Переведено с использщованием AI
id: 157620
date: 6/11/2008 7:26
refid: 08DUSHANBE774
origin: Embassy Dushanbe
classification:
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
destination:
08DUSHANBE458|08DUSHANBE748
header:
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RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD
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RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI
0121
—————— header
ends —————-
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02
DUSHANBE 000774
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
DEPT FOR SCA/PPD JKAMP AND
IIP LSCHWARTZ, BDURANT
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL, ECON, KPAO,
CVIS, CASC, TI
SUBJECT: TOURISM IN
TAJIKISTAN: COME EXPERIENCE OUR BEAUTIFUL
MOUNTAINS, FRIENDLY PEOPLE,
DIFFICULT BUREAUCRACY
Ref: A) Dushanbe 458, B)
Dushanbe 748
1. (U) Sensitive But
Unclassified — Not for Internet Distribution.
2. (SBU) Summary. Tajikistan
has the essential attributes to compete
for international tourism,
but an unfriendly visa policy and lack of
international air
connections shut out foreign visitors and their
ready cash, according to
tourism expert Thomas Tait. During his
visit May 26-30, Tait
recommended the government establish an
official website for
tourists, ease visa requirements for friendly
countries, and establish an
inter-agency council to formulate
tourism policy. Tajikistan’s tourism committee has drafted an
action plan to stimulate
tourism, but it remains to be seen if the
government is willing to
take the crucial first steps toward
recognizing that promoting
tourism is a way to diversify and revive
a struggling economy. End summary.
Economic Opportunity
Thwarted by Visa Restrictions
———————————————
——
3. (U) Tajikistan has the
essential attributes to compete for
international tourism — a
rich cultural and historical heritage,
spectacular scenery,
mountain sports, and genuinely warm and
welcoming people. The country could reap a seven fold economic
impact from each somoni a
tourist spends here, but the government’s
unfriendly visa policy and
lack of international air connections
ensures that only the most
determined travelers ever manage to
visit. Thus Thomas Tait, Nevada’s tourism
commissioner for 13 years
and the current president of
the Nevada Tourism Alliance, assessed
Tajikistan’s tourism
potential in meetings with private tourism
operators, international
donors, and government officials during his
IIP-sponsored visit May
26-30.
4. (U) Tait previously met
Tajik tourism experts and government
representatives who traveled
to Reno on Community Connections and
Open World exchange programs
regarding tourism in 2006 and 2007
respectively. Having served as tourism commissioner in a
state that
derives $35 billion a year
from tourism, he knows the business and
is well qualified to offer
candid advice on how to stimulate this
industry.
5. (U) In meetings and press
appearances alike, Tait warmly praised
the open hearted Tajik
people and reproached the government for its
«unfriendly»
attitude toward visitors reflected in the visa regime
and its failure to provide
essential travel information to potential
visitors. An official in the Foreign Ministry’s
consular department
noted in a meeting with Tait
that Tajikistan could not extend the
period of validity or offer
multiple entry visas until the ministry
had the funds to implement
machine readable visas. This obstacle
could put visa reform out of
reach for the foreseeable future.
An Expert’s Practical Advice
. . .
—————————-
6. (U) Tait said that
tourism is the fastest way to move an economy
forward, since
infrastructure improvements made to attract visitors
provide jobs and leave
lasting benefits to local residents and
businesses. He advised the government to take the
following
immediate and longer term
steps to stimulate tourism and begin
accruing the economic
benefits.
— Create an official
website with visa, travel, and hotel
information, since 94% of
the traveling public uses the Internet,
78% use it to book their
travel, and 50% use it to book their
hotels.
— Ease visa restrictions
for visitors from «friendly» nations,
Q— Ease visa restrictions
for visitors from «friendly» nations,
using the U.S. Visa Waiver
Program as a model.
— Carve a separate tourism
ministry from the current Committee on
Youth, Sport, and Tourism.
— Establish a tourism
council with representatives from the
ministries of foreign
affairs, finance, economic development,
transportation, culture,
tourism, etc., to coordinate tourism
friendly policies.
— Establish a visitor
bureau with participating members from
government and private
industry.
— Establish airline
connections with bordering countries and offer
more frequent flights on
established international routes (currently
Istanbul, Moscow, St.
Petersburg, Almaty, Bishkek, Dubai, and
Urumchi).
DUSHANBE 00000774 002 OF 002
. . .Buried in Rambling Five
Year Plan
—————————————
8. (SBU) The Committee on
Youth, Sport and Tourism made similar
recommendations — in no
discernible order — in its «Concept of
Tourism Development in
Tajikistan up to 2013,» released
coincidentally during Tait’s
visit. The committee acknowledged in
its report that tourism can
be a primary source of income, but the
forecast for growth in this
sector is only 3% annually. According
to the report, 320,000
foreign citizens visited Tajikistan, but only
9,600 were tourists. The report notes that the government
collected
revenue through recreation
usage fees, taxes from visas and
registration permits, land
and air transportation, and tour guide
fees. «Extreme» mountain sports were the
most popular recreational
activities.
9. (SBU) In its 14-page plan
the committee recommended the following
actions:
— Improve marketing by
convening a working group with participating
members from national media
and ministries.
— Simplify visa issuance
procedures.
— Provide a legal basis for
cooperation among government,
parliament, the national
association of tourism operators, and
international donors in
developing tourism.
— Establish an inter-agency
commission to coordinate actions of
government entities involved
in tourism.
— Allocate a line item in
the national budget to develop tourism.
(The report noted that the
270,000 somoni allocation for 2004-2009 —
about $79,000 — was
inadequate).
— Reduce taxation levies on
tour operators.
— Survey and catalog the
country’s most attractive tourism sites,
then develop in priority
order.
