Переведено с использщованием AI
id: 242892
date: 1/8/2010 12:37
refid: 10DUSHANBE44
origin: Embassy Dushanbe
classification: UNCLASSIFIED
destination:
header:
VZCZCXRO3377
RR RUEHSL
DE RUEHDBU #0044/01 0081237
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 081237Z JAN 10
FM AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1119
INFO RUEHAST/AMCONSUL ALMATY 0039
RUEHRL/AMEMBASSY BERLIN 0024
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC
RHEFDHP/DIA DHP-1 WASHINGTON DC
RUCNEXC/EXPORT CONTROL AND RELATED BORDER SECURITY
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RHMFIUU/US CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION WASHINGTON DC
RULSJGA/USCG HQ WASHDC
RHMFISS/DEPT OF ENERGY WASHINGTON DC
RUEFHLC/DEPT OF HOMELAND SECURITY WASHINGTON DC
RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW 0099
RUEHFT/AMCONSUL FRANKFURT 0107
RUEHDBU/AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE 2452
—————— header ends —————-
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DUSHANBE 000044
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR ISN/ECC JFRIEDMAN, ACHURCH, JHARTSHORN
DEPT FOR ISN/ECC-AMT LSPRINGER
CBP/INA FOR SBAKER, GRISING
DHS/ICE FOR AMEFFERD
DOE/NNSA FOR JNOBLE, BPENTOLA
DOC FOR DCREED
USCG SHABTEMICHAEL
FRANKFURT PLEASE PASS TO ICE ATTACHE
BERLIN PLEASE PASS TO CBP ATTACHE
MOSCOW PLEASE PASS TO ICE ATTACHE
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ETTC, MNUC, PARM, PREL, KSTC, KNNP, SNAR, TI
SUBJECT: EXBS: TAJIKISTAN ADVISOR MONTHLY REPORT DECEMBER 2009
DUSHANBE 00000044 001.2 OF 002
I. BROAD ITEMS OF INTEREST TO ADVISORS AND AGENCY MANAGERS
A. The EXBS Advisor was on leave
during the month of December.
The equipment end use monitoring report was completed and sent
to ISN.
II. COMPLETED ACTIONS FOR THE REPORTING PERIOD
A. SITE ASSESSMENTS AND MEETINGS DURING REPORTING PERIOD
1. Site Assessments
a) On December 15 the Lead EXBS
Program Management Assistant
and the EXBS Program Management Assistant visited the
construction site of the Nuclear Radiation Safety Agency (NRSA)
laboratory. The Lead EXBS Program
Management Assistant and the
EXBS Program Management Assistant met with representatives from
the NRSA and the IAEA (Vienna) to review the ongoing
construction. Based on the
progress of the construction the
IAEA will deliver their equipment to the laboratory at the end
of January. The Contractor
estimates that the construction will
be completed by February 10.
b) The Lead EXBS Program
Management Assistant and the EXBS
Program Management Assistant made several visits to the
construction site of the GOTI Customs Academy. During the month
of December construction work was completed, the furniture was
delivered, computer equipment was installed, and audio/video
equipment was delivered and installed.
A turnover and opening
ceremony will take place in January.
2. Meetings
a) On December 7 the EXBS Advisor
and the Regional EXBS Advisor
for Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan met with officials from the
Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) in Brunswick,
Georgia. FLETC will conduct an
assessment of the training
curriculum at the GOTI Customs Training Academy and will provide
assistance in developing new curriculum.
b) On December 15 the Lead EXBS
Program Management Assistant
met with officials of the NRSA to obtain an import license for
Rapiscan x-ray equipment. The
Rapiscan equipment includes
Cobalt 60 and requires an import license from the NRSA. The
delivery of the Rapiscan equipment is part of an ongoing project
at the Nizniy-Pyanj border crossing.
On December 25 the NRSA
provided the import license.
c) On December 17 the Lead EXBS
Program Management Assistant
and the EXBS Program Management Assistant met with the First
Deputy Chairman of the Customs Department. Issues relating to
DUSHANBE 00000044 002.2 OF 002
problems at the construction site of the Customs Academy were
discussed and resolved. The First
Deputy was briefed on an
upcoming International Border Interdiction Training course that
will be held at Nizniy-Pyanj in April.
The FLETC Project was
discussed. The First Deputy was
advised that training for the
Rapiscan equipment at Nizniy-Pyanj could not take place due to
the lack of electricity. The
First Deputy resolved the problem
and the electricity to the port of entry was turned on.
