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id: 52597
date: 2/11/2006 5:19
refid: 06DUSHANBE276
origin: Embassy Dushanbe
classification: UNCLASSIFIED
destination:
header:
VZCZCXRO3491
PP RUEHDBU
DE RUEHDBU #0276 0420519
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P R 110519Z FEB 06
FM AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6671
INFO RUEHDBU/AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE 7775
—————— header ends —————-
UNCLAS DUSHANBE 000276
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
STATE FOR SCA/CEN, SCA/PPD, R, P, EUR, DRL, S/P
NSC FOR MERKEL
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KPAO, KISL, KDEM, PREL, TI
SUBJECT: REQUEST TO DOUBLE AMERICAN CORNERS IN TAJIKISTAN
1. This is an action
request. See para six below.
2. The Ambassador’s February 7
visit to the American Corner in
Khujand, where he met with FLEX alumni and was warmly welcomed
by provincial and city education officials, reaffirms the
enormous value of American Corners in Tajikistan — and the
government’s receptive attitude toward them.
3. Public diplomacy is the sine
qua non for advancing U.S.
interests in the pivotal country of Tajikistan, a front-line
state in the Secretary’s initiative to rebuild historic links
between Central and South Asia and to effect transformational
diplomacy in challenging parts of the world.
4. We suggest five reasons to
double the number of American
Corners in Tajikistan:
— BOOST TO U.S. POLICY: These
small centers aggressively
support key regional policy priorities:
promoting democratic
processes and mutual understanding.
The Ambassador led a
February 7 roundtable discussion with 20 students at the
American Corner at the Central Library in Khujand, where
students asked pressing and pointed questions about free speech,
the current cartoon controversy, and racism in the United
States. Participants demonstrated
a strong knowledge and
curiosity about different ways of approaching religion, ethnic
differences and democracy. These
open and enquiring students
are the next generation of Tajikistan’s leaders.
—REASONABLE COST: American
Corners are enormously
cost-effective. An American
Corner costs approximately $50,000
to set up and $10,000 per year to run.
In return, thousands of
Tajik students and citizens get access to books, DVDs, movies,
news and, perhaps most important, Internet. They also provide a
read-made venue for American-citizen programming. Our message
is made available in an open environment where it is, so far,
warmly welcome and widely appreciated.
— IMPROVED ACCESS: Most Tajiks
cannot yet afford private
access to the Internet or satellite television. American
Corners provide Tajiks the chance to see something other than
the largely anti-U.S. Russian media.
Even the posters on the
walls in the Khujand American Corner reinforced messages of
democracy, free trade, tolerance, and diversity that are the
cornerstones of U.S. values and the central message of our
public diplomacy. Access is a
two-way street — our access to
every-day Tajiks also grows. At
the Ambassador’s recent program
at the Khujand American Corner, the Public Affairs Section got
20 new requests to be included on Embassy press release mailings.
— HIGH VISIBILITY FOR THE UNTIED STATES: American Corners
provide an attractive physical space and forum for discussion
that does not exist elsewhere in Tajikistan. They are a safe
place to explore ideas and topics that are not always popular
with the old schools of thought.
Students told the Ambassador
how much they appreciated the facility.
It demonstrates the
best of American intentions at a time when our relationship with
the Muslim world is frequently misunderstood.
— AMERICAN CORNERS WORK: The
volume and enthusiasm of visitors
speaks to their effectiveness.
While traveling, EmbOffs
frequently are asked to bring American Corners to various small
cities and universities. If
imitation is the sincerest form of
flattery, the fact the UK Embassy just opened a «British room»
at a local educational institute demonstrated how effective a
tool the American Corners have been.
5. Within the current $2.7
trillion budget proposal, the
several hundred thousand dollars — a proverbial drop in the
bucket — it would cost to double the number of American Corners
in a receptive Tajikistan would be a miniscule investment with
potentially huge pay-off. Given
the funds, we could quickly and
effectively establish American Corners in Khorog, Kurgon-Tyube,
Garm, Konibodom, Turson-Zoda, and a host of other Tajik cities
where our American footprint would be welcome.
6. ACTION REQUEST: To support the Secretary’s vision of
transformational diplomacy, especially in a moderate Muslim
country whose sovereignty is increasingly threatened by a
resurgent Russian neo-colonial nationalism, we request funds to
establish a minimum of six new American Corners.
HOAGLAND
=======================CABLE ENDS============================
id: 52598
date: 2/11/2006 5:56
refid: 06DUSHANBE277
origin: Embassy Dushanbe
classification: UNCLASSIFIED
destination:
header:
VZCZCXRO3498
PP RUEHDBU
DE RUEHDBU #0277 0420556
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P R 110556Z FEB 06
FM AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6672
INFO RUEHDBU/AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE 7776
—————— header ends —————-
UNCLAS DUSHANBE 000277
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
STATE FOR SCA/CEN, SCA/PPD, R, P, EUR, DRL, S/P
NSC FOR MERKEL
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KPAO, KISL, KDEM, PREL, TI
SUBJECT: REQUEST TO DOUBLE AMERICAN CORNERS IN TAJIKISTAN
1. This is an action
request. See para six below.
2. The Ambassador’s February 7
visit to the American Corner in
Khujand, where he met with FLEX alumni and was warmly welcomed
by provincial and city education officials, reaffirms the
enormous value of American Corners in Tajikistan — and the
government’s receptive attitude toward them.
3. Public diplomacy is the sine
qua non for advancing U.S.
interests in the pivotal country of Tajikistan, a front-line
state in the Secretary’s initiative to rebuild historic links
between Central and South Asia and to effect transformational
diplomacy in challenging parts of the world.
