id: 160660
date: 7/3/2008 11:18
refid: 08DUSHANBE888
origin: Embassy Dushanbe
classification: CONFIDENTIAL
destination: 08STATE69691
header:
VZCZCXYZ0008
RR RUEHWEB
DE RUEHDBU #0888 1851118
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 031118Z JUL 08
FM AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0735
INFO RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 0122
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 0161
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL 0192
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 0130
—————— header ends —————-
C O N F I D E N T I A L DUSHANBE 000888
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR SCA/CEN, EUR/SEIJI SHIRATORI, WILLIAM TOMLYANOVICH
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/02/2018
TAGS: PREL, UN, UNMIK, PGOV, YI, TI, KV
SUBJECT: KOSOVO DEMARCHE DELIVERED; TAJIKISTAN NOT LIKELY
TO RESPOND SOON
REF: STATE 069691
Classified By: Ambassador Tracey A. Jacobson for reasons 1.4(b) and (d)
1. (C) Per reftel, PolOff
delivered a demarche on Kosovo to
Khusrav Noziri, the Head of American and European Affairs at
the Tajik Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Noziri gave his
standard response ) he will pass the information we provided
to his superiors.
2. (C) PolOff prompted Noziri by observing that Tajikistan is
in a difficult position; the Tajiks would like to support
Kosovo, but they must be cautious about angering Russia.
Noziri agreed with that observation, adding that many other
countries are in a similar situation.
He said «I think we
must wait» before Tajikistan takes a position on Kosovo.
3. (C) Based on Noziri’s comments, we do not anticipate an
answer to this demarche any time in the near future.
Dushanbe point of contact for follow-up information is Greg
Naarden, [email protected].
JACOBSON
=======================CABLE ENDS============================
id: 160885
date: 7/7/2008 7:28
refid: 08DUSHANBE891
origin: Embassy Dushanbe
classification: UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
destination:
header:
VZCZCXRO0668
RR RUEHLN RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHDBU #0891 1890728
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 070728Z JUL 08
FM AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0740
INFO RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 0164
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL 0195
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 0125
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 0133
RUCPDOC/DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC 0026
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC
—————— header ends —————-
UNCLAS DUSHANBE 000891
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/CA
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EFIN, ECON, PREL, TI
SUBJECT: TAJIKISTAN — IF YOU HAVE TO ASK HOW MUCH IT COSTS, YOU MUST
NOT HAVE PRINTED ENOUGH MONEY
1. (U) This message is sensitive but unclassifed. Please protect
accordingly.
2. (SBU) On June 24 Emboff and visiting USAID Economic Growth
Officer met with the new Chairman of the Central Bank of Tajikistan,
Sharif Rahimzoda. The Chairman
gave a brief overview of economic
conditions in Tajikistan, saying that he predicted 5 percent GDP
growth in 2008, and 15 percent inflation (Note: public government
inflation estimates have been as low as 7 percent for the first half
of 2008, while media have reported independent estimates of over 25
percent. End note.)
3. (SBU) Rahimzoda then spoke about the process of auditing the
Central Bank, as part of Tajikistan’s efforts to restore relations
with the International Monetary Fund following the discovery of the
six cases of misreporting to the Fund by the Tajik Government.
Rahimzoda said the process to conduct an audit of the Central Bank
was slightly behind schedule because of the unexpected complexity
involved in evaluating the bids from audit firms, and that the
Central Bank was receiving assistance from the British Department
for International Development and the Swiss National Bank in
evaluating the bids. He said the
Central Bank had selected an audit
firm, but working out details of price and specific audit details
would require time, and the actual audit would not begin until
August.
4. (SBU) Rahimzoda said that contrary to earlier statements he had
made to the Ambassador, the Central Bank would in fact be able to
repay the USD 47 million owed to the IMF because of the latest
misreporting incident, beginning on time in September. In fact, he
said, the first tranche of $12 million was already in hand. Emboff
asked him whether the rumors were true that the Central Bank came up
with the money by ordering private banks in Tajikistan to give the
funds to the Central Bank «off the books.» Rahimzoda seemed
somewhat taken aback by the question, but also prepared for it. He
firmly denied that the Central Bank had demanded such illegal
payments from private banks.
Emboff asked what the source of
funding was to repay the IMF, suggesting that state-owned
enterprises such as the Tajik Aluminium Company clearly had large
amounts of ready cash. Rahimzoda
said the Government had not taken
this route, and explained that the Central Bank had printed the
necessary Tajik Somoni and used them to buy dollars through «normal
exchange operations.»
5. (SBU) Rahimzoda said that Tajikistan needed to more fully
integrate into the «global economy,» and in pursuit of this
integration he asked for USAID’s assistance in establishing a
securities exchange in Tajikistan.
USAID TDYoff replied that he had
studied this possibility already, and looked at the experiences of
other transitioning economies. He
said that Tajikistan lacked a
single company which could qualify for listing on a stock exchange,
and that Tajikistan would do better to put the finances of its large
state-owned enterprises on a more transparent footing and then
consider listing them on a regional stock exchange, such as in
Almaty.
6. (SBU) A senior adviser to the Central Bank (a U.S. citizen whose
position is financed through USAID) told Emboff separately that the
Chairman’s admission that the Government of Tajikistan simply
printed the money required to make the first payment, effectively
Qprinted the money required to make the first payment, effectively
charging all other holders of Tajik currency for the IMF repayment,
was a positive sign of greater openess and honesty in dealing with
foreign missions about state finances. At the same time, the
adviser noted, it showed that one of the Government’s stated
economic goals — making the Tajik Somoni fully convertible with
other currencies — was still in the realm of fantasy.