B. TRAINING CONDUCTED DURING
REPORTING PERIOD
1. None
C. EQUIPMENT DELIVERED DURING
REPORTING PERIOD
1. NONE
D. IMMINENT TRAINING OR EQUIPMENT
STATUS UPDATE
1. Training
a) None
2. Equipment
a) None
E. SIGNIFICANT DEVELOPMENTS IN
EXPORT CONTROLS,
NONPROLIFERATION, OR RELATED BORDER SECURITY
None
III. RED FLAG ISSUES
A. None
POC for this report is Robert Granico, EXBS Advisor,
[email protected] , phone 992
37
229-2804; EXBS Program Assistant Dilorom Ganieva,
[email protected] , phone 992
37
229-2805.
GROSS
=======================CABLE ENDS============================
id: 243307
date: 1/12/2010 16:39
refid: 10DUSHANBE51
origin: Embassy Dushanbe
classification: UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
destination:
header:
VZCZCXRO5941
RR RUEHLN RUEHSK RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHDBU #0051 0121639
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 121639Z JAN 10
FM AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1127
INFO RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL 0380
RUEHDBU/AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE 2461
—————— header ends —————-
UNCLAS DUSHANBE 000051
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV, KDEM, TI
SUBJECT: TAJIK GOVERNMENT BLOCKS WEBSITES, THEN BACKS DOWN
1. (SBU) On January 11, the Tajik government ordered Internet
providers to block access to two Internet news sites:
centrasia.ru and ariana.su. The
providers immediately
implemented the order. The next
day, the sites were back up.
The brief blocks are a sign that government would like to
silence dissent amidst its propaganda campaign to raise money
for its Roghun hydroelectric dam project, but is wary of
triggering international criticism.
2. (SBU) Ariana.su is considered an opposition website and
features views critical of the Tajik government. Centrasia.ru
is arguably the most comprehensive open source for information
on Central Asia and features a wide range of news, analysis, and
opinion on the entire region.
3. (SBU) The content and source of the order to block the sites
are unclear. State Internet
company «Tajik Telecom» reported to
the Russian Interfax news agency that they received a letter
from the government listing the websites to be blocked. Reuters
reported that Internet providers received a letter directing
them to block sites that criticize the president or provide
uncensored fora to readers.
Officials at the presidential
administration’s information-analysis center deny that the
government issued any such order.
Internet companies contacted
by Public Affairs staff reported that they received an order to
block the sites «from above», but would not provide further
details. Tajik Telecom reported
to BBC that on the evening of
January 11 «regulatory bodies called us and said the decision to
block the websites had been cancelled.
We did what the
leadership told us to do.»
4. (SBU) Karshibaev, head of the national association of
independent Tajik journalists, «Nansmit», called the website
blockages a violation of human rights and media freedom.
During the website blockage, NANSMIT said it planned to issue a
joint statement with local media NGOs protesting the
government’s move. The two
blocked websites were among five
sites the government blocked in 2006 before the presidential
election (centrasia.ru, arianastorm.com, ferghana.ru,
tajikistantimes.ru, charogiruz.ru).
Of these five, the
government un-blocked the first three after the 2006 elections
when Rahmon was re-elected with minimal opposition. The two
websites that the government never un-blocked,
tajikistantimes.ru and charogiruz.ru, have since ceased
operation.
5. (SBU) COMMENT: The brief
blocking of centrasia.ru and
ariana.su is another sign that the Tajik government is moving
backwards in its respect for media freedom. Amidst its national
propaganda campaign to browbeat the population to buy Roghun
stock and in advance of parliamentary elections, the government
seeks to maintain a monopoly on public debate. In this case, it
is unclear whether media providers took a government order too
far and were pulled back or the government got cold feet when
the story hit the international press so quickly. Post will
continue to monitor website access and report on any future
blocks. END COMMENT
GROSS
=======================CABLE ENDS============================
id: 243355
date: 1/13/2010 9:02
refid: 10DUSHANBE52
origin: Embassy Dushanbe
classification: UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
destination: 10DUSHANBE1443
header:
VZCZCXRO6566
PP RUEHLN RUEHSK RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHDBU #0052/01 0130902
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 130902Z JAN 10
FM AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1128
INFO RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL PRIORITY 0381
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING PRIORITY 0135
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHMFISS/DEPT OF ENERGY WASHINGTON DC
RUEHDBU/AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE 2462
—————— header ends —————-
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 DUSHANBE 000052
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EFIN, PHUM, ENRG, EINV, TI
SUBJECT: DAM IF YOU DO, DAMNED IF YOU DON’T: ROGHUN PRESSURE MOUNTS
REF: DUSHANBE 1443
DUSHANBE 00000052 001.2 OF 004
1. (SBU) SUMMARY: On January 6,
the Tajik government
inaugurated nationwide sales of shares in the Roghun
hydroelectric dam project, using extortion and intimidation to
pressure individuals and organizations to buy stock. As part of
an unprecedented multi-media campaign, all four state television
stations and nearly all Tajik print media reported mass
purchases of Roghun stock as voluntary acts of patriotism. In
fact, however, the government has issued fundraising targets to
public and private employers; to meet these quotas, employers
ordered their staff to make purchases that often far exceed
their monthly salaries or risk being fired. The government has
leaned hardest on state employees, including doctors and
teachers, further corrupting the education system as professors
sell grades to students in exchange for Roghun stock purchases.