4. We suggest five reasons to
double the number of American
Corners in Tajikistan:
— BOOST TO U.S. POLICY: These
small centers aggressively
support key regional policy priorities:
promoting democratic
processes and mutual understanding.
The Ambassador led a
February 7 roundtable discussion with 20 students at the
American Corner at the Central Library in Khujand, where
students asked pressing and pointed questions about free speech,
the current cartoon controversy, and racism in the United
States. Participants demonstrated
a strong knowledge and
curiosity about different ways of approaching religion, ethnic
differences and democracy. These
open and enquiring students
are the next generation of Tajikistan’s leaders.
— REASONABLE COST: American
Corners are enormously
cost-effective. An American
Corner costs approximately $50,000
to set up and $10,000 per year to run.
In return, thousands of
Tajik students and citizens get access to books, DVDs, movies,
news and, perhaps most important, Internet. They also provide a
read-made venue for American-citizen programming. Our message
is made available in an open environment where it is, so far,
warmly welcome and widely appreciated.
— IMPROVED ACCESS: Most Tajiks
cannot yet afford private
access to the Internet or satellite television. American
Corners provide Tajiks the chance to see something other than
the largely anti-U.S. Russian media.
Even the posters on the
walls in the Khujand American Corner reinforced messages of
democracy, free trade, tolerance, and diversity that are the
cornerstones of U.S. values and the central message of our
public diplomacy. Access is a
two-way street — our access to
every-day Tajiks also grows. At
the Ambassador’s recent program
at the Khujand American Corner, the Public Affairs Section got
20 new requests to be included on Embassy press release mailings.
— HIGH VISIBILITY FOR THE UNITED STATES: American Corners
provide an attractive physical space and forum for discussion
that does not exist elsewhere in Tajikistan. They are a safe
place to explore ideas and topics that are not always popular
with the old schools of thought.
Students told the Ambassador
how much they appreciated the facility.
It demonstrates the
best of American intentions at a time when our relationship with
the Muslim world is frequently misunderstood.
— AMERICAN CORNERS WORK: The
volume and enthusiasm of visitors
speaks to their effectiveness.
While traveling, EmbOffs
frequently are asked to bring American Corners to various small
cities and universities. If
imitation is the sincerest form of
flattery, the fact the UK Embassy just opened a «British room»
at a local educational institute demonstrates how effective a
tool the American Corners have been.
5. Within the current $2.7
trillion budget proposal, the
several hundred thousand dollars — a proverbial drop in the
bucket — it would cost to double the number of American Corners
in a receptive Tajikistan would be a miniscule investment with
potentially huge pay-off. Given
the funds, we could quickly and
effectively establish American Corners in Khorog, Kurgon-Tyube,
Garm, Konibodom, Turson-Zoda, and a host of other Tajik cities
where our American footprint would be welcome.
6. ACTION REQUEST: To support the Secretary’s vision of
transformational diplomacy, especially in a moderate Muslim
country on Afghanistan’s border, whose sovereignty is
increasingly threatened by a resurgent Russian neo-colonial
nationalism, we request funds to establish a minimum of six new
American Corners.
HOAGLAND
=======================CABLE ENDS============================
id: 52600
date: 2/11/2006 6:31
refid: 06DUSHANBE278
origin: Embassy Dushanbe
classification: UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
destination:
header:
VZCZCXRO3520
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—————— header ends —————-
UNCLAS DUSHANBE 000278
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
SSTATE FOR SCA/CEN, EUR
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SNAR, PGOV, TI
SUBJECT: TAJIKISTAN’S RECENT UPSURGE IN VIOLENCE HIGHLIGHTED BY
GOVERNMENT HYPE
1. (SBU) Since the beginning of
the year, the local media have
reported a number of killings of government security officials.
The Tajik government often linked the murders to the Islamic
Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU).
However, no credible links to the
IMU have been proven. Because of
the reported up-tick in
violence, the Tajik government has increased the number of
border troops on alert and patrolling-law enforcement officials
throughout the country.
Government sources tell Post’s Senior
Law Enforcement Advisor (SLEA) that President Rahmonov has met
with security ministers three or four times since the beginning
of January.
2. (SBU) The press reported that
members of the IMU attacked
the Kairakum prison in Sughd Oblast to release a fellow member
on January 25. In the process, a
prison official was killed.
One of the attackers is reportedly the brother of the freed
inmate. Embassy sources said it
is not certain the attackers
and inmates belong to the IMU, but may be simply involved in
criminal organizations. Border
troops were sent to Sughd Oblast
to control Tajikistan’s northern border with Kyrgyzstan and
search for the attackers, who may come from the Tajik border
town of Isfara.
3. (SBU) Another recent
high-profile murder was of the Head of
the Military Institute, Hokimsho Hofizov, assassinated on
January 27. The press speculates
that Oleg Kosolapov, a former
colleague of Colonel Mahmud Khudoberdiyev, was involved in the
murder. (NOTE: Khudoberdiyev, in
the opposition during the
Tajik Civil War, is now exiled in Uzbekistan where he is widely
believed to be supported by Uzbek security forces. He was an
ally of Hofizov, until Hofizov turned against him and sided with
Tajikistan’s ruling government.
END NOTE.)
4. (SBU) In addition, a source
from the Ministry of Interior
told SLEA that nine police officers have been killed in the line
of duty so far this year. The
number includes border guards,
officers killed by landmines, and officers killed in firefights
with drug traffickers. Two
law-enforcement officials were
recently murdered in Khorog. The
majority of reported incidents
occurred along the Tajik-Afghan border.
