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PP RUEHAST
DE RUEHUNV #0548/01 3381216
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 041216Z DEC 09
FM USMISSION UNVIE VIENNA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0381
INFO AFGHA/AFGHANISTAN COLLECTIVE
RUEHAST/AMCONSUL ALMATY 0054
RUEHKB/AMEMBASSY BAKU 0038
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 0961
RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE 0291

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 UNVIE VIENNA 000548 
 
OSD Policy for DASD Wechsler 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958:N/A 
TAGS: PREL UN SNAR AF
SUBJECT: Paris Pact Partners Launch Next Phase of Cooperation to 
Target Afghan Heroin 
 
¶1. SUMMARY: The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) hosted from 
November 26-27 a meeting of the 7th Policy Consultative Group of the 
Paris Pact Initiative during which more than 50 Paris Pact partners 
agreed to launch in 2010 the third phase of cooperation to target 
trafficking and consumption of Afghan heroin.  The U.S. delegation 
(USDEL) successfully advanced reforms within the framework of the 
Paris Pact Initiative to increase its focus on operational 
activities, particularly in the area of precursor chemical control 
and border security, rather than identify new regional areas of 
focus.  USDEL also found broad support for reforming the existing 
roundtable meeting format to small technical working groups with 
targeted agendas on the above Paris Pact operational priorities. 
Paris Pact partners agreed to meet again on the margins of the March 
2010 UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) in order to further 
refine activities for the second half of 2010.  UNODC is planning to 
host in early 2010 two previously-approved experts groups, one in 
Kabul on Afghanistan and its neighbors, the other in Almaty focusing 
on Central Asia and China.  For logistical reasons, UNODC had 
previously postponed these meetings from 2009.  END SUMMARY 
 
-------------------- 
COMPOSITION OF USDEL 
-------------------- 
¶2. John Sullivan, Director of INL's Office of Policy Planning and 
Coordination served as head of delegation.  In addition, the 
following officials comprised USDEL:  INL Christine Cline, UNVIE 
Adam Davis, AFRICOM Stephen Johnston, INL Michael Overby, UNVIE 
Christopher Shahidi and EUCOM Howard Steers. 
 
------------------------------- 
REVIEWING PROGRESS IN 2009: 
WESTERN EUROPE, PRECURSOR 
CHEMICALS AND FINANCIAL FLOWS 
------------------------------- 
¶3. Developed in 2003, the Paris Pact Initiative serves as a vehicle 
for garnering increased regional cooperation and buy-in among more 
than 50 partners to counter trafficking and consumption of Afghan 
opiates.  To date, the Paris Pact architecture has included regional 
and thematic-focused Expert Roundtables to develop recommendations 
for implementation by UNODC and partner countries.  UNODC used the 
occasion of the Policy Consultative Group meeting to review the 
Expert Roundtables and related activities conducted in 2009. 
Notably, UNODC convened an Expert Roundtable on Western Europe 
(October 22-23 in Paris), during which partners made recommendations 
on ways and means to counter heroin trafficking through the 
so-called Balkan Route and on modalities to increase dissemination 
of evidence-based prevention and treatment.  The Paris Pact Policy 
Consultative Group endorsed the recommendations agreed to by the 
Expert Roundtable 
 
¶4. In addition, UNODC reviewed Paris Pact thematic activities 
related to precursor chemical control and financial flows linked to 
production and trafficking of Afghan Opiates.  Under Operation 
TARCET, Paris Pact partners have worked to identify and intercept 
smuggled consignments of precursor chemicals.  Its second phase is 
currently underway and will focus on initiation of backtracking 
investigations.  USDEL praised Operation TARCET as a model for 
future counternarcotics enforcement cooperation and urged the 
Central Asia Regional Information and Coordination Center (CARICC) 
to continue its role as the operational coordination unit for TARCET 
activities.  With regard to financial flows, UNODC developed a 
questionnaire in order to collate information from Paris Pact 
partners on money flows to and from Afghanistan.  UNODC will ask 
that the questionnaire be completed by April 2010 in order to inform 
future expert meetings, including possibly of Financial Intelligence 
Units (FIUs). 
 
¶5. Due to logistical complications in fall 2009, UNODC announced 
their intention to reschedule in early 2010 an Expert Roundtable on 
Afghanistan and its Neighbors in Kabul and an Expert Roundtable on 
Central Asia and China in Almaty. 
 
-------------------- 
U.S. ADVANCES AN 
OPERATIONALLY 
FOCUSED PARIS PACT 
-------------------- 
¶6. Building on recommendations issued by a UNODC external evaluation 
report upon the close of the 2006-2009 phase of Paris Pact 
operations, USDEL advanced its focus on precursor chemical control 
and cross-border security.  The Paris Pact's Operation TARCET seized 
20 tons of Acetic Anhydride in 2008 alone, and USDEL and others 
pushed for its continuation.  USDEL encouraged expert-level regional 
meetings to review the implementation of previous recommendations, 
instead of further spreading Paris Pact roundtables to include new 
regional areas. 
 