7. (SBU) Comment: The day before the meeting a private bank employee
contacted the Embassy to tell us that his bank and others had been
ordered to give money to the Central Bank to repay the IMF, and told
to keep this matter «off the books.» The latter explanation, that
the Government printed additional currency to make the IMF
repayment, does not reassure us about the direction of Tajik
Government’s management of the economy.
The basis of both solutions
is for the Government to hand the IMF’s bill to the people of
Tajikistan, while the Government continues to pour resources into
prestige projects. End Comment.
JACOBSON
=======================CABLE ENDS============================
id: 161110
date: 7/8/2008 8:57
refid: 08DUSHANBE895
origin: Embassy Dushanbe
classification: UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
destination: 07STATE117583
header:
VZCZCXRO1623
RR RUEHLN RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHDBU #0895/01 1900857
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 080857Z JUL 08
FM AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0750
INFO RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 0165
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL 0196
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 0134
RUCPDOC/DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC 0027
—————— header ends —————-
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 05 DUSHANBE 000895
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/CEN
USTR FOR MARK MOWREY AND ELIZABETH HAFNER
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE FOR DANICA STARKS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ETRD, USTR, ECON, PREL, AF, KG, KZ, TI, TX, UZ
SUBJECT: 2008 U.S.-CENTRAL ASIA TIFA COUNCIL MEETING
REF: 2007 STATE 117583
This message is sensitive but unclassified. Please protect
accordingly.
1. (SBU) SUMMARY: The fourth meeting of the U.S.-Central Asia Trade
and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) Council, held June 17-18
in Dushanbe was marked by strong participation by the private sector
and by Afghan observers. However,
representatives from the TIFA
members themselves failed to address issues raised by private sector
and NGO participants and the discussion sessions elicited little
discussion. Kyrgyzstan did not
even send a representative from the
capital. While the delegations
did not officially adopt the draft
Action Plan for further cooperation, they promised to send their
comments on it to USTR, which could lead to adoption of the action
plan later this summer. END
SUMMARY.
2. (U) The Delegations:
AFGHANISTAN (OBSERVER) — Mr. Azim Mukhammad, Head of the
Directorate of International Trade and Industry
KAZAKHSTAN — Mr. Almas Kosunov, Deputy Minister of Industry and
Trade
KYRGYZSTAN — Mr. Turatbek Esenkulovich Djunushaliev, Ambassador of
Kyrgyzstan to Tajikistan.
TAJIKISTAN (HOST) — Mr. Gulomjon Bobozoda, Minister of Trade and
Economic Development
TURKMENISTAN — Mr. Kurbanmurad Kurbanmuradov, Minister of Economy
and Development
UNITED STATES — Mr. Mark Mowrey, Acting Assistant United States
Trade Representative for Europe and Middle East
UZBEKISTAN — Mr. Narsiddin Nazhimov, First Deputy Minister of
Foreign Economic Relations, Investments and Trade
BUSINESS AND GOVERNMENT SESSIONS
3. (U) The first day of meetings brought together government,
business, and NGO representatives in panel sessions focusing on
improving Central Asian trade facilitation, government efforts to
reduce administrative barriers in trade, and improving logistics and
regional trade and transit infrastructure.
Trade Facilitation:
4. (U) William Veale, Executive Director of the U.S.-Kazakhstan
Business Association, chaired the panel on trade facilitation.
Veale opened by saying the goal of business is to serve a larger
market from a base in the region.
He cited the case of FedEx
operations in Kazakhstan as an example of the success that can be
achieved. Under an arrangement
whereby customs questions are dealt
with after deliveries are made, FedEx is able to bypass bureaucratic
delays for more efficient operations.
Ainura Cholponkulova,
Executive Director of the American Chamber of Commerce in
Kyrgyzstan, followed by talking about the successful conference on
Development of Trade, Transportation, and Transit held in Bishkek in
April that brought together 150 business and government
representatives who adopted an action plan calling for
simplification of cross-border transit and establishing a National
Council for Trade and Transport that will allow for closer
government-business cooperation.
Temirbek Shabdanaliev, Executive
Director of the Kyrgyz Transporters Association and Kairat
Kasymbekov from the Forum of Entrepreneurs of Kazakhstan spoke about
a World Bank (WB) project that used a variety of measures to monitor
the efficiency of trade and transport performance. In particular,
Mr. Shabdanaliev was able to cite, with great specificity, the
dollar amount for bribes required to cross many borders.
Nevertheless, the study showed a trend towards improved efficiency
QNevertheless, the study showed a trend towards improved efficiency
in customs operations overall in 2007 as compared with 2006. David
Featherstone, USAID Regional Trade Liberalization and Customs
Advisor, spoke about the need to improve transparency and access to
information, citing the lack of a single comprehensive government
trade website in any Central Asian country. Featherstone noted that
an independent website covering Central Asian trade issues is under
development at www.trade-ca.org.
Administrative Trade Barriers:
5. (U) The heads of delegations next spoke about government efforts
to reduce administrative trade barriers.
The Kazakh representative
reviewed the deficiencies of Kazakhstan’s current border-crossing
regime, but he pointed to the law on imports and exports adopted in
October 2007, under which he said Kazakhstan has adopted the
principal of a «Single-Window» for processing of import and
export
documents. Kazakhstan has created
an inter-agency system for
DUSHANBE 00000895 002 OF 005
monitoring cross-border trade, and he noted that Kazakhstan ranked
near last in Central Asia in the number of documents needed for
processing of imports and exports.
6. (U) The representative of Turkmenistan gave a general
presentation on his country’s current economic situation and plans
for future development. The
presentation did not address specific
administrative trade barriers.
The Uzbek representative said
Uzbekistan was working to improve its customs procedures and that
the situation was improving. His
presentation also did not address
specific trade barriers.