5. (SBU) COMMENT: The recent crimes may be the result of
internal government strife, corruption, drug-related disputes,
or IMU or other extremists’ attacks — the kind of unfortunately
normal criminal-political violence that occurs in any country
like Tajikistan. The Tajik
government may be blaming the
violence on the IMU as a way to divert attention from internal
issues. But it is important to
note that this is a low level of
violence for any country. In a
presidential election year, the
emphasis on publicizing security problems could possibly be a
government desire to show the people that Tajikistan is not yet
completely secure and the need exists for continuity at the top
to ensure stability. Post
considers the overall political
situation in Tajikistan to be extremely stable. Regardless of
which theory eventually proves true, none of the violence is
directed towards Western or, specifically, American interests.
END COMMENT.
HOAGLAND
=======================CABLE ENDS============================
id: 52670
date: 2/13/2006 5:28
refid: 06DUSHANBE279
origin: Embassy Dushanbe
classification: CONFIDENTIAL
destination: 06STATE19516
header:
VZCZCXRO4112
RR RUEHDBU
DE RUEHDBU #0279 0440528
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 130528Z FEB 06
FM AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6674
INFO RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL 1284
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0942
RUEHDBU/AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE 7778
—————— header ends —————-
C O N F I D E N T I A L DUSHANBE 000279
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
SCA/CEN
E.O. 12958: DECL: 2/13/2016
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, PARM, KNNP, IR, AORC, TI
SUBJECT: TAJIKISTAN: IRAN POINTS
DELIVERED
REF: STATE 19516
CLASSIFIED BY: Richard Hoagland, Ambassador, EXEC, State.
REASON: 1.4 (b), (d)
1. (C) Post delivered reftel talking points on February 10 on
the IAEA decision to report Iran to the UN Security Council
along with the President’s and Secretary’s talking points.
Ismatullo Nasredinov, Head of the Department of European and
American Countries at the MFA accepted the points and said he
would immediately convey points to the Foreign Minister.
Nasredinov said this is a «serious» issue that will likely be
raised with President Rahmonov.
Nasredinov expressed
Tajikistan’s «difficult position:» Tajikistan is against
nuclear research for weapons purposes and must heed the
international community’s decision, however, Tajikistan can not
come out too strongly against Iran because of Tajikistan’s
development projects funded by Iran and hopes for increased
Iranian investment. Nasredinov
predicted that if Tajikistan had
to vote in the General Assembly on the issue, it might abstain.
2. (U) Kabul minimize considered.
HOAGLAND
=======================CABLE ENDS============================
id: 52683
date: 2/13/2006 8:36
refid: 06DUSHANBE284
origin: Embassy Dushanbe
classification: CONFIDENTIAL
destination: 06DUSHANBE277
header:
VZCZCXRO4415
PP RUEHDBU
DE RUEHDBU #0284/01 0440836
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
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RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
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RUEHDBU/AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE 7784
—————— header ends —————-
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 DUSHANBE 000284
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
STATE FOR P, R, E, SCA/CEN, SCA/PPD, EUR/ACE, DRL, S/P
EUR FOR DAS BRYZA
E.O. 12958: DECL: 2/13/2016
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, ECON, EAID, KPAO, KDEM, RS, UZ, KG, TI
SUBJECT: KHUJAND, THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA OF TAJIKISTAN
REF: DUSHANBE 0277
CLASSIFIED BY: Richard E. Hoagland, Ambassador, EXEC, Embassy
Dushanbe.
REASON: 1.4 (b), (d)
1. (C) SUMMARY: Khujand, Tajikistan’s «second
city,» in the
Ferghana Valley and separated from Dushanbe by a formidable
mountain range, represents what Tajikistan could be — not a
democratic paradise, but a confident, relatively progressive,
stable society open to new ideas and cautiously resistant to
negative ideological pressure.
The educated population,
well-disposed to the United States, have maintained their
dignity in desperate economic circumstances. They are
sophisticated, inquisitive, and welcoming. The subtle sense,
sometimes oppressive, of authoritarian political correctness
that pervades other parts of the western half of Tajikistan,
especially around Kulob, but even to a degree in Dushanbe, is
much less evident. Even
government officials readily speak
their minds, and seem relaxed about it.
Khujand gives us reason
to believe in the Central Asian «corridor of reform.» END
SUMMARY.
2. (SBU) The Ambassador, POL/ECON
Chief, A/PAO, and a LES
support staff visited Khujand February 7-8 and met with
journalists, students, development workers, small-business
entrepreneurs, and government officials.
Alexander the Great
founded Khujand two and a half millennia ago as «Alexandria
Eskhata,» «Further Alexandria,» a name that is still
recalled in
the up-and-coming private Eskhata Bank, which has the youngest
executive leadership of any bank in Tajikistan. The peg for the
trip was for the Ambassador to cut the ribbon for a $4.4 million
donation of medicines from Project Hope for hospitals and
clinics in Khujand and Sogdh Oblast, but the cargo plane was
delayed eight hours. The
delegation instead toured Bobojon
Ghaffurov District Hospital, one of the primary recipients for
the Project Hope donation.
3. (C) Khujand, located in the
Ferghana Valley, is different
from Dushanbe and even more strikingly so from Kulob in Khatlon
Oblast in the south. During the
Soviet era, Khujand, then known
as Leninabad, was the industrial, intellectual, and cultural
center of Tajikistan. Khujandis,
dignified and restrained in
their disappointment at lack of power, look down on the
currently dominant Kulobis as less-educated hick thugs, who,
nevertheless, currently have a lock on power and, thus, the
economy.
