UNCLASSIFIED U S Department of State Case No F-2012-37619 Doc No C05407518 Date 01 22 2014 CLASSI Fi CATI ON UNCLASSI Fi ED Page 1o1 15 From OAC Sent 2 12 2013 3 56 05 PM To SMART Core RELEASED IN FULL Subject Washington Meeting of G8 Roma-Lyon Group on Counterterrorism and Counter-Crime Advances Key Projects UNCLASSIFIED SBU MRN 13 STATE 13973 Date DTG Feb 12 2013 122036Z FEB 13 From SECSTATE WASHDC Action TOKYO AMEMBASSY ROUTINE MOSCOW AMEMBASSY ROUTINE ROME AMEMBASSY ROUTINE USUN NEW YORK USMISSION ROUTINE UNVIE VIENNA USMISSION ROUTINE PARIS AMEMBASSY ROUTINE BERLIN AMEMBASSY ROUTINE LONDON AMEMBASSY ROUTINE OTTAWA AMEMBASSY ROUTINE EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE ROUTINE TAGS SNAR PTER PGOV KCOR KCRM XY Captions SENSITIVE Subject Washington Meeting of G8 Roma-Lyon Group on Counterterrorism and Counter-Crime Advances Key Projects SENSITIVE E O 13526 N A TAGS SNAR PTER PGOV KCOR KCRM XY SUBJECT Washington Meeting of G8 Roma-Lyon Group on Counterterrorism and Counter-Crime Advances Key Projects SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED Not for Internet Distribution 1 SBU SUMMARY INL PDAS Nichols and CT Acting Principal Deputy Coordinator Witkowsky co-chaired the second and final set of G8 Roma-Lyon Group RLG meetings on Counterterrorism and Counter-crime under the U S G8 presidency January 15-17 in Washington after a postponement due to Hurricane Sandy Approximately 240 experts and policy makers participated At the Heads of Delegation HODs level G8 partners agreed to 1 continue efforts to enhance the operational effectiveness of the Paris Pact Initiative to stem the flow of Afghan heroin 2 follow Bolivia's efforts to develop coca-based products for export 3 examine the legal frameworks of G8 partners to combat wildlife trafficking via the RLG expert subgroups 4 continue efforts to strengthen implementation of the UN al -Qa'ida Sanctions Regime and 5 undertake efforts to counter the use of chemical precursors to make improvised explosive devices HODs also approved a number of practical projects forwarded from the six RLG expert subgroups including on mutual legal assistance intellectual property crime and preventing child sexual exploitation In addition the United States secured G8 partner agreement to continue coordinating REVIEW AUTHORITY Charles Daris Senior Reviewer CLASSI Fi CATI ON UNCLASS1 Fl ED Page 1 of I UNCLASSIFIED U S Department of State Case No F-2012-37619 Doc No C05407518 Date 01 22 2014 UNCLASSIFIED U S Department of State Case No F-2012-37619 Doc No C05407518 Date 01 22 2014 CLASSI Fi CATI ON UNCLASSI Fi ED Page 2 of 15 counternarcotics and anti-crime assistance in West Africa as well as outreach with the Economic Community of West African States ECOWAS The UK now assumes the G8 RLG Presidency Its priorities within the RLG include new psychoactive substances West Africa and online child protection The next RLG meeting will be hosted April 16-18 in London Comment The UK also stated that counterterrorism will be a priority during its G8 Presidency and will be included on the agenda of the G8 Political Directors Meeting and Foreign Ministerial Meeting in 2013 END SUMMARY Table of Contents 2 U The contents of the cable are organized as follows -Follow-Up from G8 Leaders - Asset Recovery and Women Peace and Security paragraphs 3-4 -Counternarcotics and Transnational Organized Crime paragraphs 5-12 -Counterterrorism paragraphs 13-20 -U S -led Initiatives on West Africa on Countering Improvised Explosive Devices and on Outreach with Private Industry to Combat Cybercrime paragraphs 21-26 -Priorities for the RLG in 2013 paragraph 27 -Reform of the Law Enforcement Projects Sub-group LEPSG paragraphs 28-29 -Work of the Expert Subgroups paragraphs 30-36 -RLG Participation paragraph 37 Follow-up from G8 Leaders - Arab Forum on Asset Recovery and Women Peace and Security 3 SBU ARAB FORUM ON ASSET RECOVERY PDAS Nichols reviewed RLG-related developments stemming from the G8 Deauville Partnership with Arab Countries and its Arab Forum on Asset Recovery held September 2012 in Doha Qatar Nichols pointed to priority areas of follow -up from the Forum including pursuit of innovative procedures such as non -conviction based NCB confiscation translation of G8-produced asset recovery guides into Arabic English and French agreement on a common approach to CLASSI Fi CATI ON UNCLASS1 Fl ED Page 2 of 1 UNCLASSIFIED U S Department of State Case No F-2012-37619 Doc No C05407518 Date 01 22 2014 UNCLASSIFIED U S Department of State Case No F-2012-37619 Doc No C05407518 Date 01 22 2014 CLASSI Fi CATI ON UNCLASSI Fi ED Page 3 of 15 transliteration issues of Arabic names in mutual legal assistance requests and support for Qatar which has placed a high priority on this initiative Italy circulated its practical guide for asset recovery tools and procedures while also expressing support for Yemen's participation in the process The UK confirmed that asset recovery for Middle East and North African MENA countries will be a priority for its G8 Presidency through the Foreign Affairs track indicating that it will set up an internal taskforce to examine UK laws and regulations which will then be provided to G8 and MENA partners Canada emphasized that cooperation on asset recovery could only be implemented through the UN Convention against Corruption and domestic law noting the challenges posed by some procedures i e NCB confiscation Japan welcomed increased cooperation with UNODC noting its own outreach with partners in Southeast Asia Russia said it was generally positive on the outcomes from the Forum but sought more tangible outcomes Germany indicated it was prepared to offer practical advice and training 4 U WOMEN PEACE AND SECURITY S GWI Senior Policy Advisor Jamille Bigio briefed RLG HODs on the G8 Expert Meeting on Women Peace and Security held in Washington in December 2012 at the direction of G8 Foreign Ministers RLG-related recommendations from the December meeting included calls for gender