10. (SBU) Comment: Tait’s
observations confirmed that Tajikistan
does have the potential to
develop a tourism industry that could
have a major impact on the
country’s economy. The government’s
action plan is a first step
at leveraging tourism potential, but the
plan offers no priority of
implementing its recommendations, the
first of which should be
visa reform. While the tourism committee
works out its elaborate plan
to build tourism, community based
tourism requiring little
capital investment is already showing
promise. A self-sustaining eco-tourism association
founded with
donor assistance markets
Tajik hospitality in yurts and traditional
style Tajik homes in the
spectacular Pamir Mountains. But even
this
opportunity is snarled by
regulations requiring all visitors to get
a special passport stamp for
the area, which can now be obtained in
Tajik embassies and
consulates abroad.
11. (SBU) Comment continued:
Tait’s visit was an opportunity to
comprehensively look at the
potential for tourism to contribute to
Tajikistan’s economy. His meeting with working level international
organizations was the first
time that donors discussed the practical
and political challenges to
the sector. Tait’s visit also set the
stage for a meeting of the
Principals’ Group (Ambassadors of donor
missions and international
financial organizations representatives)
on June 5, during which
participants discussed how to get the
government to relax
restrictions on visas and permits and expand
airline connections.
12. (SBU) Comment continued:
International donors and private tour
operators believe the
government could take some small steps right
now that could have
significant economic impacts.
Unfortunately,
they do not think the
government sees the potential benefit of
Qthey do not think the
government sees the potential benefit of
developing the tourism
market, nor is it willing to make the
investments that are
necessary to broaden its economy. A
number of
smaller initiatives
undertaken by international donors to help the
country promote tourism
should be better coordinated, perhaps under
the leadership of one of the
international financial institutions.
End comment.
Jacobson
=======================CABLE
ENDS============================
id: 157828
date: 6/12/2008 8:41
refid: 08DUSHANBE781
origin: Embassy Dushanbe
classification:
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
destination:
header:
VZCZCXRO7296
RR RUEHAST RUEHBI RUEHCI RUEHLH
RUEHPW
DE RUEHDBU #0781/01 1640841
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 120841Z JUN 08
FM AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC
0651
INFO RUCNCLS/SOUTH AND
CENTRAL ASIA COLLECTIVE
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING
0109
—————— header
ends —————-
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02
DUSHANBE 000781
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
DEPT FOR SCA/CEN, H
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, KPAO,
KDEM, TI
SUBJECT: UTAH DELEGATION
VISITS TAJIKISTAN
1. (SBU) Summary: A
delegation from the Utah State Senate visited
Tajikistan from June 9-12 at
the invitation of Tajik
parliamentarians who
participated in an Open World exchange program
in December 2007. They received a warm welcome and several
high-level meetings. This was one of the few visits that elected
officials from the United
States have made to Tajikistan in the last
several years, and showed
the potential usefulness of such visits.
A visit by a congressional
delegation would have a significant
impact on the Embassy’s
ongoing efforts to promote human rights and
stability, and could further
U.S. regional interests. End summary.
2. (SBU) From June 9-12, the
President of the Utah State Senate,
John Valentine, and the Utah
State Senate Majority Leader, Curtis
Bramble, visited Tajikistan
to meet with government officials and
parliamentarians. The Senators were accompanied by Rusty
Butler,
Vice President of
International Affairs at Utah Valley State
College, and his son, York
Butler, the Financial Aid Director of
Dixie State College. The delegation came at the invitation of four
Tajik parliamentarians, who
had visited Utah in December 2007, and
they met with
representatives from the Ministries of Health,
Education and Foreign
Affairs, as well as with deputies from the
upper and lower houses of
parliament. The Embassy was not
consulted
about the visit in advance,
and EmbOffs only found out about it when
the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs called, less than one working day in
advance, to request
translation assistance at some of the meetings.
3. (SBU) The delegation came
bearing gifts. They offered the
Ministry of Education
scholarships to Dixie State College for two
Tajik students; they offered
the Ministry of Health a neo-natal
resuscitation training course
on behalf of an NGO affiliated with
the Mormon Church; and they
passed an English language translation,
published by Utah Valley
State College, of President Rahmon’s tome
on Tajikistan. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs handled all
of the
logistical arrangements,
except for translating. The Ambassador
managed to give the
delegation a short informal briefing at a
representational event.
Not all Substance…
———————
4. (SBU) The meetings with
all Tajik officials involved exchanges of
pleasantries and small
gifts. The discussions made no reference
to
Tajikistan’s economic and
political crises, or the rampant
corruption and mismanagement
that has led the country into these
crises. The Senators often referred to the
geographical and social
similarities between Utah
and Tajikistan (landlocked, mountainous,
and a tradition of having
large families). During meetings with
lawmakers, there were no
references to the fact that the Tajik
parliament currently serves
as a rubber stamp for President Rahmon.
Representatives of the Tajik
upper house provided outdated and
inaccurate statistics on
U.S. investment in Tajikistan.
…But Useful Nonetheless
————————-
5. (SBU) While the Tajik
government’s organization of the visit was
haphazard, it nonetheless
gave EmbOffs an opportunity to work
together with Ministry of
Foreign Affairs representatives in a
non-contentious way. Our Tajik colleagues appreciated the fact
that
we provided translators on
short notice. EmbOffs developed closer
connections to officials
whom we often only see when we are
delivering negative messages
or bad news. We were also able to
attend meetings with Tajik
officials that we often have trouble
seeing.
6. (SBU) The visit gave us a
basis upon which to engage Tajik law
Q6. (SBU) The visit gave us
a basis upon which to engage Tajik law
makers on democracy
issues. During a meeting with deputies
from the
lower house, Senator Valentine
spoke about publicly airing Utah
Congressional sessions on
television and the internet. One of the
Tajik deputies responded
that he has already proposed that the lower
house look into similar
arrangements.
7. (U) The visit garnered
positive press coverage from the local
media. News articles highlighted the delegation’s
interest in
furthering cooperation on
education and health between Utah and
Tajikistan.