4. (C) Although the Khujand
authorities provided police escort
and protocol minders (the junior protocol officer was likely
from the Ministry of Security) for the Ambassador at all times,
they made no effort to interfere with the pre-arranged program —
a marked contrast to Kulob’s authorities who ham-fistedly
hijacked the Ambassador’s itinerary and intimidated our
interlocutors last year. In fact,
the senior protocol officer
seemed pleased to have someone to listen to his monologues on
life in Khujand. He became so
enthusiastic about his visitors
that he proposed a joint summer vacation, away from all work, at
a lake in the valley. The city
authorities also inserted a
journalist and cameraman from Khujand State TV into all events
and meetings. But they, too, were
not disruptive, and we judged
that a camera in the face at all times was a small price to pay
for the wall-to-wall TV coverage of a U.S. visit — and to
demonstrate that we had nothing at all to hide during such an
official visit.
DUSHANBE 00000284 002 OF 003
5. (C) Khujand is still
post-Soviet, post-Civil War poor.
Mayor Olimjon Jalolov understands that infrastructure
maintenance is essential but made clear he has no funds for it.
By example, he told us the city has about 450 kilometers of
streets and roads badly in need of repaving, but the budget for
that purpose is under $100K. The
city has about 620 high-rise
Soviet-era apartment buildings, and about half the roofs are in
critical need of repair. And yet,
there is more money
circulating than just several years ago.
We heard that
Khujandis last year spent $21 million on foreign personal
vehicles (Mercedes-Benzes on every street), and there is a boom
in residential construction, as elsewhere in the country.
During an official lunch when the topic of the mushroom growth
of mini-mansions came up, one American officer commented,
«Especially around Kulob,» making reference to the Kulobi
dominance of the economy. The
Khujandi hosts were delighted,
laughed, shook the officer’s hand, and offered yet another vodka
toast, as happens when someone makes an especially telling point.
6. (SBU) Mayor Jalolov made a
rather pro-forma request for the
United States to establish joint ventures to get the vast number
of idle, decrepit, in fact hopeless, Soviet-era factories back
into production. More seriously,
he noted that the United
States seems to have lost interest in the critical ecological
problem of dangerous uranium-tailing sites in the area. The
Ambassador assured him the United States has not lost sight of
the problem and that we hope for new attention to this issue
soon. (NOTE: EmbOffs had already visited the site that
week.
END NOTE.)
7. (C) The one issue we heard
everywhere was the problem of
Uzbekistan’s strangling visa regime and near blockade of the
region. The blockade is not only
visas, affecting business and
personal travel, but also includes parsimonious provision of
annually-agreed Uzbek electricity to Khujand, which harms
business activity and makes life generally miserable — a fact we
can attest to because the public buildings and private hotels we
experienced were frigid.
8. (C) By contrast, our
interlocutors praised relations with
Kyrgyzstan and the ease of crossing the border: «We almost seem
like one country. In general,
Khujandis look first to
Kyrgyzstan for trade and commerce and have little awareness yet
of possibilities in Afghanistan.
The Anzob Tunnel is scheduled
to open in 2006, providing an all-year land route south, but the
Khujandis so far seemed to see this mainly as a link to
Dushanbe.
9. (C) The Ambassador asked at
several meetings if the
Khujandis thought that Russia would possibly mediate the
problems with Uzbekistan, including the harsh visa regime, now
that Uzbekistan has joined the Eurasian Economic Community, and
now that Tashkent has a «new best friend» relationship with
Moscow. Universally, our
interlocutors rolled their eyes and
made clear they expect no improvement so long as President
Karimov remains in power. In one
telling comment, when the
Ambassador asked why Uzbekistan is so difficult, the response
was, «You [the United States] have had only 15 years of problems
with Uzbekistan — we’ve had a thousand years.» To the same
question, Mayor Jalolov replied he was not prepared with an
official response but would be glad to give his personal
opinion, which he did and which was far from positive.
(COMMENT: That a senior official
would readily proffer a
personal opinion is further evidence of the remarkable openness
of the Khujandis. END COMMENT.)
DUSHANBE 00000284 003 OF 003
10. (C) Khujandis know a better
way of life is possible. At
the Bobojon Ghaffurov District Hospital, an oblast health
official asked for the U.S. to provide equipment for endoscopic
surgery and the latest technology for cardiovascular
micro-surgery. This was in a
frightenly sad bare-bones building
that would not stand comparison with early 20th-century U.S.
medical facilities. But the
medical staff were clearly
dedicated to providing the best service with what little they
had. The hospital officials were
almost embarrassingly
insistent on proving to the Ambassador that they were using U.S.
medical donations effectively and responsibly and keeping a
careful log of every single tablet dispensed.
11. (SBU) As almost everywhere in
the world, the hope for a
better future is with the younger generation. The highlight of
our visit was with about 20 FLEX-alumni young people at the
American Corner where the city library director and officials
from the oblast Ministry of Education warmly welcomed us, and
appeared genuinely to enjoy the lively give-and-take between the
Ambassador and the gratifyingly well-informed young people.
12. (C) COMMENT: Academic exchange programs, and the American
Corners that provide refuge and support to the young alumni and
many others, are the most important and cost-effective U.S.
long-term investment we can make to achieve eventual results for
our commitment to Transformational Diplomacy. We have asked
(reftel) to double the number of American Corners in Tajikistan.
The door is still open to
us. We really must take advantage of
the opportunity while it exists.
We do not mean to be alarmist,
but we want to point out that Moscow’s current policy to
dominate its neighbors may eventually close that door to us
unless we stay pro-actively engaged.
END COMMENT.