UNVIE VIEN 00000548  002 OF 003 
 
 
 
¶7. While the Paris Pact holds annual meetings of the Policy 
Consultative Group - such as this one - to review current-year 
activities and discuss upcoming programs, most dialogue occurs 
through multiple expert-level discussions each year among the 
partner countries, which in turn issue formal recommendations for 
consideration by policymakers. As described in the UNODC external 
evaluation of the Paris Pact, prior-year expert meetings have 
covered an ever-expanding range of geographical and operational 
themes, with little opportunity to review progress on implementing 
previous recommendations. While this has encouraged Paris Pact 
members to study and understand the Afghan opiate trade in a 
comprehensive manner, the wide array of topics covered during expert 
meetings has weakened opportunities for a proper exchange of 
technical best practices by participants. 
 
¶8. After UNODC announced its intention to hold at least one 
geographic Expert Roundtable in 2010, USDEL encouraged deepening our 
focus on geographic areas previously reviewed by Paris Pact, in 
order to follow up on earlier expert recommendations, instead of 
expanding the Pact's focus to new and uncharted areas of discussion. 
UNODC also announced plans to host at least two thematic Technical 
Working Groups (TWG) during 2010, each focusing on a specific 
operational priority and reviewing implementation of prior expert 
recommendations on that specific theme. 
 
¶9. USDEL emphasized that TWG sessions in 2010 could most contribute 
to enhancing operational cooperation on counternarcotics efforts by 
focusing on precursor chemical control and border security 
enforcement. While Russia emphasized its preference that at least 
one TWG study of financial flows and alternative remittance systems, 
it also voiced support for U.S. proposals on precursors and border 
security within the TWG framework. Iran and India each expressed 
interest in holding expert-level dialogue on precursor chemical 
control, while the French and Canadian delegations both reinforced 
U.S. preferences for discussing precursor chemicals and border 
security as priority areas of TWG focus in 2010.  The UNODC chair 
(Deputy Director for the Division of Operations, Bernard Frahi) 
summarized the meeting as though he were reading from the USG 
talking points - two TWGs, one on precursors, one on border 
security/LE cooperation and no new regional roundtables.  That said, 
final decisions by the Paris Pact on both regional and thematic 
expert areas of focus will be formally approved during a reconvened 
session of the Policy Consultative Group on the margins of the UN 
Commission on Narcotic Drugs in March 2010. We expect that some 
within the secretariat may try to add a regional roundtable on the 
Balkans, similarly, Russia may push for continuing the working group 
on financial flows. 
 
-------------------- 
RESOURCE REQUIRMENTS 
FOR THE ROAD AHEAD 
-------------------- 
¶10. UNODC developed a project document that details resource 
requirements of $2.9 million for Phase Three of the Paris Pact 
Initiative.  UNODC requires at least $700,000 in order to begin 
activities in June 2010.  Russia announced a pledge of $200,000 at 
the Policy Consultative Group meeting, and UNODC anticipates that 
France will provide an additional $200,000, although no formal 
announcement has been made.  On the margins, UNODC lobbied for U.S. 
funding support.  USDEL did not provide a commitment to do so but 
noted that it would give due consideration to the proposal.  (Note: 
INL has provided a small, annual contribution of approximately 
$100,000 to support the Paris Pact Initiative.  For a copy of the 
Paris Pact project document, please contact INL's Christine Cline 
(ClineCM@state.gov) or Mike Overby (OverbyM@state.gov). End Note.) 
 
¶11. Russia also expressed support for a Ministerial meeting to be 
held in 2010 in order to continue high-level attention to the Paris 
Pact Initiative.  This Ministerial would follow those hosted by 
France in 2003 to launch the first phase and by Russia in 2006 to 
launch the second phase.  No country came forward with an offer to 
host such an event.  However, UNODC informed USDEL that Russia had 
been encouraging France to host such an event with a view to 
allowing Russia to host a fourth Ministerial meeting in 2012. 
 
-------- 
COMMENT 
-------- 
¶12. Partner countries demonstrated a commitment to continue the 
Paris Pact into a Third Phase, while recognizing the need to make 
reforms to the format and focus of its meetings.  It will be 
important to continue outreach with UNODC in advance of the 
reconvened Policy Consultative Group meeting tentatively scheduled 
for March 2010 in order to ensure the agreements to streamline the 
Paris Pact architecture are reflected in the future work plan.  Our 
 
UNVIE VIEN 00000548  003 OF 003 
 
 
challenge is to move Paris Pact away from being just a debating 
society and to leverage its proven potential as a forum for 
mobilizing attention to Afghan counter drug issues and identifying 
programmatic synergies.  END COMMENT.