A Chance to Reinforce a
Message
——————————-
8. (SBU) Comment: The Tajiks
pulled out all the stops for a
state-level delegation. They went to great lengths to arrange
official meetings and
cultural programs, and to fete the Utah
delegation. The delegation members themselves would have
benefited
from advance coordination
with the Embassy on the situation on the
ground in Tajikistan. (Note: The delegation told the Ambassador it
had informed the State
Department of the visit well in advance; we
DUSHANBE 00000781 002 OF 002
never got word. End note.)
The manner in which they offered
scholarships to the Ministry
of Education will likely cause problems
(by giving the Ministry the
opportunity to select unqualified
students, for example). The media appeared to be confused about the
difference between Utah
State Senators and U.S. Senators from the
State of Utah. However, the visit demonstrated that elected
officials from the United
States can generate strong interest in the
Tajik government and media,
and visits by them can further Mission
goals. The Tajiks are obviously willing to give such
delegations
audiences with high ranking
officials, and the country is long
overdue for a CODEL. Congressional engagement in the
U.S.-Tajikistan
relationship, in the form of a CODEL, could push
democratic and economic
reforms, and reinforce our cooperation on
Afghanistan and regional
stabilization. End comment.
JACOBSON
=======================CABLE
ENDS============================
id: 158398
date: 6/16/2008 21:06
refid: 08STATE64760
origin: Secretary of State
classification: UNCLASSIFIED
destination: 08USOSCE157
header:
VZCZCXRO0734
PP RUEHAST RUEHFL RUEHLA
RUEHMRE RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSR
DE RUEHC #4760 1682107
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P R 162106Z JUN 08
FM SECSTATE WASHDC
TO RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE
PRIORITY 1279
INFO ORG FOR SECURITY CO OP
IN EUR COLLECTIVE
—————— header
ends —————-
UNCLAS STATE 064760
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: TI, OSCE, PHUM, PREL
SUBJECT: OSCE: DECISION ON
MANDATE FOR OSCE MISSION IN
TAJIKISTAN
REF: USOSCE 157
(U) The Department
authorizes USOSCE to join consensus on
decision PC.DD/20/08 (text
reported reftel), which
establishes a new mandate
for the
OSCE Office in Tajikistan to
begin July 1, 2008.
RICE
=======================CABLE
ENDS============================
id: 158605
date: 6/18/2008 4:39
refid: 08DUSHANBE825
origin: Embassy Dushanbe
classification: CONFIDENTIAL
destination:
header:
VZCZCXRO1917
RR RUEHFL RUEHLA RUEHMRE
RUEHROV RUEHSR
DE RUEHDBU #0825/01 1700439
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 180439Z JUN 08 ZDS
FM AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC
0660
INFO RUCNOSC/ORG FOR SEC
COOP IN EUR COLLECTIVE
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL 0183
—————— header
ends —————-
C O N F I D E N T I A L
SECTION 01 OF 02 DUSHANBE 000825
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR SCA
CORRECTED COPY — FORMAT
GARBLED TEXT
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/18/2018
TAGS: EAID, ETRD, EINV,
PREL, PGOV, PHUM, TI
SUBJECT: TAJIKISTAN: DAS
KROL’S INTRODUCTORY MEETINGS
DUSHANBE 00000825 001.2 OF 002
Classified By: Ambassador
Tracey Ann Jacobson; reasons 1.4(b) and (d)
1. (C) Summary: Prior to the Trade and Investment Framework
Agreement meetings in
Dushanbe, DAS Krol, accompanied by
Ambassador, had introductory
meetings June 16 with Foreign
Minister Zarifi, and with
Presidential Advisors on Foreign
Policy and Economics
Rahmattuloyev and Davlatov. Krol
discussed with his interlocutors:
— The business environment,
including the IMF misreporting
scandal;
— The overall economic
situation including the results of
last winter’s twin energy
and food security crises;
— Tajikistan’s renewed push
for international funding for a
hydropower station at
Dosti-jhum, on the Tajik-Afghan border;
— The pullout of the
National Democratic Institute;
— The new OSCE mandate, and
the Tajik desire to see some sort
of regional OSCE institution
based in Dushanbe; and
— Relations with Iran, both
economically and in the context
of the Shanghai Cooperation
Organization.
2. (C) While little new
ground was covered, all three of
Krol’s interlocutors had
clearly been studying their recent
meetings with us, and
repeated back some of our own talking
points. Whether their understanding of the
government’s
image problems will result
in real reforms remains to be
seen. End Summary.
IMF Misreporting and
Business Environment
——————————————
3. (C) Zarifi and Davlatov
both noted that the government was
committed to getting its
relationships with the international
financial institutions back
on track, through an audit of the
Central Bank, a Staff
Monitoring Program, and eventual audits
of the state-owned
enterprises TALCO and Barki Tojik. Using
identical language, both
insisted that Central Bank
guarantees for private
cotton investors had been going on for
years, but the IMF
representative in Tajikistan had waited
«until the right
moment» (i.e., during the winter crisis)
to make the misreporting
public. (Note: at a dinner that
evening, IMF representative
Luc Moers said the Central Bank
had denied on repeated
occasions that it was giving private
guarantees.) Krol noted that the delay in finding the
misreporting was because the
fraud was well hidden and that
the misreporting had
tarnished Tajikistan’s image.
4. (C) Krol raised other
problems with the business
environment, including
corruption, reports of record-setting
TALCO litigation against
Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska in
London, and difficulty with
flights and visas for business
people and tourists to come
to Dushanbe. Davlatov insisted
that the cost of TALCO’s
litigation is nowhere near the 120
million plus reported in the
media, and in any case, «it’s
TALCO’s money, not the
government’s.» (Krol pointed out
that as a government-owned
company, TALCO money is government
money). Davlatov admitted the need for greater
transparency
in TALCO’s operations:
«Even as the Chief Economic Advisor,
I don’t always know what
they are doing. The audit should
make everything
clear.» Davlatov, unprompted,
brought up
the conviction of Orima Chairman
Oripov, saying — «That
grocery store — people keep
raising it, but I have no
influence — it’s a law
enforcement issue. Let’s not
politicize things — we
shouldn’t say that the IMF case, or
the supermarket case, have
anything to do with the business
environment.» Zarifi asked for more international
assistance to
«solve» the corruption problem.