But no one is exempt: businesses,
farmers, pensioners,
hospitals, and even orphanages are being shaken down.
International donors are concerned not only that the Roghun
campaign violates ethical rules, but that it endangers
Tajikistan’s macroeconomic stability.
So far, most people
appear to be toeing the line, in part because they agree that it
is important to build Roghun. But
in private many Tajiks are
furious that Tajikistan’s billionaire president is wringing
every last penny out of his dirt-poor citizens. END SUMMARY
IT’S NOT A WONDERFUL LIFE…
2. (SBU) On January 6, shares in the Roghun hydroelectric dam
went on sale across Tajikistan at special «Amonotbonk»
counters.
In a bizarre reversal of the bank
run scene from «It’s a
Wonderful Life,» national television larded the airwaves with
footage of Tajik citizens clambering over each other to give
their money TO the bank. Happy
stock owners recited poems about
Roghun to the cameras as they proudly grasped their stock
certificates. State media
followed up with music video paeans
to the dam, heroic images of Roghun builders, and aerial footage
of a column of trucks en route to the construction site as if
off to war. Images were straight
out of Soviet central casting,
including footage of President Rahmon in deep conversation with
Roghun craftsmen, apparently discussing details about the
masonry. One could almost hear
him exhorting, «Comrades, this
grout must be thicker!» The
media reported many firsts: the
first shares bought in Khatlon Province (by the regional
chairman), the first purchase made in Dushanbe (by the Mayor),
and the first child named after Roghun — Roghunshoh Bobokhonov,
born January 6 in the village of Gulkhona in Sughd Province; the
first girl born in Yovon District was named Sahmiya, or
«Share,»
i.e., of stock.
3. (SBU) Government sources triumphantly announced that, in
Dushanbe alone, citizens bought $92 million in Roghun shares on
the first day of sale. In the
second-largest city, Khujand, the
government announced that $4.7 million in shares were sold. If
the government’s figures are correct, on average every man,
woman, and child in Dushanbe contributed more than $100 on the
first day of sales alone.
Comment: While the government was
able to wring a significant amount of money from the population
on January 6, it is unfathomable that Dushanbe residents ponied
up $92 million out of thin air.
In all likelihood the
government leaned on Tajikistan’s few truly wealthy individuals
to repatriate some of their offshore funds. The government
itself may have engaged in some creative bank transfers to pad
the Roghun pot. End comment.
SHAKEDOWN: STUDENTS BUY GRADES, PROFESSORS
BUY JOB SECURITY
4. (SBU) To impel further Roghun stock sales, officials put the
screws to those most reliant on state institutions (and thus
most vulnerable to state pressure):
government employees,
teachers, doctors, and students.
The media spun contributions
from these institutions as acts of patriotism. Asia-Plus
reported that staff at the Tajik State University of Commerce
bought 200,000 somoni in shares on January 6. In interviews the
new stockholders dutifully hit on the government’s key talking
points: they are not only
contributing to Roghun, they are
proud owners of valuable shares.
Tajik National University
(TNU) is encouraging its staff to contribute directly through
the university rather than buying shares individually so that
TNU receives credit for the totals.
5. (SBU) These sales are nowhere near voluntary, according to
numerous sources. A contact at
TNU said university management
«kindly asked» every professor to buy at least 500 somoni in
shares. Staff had already
«volunteered» to surrender a day’s
salary, which netted a 20,000 somoni contribution in December.
Another contact told us that after donating 500 somoni in
DUSHANBE 00000052 002.2 OF 004
December, his dean asked him to contribute another 500 somoni in
January. When he said he did not
have the money, the dean said
it was no problem; the university could simply deduct it from
the professor’s next paycheck.