HOAGLAND
=======================CABLE ENDS============================
id: 52854
date: 2/14/2006 7:33
refid: 06DUSHANBE300
origin: Embassy Dushanbe
classification: UNCLASSIFIED
destination:
header:
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RUEHRC/DEPT OF AGRICULTURE USD FAS WASHINGTON DC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RHEBAAA/HQ DEPT OF ENERGY WASHDC
RUEAEPA/HQ EPA WASHINGTON DC
RHMFISS/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 1345
RUEHVV/ISLAMIC CONFERENCE COLLECTIVE
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL 1288
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 1375
RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW 0246
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 1319
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RUEHNT/AMEMBASSY TASHKENT 0529
RUEHKH/AMEMBASSY USAID
RUEHDBU/AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE 7805
—————— header ends —————-
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DUSHANBE 000300
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PARM, PREL, KHDP, TI
SUBJECT: TAJIKISTAN HUMANITARIAN DEMINING: REQUEST FOR PM SUPPORT
REF: HARRIS — ARMBRUSTER E-MAILS 2/13/2006
1. Post appreciates PM/WRA
information (reftel) and strongly
supports further engagement on demining in Tajikistan, including
a Policy Assessment Visit and funding for the Tajik Mine Action
Committee through the United Nations Development Program.
MINES ALONG THE AFGHAN BORDER
2. Russia laid antipersonnel
mines inside Tajikistan with the
consent of the Tajik government in accordance with a 1993
military cooperation agreement.
The Russians laid the mines
prior to October 2000 on the Tajik side of the Pyanzh River to
protect Tajikistan from invasion by the Taliban. Since then,
the rationale for landmines was expanded to include blocking
illegal drug trafficking. Russia
removed all border guard
troops in 2005, though some advisors remain, but did not remove
the mines from the Afghan border.
AND THE UZBEK BORDER
3. While the mines along the
Afghan border were laid with Tajik
government acquiescence, Tajikistan has protested the use of
antipersonnel mines by Uzbekistan, allegedly inside Tajik
territory. Uzbekistan reportedly
sowed mines in Tajikistan from
2000 until at least June 2001.
The official justification was
to protect Uzbekistan from attack by the Islamic Movement of
Uzbekistan and to prevent drugs and arms smugglers from entering
the country. However, the border
with Uzbekistan is contested
and Tajikistan claims mines are laid up to 500 meters inside of
Tajik territory. Media reports
claim that up to 70% of the
Tajik-Uzbek border is mined and there are regular reports of
civilians and livestock injured or killed in these regions.
AND CENTRAL TAJIKISTAN
4. Mines and unexploded ordinance
left over from the Tajik
Civil War remains a serious threat inside Tajikistan. Both
sides in the Civil War used antipersonnel mines and they remain
a hazard in the central part of the country, mainly the Rasht
Valley where the Tajik Mine Action Committee has so far focused
its efforts.
IMPACT
5. Tajikistan is 93% mountainous,
so arable land is scarce and
too valuable to waste. Farm
families and their livestock
continue to be victims of landmines.
Hundreds of people in
Gorno-Badakshan, Sugdh, and Khatlon region have been killed or
wounded by landmines.
REQUESTS FOR ASSISTANCE
6. There are two requests for
assistance outstanding with the
Embassy. First, is an equipment
list from the Ministry of
Defense for demining activities.
Second, is the request from
the Tajik Mine Action Committee, a UN-affiliated organization
with Tajik Government representation, for $3.2 million to
support demining activities for 2006.
(Both requests forwarded
to PM by e-mail 2/14.) Tajik Mine
Action has not received
donations for 2006 and staff have not received salaries for the
past two months. Tajik Mine
Action provides mine clearing (in
the spring through early fall due to snowfall), assistance to
survivors, education, advocacy, and planning, monitoring and
coordination. Tajik Mine Action
is interested in K9’s and K9
support and shelters, demining machines, and money for ongoing
operations. The Embassy has
provided funds to Tajik Mine Action
for minefield warning signs, and the State Department has
provided funds to the OSCE for demining activities. Post
strongly supports a Policy Assessment Visit to better determine
the needs and priorities for U.S. assistance.
DUSHANBE 00000300 002 OF 002
EMBASSY ENDORSEMENT OF DEMINING ACTIVITIES
7. Addressing the minefields with
Afghanistan and Uzbekistan
would increase regional dialogue, enhance Tajikistan’s
agricultural output, and provide much-needed humanitarian
assistance. Demining in
Tajikistan is consistent with the
Embassy Mission Program Plan to help secure Tajikistan’s border
and supports the State Department’s Humanitarian Mine Action
Strategic Plan. Demining would
protect victims of conflict,
restore access to land, develop Tajik national capacity,
demonstrate support for an ally in the War on Terror, promote
conflict resolution, and improve global humanitarian mine action
response. Specifically, funding
demining in Tajikistan will
enable the Republic of Tajikistan to expedite the process of
clearing the over 250,000 square meters of mined territory.
8. Requests for donor assistance
from the government of
Tajikistan and Tajik Mine Action Committee sent by e-mail to
PM/WRA.
9. Tajikistan acceded to the
Ottawa Convention on April 30,
2003 and is a signatory to the Amended Protocol II of the
Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons.
HOAGLAND
=======================CABLE ENDS============================
id: 52898
date: 2/14/2006 11:44
refid: 06DUSHANBE301
origin: Embassy Dushanbe
classification: CONFIDENTIAL
destination: 06DUSHANBE63
header:
VZCZCXRO6350
RR RUEHDBU
DE RUEHDBU #0301 0451144
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 141144Z FEB 06
FM AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6698
INFO RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 1409
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 1369
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 1321
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL 1290
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 1347
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RHMFISS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHINGTON DC
RUMICEA/USCENTCOM INTEL CEN MACDILL AFB FL
RUEPGDA/USEUCOM JIC VAIHINGEN GE
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0946
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS 0745
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 1169
RUEHML/AMEMBASSY MANILA 0015
RUEHDBU/AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE 7807
—————— header ends —————-
C O N F I D E N T I A L DUSHANBE 000301
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
EMBASSY MANILA: PLEASE PASS TO ADB AMBASSADOR SPELTZ
E.O. 12958: DECL: 2/14/2016
TAGS: PREL, ECON, EAID, EINV
SUBJECT: CHINA WANTS TO BE A GOOD, BUT DISCREET, NEIGHBOR TO
TAJIKISTAN
REF: DUSHANBE 63
CLASSIFIED BY: Richard Hoagland, Ambassador, US Embassy
Dushanbe, State.
