id: 176446
date: 11/3/2008 11:56
refid: 08DUSHANBE1371
origin: Embassy Dushanbe
classification: UNCLASSIFIED
destination:
header:
VZCZCXYZ0002
RR RUEHWEB
DE RUEHDBU #1371 3081156
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 031156Z NOV 08
FM AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE
TO RUEABND/DEA HQ WASHINGTON
DC
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 0026
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD
0240
—————— header
ends —————-
UNCLAS DUSHANBE 001371
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED
DEA HQS FOR OTP/WELCOME,
JAMES
DEA HQS FOR FNO/BALAS
DEA HQS FOR OI, OID,
OIE/BROWNING
DEA HQS FOR OE/HARRIGAN,
SHROYER, GIUFFRE
DEA HQS FOR OGE/SCHRETTNER,
MENDOSA, MONACO, VASQUEZ
DEA HQS FOR NIR,
NIRE/ARREDONDO/HAGY, SPENCER-HARRELL
DEA HQS FOR NTR, NTRE
DEA HQS FOR OSE/LENARTOWICZ,
ERDHAL
DEA HQS FOR SARI
ANKARA FOR DEA RD DESTITO
ISLAMABAD FOR DEA ARD
DUDLEY, A/ARD CORTINOVIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: DEAX
SUBJECT: REQUEST FOR $1,750 IN DFAS FUNDING FROM
OPERATION ALL
INCLUSIVE TO SUPPORT TDY
PERSONNEL IN ASHGABAT, TURKMENISTAN AND
DUSHANBE, TAJIKISTAN.
CCX: GFAN-05-8004/SEO560
OPERATION ALL INCLUSIVE
THIS CABLE CONTAINS AN
ACTION REQUEST FOR OTP
SYNOPSIS
1. (SBU) The Dushanbe
Country Office (DCO) requests funding from
Operation All Inclusive to
support TDY Special Agents who will be
assisting the DCO in
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan and Dushanbe,
Tajikistan.
2. (SBU) The requested funds
are further described as being utilized
in support of TDY personnel
related to operations along the Northern
Route in Ashgabat,
Turkmenistan and Dushanbe, Tajikistan.
3. (SBU) Funds requested are
as follows:
TDY travel expense for SA
Vladimir Trynkin to attend the DoS
Security Overseas Seminar in
Arlington, VA on November 17 and 18,
2008.
Transportation of TDY
personnel — $1,750
Total request — $1,750
4. (SBU) This cable was
prepared by A/CA Paul S. Hackett. Please
direct any questions to A/CA
Hackett at +992-37-229-2807. Please not
that Dushanbe is 10 hours
ahead of Eastern Standard Time.
JACOBSON
=======================CABLE
ENDS============================
id: 176455
date: 11/3/2008 12:09
refid: 08DUSHANBE1372
origin: Embassy Dushanbe
classification: UNCLASSIFIED
destination: 08STATE100992
header:
VZCZCXRO1621
RR RUEHAST RUEHBI RUEHCI
RUEHLH RUEHLN RUEHNEH RUEHPW RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHDBU #1372/01 3081209
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 031209Z NOV 08
FM AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC
1107
INFO RUEHVEN/USMISSION
USOSCE VIENNA AU
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING
0182
RUCNCLS/SOUTH AND CENTRAL
ASIA COLLECTIVE
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC 0178
RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RUEABND/DEA HQ WASHINGTON DC
RUEAWJA/DEPARTMENT OF
JUSTICE WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
—————— header
ends —————-
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 08
DUSHANBE 001372
SIPDIS
STATE FOR SCA/CEN (HUSHEK)
STATE FOR INL/AAE (BUHLER)
JUSTICE FOR (DUCOT AND
NEWCOMBE)
DEFENSE FOR OSD/P
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SNAR, KCRM, KJUS,
PGOV, PREL, RF, TI
SUBJECT: TAJIKISTAN: 2008-2009 INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS
CONTROL
STRATEGY REPORT, PART 1
REF: STATE 100992
The headings are keyed per
instructions provided reftel.
Summary
1. (U) Tajikistan is not a
producer of illicit narcotics, but it is
a major transit country
after Pakistan and Iran for heroin and opium
from Afghanistan. The Republic of Tajikistan has emerged as a
frontline state in the war
on drugs and is taking the brunt of the
boom in Afghan drug
production. Based upon DEA’s assessment of the
drug trafficking routs, the
Republic of Tajikistan is a major center
for domestic and
international drug trafficking organizations.
A
significant amount of opium/heroin
is trafficked, primarily using
land-based routes, through
Tajikistan, onward through Central Asia
to Russia and Europe. Approximately 40 percent reaches Russia; 30
percent goes to Europe; and
there is evidence of trafficking in
Afghan opiates to and
through China. Chinese border police and
the
Tajik Drug Control Agency
conducted a joint study of the drug flow
of Afghan opiates from
Tajikistan to China in October 2007.
They
estimated that approximately
five percent of Afghan opiates entering
Tajikistan exit to China,
three percent go to the United States,
three percent through Africa
to South America with the remainder
going to Russia and Europe.
2. (U) The Tajik Government
is committed to fighting narcotics;
however, corruption within
the Tajik government continues to limit
the effectiveness of
counternarcotics efforts. Corrupt
officials at
all levels thwart law
enforcement efforts as officers strive to move
drug investigations up the
chain of organized criminal groups. So
far, no anti-corruption
efforts by the Government of Tajikistan have
had a significant impact on
the corruption problem.
3. (U) Tajikistan is ill
equipped to handle the myriad social
problems that stem from
narcotics trade and abuse. Tajikistan’s
medical infrastructure is
inadequate to address the populationQs
growing need for addiction
treatment and rehabilitation. Still, the
Government of Tajikistan
continues to implement counternarcotics
activities, which the United
Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
states yield more seizures
than all other Central Asian states
combined. While effectiveness is agency specific,
Tajikistan’s law
enforcement and security
services coordinate activities with all
major donors and surrounding
countries. Tajik law enforcement
continues to make arrests
and seizures for mid- to low-level cases
and there has been increased
cooperation between Russia, the Krygyz
Republic, and Tajikistan
focusing on narcotics smuggling rings.