The rector of the university,
Mumindzhon Sharifov, announced his own 10,000 somoni purchase of
Roghun shares to set a positive example for his staff.
Management of Tajikistan’s State Medical University directed
employees to make even higher contributions — 2,000 somoni for
professors and 3,000 for heads of department. Many teachers
were told that a refusal to volunteer would result in their
firing.
6. (SBU) Throughout the country, the fundraising scheme followed
a top-down approach. The
government allegedly set targets for
major institutions, such as ministries, universities, and large
companies. University rectors set
targets for deans, who set
targets for teachers, who set targets for students. A Tajik
working for a foreign assistance mission here said the whole
exercise felt like it came out of the Soviet playbook, where
institutions competed with one another to pick the most cotton,
or, in this case, to buy the most Roghun shares. At the bottom
were the students, forced to «volunteer» to buy at least 100
somoni each in shares. Professors
warned students at TNU and
Russian Tajik Slavonic University that if they failed to present
a share certificate bearing their full name, they would not be
allowed to take their course exams.
Students from other
Universities, including Dushanbe Medical University, shared
similar accounts. As an added
incentive, students could present
their stock certificate for better grades. A certificate for
300 somoni in shares reportedly buys a «3» (a passing grade
roughly equivalent to a «C» in the American system), while 400
somoni yields a «4,» or «B.» A student told us her professor
told her not even to bother showing up at the exam; her 500
somoni contribution had already won her a «5.»
PRESSURE SUBTLE AND NOT SO SUBTLE
7. (SBU) While many Tajiks report they have been openly told
they will be fired if they do not contribute, for some the
pressure has been more subtle. A
student who was warned he
would not be allowed to take his exams without contributing 100
somoni showed up for his tests without paying. His professor
allowed him to sit for the exam, but the dean dropped by to
remind him that the head of the university had ordered all
students to purchase shares. When
the student directly asked if
the purchase was compulsory, the dean said «no.» The student
nevertheless expected to hear frequent and unsubtle reminders
that he is required to buy shares.
A professor said she refused
to browbeat her students into paying, but she anticipated
difficulties with her administration.
Another professor at TNU
told us he was more comfortable giving money to Roghun after the
rector signed a memorandum from the university’s academic senate
agreeing to buy back shares if employees needed money for a
wedding, an operation, or other urgent expense. For every such
story, however, there is another one in which people were
unequivocally forced to pay.
DOCTORS AND NURSES ASKED TO TURN AND COUGH UP
8. (SBU) Officials continue to pressure medical professionals
from across the country, already dismally paid, into
contributing to Roghun. In
December, the Dushanbe City Medical
Center deducted three days’ salary from its staff without their
consent. In January, officials
told doctors at the same
institution they must contribute 1,000-1,500 somoni per person
to Roghun within the next year.
The first installment of 500
somoni was due immediately.
Several days later, hospital
management doubled that amount.
The mother of an embassy staff
member, a doctor who earns 220 somoni per month, said unless she
shows her boss a stock certificate in her name for 1,000 somoni,
she has been told she will be fired.
The orders apparently come
directly from the Ministry of Health.
Her sister, an
administrator at the hospital, has been ordered to buy 5,000
somoni in shares. Doctors in
Khujand were told they needed to
purchase 5,000 somoni in shares, and nurses were asked to
contribute 100 somoni.
9. (SBU) On January 8, the Ministry of Health requested that
Tajiks working for NGOs and international partners, including
USAID and UNDP, attend a meeting about Roghun. At the meeting,
officials said the government assigned the Ministry an overall
fundraising target; while it had raised a percentage of this
total from its own workers, it needed funds from medical
contacts outside the Ministry to achieve its goal. Officials
did not order anyone to contribute to the cause, but urged
attendees to help fund the dam in the Ministry’s name.
DUSHANBE 00000052 003.2 OF 004
According to numerous reports from contacts working with
government agencies, this general pattern has been the same
across ministries: unable to
reach their assigned targets by
pressuring their own staff, they are widening their net to
include individuals who work with the ministry. The dragnet has
included staff at foreign embassies, including that of the
United States, who work with colleagues at various ministries.
Our American Corner coordinators have also been repeatedly hit
up by their host institutions and government officials who just
happen to come by the Corner to check out books.