REASON: 1.4 (b)
1. (SBU) China shares the United States’ desire to see
an
economically stable Tajikistan, but is keeping its specific
investment and trade priorities close hold. Chinese Trade
Representative Wan Shungan told PolOff and BISNIS representative
February 13 that China regards infrastructure and hydropower
projects as emerging industries, but declined to elaborate on
other sectors for Chinese investment, or the specifics of
China’s trade relations in Central Asia.
2. (SBU) «Tajikistan is our neighbor,» said
Shungan, so
Beijing has a natural interest in helping Tajikistan develop.
However, as a market, Tajikistan is less attractive. China
exported close to $120 million to Tajikistan in 2004, mainly in
light industrial machinery. China
also exported some consumer
goods, but not in significant quantities by Chinese standards.
Shungan demurred when asked whether Tajikistan served as a
transit route for Chinese goods and showed little interest in
the transportation link to South Asia when the bridge at Nizhniy
Pyanzh opens in Summer 2007.
3. (C) Shungan confirmed recent press reports the
Chinese
planned to build a hydropower station at Shurob, but said they
were still conducting the feasibility study. Once completed,
the tender would be open to Chinese firms only. Shungan
acknowledged that they were also exploring other areas for
hydropower investment but declined to elaborate. (Note: Two
Deputy Energy Ministers told PolOff the Chinese were moving
quickly to conduct feasibility studies on the Varzob Cascade,
and the South-North transmission lines from Dushanbe to Khujand
(reftel). END NOTE.) Shungan
indicated the Chinese would
provide their own financing and contractors for their
investments.
4. (C) Aside from infrastructure, Shungan made no
mention of
other Chinese interests or investments in Tajikistan. (NOTE:
He failed to mention the more than 150 Chinese workers producing
metal frames and rebar at a Chinese-Tajik joint venture in
Yavan; a Chinese-owned armaments factory in Khorog; or the
Chinese commitment to rehabilitate the road at Sharshar Pass.
END NOTE)
5. (SBU) Shungan seemed dubious that China would
import Tajik
produce or food stuffs, although he noted there was a growing
demand in China for «ecologically clean» fruits and vegetables
which may provide a market for Tajik agriculture. Shungan’s
comments remained extremely guarded throughout the hour-long
conversation, despite PolOff’s assurances that the United States
welcomed all foreign investment too boost Tajikistan’s economy
and recognized the special relationship China has as a neighbor.
6. (C) COMMENT:
China clearly has economic interests in
Tajikistan, as its neighbor and as an investment possibility,
but seems unlikely to take a public role as a donor country
influencing Tajikistan’s foreign policy, preferring instead to
influence regional policy through the Shanghai Cooperation
Organization. AES told PolOff in
January they are interested in
partnering with China on a hydropower station; given Shungan’s
insistence that only Chinese companies would construct the
Chinese-financed projects, this seems unlikely, unless
negotiated outside Tajikistan.
7. (C) COMMENT CONTINUED: Tajik government officials have
expressed varying degrees of interest and concern at China’s
growing involvement. One Deputy
Energy Minister noted that
China acts fast while the United States hesitates (reftel),
while another cautioned that China was moving so quickly, it was
committing to projects without much research or thought. Many
Tajiks laugh at the poor quality of Chinese goods available on
the local markets, indicating that China could easily have
competition if Russian or Western goods become available at
comparable prices. END COMMENT
ARMBRUSTER
=======================CABLE ENDS============================
id: 52909
date: 2/14/2006 12:33
refid: 06DUSHANBE302
origin: Embassy Dushanbe
classification: UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
destination:
header:
VZCZCXRO6422
PP RUEHLN RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHDBU #0302 0451233
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P R 141233Z FEB 06
FM AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6699
INFO RHEHNSC/NSC WASHINGTON DC
RUMICEA/USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL
RHMFISS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0947
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO 1423
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS 0746
RUEHDBU/AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE 7808
RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 1370
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL 1291
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 1322
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 1348
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 1410
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
—————— header ends —————-
UNCLAS DUSHANBE 000302
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
FOR SCOTT GREENIP, TDA
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, ELTN, ECON, TI, AF
SUBJECT: TAJIK TRANSPORT MINISTER PLEASED WITH BRIDGE
1. On his first visit to the
U.S.-funded bridge construction
site at Nizhniy Pyanzh, Transportation Minister Ashurov
expressed great satisfaction and offered to get involved
personally if problems arise regarding the cement supply or
customs. During the February 13
visit with PolOff and a
visiting Trade And Development Agency transportation mission,
Ashurov reported that President Rahmonov asked him about the
project two days earlier, and was waiting for a full briefing
after Ashurov’s trip.
2. Ashurov had requested the
visit during a January 27 meeting
with PolOff, noting he had not been to the site since the June
2005 groundbreaking ceremony. He
expressed mild dissatisfaction
that even he, the Minister of Transportation, needed special
permission to get access to the site.
The Project Engineer told
Ashurov that he and technical specialists from the Ministry
would be welcome at any time, provided they make arrangements
through the Embassy, assuaging Ashurov’s concern.