5. (C) On access to the
country, Rahmattuloyev said that
Q5. (C) On access to the
country, Rahmattuloyev said that
Tajikistan had taken a
positive step forward with airport
visas. When Ambassador noted that the airport visa
regime
had been cancelled last
November, Rahmattuloyev, a bit out of
the loop, insisted it was
still active for visitors. (Note:
we have to coordinate in
advance for airport visas for
official visitors; it’s not
an option for ordinary tourists
or business people). Davlatov said the government had
finally approved a third
weekly flight for Turkish Air, but
the carrier had turned it
down — an assertion rejected by
the Turkish Ambassador later
that evening.
Overall Economic Situation
and Plans for Hydropower
———————————————
——
6. (C) Zarifi blamed the
weather and Uzbekistan for
Tajikistan’s economic
woes. The harsh winter and dry spring
DUSHANBE 00000825 002.2 OF 002
have negatively impacted
both agriculture and hydropower
reservoir levels. Difficulties with Uzbekistan mean that
Tajikistan is spending
hundreds of millions of dollars on
road construction and other
transportation projects, in order
to avoid transit through
Uzbekistan. «Our economy is not so
bad, but the problem is that
we are spending money where we
really shouldn’t have
to.» (Note: Ambassador resisted the
urge to hold up the
presidential palace, estimated at 130
million dollars, and the
TALCO legislation, as example of
unnecessary government
expenditures. We have raised these
issues on multiple
occasions. End note)
7. (C) All three
interlocutors expressed the government’s
keen interest in further
developing hydropower. Building the
Rogun dam and hydropower
station is a priority, but the Tajik
government is worried that
potential consortium partners and
even international financial
institutions will be swayed by
Tashkent’s protests. Zarifi and Rahmattuloyev both
expressed a renewed interest
in a new hydropower plant at
Dosti-jhum, on the
Afghan-Tajik border. Zarifi said he
raised greater Tajik-Afghan
cooperation with Kai Eide on the
margins of the Paris conference;
Eide had agreed to visit.
Zarifi plans to use the
visit to push for Dosti-jhum.
Ambassador reiterated to
Rahmattuloyev that although our
experts thought Dosti-jhum
could be a worthwhile project, it
would have to be funded by
the private sector, not the U.S.
government. Rahmattuloyev replied that over 30 billion
dollars had been pledged for
Afghan stabilization at the
Paris conference, and the
four billion dollar Dhosti-jhum
project could be funded from
this amount.
National Democratic Institute
and OSCE
—————————————
8. (C) Krol brought up the
pullout of the National Democratic
Institute, noting that
Tajikistan’s failure to register the
organization was both
disappointing and a blow to
Tajikistan’s image in
Washington. Zarifi said the decision
was not finalized, and
possible registration for NDI was
still being discussed. Rahmattuloyev insisted it was NDI’s
decision to pull out, not
the government of Tajikistan’s.
Ambassador responded that
after three failed attempts to
register and statements from
Ministry of Justice officials
that they never would
register NDI, there was no way the
organization could
stay. Further, the State Committee for
National Security had
roughed up NDI’s Amcit director and
also stopped and questioned
his Amcit fiance. Rahmattuloyev
said he didn’t know about
the harassment and apologized if
it had indeed occurred
(Ambassador had raised it with Zarifi
in May with no response.)
9. (C) Krol congratulated
Zarifi and Rahmattuloyev on the new
OSCE mandate. Rhamattuloyev reiterated the government’s
request to have some
structure of the OSCE physically moved
to Dushanbe, in order to
anchor the «Asian bloc» more
firmly in the organization.
Iran
—-
10. (C) Krol questioned his
interlocutors about relations
with Iran — both
economically and in the context of the
Shanghai Cooperation
Organization. Both Rahmattuloyev and
Zarifi described the
relationship as «purely economic.»
Iran is building a
hydropower station at Sangtuda, a tunnel
under the Anzob pass, and
discussing other infrastructure
investments. On the question of potential Shanghai
Cooperation Organization
membership for Iran, Zarifi said:
«This will not be a
real issue this year or next. It’s
only at the level of
discussions. Our position is that we
Qonly at the level of
discussions. Our position is that we
don’t want to cut anyone
out, but at the same time, we
understand your
position. We always tell the Iranians
they
need to comply with the
demands of the international
community. Tajikistan’s role in this regard will only be
positive.»
11. (C) Comment: The meetings did not produce much news.
Our interlocutors have
clearly heard and absorbed our talking
points, but still take
little responsibility for the problems
Tajikistan faces, and too
little action to resolve these
problems. It is clear that the IMF misreporting scandal
and
combined winter crises have
served as a wake-up call to
Tajikistan’s political/economic
elite, but it will take
frequent, coordinated, and
sustained engagement to move
towards real reforms.
JACOBSON
=======================CABLE
ENDS============================
id: 159186
date: 6/23/2008 4:48
refid: 08DUSHANBE829
origin: Embassy Dushanbe
classification:
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
destination:
08DUSHANBE515|08DUSHANBE635
header:
VZCZCXRO0630
RR RUEHLN RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHDBU #0829/01 1750448
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 230448Z JUN 08
FM AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC
0664
INFO RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING
0111
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD
0154
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI
0123
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL 0185
—————— header
ends —————-
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DUSHANBE
000829
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
DEPT FOR SCA/CEN
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, ETRD,
EINV, ECON, TI
SUBJECT: TAJIKISTAN’S HASAN
ASADULLOZODA — MAN, MYTH, LEGEND
REF: (A) DUSHANBE 635
(B) DUSHANBE 515
1. (SBU) Summary: Hasan
Asadullozoda (formerly known as Sadulloev),
the 40 year old
brother-in-law of President Rahmon, is Tajikistan’s
top business figure, and is
often called the «third most powerful»
man in the country (after
Rahmon and Dushanbe mayor Ubaidulloyev).
