONSUL GENERAL FRANKFURT FOR TSA 
STATE DEPARTMENT FOR EEB JOHN BYERLY AND BRIAN SILER 
STATE DEPARTMENT FOR DS, DSS, DS/T/ATA AND DS/IP 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/01/2019 
TAGS: EAIR ASEC QA
SUBJECT: SOME POSITIVE SIGNS ON AVIATION SECURITY 
 
Classified By: Charge d'Affaires, a.i. Mirembe L. Nantongo, for reasons 
 1.4 (b, d). 
 
-------------- 
(C) KEY POINTS 
-------------- 
 
--  TSA Deputy Director Victoria Reeder told GOQ officials 
November 17 that TSA personnel continue to observe 
improvements in the screening of passengers on U.S.-bound 
flights from Doha International Airport. 
 
--  If these improvements are sustained over time, Reeder 
said, provisions of the Doha-specific Emergency Amendment 
currently in effect could be adjusted, subject to the 
approval of the TSA Administrator. 
 
--  Reeder indicated TSA's desire to conduct another airport 
assessment in January or February to document that 
improvements witnessed to date are being sustained. 
 
--  The Chairman of the Qatar Civil Aviation Administration 
responded by seeking permission from TSA, which Reeder 
readily granted, for Qatari inspectors to observe operations 
at the U.S. airports served by Qatar Airways. 
 
-- The TSA delegation was offered, and accepted, a tour of 
the new airport construction site and meetings with the 
consultant responsible for designing security systems for the 
site. 
 
--  Taking advantage of the presence of senior Ministry of 
Interior personnel, the Civil Aviation Administration noted 
the expected need for a "ten-fold" increase in airport 
security personnel (provided by MOI) at the new airport, once 
it opens. 
 
------------ 
(C) COMMENTS 
------------ 
 
--  Qatar aviation officials clearly would like to see the 
Doha-specific Emergency Amendment lifted, and on the margins 
of official meetings often seek to exchange greater access 
for TSA personnel for a loosening of the Amendment's 
requirements. 
 
--  If TSA personnel can continue to measure sustained good 
performance at security checkpoints, TSA is set to amend the 
current requirements.  The trick will be getting the Qataris 
to see enough light at the end of the tunnel to allow the 
assessments to go forward. 
 
--  As Qatar moves to open the new international airport, we 
assess it unlikely that MOI will be able to employ enough 
trained security personnel to meet the higher demand for 
their services.  Qatar Airways would be happy to turn 
security screening over to private companies meeting TSA 
standards, but MOI resists.  Finding a face-saving solution 
for MOI will remain a challenge. 
 
End Key Points and Comments. 
 
¶1. (C)  In a November 17 meeting hosted by Major General Saad 
Al-Khulaifi of the Ministry of Interior (MOI), TSA Deputy 
Director of International Operations in the Office of Global 
Strategies Victoria Reeder noted that TSA personnel observing 
passenger boarding that morning on Qatar Airways flights to 
the U.S. found "improvements" in security at the boarding 
gate check points since TSA's last assessment in March.  Over 
the course of the two years that TSA has inspected Doha 
International Airport flight operations, she added that "vast 
improvements" had been observed.  Reeder was joined at the 
meeting on the U.S. side by TSA representatives Anthony 
Monreal and Bryant Chevalier and by DCM Nantongo, RSO Conord, 
P/E Chief Rice, and Econoff Wahlstrom.  On the Qatari side, 
Major General Saad was joined by Chairman of the Qatar Civil 
Aviation Authority Abdulaziz Al-Noaimi; his security advisor, 
Ian Gilchrist; Head of Security for Qatar Airways Chris 
Murphy; and head of MOI airport security Brigadier General 
Nasser Al-Malki. 
 