responsiveness in justice and security sector reform collaboration in security-related training and engagement and program coordination at the regional and in-country level Bigio also underscored the importance of working with civil society on issues pertaining to women peace and security Italy referenced its National Plan to advance the political and economic empowerment of women The UK cited its Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative PSVI and confirmed it will host a PSVI meeting February 12-13 to examine how best to take forward the recommendations that emerged from the U S -hosted Expert Meeting Japan noted its support for initiatives that counter violence against women in Afghanistan as well as technical cooperation with Nepal on gender equality Russia stated its view that any efforts within the G8 should be based on UN Security Council Resolution 1325 and should not duplicate those ongoing within the UN framework Counternarcotics and Transnational Organized Crime 5 SBU PARIS PACT TO STEM AFGHAN HEROIN PDAS Nichols referenced overall agreement at the UN Office on Drugs and Crime UNODC -hosted Paris Pact Consultative Group Meeting in September that in its next phase Paris Pact would focus on 1 preventing the diversion of precursor chemicals 2 detecting and blocking illicit financial flows 3 reducing drug abuse and dependence 4 strengthening and implementing regional initiatives Nichols emphasized that Paris Pact activities should be aligned with international efforts to prepare Afghanistan for the 2014 transition and directly support the priorities established by CLASSI Fi CATI ON UNCLASS1 Fl ED Page 3 of 1 UNCLASSIFIED U S Department of State Case No F-2012-37619 Doc No C05407518 Date 01 22 2014 UNCLASSIFIED U S Department of State Case No F-2012-37619 Doc No C05407518 Date 01 22 2014 CLASSI Fi CATI ON UNCLASSI Fi ED Page 4 of 15 Afghanistan's Ministry of Counter Narcotics 6 SBU The EU supported U S comments and announced the next expert meetings of the Paris Pact would take place in February in The Hague and be hosted by Europol Russia emphasized that its greatest priority was financial flows followed by precursor chemical control Russia also said that more focus needed to be placed on training particularly for Central Asian states Italy placed priority on demand reduction and making use of the Central Asian Regional Information Center CARICC Japan stressed the importance of alternative development The UK confirmed that while there is political support for Paris Pact it does not have any funding available The UK believes however that UNODC is the right forum for counternarcotics program coordination and will look to the organization to enhance its role in this regard 7 SBU BOLIVIA AND THE UN SINGLE CONVENTON PDAS Nichols noted that 15 countries including all G8 countries had objected to Bolivia's proposed reservation and re-accession to the 1961 UN Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs Given that this number did not meet the threshold of objections required to block the reservation by the January 10 deadline Bolivia could now re-accede Several heads of delegation reiterated noted that the means by which Bolivia denounced the Convention was deeply concerning vis--vis international law and hoped it was not repeated by others Nichols said that Bolivia's next step as outlined in a number of press reports pointed to attempts to institute a larger licit trade regime for coca-based products Canada said that the G8 partners need to be unanimoue in rejecting licit trade promotion of coca and the export of such products as alternative development Germany Russia and Japan expressed support for Canada's views All G8 partners agreed to follow closely Bolivia's efforts to develop coca-based products for export 8 SBU PRECURSOR CHEMICALS AND SYNTHETIC DRUGS INCB Precursors Control Section Chief Rossen Popov delivered a presentation to G8 HODs focused on persisting challenges and new trends in the area of precursor chemical control given the rise of non-scheduled precursor chemicals to manufacture narcotic drugs Popov pointed to the mix of initiatives which must be utilized in order to prevent diversion of these precursor chemicals used overwhelmingly for licit purposes Such initiatives included monitoring licit trade in real time through the INCB pre-export notification system known as PEN online intelligence sharing among states on seizures diversion and stopped shipments and cooperation with private industry Popov also identified new regions of concern citing increased methamphetamine production in West Africa transshipment of precursor chemicals through Iraq and through Central American countries With regard to new psychoactive substances NPS Popov pointed to the precursor chemical model as being one that could be adapted to address new psychoactive substances particularly through emergency scheduling of these substances 9 SBU PDAS Nichols noted U S efforts to work with key chemical CLASSI Fi CATI ON UNCLASS1 Fl ED Page 4 of 1 UNCLASSIFIED U S Department of State Case No F-2012-37619 Doc No C05407518 Date 01 22 2014 UNCLASSIFIED U S Department of State Case No F-2012-37619 Doc No C05407518 Date 01 22 2014 CLASSI Fi CATI ON UNCLASSI Fi ED Page 5of 15 producing countries particularly China and encouraged G8 partners to develop more effective and coordinated messaging to source countries DEA Associate Deputy Assistant Administrator for Diversion Control Alan Santos cited U S efforts to control new psychoactive substances on an emergency and temporary basis while the formal scheduling process was underway Santos agreed with Popov that G8 partners must use all of the tools at their disposal particularly by sharing information more broadly The UK confirmed that it would introduce a resolution on new psychoactive substances at the March 2013 UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs CND and that it would host an expert meeting immediately prior to the next RLG session