Cooperation between
Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic and, most
importantly, Afghanistan is
increasing among counter-narcotics
agencies. Tajikistan is a party to the 1988 United
Nations Drug
Convention, as well as the
United Nations Convention against
Corruption.
II Status of the Country.
4. (U) Geography and
economics make Tajikistan an attractive transit
route for illegal
narcotics. The Pyanj River (Amu Darya in
Afghanistan) which forms
most of TajikistanQs border with
Afghanistan is thinly
guarded and difficult to patrol. Traffickers
can easily cross the border
at numerous points without inspection
due to the lack of adequate
border control. TajikistanQs
Qdue to the lack of adequate
border control. TajikistanQs
non-criminal economic
opportunities are limited by a lack of
domestic infrastructure and
complicated by the fact that its major
export routes transit
neighboring Uzbekistan. A new U.S.-built
bridge provides a new route
for trade through Afghanistan to the
south. In the past, Uzbekistan closed and mined a
significant
portion of its border to
combat a «perceived instability» from
Tajikistan, although borders
have generally remained open for the
last three years.
5. (U) Criminal networks
that came to prominence during the 1992-97
Tajik civil war, continued
instability in Afghanistan, rampant
corruption, low salaries, a
poorly trained legal cadre and
dysfunctional legal system,
and inadequate funding to support law
enforcement all hamper
efforts to combat illegal narcotics flows.
With a $40 average monthly
income, high unemployment, poor job
prospects, and massive
economic migration to Russia, the temptation
to become involved in
lucrative narcotics-related transactions
remains high.
DUSHANBE 00001372 002 OF 008
6. (U) In-country
cultivation of narcotics crops is minimal.
However, the Government of
Tajikistan said that it is investigating
the possible existence of
small mobile Afghan opiate processing labs
in the southern border area
in Shurabad district near Yol and
Sarigor, and in the east
near Khorog in Gorno-Badakhshan.
III Country Actions against Drugs.
Policy Initiatives
7. (U) In his annual speech
to Parliament on April 25, President
Rahmon called for the
transfer by 2010 of the power to issue
preliminary arrest warrants
from the prosecutors to the courts. The
transfer of powers to issue
arrest warrants is one of the key
elements of ongoing reform
of Tajikistan’s Criminal Procedure Code.
President Rahmon ordered a
new draft Code to be submitted for
consideration to Parliament
in 2008. While vesting the courts with
greater oversight of
criminal prosecutions would be an important
development, a great deal of
work will be required to improve the
fairness, efficiency, and
effectiveness of the criminal justice
system.
8. (U) Passed in early 2008,
the «Law on the Human Rights
Commissioner»
established an ombudsman who would independently
review human rights claims
against government officials. The law
lacked some provisions that
observers hoped would safeguard the
CommissionerQs
independence. At the time of this
reportQs
publication, a Human Rights
Commissioner had not been appointed.
9. (U) On March 20, 2008,
Parliament amended existing laws on the
«Constitutional Court
of the Republic of Tajikistan.» The amendments
are intended to enhance the
independence of the Constitutional
Court, which has the
authority to review whether legislation or
decisions of the courts are
consistent with the countryQs
constitution.
10. (U) In 2008 President
Rahmon sent for ratification to the
Majlisi Namoyandagon
(TajikistanQs lower chamber of parliament) an
agreement between
Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia,
Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and
Uzbekistan on the establishment the
Central Asian Regional
Information and Coordination Center (CARICC)
for combating illicit
trafficking in narcotic drugs, psychotropic
substances, and
precursors. Over the last decade,
criminal
organizations increasingly
have smuggled Afghan heroin through
Central Asia. UNODC launched the Center to counter the
illicit drug
trafficking and the Center’s
main goal is to promote
counter-narcotics
cooperation among law enforcement agencies in the
region. The Center has liaison officers seconded from
member states
whose role is to ensure
cooperation between CARICC and the competent
authorities in the
respective country.
Law Enforcement Efforts
11. (U) The data below shows
the narcotics seizures by law
enforcement and security
services during the first 9 months of 2008
compared with the same
period of 2007:
Ministry of Internal
Affairs:
Heroin (kg): 2007: 792. 2008: 751
Opium (kg): 2007: 1002. 2008: 411
Cannabis (kg): 2007:
347. 2008: 821
Total MVD (kg) 2007:
2141. 2008: 1983
MVD 2007 versus 2008: -7.4
percent
Drug Control Agency:
Heroin (kg): 2007: 278. 2008: 307
Opium (kg): 2007: 329. 2008: 487
Cannabis (kg): 2007:
309. 2008: 358
Total DCA (kg) 2007:
916. 2008: 1152
QTotal DCA (kg) 2007:
916. 2008: 1152
DCA 2007 versus 2008: +25.8
percent
Border Guards:
Heroin (kg): 2007: 82. 2008: 111
Opium (kg): 2007: 471. 2008: 241
Cannabis (kg): 2007:
276. 2008: 649
Total BG (kg) 2007: 829. 2008: 1001
BG 2007 versus 2008: +20.7
percent
DUSHANBE 00001372 003 OF 008
Committee for National
Security:
Heroin (kg): 2007: 100. 2008: 200
Opium (kg): 2007: 397. 2008: 468
Cannabis (kg): 2007:
102. 2008: 121
Total KNB (kg) 2007:
599. 2008: 789
KNB 2007 versus 2008: +31.7
percent
Customs Service:
Heroin (kg): 2007: 36. 2008: 81
Opium (kg): 2007: 0. 2008: 01
Cannabis (kg): 2007:
.026. 2008: 9
Total CS (kg) 2007: 36. 2008: 90
CS 2007 versus 2008: +149.8
percent
Total:
Heroin (kg): 2007:
1280. 2008: 1450
Opium (kg): 2007: 2199. 2008: 1607
Cannabis (kg): 2007:
1034. 2008: 1958
Total CS (kg) 2007:
4521. 2008: 5015
CS 2007 versus 2008: +11
percent
12. (U) According to the
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime,
in 2008 Tajikistan accounts
for approximately 50 percent of Central
Asia heroin and opium
seizures. Although drug seizures are
significant, the lack of a
conspiracy law severely limits law
enforcement’s ability to
target upper echelon drug traffickers.