DOHA 00000698  002 OF 003 
 
 
 
¶2. (C) Despite the progress TSA personnel have recorded to 
date, Reeder made clear that improvements in security 
measures must be sustained over time in order for TSA to lift 
the Doha-specific Emergency Amendment (requiring intensive 
searches of each passenger).  That said, she noted that the 
progress made to date is all the more impressive given that 
Qatar Airways has over a two-year period tripled its flights 
to the U.S.  (Note:  there are now three direct flights from 
Doha to Washington-Dulles, New York (JFK) and Houston.)  To 
ensure sustained progress, Reeder asked that TSA personnel be 
allowed to return in three months to monitor continued 
progress. 
 
¶3. (C) Al-Noaimi thanked Reeder for her visit and stressed 
that Qatar would not compromise on security and safety.  He 
asked Reeder for permission for Qatari inspectors "to audit 
your airports as you audit ours."  Qatar needed to make sure 
security of its national airline is not compromised, he said. 
 
 
¶4. (C) Reeder said TSA was happy to facilitate visits and 
observations by Qatar's inspectors to the airports to which 
Qatar Airways flies.  She invited the inspectors to observe 
"all aspects of airline and off-site security."  Al-Noaimi 
responded that the Qatari inspectors would require access 
only to the "last point of departure." 
 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
STATUS OF NEW FACILITY FOR U.S.-BOUND PASSENGERS 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
¶5. (C) Gilchrist reported that Qatar Airways and the Airport, 
in consultation with the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority, had 
not taken a decision on opening and utilizing a new facility, 
whose construction is nearly completed, that could be used to 
segregate U.S.-bound passengers from others.  He invited TSA 
to give its input before this decision is made.  Al-Noaimi 
expressed concern that utilizing the new facility would 
result in less passenger comfort.  "There needs to be balance 
between security and passenger comfort," he said. 
 
¶6. (C) Major General Al-Khulaifi, learning from Al-Noaimi 
that Qatar Airways would next launch a fourth direct flight 
to the U.S., serving Los Angeles, observed that he found the 
security at Los Angeles International Airport during his 
recent trip to be well organized and respectful of 
passengers.  He implied that similar procedures, if applied 
in Doha, would provide an acceptable balance between security 
and passenger comfort. 
 
¶7. (C) Asked by DCM Nantongo for the timeline for a decision 
to open the new facility for U.S.-bound passengers, Gilchrist 
said the decision could only be taken after a trial run of 
passengers through the new facility was organized.  He 
emphasized that officials involved in the decision on the 
Qatari side did not want to make any trial runs without first 
consulting TSA.  He said the soonest trials could begin was 
likely mid-December. 
 
--------------- 
NEXT ASSESSMENT 
--------------- 
 
¶8. (C) Reeder suggested that TSA personnel return in January 
or February.  Even if the new facility is not open, sustained 
improvements in passenger processing in the current facility 
could allow TSA to revise the requirements of the 
Doha-specific Emergency Amendment, making them less 
demanding.  She said based on the current assessment alone it 
likely would be possible to make "significant changes" to the 
screening of "excessive property at the gate."  Any changes 
based on this visit or the next, though, would have to be 
approved by the Administrator of TSA and based on continued, 
sustained good performance at security checkpoints. 
 
---------------------------- 
DEFICIT OF TRAINED SCREENERS 
---------------------------- 
 
¶9. (C) Gilchrist took advantage of Major General 
 
DOHA 00000698  003 OF 003 
 
 
Al-Khulaifi's presence to note that the Civil Aviation 
Authority had requested 30 percent more MOI staff at the 
airport to address current needs and would need even more 
personnel as airport operations expanded.  Noting there are 
700 total security personnel at the airport, 130 of whom are 
screeners, Gilchrist said the airport needs 170 to 180 
screeners in the near term.  He added that the new airport, 
once opened, would require a ten-fold increase in screeners. 
Al-Noaimi, following his security advisor's lead, said he 
would soon submit to MOI a needs assessment that would allow 
MOI sufficient time to recruit and train the additional 
personnel. 
 
¶10. (C) At meeting's end, Al-Noaimi offered a tour of the new 
airport construction site to the TSA delegation and asked 
them to meet with Control Risk, the UK security consultant 
designing the security for the new facility.  TSA readily 
accepted. 
 
¶11. (U) The TSA delegation has cleared this message. 
 
LeBaron