Improving Logistics:
7. (U) Hugo Minderhoud, American Chamber of Commerce Uzbekistan,
chaired the panel on improving logistics and regional trade and
transit infrastructure. He
emphasized the need for improved
integration across the region.
Bahriddin Azamatov, Asian
Development Bank, described the work of the Central Asian Regional
Economic Cooperation (CAREC) Program.
CAREC aims to develop and
improve transport corridors, and has six road projects completed or
underway. Representatives from
the governments of Tajikistan and
Kazakhstan then enumerated their countries’ spending on road, rail,
and airport projects. A Tajik
representative noted that the
U.S.-built bridge connecting Afghanistan to Tajikistan was an
important step in improving North-South trade, but that it had yet
to be fully exploited.
REGIONAL ELECTRICITY MARKETS
8. (U) The government to business panels were followed on the first
day by a presentation on the creation of regional electricity
markets. Participation in this
discussion was limited to government
only. George Krol, Deputy
Assistant Secretary of State for South
and Central Asia, chaired the session on building regional
electrical markets. Saying that
«market mechanisms can help all of
us,» he encouraged the building of an electrical link to South Asia
to bring economic growth and stability to Afghanistan and western
Pakistan. Abdul Wakil from the
Afghanistan Infrastructure
Rehabilitation Program continued this theme, noting that Afghanistan
had to «start over again from point zero» to build an
electrical
infrastructure. He gave a
detailed account of the status of the
Afghan North East Power System for electrical generation,
transmission, and distribution.
9. (U) Khamidulla Shamsiev, Director of the Coordinating Dispatch
Center briefly described the Center’s role in coordinating
electrical transmission throughout the Central Asian region. Chief
Dispatcher Umar Karimov stressed the need for transparency and the
harmonization of databases maintained by utilities in all Central
Asian countries, to bring the collection of data to a level that
will allow electrical costs to be computed in Central Asia just as
they are in the developed markets of Europe.
10. (U) Akram Sulaimanov, Tajik Deputy Minister for Energy and
Industry, spoke on the Central Asia South Asia Electricity
Transmission and Trade Project (CASA 1000) to build an energy
corridor linking Central Asia with Pakistan. He gave a detailed and
optimistic account of current implementation status and provided
projections of growing power demand through 2020.
TIFA COUNCIL MEETING
11. (U) The second day of meetings consisted of the Fourth Annual
U.S.-Central Asia TIFA Council, attended by government delegations.
QU.S.-Central Asia TIFA Council, attended by government delegations.
The agenda covered a range of issues, including practical problems
of trade, benefits of the Single-Window policy, developments in the
Central Asian investment climate, access to information on
import/export procedures, and the TIFA Action Plan for 2008-09.
12. (U) The TIFA Council meeting was opened by the Tajik Minister of
Trade and Economic Development, Mr. Bobozoda. In his opening
remarks, Mr. Bobozoda said that for the past several years the TIFA
Council had proven an effective, practical instrument to strengthen
trade cooperation and improve the investment attractiveness of
Central Asian countries. He noted
the practical problem presented
by the fact that Central Asian capitals were at least 2000
kilometers from the nearest sea ports, but emphasized that Central
Asia could serve as a transit route for trade from throughout the
Eurasian continent if Central Asian countries removed trade barriers
and built trans-national transportation routes. Referring to last
winter’s energy crisis in Tajikistan and the region, Bobozoda said
the crisis had forced Tajikistan to rethink its priorities and give
more attention to regional cooperation.
DUSHANBE 00000895 003 OF 005
13. (U) Noting that Central Asia was among the world’s most energy
rich regions, he called for development of stronger trade relations
between Central Asian countries.
He also noted that Afghanistan was
an increasingly important trading partner of Tajikistan, saying that
the U.S.-funded bridge at Nizhniy Pyanj would soon become the
«transportation artery» of the region. Bobozoda said the GOTI
planned to establish a Free Economic Zone near the bridge.
14. (U) Mr. Bobozoda said trade and logistics simplification were
key factors in private sector development. It was clear, the
Minister said, that none of the Central Asian countries could
compete individually in the global economy, and he advocated a
common economic space in Central Asia.
15. (U) AUSTR Mark Mowrey noted that the World Bank gave Central
Asian countries low rankings for ease of cross-border trade, and
urged adoption of a TIFA action plan for the coming year. The Uzbek
representative talked about Central Asia’s large resource potential
and Uzbekistan’s desire to develop better bilateral and multilateral
relations. The Afghan
representative said his country wanted to
reestablish old ties and create new opportunities, and he pointed to
Afghanistan’s importance as a land bridge between Central and South
Asia.
16.(U) The Uzbek representative talked about Central Asia’s large
resource potential and Uzbekistan’s desire to develop better
bilateral and multilateral relations.
The Afghan representative
said his country wanted to reestablish old ties and create new
opportunities, and he pointed to Afghanistan’s importance as a land
bridge between Central and South Asia.
Problems of Trade and the Advantages of the «Single-Window»:
17. (U) Tapio Naula of USAID described the benefits of a
«Single-Window» policy which allows parties involved in trade
and
transport to file the necessary documents at a single entry point in
order to fulfill all import, export, and transit-related regulatory
requirements. Single-window
systems in other countries greatly
decreased logistical costs of international trade. Logistical costs
in Central Asian countries were among the highest in the world, he
said.
18. (U) Jonathon Hornbrook of the German Agency for Technical
Cooperation (GTZ) spoke on the practical challenges to trade in
Central Asia. He provided numerous
examples of the difficulties of
conducting trade in Central Asia.