He controls or has
substantial influence in major state-owned
enterprises, and his holding
company, Ismoili Somoni Financial and
Industrial Group, manages
two dozen companies involved in every
major business sector. His wealth and influence, however, have
generated jealousy among
President Rahmon’s inner circle,
particularly his
children. End Summary.
Rise to Power
————-
2. (U) Asadullozoda came
from humble beginnings, but quickly
ascended to the top of the
Tajik business world. Most attribute his
success to the fact that his
older sister, Azizamoh, is married to
President Rahmon. Born in the Kolhozabad district of Khatlon
region
in 1968, Asadullozoda was a
gas station attendant in Kurgonteppa in
1991. Benefiting from his brother-in-law’s rise to
power in 1992,
he was named Deputy Director
of the oil depot in Kolhozabad in 1995.
In 1997, he was promoted to Director of the
oil depot in Jilikul,
and by 1998, he was the
General Director of an oil supply and
logistics enterprise in
Sarband. In 2001, he was appointed as
the
General Director of the
Universal Commodity Exchange in Dushanbe.
3. (U) In May 2003,
Asadullozoda became Chairman of the Executive
Board of Orien Bank. Although Orien was — and still is — a
private bank, it is closely
aligned with President Rahmon.
Asadullozoda was installed
after the authorities arrested the
previous chairman, Samihon
Kurbanov. The finances, ownership, and
business practices of Orien
Bank are murky, so it difficult to
determine Asadullozoda’s
exact ownership stake. Nevertheless, he
uses his position as the
bank’s Chairman to support his other
business interests.
A Diversified Portfolio
————————
4. (SBU) Asadullozoda is
widely believed to control a significant
portion of Tajikistan’s
economy. Through his Ismoili Somoni
Financial and Industrial
Group, founded in 1997, he has interests in
the following sectors:
-Cotton (30,000 hectares of
cotton farms in Khatlon region;
estimated revenues in 2003:
$100 million;
-Food Services (reported
control of Vastan Restaurant and the Soyuz
Company, a catering and
alcohol importing business);
-Hotels (the five-star
Ismoili Somoni Hotel, located on prime real
estate on Rudaki Avenue in
Dushanbe, should be completed in 2009);
-Insurance (Orien Insurance
Company, founded in 2004, is the largest
in the country with
estimated revenues of $35 million);
-Commercial banking (Orien
Bank is the country’s largest private
bank, with approximately $65
million in capital; its $169 million
loan portfolio has led to
questions about many of the banks
transactions);
-Investment Banking (Somon
Capital, founded in 2006 as a joint
venture between Orien Bank
and Visor Capital from Kazakhstan, is the
first investment bank in
Tajikistan);
-Aviation (partial ownership
of the company that runs the Khujand
Airport; full ownership of
SomonAir, the country’s first private
airline);
-Media (Orien Media LLC
operates a radio station, a television
station, and a newspaper);
-Telecom (Asadullozoda’s
TACOM LLC acquired the bankrupt Tajik Tel
Company, Tajikistan’s first
cellular company, and has entered into a
QCompany, Tajikistan’s first
cellular company, and has entered into a
joint company with Russia’s Vimpelcom
under the Beeline brand; he
has partial ownership of
Arzon Mobile, an authorized distributor of
Nokia and Samsung cell
phones);
-Aluminium (Asadullozoda’s
CDH International buys and sells bauxite
for TALCO, the country’s
largest source of revenue and foreign
currency).
Conflict with the President?
—————————-
5. (SBU) Asadullozoda
obviously holds a privileged position in
Tajikistan, but analysts
differ on his influence with President
Rahmon. Some have described him as the President’s
proxy or favored
son, and say that many
economic policy decisions in the country are
made to increase his
personal holdings. Many believe that
Tajik Air
— burdened with debt —
will be allowed to fold, and that
Asadullozoda’s Somon Air
will become the state airline. While he
DUSHANBE 00000829 002 OF 002
does not have an official
position in TALCO, many believe he is
functionally the company’s
Chairman. TALCO’s commercial director,
Sherali Kabirov, is a close
associate of Asadullozoda, and
Asadullozoda’s Somon Capital
is fronting a plan for the conversion
of TALCO to domestic, vice
imported, mineral resources.
6. (SBU) However, there are
rumors that Asadullozoda’s success has
caused discord in the Rahmon
family. The President’s son, Rustam,
reportedly shot Asadullozoda
in May (reftel A), and the President’s
daughter, Tahmina, who
herself has significant business holdings,
may be a rival to
Asadullozoda. In April 2008, authorities
took
Asadullozoda’s radio station
off the air, reportedly because it was
too critical of the
government. Some observers downplay this
incident, saying that
Asadullozoda has little day-to-day involvement
with the station. However, it does indicate that Asadullozoda’s
holdings are not immune from
the government’s wrath.
Comment
——-
7. (SBU) Comment: Many of
those who know Asadullozoda have said that
his primary motivation is to
control as many revenue generating
enterprises as possible, to
the exclusion of others. Businesspeople
in Tajikistan view him as a
predator, and they fear losing their
businesses to Asadullozoda’s
draconian methods. There are rumors
that the demise of the
founder of the Orima supermarket chain
(reftel B) and the desire of
the owner of a major telecom company to
sell are linked to
Asadullozoda’s designs on their businesses.
Asadullozoda fits very well
into one of President Rahmon’s important
governing principles —
maintain as much personal control of the
country’s assets as
possible.