scheduled for April 2013 in order to discuss how to further implement this CND resolution 10 SBU On the margins UK delegates confirmed that in addition to G8 partners meeting invitees for the April expert meeting would likely include UNODC INCB China India as well as countries with significant NPS abuse problems Australia Sweden and other EU countries The meeting would likely focus on 1 sharing information on the new psychoactive substance threat and the involvement of organized crime 2 ways to improve reporting including through UNODC and 3 how to raise awareness of the pharmacological effects 11 U WILDLIFE TRAFFICKING INL C's David Luna and Jessica Graham delivered a technical presentation on wildlife trafficking highlighting its increasing interconnectivity with other illicit activities that undermine regional security stability and the rule of law Corruption illicit financial transactions and illicit trade routes across three continents coupled with involvement of organized criminal groups make wildlife trafficking a transnational organized crime Germany underscored its support for action to combat wildlife trafficking suggesting possible items for action including identification of trafficking routes joint customs operations and increased support for African countries Italy noted that wildlife trafficking was now considered an emerging crime within the UN and highlighted the importance of demonstrating the applicability of the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime UNTOC in combating this crime Canada said it focused on capacity building related to wildlife trafficking including through the North American Wildlife Enforcement Network Japan focused on the importance of these issues within South East Asia in order to prevent the extinction of animal species In response to the calls for further action DOJ suggested a practical project within the RLG's Criminal Legal Affairs Subgroup CLASG to examine the legal frameworks of G8 partners to combat wildlife trafficking RLG HODs readily agreed to this proposal and suggested that work could also be carried out via the Law Enforcement Projects Subgroup LEPSG Comment Building on the momentum and enthusiastic support by RLG HODs to address wildlife trafficking DOJ has since developed a project document which has been circulated for U S interagency comment and will be submitted to CLASG for approval at the next RLG meeting in April End Comment 12 SBU GLOBAL ALLIANCE AGAINST CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE ONLINE DAAG Swartz highlighted the December 5 launch of the US-EU Global Alliance against Child Sexual Abuse Online which was attended by CLASSI Fi CATI ON UNCLASS1 Fl ED Page 5 of 1 UNCLASSIFIED U S Department of State Case No F-2012-37619 Doc No C05407518 Date 01 22 2014 UNCLASSIFIED U S Department of State Case No F-2012-37619 Doc No C05407518 Date 01 22 2014 CLASSI Fi CATI ON UNCLASSI Fi ED Page 6 of 15 Attorney General Holder and EU Director General for Home Affairs Malmstrom Representatives from 48 countries committed to a series of actions including enhancing victim protection and increasing joint investigations to reduce the availability of child pornography online DAAG Swartz also cautioned that two issues could undercut cooperation in this area First DAAG Swartz pointed to data protection as a potential obstacle given the pending directive of the European Union EU which sought to restrict law enforcement information sharing In response the EU pointed to a robust internal debate in order to ensure the balance between data protection and law enforcement cooperation DAAG Swartz also raised the importance of technical expertise in the cyber field and preventing this scarce expertise from being diverted for negotiations of a new global convention on cybercrime The EU and UK echoed the U S view while Russia stated its reservation to the Budapest Convention and laid down a marker of support for a global convention and more serious cooperation through UNODC in this field Separately the UK confirmed that online child protection would be one of its main RLG priorities for 2013 and in this regard had identified funding to support a follow-on conference to the 2009 U S -sponsored Global Symposium for Examining the Relationship between Online and Offline Offenses and Preventing the Sexual Exploitation of Children Counterterrorism 13 U PROMOTING IMPLEMENTATION OF UNSCRs 1267 1989 Acting Principal Deputy Coordinator Witkowsky welcomed the UN al-Qa'ida AQ Sanction Regimes rollover resolution UNSCR 2083 which she noted made important contributions towards improving the regime's effectiveness and implementation including by directing the Monitoring Team to adopt a risk-based approach where the AQ threat is most acute coordinating more closely with other relevant actors such as the Financial Action Task Force and placing more focus on identifying and prioritizing technical assistance gaps and needs Witkowsky also noted U S efforts to take concrete steps toward improving the regime's implementation as called for by the G8 Roma Lyon Group last summer in a non-paper on the need to 1 build support among UN Member States for the implementation of the regime 2 raise awareness and improve the public image of the regime 3 improve coordination and cooperation among relevant multilateral actors and 4 match capacity building to deficiencies The CT Bureau has provided a voluntary grant of $400 000 to the UN Counterterrorism Implementation Task Force for capacity building training in this regard Germany provided a presentation on the history and challenges of the regime in its role as the 2011 -2012 Chairman of the UN 1267 Committee noting that when Germany assumed the chairmanship there was a clear need for reform while also stressing the importance of UNSCR 1989 which paved the way to strengthening the role of the Ombudsperson for the al-Qa'ida sanctions regime Germany believes that it would be appropriate to start discussion extending the Ombudsperson