Nevertheless, he said that there
are signs of progress and that «spring is in the air.» Hornbrook
said that a low World Bank Ease of Doing Business rating (170 out of
180) spurred Kazakhstan to take positive action, including a
presidential decree to adopt a single-window approach that in effect
will allow for «one-stop shopping.» In Kyrgyzstan a presidential
decree also has led to a single-window process and improvements in
the banking system.
19. (U) Larisa Kislyakova from the Tajik Single-Window Working Group
said that Group members visited a number of countries to see the
system in operation, and would complete work within the month on a
proposal for Tajik Government approval.
Rustam Akberdin from the
Kazakh working group described a program for customs reforms that
will include the introduction of a single-window system.
20. (U) In the ensuing discussion of administrative barriers and the
Q20. (U) In the ensuing discussion of administrative barriers and the
single-window approach, the Uzbek representative asked if anyone
really knew how much a single-window system cost to operate.
Uzbekistan had attempted to implement a system for exports but found
the system made exporting more difficult unless simultaneously
implemented at all customs posts.
Hornbrook replied by repeating
detailed cost estimates he had given in his presentation — for
example the estimated 2 million Euros for the system in Kazakhstan
— and he noted that based on the experience in Senegal, the
development cost can be recouped in two to three years. Mr. Naula
concluded the discussion by saying that Single-Window by itself
would not eliminate trade barriers.
For this to happen, procedures
and regulations had to be modernized first, before implementation of
Single-Window.
Investment Climate:
21. (U) Andrea Dall’Olio of the World Bank’s Central Asia regional
office discussed developments in the investment climate in the past
year. He reviewed the World
Bank’s Ease of Doing Business report,
and pointed out a few generally positive trends in Central Asia,
DUSHANBE 00000895 004 OF 005
commending Kazakhstan for using a relatively low ranking as impetus
for improvement and noting that Uzbekistan was reforming too. Mr.
Dall’Olio posed a rhetorical question: what do businesses want? He
answered his question by saying that they want simple and
transparent regulations that are cheap and fast. He pointed to a
direct correlation between the Ease of Doing Business report and the
size of the informal sector, saying the harder it was to be a
legitimate business, the more likely a businessman would chose to
operate in the grey market, and the size of the informal economy
correlated negatively with overall employment. Referring to the
problem of corruption, Mr. Dall’ Olio said «entrepreneurs cannot
distinguish between official and nonofficial payments.» He
advocated for public administration reforms, specifically raising
public sector salaries to combat corruption.
22. (U) Following this presentation, representatives from all
delegations expounded on the virtues of investing in their
countries. Tajikistan touted its
hydropower potential, while
Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan noted their extensive energy
reserves and their capability to export them to neighboring
countries. No delegation
mentioned corruption as a deterrent to
investment.
Access to Information:
23. (U) David Featherstone, USAID funded Regional Trade
Liberalization and Customs Project (RTLC) consultant, made a
presentation on the issue of access to import and export regulatory
information. He spelled out a
simple formula — access to
information equals trade facilitation equals increased trade
activity, equaling increased economic growth. Mr. Featherstone
described the key functions of laws and regulations based on the
principles of World Customs Organization (WCO) and revised Kyoto
Convention. He then showed some
practical examples of import/export
information operations, including the United Kingdom Revenue and
Customs Department and the website of Business link in the United
Kingdom. During a brief
discussion following the presentation,
participants generally agreed that countries’ trade information
websites needed more up to date information in order to be of use to
businesses. However, the Tajik
delegation argued that their website
was indeed up to date.
Discussion of 2007-08 TIFA Action Plan:
24. (U) The concluding session was devoted to discussion and
adoption of an action plan for 2007-08.
Under the U.S.-proposed
plan, each country was asked to focus on one or two factors from the
World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business Report, identify one or two
factors from the TIFA discussions on which they will focus attention
to facilitate trade, provide quarterly reports on progress towards a
single-window system, and identify a working-level contact for TIFA
issues.
25. (SBU) Kazakhstan proposed deletion of the requirement for
quarterly reports on single-window implementation. Uzbekistan
seconded that proposal. Tajik
Deputy Minister of Economic
Development and Trade Larisa Kislyakova defended the need for
quarterly reporting, saying that otherwise no one would pay
attention to the action plan. All
representatives agreed that apart
from the issue of quarterly reporting, on the whole the action plan
was acceptable as proposed. AUSTR
Mowrey asked that all
Qrepresentatives submit their proposed changes to USTR in writing by
the end of June, with the goal of finalizing the action plan by the
end of July. He further suggested
that each country work to
eliminate one or two trade barriers during the coming year.
26. (U) In conclusion, AUSTR Mowrey reiterated that the USG viewed
TIFA as a useful tool for improving the trade and investment
environment in Central Asia.
Although there were problems, there
were also signs of progress and hope.
Private sector involvement
continued to be critical. AUSTR
Mowrey announced that USTR would be
happy to host next year’s TIFA Council in Washington, D.C.
27. (U) The TIFA council received favorable and extensive press
coverage in Russian language newspapers in Tajikistan. Mr.
Shabdanaliev’s presentation from Kyrgyzstan received the most
coverage, perhaps because his presentation clearly outlined the
customs and transportation issues in Central Asia, based on surveys
and analysis.
COMMENT
28. (SBU) Positive elements of this year’s TIFA sessions included
DUSHANBE 00000895 005 OF 005
strong participation by the private sector and the Afghan observers,
and the formal establishment of an American Chamber of Commerce in
Tajikistan on the eve of the TIFA meetings. Negative elements
included the failure of Kyrgyzstan to send a delegation from Capitol
(their Ambassador in Dushanbe attended, but did not participate),
and the failure of delegations to engage on issues of investment
climate and trade facilitation.