8. (SBU) Comment continued:
While Asadullozoda employs harsh,
predatory methods, he is
pragmatic enough to recognize that he needs
competent people to manage
his businesses. He has not adhered to
the type of Kulyobi nepotism
that characterizes the government. He
has made an effort to hire
qualified managers, and he has
distinguished himself from
President Rahmon’s other family members,
whom most judge to be
untalented and incompetent. However, his
fortunes are tied closely to
those of the President. He does not
have his own political
constituency, and he does not have specific
ties to Russian power
brokers. Asadullozoda’s demise, whenever
it
comes, will be either the
result of rivalry with the President’s
offspring, or because Rahmon
himself has lost power. Asadullozoda’s
position as the most
powerful businessman in Tajikistan, dependent
as it is on the stability of
the current regime, illustrates the
shallowness of private
sector development in the country. End
Comment.
JACOBSON
=======================CABLE
ENDS============================
id: 159187
date: 6/23/2008 4:49
refid: 08DUSHANBE830
origin: Embassy Dushanbe
classification:
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
destination: 08DUSHANBE688
header:
VZCZCXRO0633
RR RUEHAST RUEHBI RUEHCI
RUEHLH RUEHPW
DE RUEHDBU #0830/01 1750449
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 230449Z JUN 08
FM AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC
0666
INFO RUCNCLS/SOUTH AND
CENTRAL ASIA COLLECTIVE
RUEAWJA/DEPARTMENT OF
JUSTICE WASHINGTON DC
—————— header
ends —————-
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02
DUSHANBE 000830
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
STATE FOR SCA/CEN (DUANE),
INL/AAE (BUHLER)
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV, KJUS, SNAR,
KCRM, TI
SUBJECT: TAJIKISTAN’S
PROSECUTOR GENERAL’S OFFICE — IT’S ALL ABOUT
US
REF: Dushanbe 688
1. (SBU) Summary: The
Tajikistani Prsoecutor General’s Office (which
equates to the Attorney
General’s Office is the United States, but
has substantial investigatory
powers not possessed by American
prosecutors) continues to
oppose anticipated reforms to the Criminal
Procedure Code that will
bring the criminal justice system more in
line with international
standards. Matluba Abdulloeva, Head of
the
International Department of
the Prosecutor General’s Office, said
that the Ministry of Justice
distributed the closely-held draft
Criminal Procedure Code to
select law enforcement entities for
comment, and that the
Procuracy disagreed with provisions that would
transfer exclusive authority
over arrest and detention decisions
from the prosecutors to the
judiciary. Abdulloeva was unable to
provide examples of specific
training that would benefit
prosecutors, but
acknowledged the value of professional study tours.
She said that the Prosecutor General prefers
to pick participants
for prosecutor exchange
programs and study tours, claiming he knew
the most qualified
candidates. End summary.
2. (SBU) During a recent
courtesy call by EmbOffs, Abdulloeva
offered that, as part of the
interagency clearance process, the
Procuracy received for
comment a copy of the draft Criminal
Procedure Code. The Procuracy responded negatively to
provisions
that would transfer
exclusive authority over arrest and detention
decisions from the
prosecution to the judiciary (reftel).
The
Procuracy’s position is that
the power to issue warrants and detain
suspects should remain with
the prosecutors, as this arrangement is
most effective for fighting
crime in Tajikistan. Abdulloeva
deflected Embassy’s interest
in a copy of the draft, stating that
any requests must be made
directly to the official working group.
EmbOff reiterated that the
international donor group remains willing
to provide technical
assistance to Tajikistan’s interagency working
group that is revising the
Code. The Ministry of Justice has
restricted access to the
draft Code and distributed copies for
comment only to select law
enforcement entities. (Comment: This is
welcome first evidence that
the working group is actually making
headway. However, notwithstanding multiple offers from
the
international community, it
continues to work in a shroud of
secrecy. End comment.)
———————————————
——
TRAINING PROSECUTORS? THANKS, WE’LL THINK ABOUT IT
———————————————
——
3. (SBU) Abdulloeva declined
to comment on or identify which subject
areas and types of training
might prove most useful for prosecutors.
In response to questions regarding how the
U.S. Mission might
assist the Procuracy to
improve prosecutors’ education and
qualifications (especially
as reforms unfold), Abdulloeva said that
the Procuracy selects the
best graduates of law faculties, and that
good prosecutors require
experience, not just education. The
Procuracy welcomes study
tours where Tajikistani prosecutors can
share experiences with
counterparts from other countries. INL
Officer offered his
successful experience with the Kazakhstan
Prosecutor General’s Office
in improving the collection and analysis
of crime statistics. EmbOffs expressed mutual interest in meeting
with the head of the
Department of Statistics and Analysis and
visiting the Procuracy’s
Dushanbe training facility. Abdulloeva
indicated both were
possible.
4. (SBU) Currently, the
Procuracy sends up to 40 prosecutors
Q4. (SBU) Currently, the
Procuracy sends up to 40 prosecutors
annually on out-of-country
training excursions funded and organized
by members of the
international community, including the Shanghai
Cooperation
Organization. In addition, the Procuracy
trains
prosecutors from all regions
of Tajikistan at a facility in
Dushanbe. Courses last from one to two weeks and can
accommodate up
to 50 prosecutors at one
time. Abdulloeva expressed appreciation
for international support
and especially the United States’ interest
in improving the
qualifications of Tajikistan’s prosecutors.
————————————
PROCURACY PREFERS TO PICK
AND CHOOSE
————————————
4. (SBU) Abdulloeva
delivered a message from the Prosecutor General
that he would prefer to
personally select candidates to attend
training funded by the
United States, rather than having the U.S.
Embassy select
candidates. She commented that most of
the time, the
Prosecutor General is
unaware of the selection process and criteria,
and candidate slates come as
a surprise. This issue has been an
ongoing area of contention
after the Prosecutor General cancelled an
Open World Study Tour for
prosecutors following a disagreement over
the participants. INL Officer responded that the best way for
successful cooperation in
the field of training is bilateral
consultations.