model to other UN sanctions regimes Germany said that the Ombudsperson has increased overall acceptance of the regime but needs the cooperation of member states to share more information including classified information in order to improve her case CLASSI Fi CATI ON UNCLASS1 Fl ED Page 6 of 1 UNCLASSIFIED U S Department of State Case No F-2012-37619 Doc No C05407518 Date 01 22 2014 UNCLASSIFIED U S Department of State Case No F-2012-37619 Doc No C05407518 Date 01 22 2014 CLASS Fi CATI ON UNCLASSI Fi ED Page 7 of 15 recommendations Germany closed by noting the importance of implementation issues and pointed to the provisions of 2083 that promote synergies between the 1267 1989 Monitoring Team and both the UN's Counterterrorism Executive Directorate and Financial Action Task Force 14 U The Director of the U S Department of Treasurys Office of Foreign Assets Control Adam Szubin highlighted how UNSCR 1267 1989 continues to be one of the international community's key counter-terrorism tools But despite the regimes' successes the United States remains concerned about the potential lack of political will to support the regime which is often manifested by the reluctance of some Member States to nominate persons for listing as well as in implementation gaps The United States suggested that Member States develop additional capacity in four key areas 1 designations 2 compliance outreach 3 licensing exceptions and 4 enforcement Italy expressed concern that the transparency improvements of the regime need to apply to Member States outside of the Security Council noting its frustration that Italy and Germany as listing states did not have access to the basis for the Committee's decision including the Ombudsperson's report Italy also noted the Monitoring Team's recommendation that relevant states be granted access to the reports when a listing is to be maintained and expressed the view that relevant states including co-designating states and states of residency should always receive a copy of the Ombudsperson's report regardless of Committee membership France said it is satisfied with the renewal of the resolution and welcomed the listing of the Movement for Unity and Jihad in West Africa MUJAO Russia agreed with the assessments of progress on transparency and fairness issues and said the efficiency of the regime will be based on the competence of states that provide listing requests and noted that any reforms should not be made at the expense of the general mandate of the Security Council Russia expressed the view that the main task of the Committee should be monitoring Member State implementation and noted the need for the Committee to assist in capacity building and to provide clear communication to Member States on their obligations under the regime The UK noted that the regime is key to collective counterterrorism efforts and that Member States have a duty to make it as flexible credible and implementable as possible The UK further noted its satisfaction with UNSCR 2083 which moved us towards greater implementation of the regime 15 SBU LEBANESE HEZBALLAH LH CT Senior Advisor Michael Jacobson provided an overview of the international threat posed by LH noting it as a major concern due to its links to Iran its stepped up terrorist campaign around the world and its ongoing support to the Assad regime in Syria including training advice and logistical assistance Counselor to the Assistant Attorney General in the Department of Justice's Criminal Division Bruce Ohr briefed on LH's involvement in criminal activities focusing on the Lebanese Canadian Bank LCB case through which the USG uncovered an international criminal conspiracy in which funds were wired from Lebanon to the United States to buy used cars that were then transported to West Africa sold then laundered through cash couriers back to Lebanon In December 2012 the U S Attorney filed a civil complaint seeking the forfeiture of over $480 million from several entities including Lebanese Canadian Bank for their role in facilitating the scheme CLASS Fi CATI ON UNCLASS1 Fl ED Page 7 of 1 UNCLASSIFIED U S Department of State Case No F-2012-37619 Doc No C05407518 Date 01 22 2014 UNCLASSIFIED U S Department of State Case No F-2012-37619 Doc No C05407518 Date 01 22 2014 CLASSI Fi CATI ON UNCLASSI Fi ED Page 8 of 15 16 SBU The UK stated that it added Hezbollah's terrorist wing to its terrorist list in 2001 and its full military terrorism arm in 2008 The UK has closely followed the Bulgarian and Cypriot investigations on the LH plots in their countries and are waiting for the final assessment If LH is implicated in the end the UK urged other States to respond and take the appropriate measures against the organization Canada stated that it listed Hezbollah in 2002 as a terrorist group and similar to the United States Canada is also concerned with Hezbollah's support to the Assad regime and is currently looking into the cases in Bulgaria and Cyprus France said it takes a more careful approach to Hezbollah since they believe that it is also a legitimate political organization which is complex and lacks a uniform structure Japan and Germany expressed appreciation for the U S presentations noting their respective authorities are following the cases in Bulgaria and Cyprus very closely Italy said it condemns any acts of terrorism and that if there is any judicial evidence against Hezbollah proven by the EU on the Bulgarian and Cyprus bombings Italy will take all necessary steps to respond to the organization's threat Russia welcomed the discussion but noted that they believe that Hezbollah is a complex structure which has not targeted any Russian citizen and therefore Russia has not listed them as a terrorist group 17 U CRISIS IN THE SAHEL AND NORTHERN MALI France noted the complex hostage situation unfolding at the time of the meeting in In Amenas Algeria and the operations then underway France provided a brief update on developments the past few months noting terrorist groups from