At times delegations flatly denied
assertions made by private sector and NGO participants, for example,
on the absence of up-to-date customs websites. The discussion
sessions were notable for the absence of discussion. This and the
opposition of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan to quarterly reports on
progress on the TIFA Action Plan called into question their
commitment to the changes and reforms TIFA envisions.
29. (U) USTR and Commerce Department have cleared this cable.
JACOBSON
=======================CABLE ENDS============================
id: 161664
date: 7/11/2008 8:25
refid: 08DUSHANBE906
origin: Embassy Dushanbe
classification: UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
destination:
header:
VZCZCXRO4470
RR RUEHLN RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHDBU #0906 1930825
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 110825Z JUL 08
FM AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0766
INFO RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL 0201
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 0126
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 0170
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 0139
—————— header ends —————-
UNCLAS DUSHANBE 000906
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR SCA
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KDEM, KPAO, PGOV, PHUM, TI
SUBJECT: PRESIDENT RAHMON’S
«NEWS CONCEPT» — A PUBLIC RELATIONS
STRATEGY, A PROPOGANDA MACHINE, OR BOTH?
1. (U) Sensitive But Unclassified — Not for Internet Distribution.
2. (SBU) Summary: President Rahmon’s chief information analyst
announced plans to establish an «information center to manage the
image of Tajikistan» and «a Ministry of Information to manage
the
licensing of electronic and print media» at media advocacy
roundtables June 26 and July 4.
The analyst said the proposals are
part of a «news concept» President Rahmon endorsed April
30. The
plans, developed without input from or prior knowledge of media
representatives, are raising concerns about a consolidated effort to
restrict and/or control the media.
End summary.
3. (U) The presidential administration is proceeding with plans to
establish two new government agencies as part of its «news
concept»
that President Rahmon approved April 30, according to Mahmoudkhon
Sarayev, an information analyst in the presidential administration.
The government had made no public announcement before Sarayev
mentioned the plans during his participation in two roundtable
discussions sponsored by media advocacy groups in Dushanbe June 26
and July 4 about access to information and dialogue between media
and the government licensing bureau.
4. (U) During the June 26 roundtable discussion, sponsored by the
Helsinki Commission to support unhindered access to information,
Sarayev said the information center would fulfill the President’s
millennium development goal to integrate government structures into
the «world of information» available through internet
technologies.
In explaining the dual purpose of the proposed center, he said the
government’s role is to «oversee the dissemination of internet
information and predict who will attack the government and
how.» To
make internet information secure against hackers, he said the center
would promote the use of the Tajik internet domain «.tj» as an
alternative to the Russian domain «.ru». The other purpose of the
center, he said, would be «to maintain the image of the
country,»
both inside Tajikistan and abroad. (Journalists’ responses to the
government proposal reported in septel).
5. (U) At the July 4 roundtable on media licensing sponsored by
Tajikistan’s Association of Independent Electronic Media (TajANSMI),
the OSCE, Internews Network, and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation,
Sarayev off-handedly dropped the news that a new state institution
would take responsibility for licensing both print and electronic
media. He said the new agency
would unite all media systems in the
country and that «it cannot be ruled out that it will be like a
ministry of information.»
The Ministry of Culture currently issues
licenses for print media; the State Committee for TV and Radio
Broadcasting issues television and radio licenses.
6. (SBU) Comment. The news concept, information center, and plans to
open a Ministry of Information took local journalists and media
advocacy groups by surprise. When
emboff asked Sarayev for a copy
of the news concept, he said the official media had it, but state
press representatives told emboff they did not have it either. When
emboff approached Sarayev a second time, he said he only had one
paper copy left, did not have an electronic version, and suggested
the MFA information department might have a copy. The reluctance to
share a document that defines government media policy undermines
confidence in the government’s motives, and demonstrates the
Qconfidence in the government’s motives, and demonstrates the
government’s shortcomings in the area of freedom of information. No
journalists or media advocacy groups were included in the planning,
which adds to concerns that this may be a consolidated effort to
restrict and/or control the media.
End comment.
HUSHEK
=======================CABLE ENDS============================
id: 161667
date: 7/11/2008 8:29
refid: 08DUSHANBE907
origin: Embassy Dushanbe
classification: UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
destination: 08DUSHANBE395
header:
VZCZCXRO4471
RR RUEHAST RUEHBI RUEHCI RUEHLH RUEHLN RUEHPW RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHDBU #0907/01 1930829
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 110829Z JUL 08
FM AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0767
INFO RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE VIENNA AU
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 0127
RUCNCLS/SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA COLLECTIVE
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC 0116
RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RUEABND/DEA HQ WASHINGTON DC
RUEAWJA/DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
—————— header ends —————-
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DUSHANBE 000907
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
STATE FOR SCA/CEN, INL/AAE (BUHLER)
JUSTICE FOR DUCOT AND NEWCOMBE
DEFENSE FOR KLUG
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SNAR, KCRM, KJUS, PGOV, PREL, RF, TI
SUBJECT: TAJIKISTAN: NARCOTICS,
LAW ENFORCEMENT, AND JUSTICE SECTOR
UPDATE, JUNE 2008
REF: Dushanbe 395
1. (SBU) Summary: Tajikistan’s Drug Control Agency intends to move
its Kazakhstan liaison office to Osh, Kyrgyzstan. The Agency’s
annual counter-drug effort entitled «Poppy — 2008», is
intercepting
more marijuana than opium or heroin.
The Ministry of Internal
Affairs Counter-Narcotics Department seized the first batch of
precursor chemicals in 2008.
President Rahmon signed new laws
strengthening citizens’ access to information and strengthening the
definition of terrorist activities to explicitly cover a number of
illicit actions and bringing Tajikistan’s laws into closer alignment
with international obligations.