Corruption continues to
hinder law enforcement investigations, and
as in previous years major
narcotics traffickers are not apprehended
and brought to trial. Such a move would require the full backing of
the Presidential
Administration and the possible prosecution of
government officials charged
with narco-related corruption. The
United States continues to
advocate with the Tajik government to
encourage official focus on
investigations and prosecutions, rather
than just seizures and
arrests.
13. (U) The State Committee
on National Security on January 31st,
2008 in Qubodiyon district
of Khatlon carried out the largest single
drug seizure in the period
of this report. Officers seized a total
of 400 kg of drugs including
73 kg of heroin. Law enforcement
officers arrested eight
people including four Border Guard Officers.
The courts sentenced the Border Guards to jail
terms of 16-19 years
and gave 15-16-year terms to
the other traffickers. Another long
sentence was awarded to
three foreign nationals from Uganda, the
Philippines and Afghanistan
after an investigation linked them to a
single criminal drug
trafficking network.
14. (U) The Drug Control
Agency is one of the most effective and
active enforcement and
intelligence agencies in Tajikistan. In
the
first nine months of this
year they seized over 1152 kilos of
illicit drugs. Agency operations are unique in their ability
to
collaborate effectively with
other government agencies and regional
and international law
enforcement institutions. The Agency
participated in thirty-seven
joint operations with the Russian
Federation, Kyrgyz Republic,
Kazakhstan, and Afghanistan. These
operations were successful
in destroying four drug laboratories in
Afghanistan and seizing
large amounts of drugs and weapons.
15. (U) As a means to
encourage more cooperative enforcement
activity, the USG is
actively working with law enforcement bodies to
develop and use joint
operational intelligence strategies.
These
initiatives include the
development of a Joint Intelligence Center
and a Field Intelligence
Center. The Joint Center is intended to
improve the capacity of law
enforcement officials to work jointly in
detecting, investigating,
apprehending, and prosecuting criminals
Qdetecting, investigating,
apprehending, and prosecuting criminals
and terrorists. This strategy complements the United States’
ongoing efforts to upgrade
database software utilized in the
analytical centers to
organize and better track complex criminal
investigations.
16. (U) The Border Guards
which are the first line of defense
against contraband
trafficking along the Tajik-Afghan border were
more successful in seizing
drugs in 2008 than in 2007. They seized
1001 kilos of drugs during
the first nine months of 2008, which is a
17 percent increase over the
same period last year. Shurabad
region, on Tajikistan’s
southeastern border with Afghanistan, is
considered to be the main
entry route for Afghan drugs. It is also
the region which experiences
the highest incidence of violence
DUSHANBE 00001372 004 OF 008
targeting Border
Guards. Fifteen skirmishes were reported
in 2008,
with casualties reported to
both Border Guards and trespassers. The
Border Guards’ lower ranks
are young, poorly paid conscripted
soldiers, and very
susceptible to corruption. Statistical
information on border
activity continues to be difficult to obtain
since the Border Guards were
placed administratively under the
direction of the State
Committee for National Security.
17. (U) On the whole, Tajik
law enforcement and security ministries
are becoming more proactive
and technically competent in dealing
with border smuggling and
organized crime although poor funding and
corruption limit their
effectiveness.
Corruption
18. (U) As a matter of
policy, the Tajik Government does not
encourage or facilitate
illicit production or distribution of
narcotic or psychotropic
drugs or other controlled substances and
has continued to seek
international support in augmenting its
efforts to combat narcotics
trafficking. It is impossible to
determine authoritatively
just how pervasive drug-related corruption
and other forms of
corruption are within government circles.
However, there is certainly
a striking discrepancy between the
extravagant lifestyles of
some senior officials and their nominal
government salaries. Even when arrests are made for narcotics
trafficking, the resulting
cases are not always brought to a
satisfactory
conclusion. There have been some arrests
of Border
Guard and Customs officers
in the past by the Drug Control Agency,
Ministry of Interior, and
State Anti-Corruption Agency; however,
these are low level
officers, and investigations rarely proceed
beyond indictment of the
courier and foot soldiers involved.
19. (U) Tajikistan signed
the United Nations Convention Against
Corruption in accordance
with the President’s Executive Order No.
1601 of September 10, 2005,
and fully ratified it in September 2006.
In 2007, the President created the State
Financial Control and
Anti-corruption Agency,
which reports to the PresidentQs office.
The Agency has not conducted
any investigations of high value
targets.
20. (U) The Ministry of
Justice and the Prosecutor GeneralQs Office
remain major obstacles for
many law enforcement efforts. As
corruption continues to be
the single largest obstacle to reform,
the United States is looking
at ways to engage law enforcement and
support rule of law programs
with a more grass-roots approach to
promoting public action and
involvement in supporting
anti-corruption and
community-based rule of law initiatives.
21. (U) Law enforcement
units of the Anti Corruption Agency
discovered 693
corruption-based crimes in the first nine month of
2008: 244 of them were
felonies, 142 were connected to bribery, and
121 were committed by
government employees. Authorities accused
employees of the courts and
law enforcement agencies including
officers from the Drug
Control Agency and the Ministry of Defense of
132 corruption-based
crimes. The Anti Corruption Agency
investigated 232 cases and
208 of them were sent to the court for
further proceedings.
22. (U) The State Financial
Control and Anti Corruption Agency
conducted 792 financial
audits of government entities for the period
Qconducted 792 financial
audits of government entities for the period
January-October, 2008. Auditors discovered theft or
misappropriation of $31
million from the country’s budget; almost
$10 million was
returned. 983 officials received
disciplinary
punishment and 43 were
released.
Agreements and Treaties
23. (U) No extradition or
mutual legal assistance treaties exist
between Tajikistan and the
United States. Tajikistan is a party to
the 1988 United Nations Drug
Convention, the 1961 United Nations
Single Convention as amended
by the 1972 Protocol, and the 1972
United Nations Convention on
Psychotropic Substances. Tajikistan is
also a party to the United
Nations Convention against Corruption and
the United Nations
Convention against Transnational Organized Crime
and its protocols against
migrant smuggling and trafficking in
persons.