TAJIK DIPLOMATS AND STATE ENTERPRISES ASKED TO GIVE IT UP
10. (U) Tajiks outside of Tajikistan are not exempt. Ministry
of Foreign Affairs employees, including foreign diplomats
abroad, reportedly bought shares worth 589,110 somoni on the
first day of sales. These
purchases came on top of earlier
donations made directly to Roghun’s bank accounts (reftel). The
Tajik Embassy in Beijing spent 47,000 somoni, with the
Ambassador proudly declaring, «The acquisition of Roghun shares
and contribution to the acceleration of its construction is the
duty of every patriotic citizen of our country, no matter where
he lives at the present time.»
11. (U) State-owned enterprises have leapt over themselves to
report contributions to Roghun.
The fact that many of these
companies have only recently been complaining about a shortage
of cash has raised some eyebrows.
The Talco aluminum plant,
Tajikistan’s largest exporter and the alleged source of much of
the President’s personal wealth, says it does not have the money
to repay debts to state electricity provider Barqi Tojik
totaling $30 million. As a
result, Barqi Tojik has fallen
behind on its payments to the Sangtuda-1 hydropower station,
which has cut production, leaving Tajik homes that much darker.
Yet Talco was apparently solvent enough to purchase $5 million
in Roghun shares last week and commit to increasing the total to
$25 million. Talco employees have
so far bought shares worth an
additional $4 million.
PRIVATE SECTOR ALSO PRESSURED
12. (SBU) Private firms and their employees scrambled to
demonstrate their loyalty to the cause.
Many had already made
«pre-emptive» contributions to Roghun before shares went on
sale. An Embassy employee
recounted how his son, who runs a
small private company, contributed 500 somoni directly to the
state bank account, while his employees sent 300 somoni each.
The son and his employees were worried that if they did not make
these contributions the company would run into difficulties with
state officials. Banks across the
country have made
particularly large and public contributions. Chairman of the
Tojiksodirot Bank’s Supervisory Board, Todzhiddin Pirov, bought
shares worth 260,000 somoni out of his personal budget. He said
the bank’s employees would buy shares worth an additional $1
million, and the bank itself would purchase $5 million in funds.
Employees at Agroinvestbonk
reportedly bought shares worth over
2.5 million somoni on January 6.
The bank itself is said to be
preparing a separate contribution.
Other banks were making
similar plans. At markets
administrators reportedly are
collecting set amounts from all suppliers and stallholders.
MEDIA MOSTLY JOINS IN THE BUY ROGHUN REFRAIN
13. (SBU) State and independent media have echoed the
government’s calls to buy Roghun shares, editorializing the need
to make stock purchases and lionizing individuals who made
notable contributions. Only one
publication, the on-line
avesta.tj, criticized the compulsory sales in an article
entitled «There almost wasn’t any rape,» which disputed the
notion that students, teachers, and doctors purchased stocks
voluntarily. The compulsory
purchases, it said, violated the
President’s intentions. The
article did not, however, criticize
the Roghun drive itself. The same
website announced it would
raise money for the Roghun project through its advertising
space. Other journalists have
privately expressed concerns
about the Roghun campaign and post will monitor future coverage
to report any emerging criticism.
INTERNATIONAL REPERCUSSIONS
14. (SBU) International donors are expressing concern that the
Roghun campaign may violate the terms of some of their
assistance. In the wake of the
global financial crisis, donors
have required the government to meet certain minimum
expenditures in the social sector.
They expressed concern that
the Roghun «contributions» taken from teachers, doctors, and
DUSHANBE 00000052 004.2 OF 004
other state employees effectively decrease the state’s
allocation to these sectors — the government is essentially
giving to the social sector with one hand while taking with the
other. There are concerns as well
about the macroeconomic
implications of removing such a large amount of cash from the
population, in particular increasing their vulnerability to
future shocks, including a further drop in remittances from
Russia.
15. (SBU) COMMENT: There is
undeniable public support for
Roghun, especially since Uzbekistan cut energy exports to
Tajikistan, and many Tajiks believe the government’s promise
that building the dam will herald a new age of energy security
and prosperity. But the
government risks killing this goodwill
with its intimidation and extortion of already impoverished
Tajiks. The Roghun campaign
demonstrates yet again that Rahmon
rules Tajikistan as he did the collective farm in Kulob where he
got his start, driving his employees to meet ever higher targets
while pocketing many of the proceeds.
The campaign underlines
the miserable state of the country’s education and medical
systems: doctors and teachers may
be deployed to pick cotton or
directed to extract money from their students, depending on the
government’s needs of the day.
16. (SBU) COMMENT CONTINUED:
Though many Tajiks are coughing up
their last somoni with a sigh and shrug, some are seething with
anger at the government shakedown.