3. Progress at the bridge was
visible. The Project Engineer
noted that Tajik customs had held up some equipment for a
period, and a change in the management of the state cement
factory threatened to delay work.
Ashurov observed that there
had been a trilateral agreement between the U.S., Afghan, and
Tajik governments, and the contractor, and he would get
personally involved with any further customs disputes to ensure
the project stayed on track. The
Deputy Head of Khatlon
province asked some pointed questions about safety conditions
and wages for Tajik workers.
4. The seven-hour round trip car
ride provided ample
opportunity to discuss other transportation priorities. Ashurov
noted road rehabilitation for major transit corridors had
attracted significant foreign attention, and many projects were
in various stages of planning and financing. The Japanese are
rehabilitating 23 km of road from the bridge to Dusti, which
then links to the main highway to Dushanbe. A Chinese
feasibility study of rebuilding the Sharshar pass by Nurek
should lead to a grant for that project.
The Asian Development
Bank has taken the lead on other significant road projects,
including the strategically and commercially vital road from
Dushanbe, through the Rasht Valley, to the Kyrgyz border.
5. Although Tajik roads take a
beating from flooding, rains,
and avalanches, the minister admitted there was not much
planning for minor maintenance and repairs; local governments
held that responsibility, but did not always allocate resources
for roads. However, budgets for
maintenance have increased on
the local and national level — last year the central government
spent 40 million somoni (approx. $13 million) on road
maintenance and repair.
6. Ashurov made a plug for
developing a tram/streetcar system
in Dushanbe to connect the city center to the fast-growing
residential regions on the outskirts.
He suggested getting used
streetcars from Europe or America to build the system. Ashurov
is a career employee of the Transportation Ministry — he
referred to himself as an «automobilist» several times — and
took a great technical interest in the bridge and other possible
projects.
7. (SBU) COMMENT:
Ashurov, a career employee of the Ministry
of Transport, got into the weeds on the technical aspects of the
bridge and seemed pleased with what he saw and heard. His
personal interest may well smooth the way and help keep this
strategic project on track. He
enjoys a reputation as an honest
cabinet member, respected by the President, if not in the inner
circle, and should prove to be a key partner in the Central
Asian Infrastructure Integration Initiative. END COMMENT.
HOAGLAND
=======================CABLE ENDS============================
id: 53030
date: 2/15/2006 5:54
refid: 06DUSHANBE304
origin: Embassy Dushanbe
classification: CONFIDENTIAL
destination: 06DUSHANBE72
header:
VZCZCXRO7534
PP RUEHDBU
DE RUEHDBU #0304/01 0460554
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 150554Z FEB 06
FM AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6702
INFO RHEHNSC/NSC WASHINGTON DC
RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA PRIORITY 1373
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING PRIORITY 1413
RUEHRL/AMEMBASSY BERLIN PRIORITY 1408
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD PRIORITY 1351
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL PRIORITY 1294
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 1377
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI PRIORITY 1325
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS PRIORITY 1273
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO PRIORITY 1172
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC
RHMFISS/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL
RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE
RHMFISS/HQ USSOCOM MACDILL AFB FL
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO PRIORITY 1426
RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE PRIORITY 1460
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 0950
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS PRIORITY 0749
RUEHDBU/AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE 7811
—————— header ends —————-
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 DUSHANBE 000304
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
STATE FOR SCA/CEN, SCA/PPD, EUR/PPD, DRL, R, S/P
STATE ALSO FOR EUR DAS BRYZA
NSC FOR MILLARD, MERKEL
E.O. 12958: DECL: 2/15/2016
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, KDEM, KPAO, UK, TI
SUBJECT: BBC IN DUSHANBE:
«DON’T DIS A SMALL COUNTRY AND YOU CAN GET
YOUR FREQUENCY BACK»
REF: DUSHANBE 0072
CLASSIFIED BY: Richard E. Hoagland, Ambassador, EXEC, Embassy
Dushanbe.
REASON: 1.4 (b), (d)
1. (C) In a surprisingly tough
meeting February 14, the
Ambassador joined his European and OSCE colleagues for what was
supposed to have been a joint Western demarche about the BBC
Tajik Service having lost its permission January 10 to broadcast
on FM-106 in Dushanbe (reftel).
French Ambassador Pierre
Andrieu, UK DCM Margaret Beloff, and OSCE Deputy Head of Mission
Andrey Shugurov also participated.
Foreign Minister Talbak
Nazarov headed the Tajik phalanx along with Communications
Minister Said Zubaidov, Chairman of Radio and Television
Broadcasting Asadullo Rahmonov, and Head of the Foreign
Ministry’s Legal Department Sherali Jononov who took notes but
said nothing.
2. (C) UK Ambassador Graeme Loten
had requested the joint
meeting about ten days earlier, but the MFA sprang the meeting
on the Western side with three hours notice, possibly because EU
regional Ambassador Adriaan van der Meer had raised the issue
with President Rahmonov February 12.
Loten was out of town on
other business, and Beloff was not well-prepared for the
meeting. Ambassador Andrieu took
the lead, playing the role of
honest broker exceptionally well.
Even the often-strange
Shugurov tried to be helpful.
3. (C) Because Foreign Minister
Nazarov had previously told the
U.S. and French Ambassadors and German Charge individually that
he had the highest respect for BBC, which had «never once done
anything to harm Tajikistan,» we were taken aback by his
uncharacteristically sarcastic opening salvo: «So here we sit
today without the main guilty person (UK Ambassador Loten) in
the dock.»