DUSHANBE 00001372 005 OF 008
24. (U) Kazakhstan, the
Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan
signed an agreement in
September 1999 on cooperation in combating
transnational crime,
including narcotics trafficking. The
Tajik and
Kyrgyz Drug Control Agencies
signed an interagency agreement on
January 21, 2008, on
Cooperation in the Struggle against Drugs,
Psychotropic Matter, and
Precursor Chemical Trafficking.
Amendment
to Letter of Agreement from
27 January 2003, on cooperation of drug
control and law enforcement
issues was signed in Dushanbe on August
22, 2008. On October 7, 2008,
25. (U) President Rahmon
submitted an agreement for parliamentary
ratification between
Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia,
Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and
Uzbekistan on the Creation of Regional
Informational Coordinating
Center in the Struggle against Drugs,
Psychotropic Matter, and
Precursor Chemical Trafficking in the
Central Asia.
26. (U) The five Central
Asian countries, as well as Azerbaijan,
Georgia, Iran, Pakistan, and
Turkey, are members of the Economic
Coordination Mechanism
supported by the United Nations Office on
Drugs and Crime. Tajikistan ratified the United Nations
Convention
against Corruption in
September 2006.
Cultivation/Production
(where applicable)
27. (U) According to media
reports in 2008 poppies and marijuana are
cultivated in very limited
amounts in various parts of the country.
The Drug Control Agency does
not consider Tajikistan a narcotics
production country. The two largest cultivations were found by
the
Tajik police in Sughd
region, along the Tajik-Kyrgyz and Tajik-Uzbek
borders and in districts of
the remote Badakhshan province.
Officers found a total of
85, 000 bushes of wild marijuana and
destroyed them as part of
the «Poppy-2008» operations in 2008.
There were no production
laboratories found or reported in
Tajikistan.
Drug Flow/Transit
28. (U) The Tajik government
and international agencies involved in
the collection and analysis
of narcotics and organized crime
intelligence continue to assess
Tajikistan as an important transit
route for the Afghanistan
drug trade. Estimates suggest that
between 15 percent and 30
percent of Afghanistan drugs pass through
Tajikistan destined for
Russia, China, and Europe. Although the
volume has likely increased,
because of higher Afghan production,
the estimated percentage has
remained relatively stable. This may
in part be explained by more
sophisticated mechanisms emerging in
the Iran and Pakistan
routes, and in the case of Pakistan the
instability of the security
sector providing opportunity for
trafficking while law
enforcement is pre-occupied with terrorism and
insurgent activities.
29. (U) Hashish from
Afghanistan also transits Tajikistan en route
to Russian and European
markets. This year there has been a
marked
89 percent increase in the
quantities seized in Tajikistan. An
undetermined quantity of
Afghan opiate traffic is crossing into
Tajikistan, transiting
through the eastern Badakhshan region and
entering western China. Lack of verifiable intelligence and actual
seizures in that region make
it difficult to assess the amount of
this traffic. The remoteness of the Badakhshan region and
limited
Qthis traffic. The remoteness of the Badakhshan region and
limited
law enforcement capacity
continue to offer challenges to enforcement
and deterrence on one hand
while offering opportunities to
traffickers on the other.
30. (U) It is estimated but
not verified that precursor chemicals
used in Afghan heroin
production are coming from western China to
Afghanistan via the eastern
Tajikistan route. With U.S. and other
donor assistance Tajikistan
authorities are addressing this region
more aggressively,
strengthening their enforcement profiles and
developing their
intelligence structures. In particular
the USG has
been working to develop
integrated intelligence capacity and to
encourage joint operational
strategies.
Domestic Programs/Demand
Reduction
31. (U) Tajikistan is the
transit point of Afghan-sourced narcotics
DUSHANBE 00001372 006 OF 008
and the precursor chemicals
that are required to produce heroin and
morphine. Drug addiction in Tajikistan is increasing
yearly and
school-age children from all
regions have relatively easy access to
illegal narcotics. The Government of Tajikistan’s resources to
address both the user and
transit problems are limited. Unofficial
United Nations statistics
estimate about 119 registered drug users
per 100,000 people in
Tajikistan, with heroin the overwhelming drug
of choice in all regions in
the country. Unregistered drug users
press this number higher.
32. (U) According to the
Ministry of Health of the Republic of
Tajikistan, in the first half
of 2008, 8,732 drug addicts have been
registered by health centers
(7,791 in 2006, 8,117 in 2007). Most
registered drug addicts are
found in the capital Dushanbe (47
percent) and Sogd Region (19
percent). Drug-related problems,
including crime and HIV
infection, have begun to take their toll on
Tajik society.
33. (U) The U.S. Embassy
conducts drug demand reduction projects to
address the increasing
consumption. Jointly with the Tajik
Karate-do Federation the
U.S. embassy, co-sponsored an International
Karate-do Tournament under
the slogan «Strike a Blow Against
Narcotics» to advocate
a healthy lifestyle for Tajik youth.
This
program aims to stop drug
addiction at its source by bringing drug
demand reduction information
to young people in their schools. The
program complements other
U.S. counter-narcotics initiatives aimed
at improvements in
traditional narcotics interdiction and law
enforcement
institution-building. The project
targets high school
students in Dushanbe,
Khujand and Khatlon to promote a healthy and
drug-free lifestyle through
peer-to-peer interaction.
34. (U) The Drug Control
Agency continued to expand and develop its
initiatives to increase drug
awareness during the reporting period,
primarily among school
children. The Tajik government funded
the
«Decrease of Demand for
Drugs in Tajikistan» project which supports
a rehabilitation center for
drug users in Badakhshan. Under the
project the government
constructed a sports complex in Khorog to
provide healthy alternatives
to young people. The Drug Control
Agency organized 801
programs including 281 anti-drug publications,
274 TV programs, 268
meetings, seminars, round table discussions,
and 69 sport activities.
