Progress on Visa Waiver for Czech Republic

DHS Assistant Secretary Barth:  Progress on Visa Waiver for Czech Republic

Press Availability February 6, 2008
Prague, The Czech Republic
With Richard C. Barth,
Assistant Secretary for the Office of Policy Development,
U.S. Department of Homeland Security

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U.S. Ambassador Richard Graber: As many of you know the Secretary and his team are here in Prague today to discuss a Memorandum of Understanding, which is a very important agreement.  It is part of the process along the way ultimately for citizens of this country to travel to the United States without a visa.  My understanding is that there has been a great deal of progress today, but I am going to leave further comment and detailed comment on that to the Secretary.  With that, Secretary Barth.
 
A/S Richard Barth:  Thank you, Mr. Ambassador It is with great pleasure that I appear before you today to report that the Czech government and the United States government did indeed make some excellent progress today on negotiations that hopefully will lead this year, 2008, to the Czech people being able to travel to the U.S. without a visa. We are discussing various aspects of agreements that must be in place by our law in order to ensure that security between our nations is retained and we are very close to getting some final agreements that will do that. There are still some technical hurdles, if you will, that are before us.

It is in our mutual interest -- both the U.S. and the Czech Republic -- to move forward on this important bilateral agreement. As I said, there are still some hurdles ahead of us but, as we discuss those hurdles, we don’t envision there to be any that will prevent us from coming to the agreements we need for Visa Waiver Program implementation this year for the Czech people.

As a final note, I would point out that the Czech Republic has indicated to us their need to maintain their obligations within the EU and we certainly respect that. We expect that all agreements will be consistent with existing obligations that the Czech Republic has to the EU. The Ambassador and I would welcome any questions you may have.

Q: TV Prima – Mr. Barth would you please give us a more exact date when the people of the Czech Republic will travel to the U.S. without visas?

A: The single most important factor that is required by legislation is what we call an Electronic Travel Authorization. It must be in place, along with your electronic passports, in order to avoid the process of getting a visa. We expect that Electronic Travel Authorization will be a tool, online, which the Czech people will obtain sometime in the second half of this year, the August-September time period. Sometime shortly after that, we will have fully tested the system and be able to then announce that the Visa Waiver Program is available to the Czech people.

Q:  More details about that? Do you think it will be in spring, summer?

A: I believe it will be in fall 2008 that the Czech people will be able to travel without a visa to the U.S. The exact date is dependent upon this electronic system coming online.

Q: Could I ask you about the Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA)? There are reports that limited progress has been made in creating this system. What progress has there been made in the implementation of the ETA?

A: Thank you, I’d be happy to. The ETA is, as I said, is an online tool just as has been in effect for travelers to Australia for a number of years. We learned from the Australians some of the best and worst factors in their system. Our design and development for this has been fully funded by Congress for this year and next, and so we see no obstacles to having it in effect in the August-September timeframe this year.

Q: Can you tell us what other countries are likely to enter the program this year?

A: The other countries we are talking to include, on this particular visit, Greece and Estonia.  Beyond that, we still have not (inaudible) plans with respect to whom we will be talking.  However, the Estonian and Greek refusal rates, which are an important component of these agreements, were such that we have a high probability of bringing them in to the Visa Waiver Program this year.

Q: What is the position of Slovakia regarding the possibility of entering the VWP?

A: Yes, we have done some preliminary discussions with Slovakia. This week in Washington we have delivered some very similar memoranda of agreement with all the potential Visa Waiver Program countries, as well as with all the existing Visa Waiver Program countries. We have the intention that, towards the end of the year 2009, of having all the existing Visa Waiver countries, as well as all the aspiring Visa Waiver countries, fully on board and in the program. They with all have to meet the same requirements because the U.S. intention is to have only one Visa Waiver program for all participants, whether currently in the system or that want to be brought into the system.
 
Q: Prague Post, I would like to ask if the Visa Waiver Program is in any way connected to building a radar in the Czech Republic? Have you talked about this in your negotiations?
 
A: I am here with the Department of Homeland Security and not negotiating on any aspect of that program.  I would invite the Ambassador to respond to this question.
 
Amb. Graber: The question has come up many times and we have said many times that the two are truly not related.  They are on separate tracks; they are separate issues.  The United States has consistently said it would like to make progress with respect to Visa Waiver and would like to see countries like the Czech Republic participate in the Visa Waiver process. That is regardless of what happens in the negotiations on missile defense.
 
Thank you very much.
 
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