The Supreme Court sentenced three
activists of the religious extremist organization, the Islamic Jihad
Union (IJU), to long prison terms.
End Summary.
—————————
INSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENTS
—————————
2. (U) Tajikistan’s Drug Control Agency intends to move its
Kazakhstan liaison office to Osh, Kyrgyzstan to facilitate joint
operations of the drug control agencies of the two countries against
transnational drug-trafficking groups.
The Agency stated that the
Tajikistani officer assigned to the Central Asian Regional
Information and Coordination Center (CARICC) headquartered in Almaty
can coordinate with other member states, including Kazakhstan. The
DCA office had operated in Kazakhstan since October 2004. The
Tajikistani counter-narcotics agency has liaison officers in four
Afghan provinces bordering with Tajikistan — Badakhshan, Kunduz,
Balkh, and Takhar.
——————————
NARCOTICS AND WEAPONS SEIZURES
——————————
3. (U) The Drug Control Agency’s anti-drug operation, dubbed
«Poppy-2008», is under way, but appears to mainly target
marijuana.
To date, Agency officers destroyed two acres of «Indian
marijuana»
plants on the Urunkhojayev Collective Farm in the Bobojon Gafurov
district of Sugd Oblast in northern Tajikistan. In the Sugdian city
of Chkalovsk, the Agency destroyed over 9,600 bushes of «Indian
hemp». In the Darvoz
district of the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous
Oblast, the agents destroyed «Indian marijuana» plants in
Kurgovad.
4. (SBU) At the Nizhniy Pyanj checkpoint between Tajikistan and
Afghanistan, on June 20 Tajikistani Customs officers confiscated an
18th century musket-pistol from a U.S. citizen traveling to
Tajikistan from Afghanistan.
Customs officers found the pistol in
the luggage of an American businessman working in Mazar-i Sharif,
Afghanistan. Press reports that
the AmCit did not have export
documents for the musket-pistol.
Reportedly the businessman
purchased the pistol for the collection of his father. Expert
determined that the pistol was inoperable. Customs Officers
confiscated the pistol and fined Mr. Port 350 somoni ($100).
5. (U) Ministry of Internal Affairs Counter Narcotics Department
officers seized more than 86 kilograms of raw opium in an operation
in Dushanbe’s Firdavsi district from a car belonging to Shuhrat
Valiyev, a resident of Khatlon’s Farkhor district. Valiyev said
that the drugs belong to Afghan national Mahmadsobit Valadi
Abdughaffor.
———-
PRECURSORS
———-
Q
6. (U) On June 20, officers from the Ministry of Interior Counter
Narcotics Department detained two residents of Dushanbe on suspicion
of illicit precursor trafficking.
Counter Narcotics Department
officers seized 156 kilograms of acetic anhydride from a Mercedes
car belonging to 52-year old Dushanbe resident Habibullo Karimov and
also detained 53-year old Dushanbe resident, Ibrohim Aliqoyev.
————
DUSHANBE 00000907 002 OF 002
CORRUPTION
————
7. (U) Officers from the Anti-Corruption Agency arrested Zainiddin
Saifutdinov, former head of the Housing and Communal Services
Directorate 8 in Dushanbe’s Sino district, on suspicion of bribery.
Anti-Corruption Agency charged Saifutdinov with having taken bribes
totaling $34,100 from four local residents, promising to provide
them with apartments. He is
charged under Article 247 (fraud) and
Article 323 (service forgery) of Tajikistan’s Criminal Code.
8. (U) The Anti-Corruption Agency charged Hasan Almatov, an
inspector with the Hissar Tax Inspectorate, with robbery and
embezzlement, according to the Anti-Corruption Agency’s press
service. Almatov accepted 10,000
somonies ($2,900) and some
building materials from a local entrepreneur for issuing forged tax
payment documents. The
Anti-Corruption Agency charged Almatov under
Article 245 (embezzlement or misappropriation) and Article 323
(service forgery) of Tajikistan’s Criminal Code.
—————————-
JUDICIAL REFORM DEVELOPMENTS
—————————-
9. (SBU) President Rahmon signed a number of laws adopted by the
Majlisi Namoyandagon (Tajikistan’s lower chamber of parliament) and
approved by the Majlisi Milli (Tajikistan’s upper chamber of
parliament). Of particular note
is the new law guaranteeing the
«right of access to information,» which provides a legal basis
for
citizens to obtain general (i.e., public) information and
information about activities of government agencies. Previously,
civil groups could not point to concrete legal authority when
requesting information from government ministries (including updates
to the Tajikistani legal codes).
This law gives citizens a stronger
legal basis for demanding government transparency. Regulations
implementing this law, including punishment for non-compliance, will
be introduced shortly to the Civil and Administrative Codes. (Note:
The media community has expressed criticism of the new law, claiming
that it in fact restricts the right to information, by imposing fees
and bureaucratic procedures when applying for information to state
structures.)
10. (SBU) Other significant changes include amendments to
Tajikistan’s Criminal Code that expand the definition of terrorist
activities to explicitly cover a number illicit actions, such as
fund-raising for terrorists, illegal production of nuclear or
radioactive materials, and crimes affecting airport security, that
bring the definition more inline with international norms. These
changes emphasize President Rahmon’s previous statements (reftel)
calling for Tajikistan to update its laws in order to fulfill its
international obligations.
————————
SIGNIFICANT COURT CASES
————————
11. (U) The Supreme Court sentenced three activists of the religious
extremism organization, the Islamic Jihad Union (IJU) to extensive
terms in prison. The justices
ruled that IJU activists Abdurahim
Abdulloev, Zainiddin Nazruddinov, and Olim Buzurukov serve their
sentences (nearly 20 years each) in a high-security penal colony.