35. (U) In April and July
the Prime-Minister of Tajikistan chaired
sessions in Dushanbe to
organize programs to prevent drug use in
Tajikistan. Other leaders conducted similar sessions in
all the
regions of Tajikistan. These sessions aim to create a central
governmental program on
preventing drug abuse and fight against
illicit of drugs in
Tajikistan for 2008-2012.
IV. U.S. Policy Initiatives
and Programs.
Bilateral Cooperation
36. (U) The bilateral
relationship in counter-narcotics and law
enforcement is sound. Cooperation in reform of the justice sector
has just begun but has
already led to an invitation to assist in
reform of the process for
selection and training of judges.
However, international donor
assistance for rewriting the Criminal
Procedures Code resulted in
bureaucracy and obstruction by Tajik
QProcedures Code resulted in
bureaucracy and obstruction by Tajik
officials with no assistance
ever accepted.
37. (U) The
counter-narcotics office in the U.S. Embassy in
Tajikistan is headed by a
full-time International Narcotics and Law
Enforcement officer. He is assisted by a Senior Law Enforcement
Advisor, Rule of Law
Attorney Assistant, Program Managers for Border
Security and Policing, and a
Construction Engineer.
38. (U) The embassy uses the
United Nations Office on Drugs and
Crime as an implementer for
support to the Drug Control Agency;
International Organization
for Migration for implementation of
Trafficking in Persons
programs; American Bar Association to
implement rule of law
programs, and local non-governmental
organizations for
implementation of justice programs.
39. (U) The United States
has been supporting the DCA for nine years
and is preparing the agency
to assume responsibility for its
recurring costs. The Government of Tajikistan with
Presidential
endorsement submitted to the
Parliament a budget for the Drug
Control Agency requesting an
increase in the Agency’s budget to
begin paying agent
salaries. The Dushanbe Office of the
United
DUSHANBE 00001372 007 OF 008
Nations Office on Drugs and
Crime facilitates cross border
cooperation between drug
agencies in Kyrgyz Republic and
Afghanistan. The DEA Dushanbe Country Office engages the
Drug
Control Agency and the
Ministry of Internal Affairs Department on
counter-narcotics by
assisting in international counter-narcotics
cases and mentoring Agency
officers to improve operational skills.
40. (U) U.S. security
assistance to Tajikistan continues to expand
with additional resources
coming from the Department of Defense and
other sources. The Office of Defense Cooperation manages
Central
Command’s counter narcotics
program to develop the Government of
TajikistanQs capacity to
limit narcotics trafficking along its
porous border with
Afghanistan through projects that promote
interagency cooperation;
improve mobility, communications, and
life-support to the Drug
Control Agency and the Border and Customs
Services; and
professionalize the Government’s approach to
counternarcotics. The Office has implemented a major
communications
project that links all
border posts and border guard headquarters.
Next steps include expanding
the system to link law
enforcement/security
agencies in Tajikistan and connect to the
Central Asian Regional
Information and Coordination Centre in
Almaty, Kazakhstan. The purpose of the Center is to improve
information flow and
operational intelligence across Central Asian
borders to better combat the
increase of transnational organized
crime networks in the
region.
41. (U) The Departments of
Defense and State renovate border
outposts, provide training,
and operational and investigative
equipment to various law
enforcement and security-related government
agencies. The embassy’s Border and Law Enforcement
Working Group
(BLEWG) coordinates all USG
assistance on counternarcotics and
border assistance. Donor countries and organizations coordinate
provision of assistance
through the Border Security Working Group
(BIG) that meets
monthly. Cooperation with the Border
Guards is
bureaucratic and slow. Lack of transparency, insufficient staffing,
and regular leadership
changes within the Border Guards delay
project implementation and
require more donor oversight and direct
implementation. The US continues to assist the Ministry of
Internal
Affairs by renovating the
Ministry’s Training Academy, reforming of
curriculum, and improving
teaching methodology.
Road Ahead
42. (U) The United States
remains committed to working with the
Tajik Government to increase
its law enforcement and
counternarcotics
capabilities. The United States will
continue to
focus on building basic
capacity of the major law enforcement
agencies, in particular the
Ministry of Interior and the Border
Guards; to expand mid-level
management and leadership training to
these entities; and to
continue to push for meaningful
anti-corruption efforts
throughout the government. The Drug
Enforcement Agency will
provide more sophisticated operational
training and mentoring of
the Drug Control Agency. A greater
emphasis on recruiting and
developing a network of reliable sources
will enable the Drug Control
Agency and the Ministry of Internal
Affairs to initiate cases
against major trafficking organizations
QAffairs to initiate cases
against major trafficking organizations
operating regionally and
internationally.
43. (U) The United States
will also sustain the justice sector
reform program and
coordinate with other donors and international
organizations during planned
training of prosecutors, judges, and
defense attorneys. A major goal of the INL-funded rule of law
program, a subset of the
justice sector program, is to strengthen
Tajikistan’s ability to
investigate and prosecute major drug
traffickers and organized
crime syndicates as well as improve and
reform judicial sector
training. In order to achieve this goal
in
light of existing corruption
and transparency issues within the
government, the United
States will increase its emphasis on
anti-corruption, public
outreach, ethics, and education efforts.
44. (U) The culture of
corruption fueled by the huge amount of drugs
passing through the country
poses a significant threat to
TajikistanQs stability and
prosperity. The embassy will focus on
anti-corruption campaigns
within existing counter-narcotics,
policing, and border
security programs. To combat the ever
increasing drug consumption,
the U.S. will sustain drug demand
reduction programs
especially using the peer-to-peer principle.
To
improve regional cooperation
to address common problems and threats,
the United States will
coordinate closely with other donor countries
DUSHANBE 00001372 008 OF 008
and international
organizations to organize and implement as many
Afghan-Tajik joint training
courses as possible.
V. Statistical Tables (Majors only).
Drug Crop Cultivation: N/A
VI. Chemical Control
Precursors
45. (U) There was one
seizure of precursors in 2008. A lack of
proper screening equipment
and related training means that possible
illicit transit of such
chemicals goes undetected. The small
amount
of licit precursor chemical
imports, closely monitored by the Tajik
government, is destined
generally for five in-country industrial
sites that use such
chemicals: Tajik Azot, Yovon Chemical Plant,
Talco, 6th Plant of
Chkalovsk, Isfara Chemical Plant. The
government does not have the
capability to monitor or intercept
precursor chemicals
illegally transiting Tajikistan to Afghanistan.