DUSHANBE 00000830 002 OF 002
5. (SBU) Comment: The
Prosecutor General remains adamant about
preserving powers over
arrest and detention that are not consistent
with a fair criminal justice
system. He is also unwilling to cede
authority over choosing
participants for training and exchange
programs. Embassy will follow-up with Abdulloeva and
press for a
visit to the Procuracy’s
training center and the Department of
Statistics and Analysis, and
we will continue to educate the
Prosecutor General about our
exchange and assistance opportunities.
End comment.
JACOBSON
=======================CABLE
ENDS============================
id: 159391
date: 6/24/2008 9:13
refid: 08TASHKENT722
origin: Embassy Tashkent
classification: CONFIDENTIAL
destination:
07TASHKENT1888|07TASHKENT1889|08TASHKENT660
header:
VZCZCXYZ0001
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DE RUEHNT #0722/01 1760913
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
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FM AMEMBASSY TASHKENT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC
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INFO RUEHAH/AMEMBASSY
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RUEHTA/AMEMBASSY ASTANA 0288
RUEHEK/AMEMBASSY BISHKEK
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RUEHLM/AMEMBASSY COLOMBO
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RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE
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RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHINGTON DC
0140
—————— header
ends —————-
C O N F I D E N T I A L
TASHKENT 000722
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR SCA, DRL, AND INR
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/24/2018
TAGS: PHUM, KIRF, PGOV,
PINR, PREL, TI, UZ
SUBJECT: SURKHANDARYA
PROVINCE ACTIVIST REPORTS
CROSS-BORDER ARREST OF HIZB
UT-TAHRIR MEMBERS
REF: A. TASHKENT 660
B. 07 TASHKENT 1888
C. 07 TASHKENT 1889
Classified By: POLOFF R.
FITZMAURICE FOR REASONS 1.4 (B, D)
1. (C) Summary: On June 20,
human rights activist Fakhriddin
Tilloev reported to poloffs
the torture and imprisonment of
four alleged Hizb ut-Tahrir
(HT) members in Surkhandarya
province. According to Tilloev, all four were allegedly
linked to a Tajik HT leader
named «Norillov,» who invited the
men to an HT conference in
Tajikistan and tasked them with
recruiting new HT members
and distributing HT literature.
All four allegedly were
arrested in Tajikistan by the Tajik
National Security Service
(NSS) and then turned over to Uzbek
authorities. On May 26, they were sentenced to six years’
imprisonment for membership
in a religious extremist
organization after
reportedly being tortured in pre-trial
detention. In addition, Tilloev reported that a member
of
the Erk political party in
Surkhandarya remains under house
arrest after being fined for
hooliganism in November 2007.
Tilloev raised serious
allegations of human rights abuses in
Surkhandarya province which
we are so far unable to verify.
If Tilloev’s information is
correct, it also seems to
indicate that religious
extremists are using Tajikistan as a
base to spread their
ideology in Uzbekistan, and that the
National Security Services
of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan are
cooperating together in
combating such groups. End summary.
Report of Torture Cases
Involving Alleged HT Members
———————————————
——-
2. (C) On June 20,
Surkhundarya-based activist Fakhriddin
Tilloev, chief of the
unregistered «Ozod Fukaro» («Free
Citizen») human rights
group and a member of the opposition
Erk political party,
informed poloffs of the torture and
imprisonment of four alleged
Hizb ut-Tahrir (HT) members:
Abdurakhman Boltaev, Temir
Mamasolaev, Hamid Togaev and
Abdusobut Akhmedov, all
members of the Koralang Mahalla in
the Denau District of
Surkhandarya province. Tilloev said
that all four were allegedly
linked to a Tajik HT leader
named «Norillov,»
who Tilloev said was known to have a house
in Uzbekistan’s Surkhandarya
Province and financial contacts
that stretched to Saudi
Arabia and Dubai. According to
Tilloev, Norillov invited
all four to an HT conference in
Tajikistan and tasked them
with recruiting new HT members and
distributing HT
literature. All four allegedly were
arrested in Tajikistan by
the Tajik National Security Service
(NSS) and then turned over
to Uzbek authorities and charged
under Articles 159 and 244
(anti-constitutional activities
and participation in an
extremist religious organization
respectively, common charges
against suspected HT members) of
the Uzbek Criminal
Code. Tilloev believed that all four
individuals arrested were
genuine HT members. A fifth
individual, Holmahmad
Saidov, reportedly the leader of the HT
branch in Surkhandarya
province, escaped arrest in
Tajikistan. Government law enforcement officials
reportedly
searched the houses of all
four individuals and found HT
leaflets on the premises.
3. (C) Tilloev informed
Poloff that, according to Akhmedov’s
wife, Akhmedov had been
tortured for over a month by the
Uzbek NSS during the
investigation. According to Tilloev,
Akhmedov was severely
beaten, causing serious visible damage
to the right side of his
face. Tilloev noted that the NSS
had threatened Akhmedov’s
lawyer to prevent him from raising
the issue of torture, and
NSS officials reportedly told
Akhmedov that they would
rape his wife if he refused to
confess.
4. (C) Tilloev also reported
that Boltaev, Mamasolaev, and
Togaev were also mistreated
during their detentions, claiming
that all three individuals’
wives were brought before them in
jail and threatened with
rape before their eyes and
imprisonment if they refused
to confess. Tilloev said he
received this information
from family members of these three
individuals.
5. (C) Tilloev noted that
all four had been sentenced to six
years imprisonment under
Article 244 of the Criminal Code.
He noted that no relatives
were allowed to attend the court
proceedings and that the
trial took place behind closed
doors. According to Tilloev, only one lawyer was
provided by
the government to all four
defendants. The trial reportedly
took place on May 25-26 and
the court proceedings allegedly
lasted eight hours. Mamasolaev and Togaev reportedly did not
confess during the
proceedings. Tolliev said that he had
requested a copy of the
verdict but that the government
lawyer had told him that it
was «not ready.»