the North which had attained weapons coming from Libya and launched an offensive in the southern part of Mali to destabilize the country France said its own security was at stake because it has about 6 000 French citizens living in Mali and that AQ in the Lands of the Islamic Maghreb AQIM and MUJAO still hold eight French hostages France stated that its objectives in Mali include 1 stop jihadists 2 prevent them from destabilizing Mali and restore the country's territorial integrity 3 provide security to citizens in Mali and 4 lead on the full implementation of UN resolutions pertinent to this crisis They also thanked other countries including Nigeria for deploying troops to the targeted area and urged the African-led international support mission in Mali AFISMA to be deployed to Mali as soon as possible Although Algeria has often had an ambiguous position on Mali France acknowledged that Algeria gave them permission to use their territory to deploy French troops France also noted that drug trafficking continued to provide a major source of funding to AQIM 18 U The EU representative noted that the European Council's Foreign Ministers had met earlier that day to discuss the latest situation in Mali and condemned the acts being carried out by terrorist groups against the Malian Armed forces The EU also stressed the need for political progress and roadmap for the return to democracy the importance of coordination of ECOWAS and African leadership and to remain committed to the humanitarian dimension and ensure access of humanitarian agencies and the safety of those workers Witkowsky noted the U S support for the French operation the UN Security Council Resolutions on Mali the establishment and deployment of AFISMA as soon as possible and the need for a broader comprehensive approach which included CLASSI Fi CATI ON UNCLASS1 Fl ED Page 8 of 1 UNCLASSIFIED U S Department of State Case No F-2012-37619 Doc No C05407518 Date 01 22 2014 UNCLASSIFIED U S Department of State Case No F-2012-37619 Doc No C05407518 Date 01 22 2014 CLASSI Fi CATI ON UNCLASSI Fi ED Page 9 of 15 attention to humanitarian issues Canada noted that it supported the French intervention and that it had provided aircraft assistance to the French troops Canada also mentioned that in conjunction with Algeria they chaired the Global Counterterrorism Forum's Working Group on the Sahel and noted that the upcoming meeting will be an opportunity to re-examine the regional threat in light of the current events and welcomed G8 participation at this meeting Russia condemned the hostage situation in Algeria and reminded G8 members they had warned of the terrorist threat in the Mali region about two years ago Italy expressed its support to the French and for a collaborative EU strategy Germany noted that they too were following the situation closely and aside from supporting African troops was prepared to support humanitarian efforts to Mali and neighboring countries 19 U OLYMPIC SECURITY The UK's Head of International Team Office for Security and Counterterrorism of the Home Office Rachel James presented on the UK's successful efforts to secure the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics Over 50 000 armed forces police and private security were involved making this the UK's largest-ever peace time security operation The UK created an inter-governmental process for assessing the security threats and risks Its Olympic security strategy followed lessons learned from Sydney and Vancouver and also followed its national security strategy Witkowsky noted the importance of interagency communication insider threats and advancing watchlisting capabilities to include biometrics Russia noted that it will be hosting the Olympics in Sochi in 2014 the same year it will hold the G8 presidency and that it will consider lessons learned from the UK and other G8 partners to ensure security Italy asked how many of the 300 arrests were related to terrorism and the UK responded that the majority of arrests were tied to ticket fraud attempts and that the UK did not disrupt major threats during the Games or raise its security level 20 U RADICALIZATION TRENDS Russia provided a presentation on new radicalization trends and related terrorist risks stating that the Arab Spring movement in the Middle East and North Africa led to an increasing activity of al-Qa'ida branches both in the region and in other parts of the world and exacerbated global risks of the proliferation of extremist ideology Moving forward Russia believes preventive efforts including actions aimed at preventing radicalization suppressing proliferation of extremist ideology propaganda as well as countering recruitment for new followers are most valuable U S -led Initiatives on West Africa on Countering Improvised Explosive Devices and on Outreach with Private Industry to Combat Cybercrime CLASSI Fi CATI ON UNCLASS1 Fl ED Page 9 of 1 UNCLASSIFIED U S Department of State Case No F-2012-37619 Doc No C05407518 Date 01 22 2014 UNCLASSIFIED U S Department of State Case No F-2012-37619 Doc No C05407518 Date 01 22 2014 CLASSI Fi CATI ON UNCLASSI Fi ED Page 10 of 15 21 U WEST AFRICA INL Assistant Secretary Brownfield hosted an ad hoc West Africa Expert Meeting on the margins of the RLG The meeting sought to advance international support for ECOWAS in its role as a regional leader in the fight against drug trafficking and organized crime Representatives from G8 partners plus Brazil Colombia the EU Mexico Portugal the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations DPKO and UNODC attended ECOWAS was unable to send a representative to the meeting 22 U In light of ECOWAS plans to renew and update its counternarcotics strategy Regional Action Plan to Address the Growing Problem of Illicit Drug Trafficking Organized Crimes and Drug Abuse in West Africa the first part of the meeting focused on three areas ECOWAS may consider when revising the plan instability in the Sahel and Guinea -Bissau accountability and