Part of the reason for the
lack of seizures and information is that
the Tajik government has a
customs inspection agreement with
Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan
that prohibits inspection of sealed trucks
(TIR) bound for a
non-Tajikistan destination, many of which could be
carrying licit and illicit
precursor chemicals.
JACOBSON
=======================CABLE
ENDS============================
id: 176803
date: 11/5/2008 9:48
refid: 08KABUL2938
origin: Embassy Kabul
classification:
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
destination:
header:
VZCZCXRO3481
RR RUEHPW
DE RUEHBUL #2938/01 3100948
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 050948Z NOV 08
FM AMEMBASSY KABUL
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC
6068
INFO RUCNAFG/AFGHANISTAN
COLLECTIVE
RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME 5218
RUEKJCS/OSD WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF
WASHINGTON DC
RHMFIUU/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL
AFB FL
RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY
COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
—————— header
ends —————-
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02
KABUL 002938
DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/FO,
SCA/A, EUR/RPM
STATE PASS TO AID FOR
ASIA/SCAA
ROME PASS TO POL
NSC FOR WOOD
OSD FOR WILKES
CENTCOM FOR CG CSTC-A, CG
CJTF-101 POLAD
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
REFTEL: KABUL 02907
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, ETRD,
EFIN, AF, TI
SUBJECT: Indian and
Pakistani Consulates Update
1. (SBU) Summary: Indian and Pakistani Consulates
watch each
others’ activities carefully
in Herat, while reaching out to Heratis
in the medical area, in
particular. The Indian Consul follows
closely the progress of
construction of the Indian-funded, 200-240
million dollar, 42-megawatt
Salma dam in Cheshti Sharif district.
Since Iran boosted its visa
fees and tightened up visa issuance, the
number of Afghans applying
for Indian and Pakistani visas, mainly
for medical treatment, has
increased. Security of their consulates
is a concern for both
subcontinent Consuls. End Summary.
2. (SBU) Two Consulates eyeing each other: PRT
Officer called
separately on the Indian and
Pakistani Consuls, Niraj Tiwari and
Bakhtyar Khan, respectively,
in October. The Indian Consulate
opened in 2003, while the
Pakistani Consulate opened in 1993. Iran
and Turkmenistan also have
consulates in Herat while the German
Embassy maintains a small
office. The Pakistani Consul, who served
in the Pakistani embassy in
Kabul under the communist regime and has
dealt with Afghan affairs
off and on in Islamabad, is the only
Pakistani diplomat in
Herat. He has a support staff, of about
five
compatriots. He speaks Pashto and some Dari. The Indian Consul is
relatively new to Afghan
issues and does not speak Dari or Pashto
but claims to understand
some from vocabulary similarities with
Hindi/Urdu. He has several vice consuls to assist. Both Consuls
made a point of mentioning
that their respective countries have
consulates in Jalalabad,
Kandahar, and Mazar-e Sharif, in addition
to Herat, and that their
subcontinent neighbor also has consulates
in those Afghan cities. Neither Consul has visited his opposite’s
country.
3. (SBU) Indian medical mission: Besides keeping
tabs on what the
Pakistani consulate is
doing, the major activities of the Indian
consulate are medical and
hydroelectric dam construction. An
eight-member Indian medical
mission provides free medical
assistance, working with
Afghan partners. The Indian Consul
explained that some Afghan
women and their male relatives feel more
comfortable coming to Indian
doctors, including male doctors, than
to Afghans, and so the
Indian medical team treats a large number of
women. The Pakistani Consul volunteered that the
Indian medical
team also treats Pakistani
consulate staff occasionally.
4. (SBU) Salma dam project: The Indian Consulate
pays close
attention to the Salma dam
project, one of India’s largest projects
in Afghanistan. The dam on the Hari Rud in Chishti Sharif
district
of Heart province,
approximately 35 km west of the provincial
boundary with Ghor, will
provide 42 megawatts of electricity when
completed. It will also improve flood control and may provide
some
water for irrigation. The lake behind the dam should back up water
for 16 to 17
kilometers. By Indian standards this is
a small dam,
the Indian Consul stated,
but it will provide a significant amount
of electricity to Herat and
possibly adjacent provinces. Scheduled
to cost 200 million dollars,
it will probably wind up costing 240
million. About 100 Indian nationals work with a much
larger Afghan
workforce. Construction has been slowed by the fallout
of security
problems in Chishti Sharif
and Islamic holidays. Little work was
accomplished during
Ramadan. The Indian Consul does not
believe the
local security problems are
aimed at disrupting dam construction and
believes that Ismail Khan,
former governor and warlord of Herat,
currently Minister of Water
and Power, may be playing a helpful role
in calming the security
situation in the district. However,
other
interlocutors, without
citing any evidence, have speculated that
Iran, which may suffer
diminished water flow from the Hari Rud,
which comprises the northern
boundary between Afghanistan and Iran,
and which certainly will
lose its commanding position (and leverage)
as provider of electricity
to Herat, is stirring up the pot in
Chishti Sharif so that the
dam will never be completed. The Indian
Consul optimistically
predicts Salma dam will be completed sometime
in 2009.
5. (SBU) Limited Pakistani activities: The
Pakistanis have no such
major project in Herat as
the Salma dam. In 2007 they offered to
build a modern 200-bed
hospital in Herat if the local authorities
would provide a suitable
plot of land. When the local government
responded they would assist
the Pakistanis in finding the land,
which the Pakistanis could
purchase, Islamabad decided to offer the
hospital to Logar province.
KABUL 00002938 002 OF 002
6. (SBU) Scant PD activity: Neither consulate
appears to be very
active in promoting Indian
or Pakistani culture. Neither has a
cultural center. However, the Indian Consul noted many in
Herat
regularly watch Indian soap
operas on TV and consequently have
picked up some Hindi. Both Pakistan and India offer some
scholarships to citizens of
Herat province. There is some social
contact between the two
consulates, with staff occasionally hosting
their opposite numbers for
dinner.