According to the public relations center of the State Committee for
National Security (GKNB), the convicted men were members of the
QNational Security (GKNB), the convicted men were members of the
Taliban and actively participated in fighting in Afghanistan in the
late 1990s and early 2000s and committed a number of serious crimes.
(Note: Tajikistan considers the
Islamic Jihad Union (IJU), also
known as Islamic Jihad Group (IJG), a terrorist organization. It
splintered from the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) in 2002,
and conducted several attacks in Uzbekistan. End note.) According
to the GKNB, the main goal of the IJU is to destabilize the social
and political situation in the Central Asian region and create a
theocratic state.
HUSHEK
=======================CABLE ENDS============================
id: 161706
date: 7/11/2008 11:55
refid: 08DUSHANBE909
origin: Embassy Dushanbe
classification: UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
destination: 08DUSHANBE906
header:
VZCZCXRO4832
RR RUEHLN RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHDBU #0909/01 1931155
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 111155Z JUL 08
FM AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0770
INFO RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL 0202
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 0171
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 0140
—————— header ends —————-
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DUSHANBE 000909
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR SCA
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KPAO, KDEM, PHUM, TI
SUBJECT: TAJIKISTAN’S MEDIA TO GOVERNMENT: GIVE US INFORMATION OR
WE’LL REPORT RUMORS
Ref: Dushanbe 906
1. (U) Sensitive But Unclassified — Not for Internet Distribution.
2. (SBU) Summary: During a June 26 roundtable to discuss
government-media relations, journalists, media advocates, and
spokesmen unanimously advised the government to talk to journalists
to prevent the spread of rumors, such as those reported during the
winter energy crisis. They said
the newly enacted «Law on the Right
to Access Information» actually hindered access to information and
promoted corruption by allowing government agencies to charge
journalists for information, indicating the government’s real lack
of interest in supporting freedom of the press. End summary.
3. (SBU) Prominent journalists from government and independent
media, media advocates, and government spokesmen said the government
is to blame for rumors spread during the winter energy crisis and
law enforcement actions in Garm and Kulyob. The comments were made
June 26 during a lively two hour debate on government and media
relations, hosted by the media rights group «Independent School of
Journalism,» and funded by the Helsinki Commission.
4. (SBU) Mahmoudkhon Sarayev, the chief information analyst for the
presidential administration, opened the discussion with an overview
of the government’s public relations plans, which include the
establishment of an «information center to manage the image of
Tajikistan» (reftel). In
response, the head of a local media
advocacy group said that Tajikistan did not need another government
organization to promote a positive image — the current government
ministries just need to do their jobs.
He said if the government
was concerned about its image, it should provide information to
prevent the publication of unsubstantiated rumors. As an example,
he cited the rumors that Hasan Assadullzoda, the President’s
brother-in-law and head of Orion Bank, was shot to death by the
President Rahmon’s son and is now represented by a body double (or
his twin brother) at public events.
5. (SBU) Sarayev also said the government needed a «structure for a
single voice» and would strengthen «traditional media»
like
television. To achieve that goal,
he said the government plans to
launch a new government television channel in September which would
provide only official information, particularly in the regions, to
keep out «negative information from neighboring countries» (a
reference to Kyrgyz and Uzbek stations that have stronger TV signals
in the border areas). (Note:
Tajikistan currently has three
official nationwide television stations:
one for children, two that
broadcast about 10 minutes of evening news, along with file footage
of the President’s public appearances, and other official events.
6. (SBU) Journalists said the «Law on the Right to Access
Information» signed by President Rahmon on June 19, 2008, hindered
access to information, promoted corruption by allowing government
agencies to make journalists pay for information; and violated the
constitutional right to media freedom.
One reporter pointed out
that the law did not specify how much ministries should charge,
leaving even more ambiguity to be exploited by corrupt officials.
Another said that reporters would opt not to pay at all and instead
rely on reports published in foreign media.
7. (SBU) Given all the problems with the law, journalists asked
Sarayev to explain why Parliament forwarded it to the President for
signature without revisions.
Sarayev said that when the law was
Qsignature without revisions.
Sarayev said that when the law was
being written, the presidential administration collected comments
and suggestions from many government structures, summarized the
feedback, and presented it to Parliament. Parliament then decided to
pass it on to the President for signature.
8. (SBU) Independent journalists complained that the government’s
strategy to communicate with media by mandating quarterly press
conferences from each ministry disadvantaged independent
journalists. They said the public had a right to know about
government activities, which was why all media needed access to
government sources. The
ministries, they said, only invited state
run media and not the independent media, especially those that
«cooperate with international organizations.» The director of an
independent TV station also said government officials dictated the
timing of his news programs so that the official stations could
broadcast their news first.
9. (SBU) Besides the perceived bias, other reporters said government
spokesmen simply lacked the skills to interact with the media. One
noted that «in each state structure 10-12 people are involved with
the press, but no one speaks TO the press.» Another said the
ministers themselves had no interest in effective press relations
and delegated press conferences to «lower level officials» who
did
not know the issues. In one
example, a reporter said he asked a
DUSHANBE 00000909 002 OF 002
deputy foreign minister at an MFA press conference for the
government’s position on Iran joining the Shanghai Cooperation
Organization; the deputy minister replied, «I have no
idea.» The
participant said the government damages its own image with this kind
of response.
10. (SBU) Comment: The debate shows that Tajik journalists believe
the government remains hostile to independent media. Measures taken
to ostensibly promote press freedom have been illusory; officials
remain committed to a media strategy rooted in government control.
In practice, most journalists are struggling financially in a
country where basic information is hard to come by and advertising
revenue supports few outlets.