transparency and moving beyond drug seizures to prosecutions Based on these discussions INL agreed to draft a paper containing a commitment to assist ECOWAS in its revision process and outlining general areas for ECOWAS' consideration as it revises its plan The group participants also agreed that they should send re-affirming messages to Ghana and Cape Verde as strong partners in the region to reinforce what they have done well and encourage them to move to the next stage The group also suggested coordinating messages for nations where political will in the fight against transnational crime may not be as strong for example in Benin and Guinea and through ECOWAS for Guinea -Bissau 23 U The group continued to debate the most effective way to coordinate projects The discussion produced a variety of options to improve coordination UNODC offered the idea of donor conferences one of which UNODC will host within the first quarter of this calendar year Since the EU has dedicated funding to build ECOWAS' capacity on coordination there may be a way to utilize the EU's project to develop ECOWAS' ability to play a larger role in project coordination The U S government proposed a pilot project for ECOWAS to coordinate trainings in a few countries Participants were concerned that ECOWAS did not yet have the capacity for such a project In addition certain West African states such as Ghana and Senegal seek to coordinate trainings themselves and may not welcome ECOWAS involvement in such an effort 24 U The participants agreed there is still much work to be done The UK G8 presidency will host an Expert Meeting date TBC in 2013 to further efforts to promote the fight against drug trafficking in West Africa and achieve effective donor coordination 25 U COUNTERING IMPROVISED EXPLOSIVE DEVICES IEDs Witkowsky stressed the global nature of the threat and the increasing use of IEDs by terrorist and criminal organizations underscoring the importance of the G8 effort to address these vulnerabilities She introduced DHS Director for European Affairs Mike Scardaville who chaired the second ad hoc expert group meeting on countering the CLASSI Fi CATI ON UNCLASS1 Fl ED Page 10 of 1 5 UNCLASSIFIED U S Department of State Case No F-2012-37619 Doc No C05407518 Date 01 22 2014 UNCLASSIFIED U S Department of State Case No F-2012-37619 Doc No C05407518 Date 01 22 2014 CLASSI Fl CATI ON UNCLASSI Fi ED Page 11 o f 15 threat of improvised explosive devices on January 15 during which G8 experts and international experts from Norway the World Customs Organization the UN Office of Drugs and Crime and the International Narcotics Control Board further discussed how to more effectively counter the acquisition theft diversion and use of precursor chemicals by terrorist or other criminal organizations to manufacture IEDs The Heads of Delegation approved the ad hoc expert group's recommendations for four areas of continued work with the Roma Lyon Group These included 1 develop elements of an effective counter-IED program based on G8 practices that would encourage participation in and seek to enhance international programs such as the WCO's Program Global Shield 2 identify evolving threats and ways to increase awareness among public and private sectors regarding materials of construction theft and diversion tactics transshipment and other factors 3 assess relevant information sharing models that could alert law enforcement personnel to the potential theft and diversion of precursor chemicals for the purpose of making IEDs and contribution to improving capacity building programs for third countries and 4 assess international instruments that could be applicable to countering the theft diversion and use of precursor chemicals to make IEDs The United States will prepare questionnaires for these four work areas and circulate them to the Heads of Delegation intersessionally for completion by G8 member states' experts The fourth project on assessing international instruments will be conducted through the Criminal and Legal Affairs Subgroup The United States also requested that the UK consider holding another ad hoc expert group meeting during its 2013 presidency 26 OUTREACH WITH PRIVATE INDUSTRY TO COMBAT CYBERCRIME The High Tech Crime Subgroup HTCSG hosted an expert group meeting with key Internet and telecommunications companies from G8 countries The meeting examined 1 current and emerging cybercrime threats and challenges 2 strategies and best practices to combat malware botnets and denial of service attacks and 3 opportunities for cybercrime and cybersecurity capacity building in the developing world The industry participants were AT T British Telecom Deutsche Telekom Facebook Microsoft Rogers Symantec TELUS Verizon and Yahoo Japan The HTCSG members and the industry participants had a constructive dialogue that covered a wide range of cyber threats and provided a basis for further discussion collaboration and information exchange The HTCSG is examining how to most usefully continue and deepen its engagement with industry and hopes to include industry participants in ongoing future projects and to host additional expert group meetings with the industry representatives Priorities for RLG in 2013 27 U The UK delivered a presentation identifying its substantive priorities for its 2013 RLG Presidency new psychoactive substances online child protection and West Africa The UK confirmed that the next RLG would be held April 17-18 in London at the Cumberland Hotel April 16 would be devoted to ad hoc expert CLASSI Fi CATI ON UNCLASS1 Fl ED Page 11 of 1 5 UNCLASSIFIED U S Department of State Case No F-2012-37619 Doc No C05407518 Date 01 22 2014 UNCLASSIFIED U S Department of State Case No F-2012-37619 Doc No C05407518 Date 01 22 2014 CLASSI Fl CATI ON UNCLASSI Fi ED Page 12 o f 15 meetings The full slate of expert meetings was yet to be determined as the UK received several requests for such meetings from a variety of RLG subgroups Note On the margins the UK confirmed it would