7. (SBU) But the visa business is booming: Both
Consuls explained
that issuing visas to
Afghans was a major part of their consulates’
work and that business was
growing. The Indian Consul estimated his
staff issued about 35 to 40
visas to Afghans daily and a few to
third country
nationals. The Pakistani Consul stated
he issued 20
to 25 visas to Afghans daily
and, as a matter of policy, would issue
visas to any third country
national for six months as an insurance
policy in case of emergency
evacuation. Medical treatment was the
major reason cited by both
Consuls by Afghans applying for visas.
Both Consuls commented that
after Iran raised its visa fees
(reportedly to 80 Euros) and
tightened up visa issuance, more and
more Afghans were applying
for visas. Comment: Nevertheless, the
longest lines for visas by
far are still outside the large Iranian
Consulate. In addition, a
recent agreement between Afghanistan and
Iran (see reftel) appears to
be aimed at facilitating the visa
process, at least for
businessmen. End Comment.
8. (SBU) And security a concern: The two
consulates are located
within a mile of each other
in downtown Herat, both on busy
thoroughfares. Following the July 7 bombing of the Indian
Embassy
in Kabul, which killed more
than fifty people, the Indian Consulate
has improved its physical
security and obtained a larger number of
local police in front of its
entrance. Following a bicycle bomb
outside the police kiosk at
its street entrance July 31, which
injured one Afghan policeman
and two civilians, the Pakistani
Consulate has also tightened
up security. The Indian Consulate is
also dealing with the
kidnapping Oct 13 of one of its nationals,
together with two Afghans,
who work for an Italian company providing
services to the ISAF
Regional Command/West base near the Herat
airport. This follows another kidnapping of an Indian
worker in
Shindand district in 2007,
who eventually was released following a
probable payment of ransom.
9. (SBU) Comment: Neither Pakistan nor India,
borders Herat
province. One of the chief, if not the chief raison
d’tre of each
consulate is the other’s
presence in Herat. The rivalry appears
civil with occasional social
contact between the two staffs. With
its important Salma dam
project and active medical mission, the
Indian Consulate is the more
active, but the Pakistani Consul is the
more knowledgeable about
Afghans and Afghanistan. Both, however,
are looking over their
shoulders at the much larger Iranian
consulate and influence in
Herat.
WOOD
=======================CABLE
ENDS============================
id: 177528
date: 11/10/2008 6:44
refid: 08DUSHANBE1379
origin: Embassy Dushanbe
classification:
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
destination:
header:
VZCZCXRO7077
RR RUEHAST RUEHBI RUEHCI
RUEHLH RUEHLN RUEHNEH RUEHPW RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHDBU #1379/01 3150644
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 100644Z NOV 08
FM AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC
1125
INFO RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RUCNCLS/SOUTH AND CENTRAL
ASIA COLLECTIVE
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL 0284
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC
RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE
0021
RHMFIUU/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL
AFB FL
RUEKJCS/DIA WASHDC 0094
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC 0187
—————— header
ends —————-
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02
DUSHANBE 001379
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
STATE FOR INL (BUHLER)
SCA/CEN (HUSHEK)
CENTCOM FOR POVELONES
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, SNAR, TI
SUBJECT: CONCRETE STEPS TO
CROSS THE BORDER
1. (SBU) Summary: Ambassador, DCM, and INL Officer attended
the EU/OSCE/UNODC-organized
Ministerial Conference on Border
Management and Drug Control
in Central Asia held in
Tajikistan October
21-22. The Conference was
organizationally challenged
and results were meager. For the
United States, the silver
lining in the conference cloud was
President Rahmon’s speech
where he specifically advocated for
joint Tajik-Afghan law
enforcement training. First Deputy of
the Committee for National
Security (ex-KGB) reversing early
obduracy on this issue told
the Ambassador on the conference
margins that he was looking
forward to Tajik-Afghan
collaboration in this
area. Drug Control Agency chief
General Rustam Nazarov and
Afghan Deputy Minister for
Counter-Narcotics told INL
officer that their agencies stood
ready to participate in
joint training. Embassy Dushanbe is
taking advantage of the
opening and has reached out to
Embassy Kabul and PRT Kunduz
to nail down next steps. End
summary.
MISTEPS BUT…
2. (SBU) Given the administrative scramble to
pull together
the Ministerial Conference
on Border Management and Drug
Control in Central Asia in Dushanbe
on October 21-22 we did
not have high expectations
of a meaty outcome, and we were
not disappointed. Frenetic 11th hour phone calls to add U.S.
names to the registration
list, snafu’s with vehicle entrance
to the Presidential Dacha,
and the failure of the United
Nations Office on Drugs and
Crime to give credit to the
United States for being the
largest donor to border programs
in Tajikistan all were
emblematic of the overall conference.
Too many cooks seem to have
scorched the conference broth.
The UN promised to pay
closer attention in the future. We
told them the next pledge
letter would contain conditions on
recognition of U.S.
assistance when advertising projects to
which we have contributed.
NEW OPENINGS
3. (SBU) President Rahmon’s
opening speech was worth the
conference headaches
however. While dinging international
donors for insufficient
coordination, he specifically agreed
to joint Tajik-Afghan law
enforcement training. (Note. We
assess that donors do a
remarkable, although not perfect, job
of coordinating on provision
of assistance given the
limitations of the border
and law enforcement services to
provide liaison
support. As an example, the Border
Guards
International Department has
nine billets and only four are
filled, considerably slowing
down donor engagement. End
Note.) Rahmon’s remarks were echoed in Ambassador
Jacobson’s
side-bar conversation with
First Deputy of the Committee for
National Security, Kasim
Gafarov. Gafarov, warmly echoing
Rahmon’s thoughts, seems to
have developed new interest in
joint training with
Afghans. He told the Ambassador that he
welcomed meetings to discuss
specific events and venues. He
reiterated his interest to
INL officer during a subsequent
walkthrough of an on-going
project to create an intelligence
analytical center in the
Committee’s training academy, noting
that he needed to find
barracks space for expected Afghan
students.