Given their tenuous position,
journalists tend to censor themselves; to maintain cooperative
relations with sources in government and business, they bow to
pressure when told to back off controversial issues in order to keep
publishing. As the head of the
media advocacy group advised, «Our
reporters need to be more courageous.» End comment.
HUSHEK
=======================CABLE ENDS============================
id: 162371
date: 7/17/2008 3:25
refid: 08DUSHANBE940
origin: Embassy Dushanbe
classification: UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
destination:
header:
VZCZCXRO9350
RR RUEHLN RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHDBU #0940/01 1990325
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 170325Z JUL 08
FM AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0791
INFO RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL 0204
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 0129
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 0173
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 0142
—————— header ends —————-
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DUSHANBE 000940
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR SCA and PA/PR/FPCW
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KPAO, KDEM, PHUM, TI
SUBJECT: TAJIKISTAN: RFE/RL CONTROVERSY BOILING OVER IN DUSHANBE
1. (U) Sensitive But Unclassified — Not for Internet Distribution.
2. (SBU) Summary: A personnel management dispute at the RFE/RL
bureau headquarters in Dushanbe has spilled into the public domain
and Tajik journalists are siding with the reporters. Two former
employees — one was dismissed, the other resigned — filed lawsuits
against the station and held separate press conferences in Dushanbe
July 10 and 15 to enumerate their grievances. A local media rights
organization and the union of journalists issued a statement July 11
expressing concern about «a systematic pattern of pressure» at
RFE/RL. RFE/RL’s director of
Tajik service suspects Tajik security
forces are behind the public denunciations and worries that the MFA
may decline to re-register RFE/RL, which has been waiting for the
renewal of its annual registration since May 16. End summary.
Press Conference by Disgruntled Employee No. 1
——————————————— —
3. (SBU) On July 10, Sayofi Mizrob, formerly a reporter for RFE/RL’s
Tajik service, held a press conference outside RFE/RL’s offices in
Dushanbe and charged RFE/RL management with violating employees’
rights and the local labor code by demanding long working hours and
offering low pay. Rod Shahidi,
the Director of RFE/RL’s Tajik
Service (resident in Prague), told PAO that Mizrob was unhappy with
a newly negotiated contract and refused to sign it. Before the
press conference local reporters tried to get the reaction of the
Tajik bureau chief Mirzonabi Kholiqzoda, but he did not know about
Mizrob’s press conference, was caught off guard, and had no answers
to the questions. Reporters said
Kholiqzoda was rude and were put
off by his manner. In response to
press queries the PAO commented
that the dispute was a management issue to be decided between RFE/RL
supervisors and employees and referred reporters to Shahidi.
Embassy contacts said Shahidi apologized to reporters for
Kholiqzoda’s behavior.
Press Conference by Disgruntled Employee No. 2
——————————————— —
4. (U) On July 15, Kholiq Sangin, an RFE/RL reporter who was fired
in October 2007 for being absent without leave, held his own press
conference at the union of journalists headquarters to explain
«each
and every point in [his employment contract] that violates
Tajikistan’s labor code.» He
also took a few swipes at Shahidi and
the embassy for failing to champion his cause.
5. (U) Sangin said that RFE/RL employed him as a freelance reporter
to avoid paying him overtime and other weekend and holiday premiums
to which he would be entitled as a full time staff reporter. He
said RFE/RL had followed an illegal policy for «the past 10-11
years» of employing freelance reporters. He said the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs only accredits full time reporters, meaning the
freelance RFE/RL reporters had been working without accreditation or
obtained accreditation illegally.
He said the station changed the
contracts to full time staff only after he filed his suit, because
management knew the previous policy had been illegal.
Judge Dismisses Sangin’s Lawsuit
———————————
6. (SBU) Sangin criticized the embassy for not commenting on a U.S.
Government supported organization violating the rights of reporters.
Sanginov also mentioned the
embassy had nominated him for a
reporting tour in the United States, then revoked the offer after
Qreporting tour in the United States, then revoked the offer after
finding out about his lawsuit.
(Note: In late April PAO informed
Sangin that the Washington Foreign Press Center was concerned he
would not be able to make court appearances in Tajikistan if he were
in the United States and cancelled his participation in the Foreign
Press Center tour. End note.)
Shahidi told PAO that Sangin was in
fact called to appear in court for his lawsuit on six separate
occasions from February to May, but he failed to appear most of the
time. He said the judge threw out
the current suit on July 15, but
said Sangin could open a new case if he chose to do so.
RFE/RL Convicted in the Court of Public Opinion
——————————————— —
7. (U) Public statements and private comments by embassy contacts
indicate the mood of Dushanbe’s media community has turned against
RFE/RL. On July 11 NANSMIT, an
influential local media rights
organization, and the local union of journalists issued a joint
statement expressing concern about a «systematic pattern of
pressure» applied by RFE/RL’s Tajik Service on reporters, and
citing
the dismissal of Kholiq Sangin and the resignation of Mizrob in
protest of unfair policies as examples of «a discriminatory policy
in resolving internal disagreements.» During Sangin’s July 15 press
conference, Akbarali Sattorov, head of the Union of Journalists,
DUSHANBE 00000940 002 OF 002
said that the union supported Sangin because his case was not
political, but a human rights issue about a reporter asserting his
rights with a media organization.
Finally, the editor of a
progressive Tajik language newspaper told emboff he had done
freelance work for RFE/RL and had never collected his pay, but in
light of the allegations against the station, would not work with
the station again.
RFE/RL Waits Anxiously for Re-Registration
——————————————
8. (SBU) In several conversations the past week with PAO, Shahidi
has said he suspects Tajik security forces are behind what seem to