6. (C) Tilloev told Poloff
that he had located a lawyer named
Bashanov who was formerly a
judge and also an official in a
local Procurator’s Office
with some previous success in
defending individuals
charged under Articles 159 and 244 of
the Uzbekistan Criminal
Code. He said that for 500 dollars,
Bashanov would file an
appeal on behalf of all four
individuals and «fight their
cases until the end.»
ERK ACTIVIST REPORTEDLY
UNDER HOUSE ARREST
——————————————
7. (C) Tilloev also informed
poloffs of the case of Hurram
Berdiev, a member of the Erk
opposition party, whom an
administrative court
reportedly levied a 65,000 soum (50
dollars) fine against for
«hooliganism» in a closed hearing
in November 2007. Tilloev said that the court gave Berdiev
one month to pay the fine
and reported that Berdiev was
unable to meet that burden,
in part because he had since lost
his job and his family
members were also unemployed. Tilloev
believes that Berdiev was
targeted by authorities because he
was openly critical of the
Karimov regime and supported
demands for an international
investigation into the 2005
Andijon events. According to Tilloev, Berdiev was also
detained three times in 2006
by local police for storing and
distributing Erk’s
underground newsletter (Note: In October
2007, the France-based
Association for Human Rights in
Central Asia claimed in a
press release that Berdiev had
«disappeared without a
trace,» which is clearly not the case.
End note.)
8. (C) According to Tilloev,
government officials came to
Berdiev’s house on June 10
and demanded that he pay the fine
immediately. Berdiev reportedly told the officials he was
unable to pay, upon which
they allegedly sought to confiscate
livestock that were in the
vicinity of Berdiev’s home. When
Berdiev protested that the
livestock did not belong to him,
MVD officials reportedly
handcuffed him and detained him
overnight. Although he was released the next day, the
local
Procurator’s Office sent
notice to Berdiev a couple of days
later to show up to their
office. According to Tilloev,
Berdiev’s pregnant wife showed
up instead, hoping to prevent
his arrest. An altercation with the authorities
reportedly
ensued, including shouting
and some pushing and shoving,
Berdiev’s wife was taken to
the hospital from the
Procurator’s Office and soon
after gave birth. The baby, a
boy, and Berdiev’s wife are
both reportedly in good health.
According to Tilloev,
Berdiev remains under house arrest.
COMMENT
——-
9. (C) Tilloev, a human rights activist and
member of the
Erk opposition party, raises
serious allegations of human
rights abuses in
Surkhandarya province which we are so far
unable to verify. Tilloev remains our only source on the
case of the four HT members,
and he has not yet provided us
with a copy of the verdict
against them. Our main concern in
such religious extremism
cases has long been that defendants
are not provided due process
of law, and we will continue to
follow this case
closely. What is unusual here is that,
unlike in the majority of HT
cases covered by human rights
activists, Tilloev does not
deny that the four individuals in
Surkhandarya province were
members of HT. If Tilloev’s
information is correct, it
raises the possibility that
religious extremists are
using Tajikistan as a platform to
spread their ideology to
Uzbekistan, and that the National
Security Services of
Tajikistan and Uzbekistan are
cooperating together in
combating religious extremism. Both
Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan
have been previously known to
extradite alleged Hizb
ut-Tahrir members to Uzbekistan,
including most recently
Erkin Halikov (ref A). Nevertheless,
other members of Erk,
including Erk Secretary General
Atanazar Arif, have earlier
provided us with information on
Hizb ut-Tahrir’s activities
which appeared to us to be of
questionable reliability
(refs B and C), and we cannot rule
out the possibility that
Tilloev’s information is also
government-fed.
NORLAND
=======================CABLE
ENDS============================
id: 159531
date: 6/25/2008 8:07
refid: 08DUSHANBE851
origin: Embassy Dushanbe
classification: CONFIDENTIAL
destination:
08DUSHANBE216|08DUSHANBE654|08DUSHANBE720
header:
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DE RUEHDBU #0851/01 1770807
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
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IMMEDIATE 0697
INFO RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
PRIORITY
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING
PRIORITY 0113
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD
PRIORITY 0156
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PRIORITY 0187
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RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY
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RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
PRIORITY
—————— header
ends —————-
C O N F I D E N T I A L
DUSHANBE 000851
SIPDIS
DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/CEN
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/25/2018
TAGS: ASEC, PTER, PGOV,
PHUM, TI
SUBJECT: TAJIKISTAN — KHOROG
DEMONSTRATIONS SHOW MORE OF
VULNERABILITY OF PRESIDENT
RAHMON’S GOVERNMENT
REF: (A) DUSHANBE 216(B)
DUSHANBE 720 (C) DUSHANBE 654
Classified By: AMBASSADOR
TRACEY A. JACOBSON, 1.4 (B) AND (D)
1. (C) Summary: From June
18-20, residents of Khorog, in
Tajikistan’s Gorno
Badakhshan Autonomous Province, protested
government security actions
in the region. While the
government was able to
diffuse the situation, the incident
shows yet again that the
country’s worsening economic
conditions are affecting the
government’s ability to perform
basic functions. End Summary.
2. (U) According to press
reports, on June 18, approximately
300 residents of Khorog
gathered in front of the government
building to protest news
that the government had sent
additional troops to the
region. After negotiations with the
leaders of the group, which
included Alim Sherzamonov, the
local representative of the
Social Democratic Party,
protesters dispersed.
3. (U) The group formed
again on June 20, amidst rumors of
continued troop movements to
Khorog. These rumors were
stirred by a group of former
United Tajik Opposition «field
commanders» who are
allegedly involved in drug trafficking.
The group of field
commanders sent a letter to President
Rahmon asking him to
intervene to «prevent possible bloodshed
in the region.» The Dushanbe media reported that the field
commanders negotiated with
Ministry of Interior
representatives; the field
commanders agreed to hand over
their weapons, and the
Ministry agreed that no charges would
be filed. The media further reported that by June 22,
the
situation had stabilized.
We Know There Are Kn