4. (SBU) Conference
attendees General Rustam Nazarov and
Deputy Counter-Narcotics
Minister in Afghanistan, General
Daud, favorably received an
INL Officer suggestion to hold
QDaud, favorably received an
INL Officer suggestion to hold
discrete high-level
counter-narcotics discussions to chart
out joint training
opportunities. The Tajik drug agency
already has a collaborative
relationship with Afghan
counterparts with liaison
officers working from northern
Afghanistan cities.
NEXT STEPS
5. (SBU): We will use the
opening provided by Rahmon,
Gafarov, and Nazarov to nail
down concrete next steps on
joint training perhaps using
the U.S.-financed border
training center in
Khorog. We also are using the commitment
to leverage improved
operating modalities on the U.S.-built
Nizhniy Pyanj/Sher Khan
Bandar Bridge.
DUSHANBE 00001379 002 OF 002
6. (SBU) INL Dushanbe has
reached out to Embassy Kabul (Pol
Section, INL, BTMF, and
CSTC-A) to begin planning joint
confidence building security
measures and proposed an initial
meeting in Kunduz.
7. (SBU) Dushanbe,s Office
of Defense Cooperation has been
in contact with the PRT
Kunduz to move forward on improved
bridge operations and
training for both Afghan and Tajik
border guards and customs
officers with a meeting scheduled
for the end of November.
8. (SBU) Comment: The Tajik
bureaucracy can be incredibly
obstructionist so Rahmon,s
speech notwithstanding all is not
smooth sailing. Given the President,s interest though we
assess that we will achieve
some results. We will use next
week,s visit of DAS Krol to
drive home the point.
JACOBSON
=======================CABLE
ENDS============================
id: 177550
date: 11/10/2008 8:39
refid: 08DUSHANBE1380
origin: Embassy Dushanbe
classification:
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
destination:
header:
VZCZCXRO7173
RR RUEHAST RUEHBI RUEHCI
RUEHLH RUEHLN RUEHNEH RUEHPW RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHDBU #1380 3150839
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 100839Z NOV 08
FM AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC
1127
INFO RUCNCLS/SOUTH AND
CENTRAL ASIA COLLECTIVE
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC 0189
RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RUEAWJA/DEPARTMENT OF
JUSTICE WASHINGTON DC
—————— header
ends —————-
UNCLAS DUSHANBE 001380
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
STATE FOR INL/AAE (BUHLER)
JUSTICE (DUCOT AND NEWCOMBE)
DEFENSE FOR OSDP/P
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SNAR, KJUS, KCRM,
PGOV, TI
SUBJECT: TAJIKS WANT BETTER LAWS; U.S. ROLE UNCLEAR
1. (U) Summary: Emboffs met
with two of President Rahmon’s legal
advisors, Sodik Ashurovich
Shohnazarov and Umed Boboev, to discuss
areas of collaboration in
reform of the justice sector. Tajik
officials recognize the need
to reform the country’s legal
infrastructure, and will
establish a legislative institute to
improve the quality of
parliamentary legislation. Officials
will
continue to redraft criminal
justice legislation. The degree to
which officials will allow
U.S. assistance in these efforts remains
to be seen. End summary.
2. (SBU) President Rahmon
called for a Legislative Institute in his
annual speech to parliament
this year. The goal of the Institute is
to eliminate contradictory
laws, improve the quality of new laws,
and bring Tajik legislation
into compliance with international
treaties signed by
Tajikistan. Shohnazarov said the
Presidential
Administration was
developing the Institute’s regulations and
procedures, and that all
preparatory work should be completed by the
end of 2008. Shohnazarov thought the Institute would be
supervised
by the Ministry of Justice,
but report to the President and
Parliament. The Institute would be staffed by lawyers,
who would
receive specialized
training. IN response to proposals to
assist in
creating the Institute,
Shohnazarov expressed fond memories of his
participation in an American
Bar Association program in the United
States, but would not commit
to specific actions.
3. (SBU) Shohnazarov said
the Presidential Administration created a
working group to revise the
Criminal Code, and he welcomed any
assistance the U.S. could
provide. The working group was headed by
Zarif Alizoda, the State
Advisor on Legal Affairs (and Shohnazarov’s
boss), who planned to submit
a draft to parliament in six months.
The reform of the Criminal
Code followed a redrafting of the
country’s Criminal Procedure
Code, which Shohnazarov said would be
passed to Parliament by the
end of the year.
4. (SBU) U.S. Embassy is
ready to support the Legislative Institute
by training employees and
providing legal experts. There are
several avenues for support:
if parliament would supervise the
institute, programs
involving the U.S. Congress are possibilities;
if the U.S. Embassy provides
training, the door could widen to
include provision of
equipment. EmbOffs encouraged
Shohnazarov to
consider allowing lawyers
from the Institute to compete for
INL-sponsored law school
scholarships, which would provide a path to
improved qualifications for
the Institute.
5. (SBU) Shohnazarov
welcomed U.S. Embassy initiatives and noted
that he worked with the
American Bar Association in revising the
Civil Procedure Code. EmbOffs cautioned that donors were wary of
requests for assistance in
criminal justice reform, since donors
were essentially shut out of
substantive discussions on the Criminal
Procedure Code.
6. (SBU) Comment: We
initially scheduled our meeting with State
Advisor Alizoda, but met
instead with his assistants after he left
the country on a business
trip. Neither Shohnazarov nor Boboev
were
in a position to make any
agreements, and neither would commit to
specific actions regarding
the Legislative Institute. The
international community was
snubbed in the redrafting effort of the
Criminal Procedure Code, and
we are wary that officials will
continue to keep us at arms
length in ongoing justice reform
efforts. However, in coordination with our
international partners
Qefforts. However, in coordination with our
international partners
we will continue to discuss
these issues and offer assistance to
persuade Tajik officials to
more toward serious legal reform. End
comment. JACOBSON
=======================CABLE
ENDS============================
id: 177551
date: 11/10/2008 8:39
refid: 08DUSHANBE1381
origin: Embassy Dushanbe
classification: UNCLASSIFIED