THE TAJIK VERSION
4. (C) Without going into the
mostly untranslated and painful
minutiae of the 75 minutes of rapid-fire accusations,
counter-accusations, and circular logic, the Tajik position
follows. As early as April 2005,
the Committee for Radio and
Television Broadcasting (CRTB) had notified the Ministry of
Communications, with whom BBC had its previous agreements, that
BBC would need to re-register when the new legislation on
broadcasting pending in the parliament would become law.
MinComm and CRTB conducted a voluminous exchange of letters and
memos between themselves, flashed at us from bulging folders,
and the MinComm eventually informed BBC, at least orally. The
MinComm had the lead because BBC had signed its 1999 and 2003
broadcast agreements with that ministry in accordance with the
relevant law at that time.
5. (C) A BBC delegation from
London came to Dushanbe in June
2005, but left without a clear idea of what would be required to
re-register, because the new law had not yet been passed and the
implementing regulations not promulgated. BBC continued, then,
to rely on its local Tajik representative, whom FM Nazarov
repeatedly and disdainfully dismissed as an «unreliable
low-life.»
6. (C) In fact, the pending
broadcast licensing bill was not
signed into law until September 1, 2005, and the implementing
DUSHANBE 00000304 002 OF 003
regulations were not published until mid-November. The new
registration form listing the required supporting documents was
not available until mid- to late December. «It’s all on the
Internet,» FM Nazarov commented caustically. «Don’t you people
use the Internet?»
7. (C) Apparently BBC London,
unused to Tajikistan’s sometimes
ridiculously short deadlines for legal affairs, decided to move
with «all deliberate speed,» meaning they did nothing, and
thus
were booted from the FM-106 frequency January 10.
8. (C) FM Nazarov excoriated the
local BBC «lowlife»
representative for calling a press conference on January 11 to
protest Tajikistan’s «political oppression,» and laid into
Shugurov for OSCE’s «typical knee-jerk reaction to make us look
like thugs.» The
academic-at-heart Nazarov ridiculed the Tajik
BBC representative as akin to «a bad student from a rich family
who ignores all honest advice with impunity.»
9. (C) Nazarov archly concluded,
«Fill out the form, Dear Lady
Diplomat, attach your supporting documents, and you’ll be back
on the air the next day. But I
don’t care if you take a day, a
week, or ten years — you must meet our law. We will not
tolerate an arrogant foreign conglomerate [sic] abusing a small
country.»
A MODEST PROPOSAL — REJECTED
10. (C) The U.S. Ambassador
suggested that since the matter
appeared to be purely legal-technical and not political, the
Government of Tajikistan might want to consider an exception for
an interim license to get BBC back on the air locally until it
can submit its documents. This
would mitigate the currently
negative perceptions in Western capitals. French Ambassador
Andrieu and OSCE Deputy Head of Mission Shugurov
enthusiastically supported this suggestion. Nazarov thundered,
«No! Never! We are a nation of law, and you must follow
our
law, just as we follow the law in your countries.»
11. (SBU) DCM Beloff undertook to
report the requirements to
BBC London and get the paperwork done as quickly as possible.
ANOTHER VIEW
12. (C) Embassy Dushanbe’s PAS
FSN Media Assistant attended the
meeting. Afterward, he opined the
issue is indeed political,
not technical-legal. The local
Tajik BBC staff are known to
identify strongly with the Tajik political opposition. Even if
BBC submits all the required documents to the CRTB with all the
required notarial stamps, BBC will still face the formidable
task of then registering with the Ministry of Justice. He
suggested President Rahmonov’s circle simply will not tolerate
an independent source of news and information readily available
to Dushanbe during the presidential election year. This is not
unprecedented. The U.S.-funded
NGO,Internews, has also had
problems getting its community radio stations registered and
licensed. There are also rumors
that if BBC adds a Kulobi
staffer or two to its Dushanbe office, friends of the President,
all will proceed smoothly.
13. (C) COMMENT: Although Embassy Dushanbe not infrequently
has «frank discussions» with Tajik Government officials, we
have
never before seen FM Nazarov in such high dudgeon. Because of
the surprisingly raw emotions in this meeting, we tend to
suspect neither side disclosed the full story. It’s also
DUSHANBE 00000304 003 OF 003
possible that Nazarov felt he’d unfairly been called on the
carpet by President Rahmonov over this issue. We want to judge
that the BBC issue is mostly legal-technical, but we cannot
wholly discount our FSN’s political analysis. While Minister of
Communications Zubaidov is an apolitical technocrat and looked
decidedly uncomfortable in the meeting, CRTB Chairman Rahmonov
is a recent Kulobi-clan political appointee and appeared
self-satisfied. Once BBC submits
the required documents for
re-licensing, we will see which way the political wind blows.
Whatever eventually happens — and we will work quietly to help
this end well — BBC is not at all in good political favor these
days in a few halls of the Tajik Government. END COMMENT.
HOAGLAND
=======================CABLE ENDS============================
id: 53034
date: 2/15/2006 7:10
refid: 06DUSHANBE305
origin: Embassy Dushanbe
classification: UNCLASSIFIED
destination: 06STATE22071
header:
VZCZCXRO7579
PP RUEHLN RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHDBU #0305 0460710
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 150710Z FEB 06
FM AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6705
INFO RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RUEHLM/AMEMBASSY COLOMBO 0002
RUEHKA/AMEMBASSY DHAKA 0010
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 1354
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL 1297
RUEHKT/AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU 0002
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 1328
RUEHDBU/AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE 7814
—————— header ends —————-
UNCLAS DUSHANBE 000305
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
STATE FOR P, SCA, EUR
NSC FOR MILLARD, MERKEL
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: AMGT, PREL, TI
SUBJECT: TAJIK GOVERNMENT’S RESPONSE TO CREATION OF SCA BUREAU
REF: STATE 022071
1. The Ambassador prese