convene an expert meeting on new psychoactive substances on April 16 See paragraph 10 for more details End Note The second RLG meeting will be held in October or November with exact dates to be provided RLG Reform of the Law Enforcement Projects Subgroup 28 SBU Following up on the February 2012 RLG meeting HODs provided LEPSG Chair and Head of the UK National Crime Agency Keith Bristow the opportunity to lay out his concerns with the current methodology of LEPSG's work with a view to reenergizing its participants Bristow laid out three challenges making a real difference rather than focusing on short term deliverables developing initiatives tied directly to LEPSG's threat assessment and sharing operational information Bristow said that he did not have absolute solutions to these problems but believed articulating them would help energize the group to increasingly adopt a flexible approach in its work 29 SBU In response PDAS Nichols underscored that LEPSG representatives need to take on a coordinating role in their respective governments particularly if LEPSG projects fall outside of his her personal expertise Germany said it thought Bristow raised precisely the right questions and questioned whether LEPSG in its current form was losing relevance The UK HoD endorsed Germanys sentiment adding that G8 activities must not lose ambition and stated that we are at our best when we are bold Canada stressed the need to focus on those projects which could be exported outside the G8 while Russia called for a balanced approach with projects that are both strategic and technical in nature HODs agreed to continue the discussion while supporting the leadership of Bristow and the practical contributions LEPSG has made under his Chairmanship since 2009 Work of the Expert Subgroups 30 SBU CRIMINAL LEGAL AFFAIRS SUB-GROUP CLASG Canada assumed the CLASG chair after Germany relinquished its duties in January 2013 CLASG featured substantive discussion on a U S project jointly with HTCSG on how to obtain electronic evidence from G8 states law enforcement and prosecution of drug trafficking CLASSI Fl CATI ON UNCLASS1 Fl ED Page 12 of 1 5 UNCLASSIFIED U S Department of State Case No F-2012-37619 Doc No C05407518 Date 01 22 2014 UNCLASSIFIED U S Department of State Case No F-2012-37619 Doc No C05407518 Date 01 22 2014 CLASSI Fl CATI ON UNCLASSI Fi ED Page 13 o f 15 offences on the high seas evidentiary requirements in extradition cases a U S -led project on addressing multi-victim crime and terrorism cases and joint investigations in the fight against transnational organized crime CLASG also received approval from HODs to finalize and distribute a U S -led project on mutual legal assistance in de minimis cases This project had been stalled since 2010 after Russia made multiple revisions to the outcome document and delayed its final concurrence despite having no substantive concerns with the project CLASG participants also discussed potential future work including U S proposals on wildlife trafficking see paragraph 13 and on promoting implementation of the UNTOC mutual legal assistance and extradition provisions 31 U COUNTERTERRORISM PRACTITIONERS SUB-GROUP CTPSG The CTPSG had comprehensive presentations and discussions on specific cases of violent Islamic extremism in the United States and France and Salafism in Germany anti-Islamic sentiment in the UK and threat concerns in North and West Africa The UK and Russia presented on lessons learned and preparations for their respective hosting of the Olympics and the group approved final comments on the Canadian project on Inside the Terrorist Mindset and the Japanese Explosive Precursors project both of which were subsequently approved by the Heads of Delegation The group also participated in an analytical exercise led by NCTC on anti-Islamic and anti-multicultural terrorism the results of which will carry on into work intersessionally and all agreed to have its second project on future threats focus on the movement for political change in the Middle East also known as Arab Spring Representatives of the Counterterrorism Department of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office will take over the revolving chairmanship of the CTPSG for its next meeting in April 32 U HIGH TECH CRIME SUB-GROUP HTCSG The HTCSG has a mandate to enhance the abilities of law enforcement to prevent investigate and prosecute criminal and terrorist acts that make use of computer networks and other new information technologies During this meeting it discussed a variety of issues related to the operation and improvement of the 24 7 Network to combat cybercrime The Italian delegation provided an update on the operation and management of the secure 24 7 Network website and previewed proposed enhancements including adding a frequently asked questions section designating a customer service point of contact and creating additional folders for sharing documents and other information through the website The UK delegation presented a project concept for organizing and conducting regional training workshops for potential and existing 24 7 Network members and agreed to host an informal meeting of HTCSG delegations in London from March 7-8 to create a more detailed plan for the proposed training conferences including identifying and prioritizing regions for training and developing a curriculum for the workshops The HTCSG also discussed the status of its projects related to forensically large data sets community cyber outreach attribution in cyberspace and held a joint session with CLASG to discuss their electronic evidence handbook project Finally the HTCSG discussed establishing a list of technical points of contact for mobile forensics and agreed to finalize the U S and Canadian operational botnet takedown project proposal for HODs action CLASSI Fl CATI ON UNCLASS1 Fl ED Page 13 of 1 5 UNCLASSIFIED U S Department of State Case No F-2012-37619 Doc No C05407518 Date 01 22 2014 UNCLASSIFIED U S Department of State Case No F-2012-37619 Doc No C05407518 Date 01 22 2014 CLASSI Ft CATI ON UNCLASSI Fi ED Page 14 o f 15 33 U LAW ENFORCEMENT PROJECTS SUB-GROUP LEPSG Information sharing issues dominated LEPSG Multiple delegations but especially the UK have seen project proposals flounder due to delegations' unwillingness or inability to share operational and trend information - a problem that continued as France initially rejected a project proposal based on the European Criminal Records Information System an EU law to which it is bound LEPSG Chair urged participants to work to resolve their interagency and legal issues and come prepared to share information a plea he would also make to HODs during the second day of the meeting Surprisingly given this environment the UK's project to share information about individuals released from prison prior to their return home was approved LEPSG also continued its work on child exploitation online agreeing to a U S report from the U S Global Symposium and receiving a briefing from Microsoft on the use of technology to match repeat victims The UK also noted it is likely to host another seminar during the October meeting of its Presidency LEPSG agreed in concept to a process for amending including adding issues to its assessment of organized crime threats The UK will submit a formal proposal in advance of the April meeting to establish a formal process by which delegations can propose amendments Reports on illegal trafficking of hazardous waste and intellectual property crimes were also approved by HODs 34 U MIGRATION EXPERTS SUB-GROUP MESG MESG discussed succession of the Chairmanship now that Canada has stepped down as Chair of the group France was nominated and approved to serve in this capacity subject to the approval of its Head of Delegation The MESG continued to advance two U S projects-one examining investigative techniques in targeting the use of fraudulent travel documents and the other seeking to identify best practices in establishing the identity of illegal migrants attempting to enter the United States without inspection The MESG and HODs approved Italy's final report on G8 countries' procedures when encountering illegally present foreign unaccompanied and accompanied minors as well as a French project proposal aimed at gaining a better understanding of national legislation organizational structures and common terms and trends in the area of illegal migration and risk analysis Discussions continued in a number of ongoing projects including those related to impersonation in travel document issuance and border control best practices in birth death and citizenship document management combating illegal employment of migrants by using secure identify screening and analysis of illegal migration flows through airport border controls 35 U TRANSPORTATION SECURITY SUB-GROUP TSSG TSSG finalized a project on Nuclear Materials Transported by Rail the Associated Terrorist Threat Legal Framework and Operational Measures Italy and one project proposal on the Security provision in transportation of passengers and cargo by rail and road transport requirements to skills and training of personnel Russia The TSSG welcomed the participation of the International Working Group on Land Transport Security IWGLTS for discussions regarding on-going work in surface transportation security with a goal of minimizing duplication of effort In the area of maritime security the TSSG agreed that the current project on Drills and Exercises duplicates work underway in other venues As a result the TSSG will work to revise the project in order to build on this previous work to provide greater value added TSSG also welcomed CLASSI Ft CATI ON UNCLASS1 Fl ED Page 14 of 1 5 UNCLASSIFIED U S Department of State Case No F-2012-37619 Doc No C05407518 Date 01 22 2014 UNCLASSIFIED U S Department of State Case No F-2012-37619 Doc No C05407518 Date 01 22 2014 CLASSI Fi CATI ON UNCLASSI Fi ED Page 15 o f 15 the participation of the International Civil Aviation Organization ICAO for discussions on work underway in ICAO and how the TSSG could best provide assistance to advance future work Key areas worthy of continued focus include the Insider Threat cyber security and public engagement Lastly the TSSG discussed expanding its aviation security point of contact network to all modes of transportation in order to eliminate duplication with the ICAO point of contact network and enhance communication with regards to incidents in other modes of transportation RLG Participation 36 U The G8 Roma -Lyon Group was co-chaired by INL PDAS Brian Nichols and CT Acting PDAS Anne Witkowsky The RLG meeting featured the following high-level speakers INL Assistant Secretary William R Brownfield INL DAS Todd Robinson Deputy Assistant Attorney General DAAG for the Criminal Division U S Department of Justice Bruce Swartz Director of the Office of Foreign Assets Control U S Department of Treasury Adam Szubin and Associate Deputy Assistant Administrator Office of Diversion Control Drug Enforcement Administration Alan Santos In addition International Narcotics Control Board INCB Precursors Control Section Chief Rossen Popov participated in a discussion on new trends in precursor chemicals and synthetic drugs The Heads of Delegation and six sub-groups were staffed by experts from the Department of Homeland Security the Department of Justice the National Counter-Terrorism Center and the Department of State Approximately 240 government policy-makers experts and practitioners representing the G8 nations and the EU participated in the RLG meetings KERRY Signature KERRY Dissemination Rule Archive Copy UNCLASSIFIED SBU CLASSI Fi CATI ON UNCLASS1 Fl ED Page 15 of 1 5 UNCLASSIFIED U S Department of State Case No F-2012-37619 Doc No C05407518 Date 01 22 2014 This document is from the holdings of The National Security Archive Suite 701 Gelman Library The George Washington University 2130 H Street NW Washington D C 20037 Phone 202 994-7000 Fax 202 994-7005 nsarchiv@gwu edu