Even supporters of the
campaign wonder whose pockets the money will ultimately line.
The bank in which the proceeds are deposited is controlled by
presidential brother-in-law Hassan Asadullozoda, and the
government has not announced any measures for overseeing how the
funds are used. Rahmon, whom
everyone knows to be a
multi-billionaire through his stake in state-owned enterprises
such as Talco, has not publicly announced any contribution.
Making such an announcement might actually be hazardous for him:
it would be an admission that he
is far richer than he should
be. Similarly, the Mayor of
Dushanbe has trumpeted his share
purchase but refused to say how much he bought. For now, no
political leaders have challenged the government on the Roghun
campaign, and if recent history is any guide — for instance the
response to the brutal winter of 2007-08 never coalesced into
political grievances — none are likely to do so. But as the
government continues to turn Tajiks upside down and shake them
for loose change, the question remains:
How much can Tajiks
take? END COMMENT.
GROSS
=======================CABLE ENDS============================
id: 243392
date: 1/13/2010 13:06
refid: 10DUSHANBE55
origin: Embassy Dushanbe
classification: CONFIDENTIAL
destination: 10DUSHANBE52
header:
VZCZCXRO6815
PP RUEHDBU
DE RUEHDBU #0055/01 0131306
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 131306Z JAN 10
FM AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1135
INFO RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL PRIORITY 0385
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING PRIORITY 0139
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEHDBU/AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE 2469
—————— header ends —————-
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 DUSHANBE 000055
SIPDIS
TREASURY PLEASE PASS LAWRENCE NORTON
E.O. 12958: DECL: 1/13/2020
TAGS: EFIN, PHUM, ENRG, EAID, IMF, TI
SUBJECT: TAKING A STAND AGAINST THE ROGHUN EXTORTION
REF: DUSHANBE 052
CLASSIFIED BY: Kenneth Gross, Ambassador, Exec, DOS.
REASON: 1.4 (b), (d)
CONFIDENTIAL
PROG 01/13/2010
AMB: KGROSS
POLECON: DKRONENFELD
POLECON: MPURL DCM: NQUAST, USAID: JLEHRER
POLECON
AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE
SECSTATE WASHDC
INFO CIS COLLECTIVE
AMEMBASSY KABUL
AMEMBASSY BEIJING
CIA
DIA
E.O. 12958: DECLASSIFY ON 01/14/2020
Classified by Ambassador Ken Gross, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)
1. (C) SUMMARY: International
Monetary Fund (IMF) Resident
Representative Luc Moers (protect) said the government’s
campaign to extort money from the population for the
construction of the Roghun hydroelectric dam appeared to violate
the terms of the IMF’s current assistance to Tajikistan. He
said, however, that his view may be at odds with that of IMF
headquarters in Washington, who appear to be adopting a more
conciliatory tone with the government.
A high-level IMF team
will be here in early February to assess the government’s
progress. This represents an
important opportunity for the
United States and other IMF board members to express their
serious concerns about the government’s behavior and to urge the
IMF to hold the government accountable to its agreements. Post
will work carefully with our diplomatic colleagues to present a
forceful and unitary message to the IMF and to the government of
Tajikistan. END SUMMARY
IMF RESREP SAYS ROGHUN CAMPAIGN MAY VIOLATE LOAN AGREEMENT
2. (C) Econoff met with IMF Resident Representative Luc Moers on
January 13 to discuss the government’s recent campaign to extort
and intimidate the Tajik population into buying shares in the
Roghun hydropower project (reftel).
Emphasizing that he was
speaking personally and not in his capacity as Resident
Representative, Moers said the «fundraising» campaign was not
only morally reprehensible but appeared to violate the
government’s agreement with the IMF under the Poverty Reduction
and Growth Facility (PRGF) signed last year. Under the PRGF,
the IMF has agreed to provide the government of Tajikistan $116
million in preferential loans over three years. The first
tranche of $40 million was disbursed last year; another tranche
of $30 million will be considered in the coming months.
3. (C) Moers said the Roghun drive, in which Tajik citizens from
all walks of life are being forced to buy shares in Roghun,
appeared to break several provisions of the PRGF. First, the
IMF and other donors have required the government to maintain
minimum social sector funding levels — including education,
health, and pensions — as a condition of assistance. Since the
DUSHANBE 00000055 002 OF 002
government is forcing teachers, doctors, and pensioners to buy
shares in Roghun, often well in excess of their monthly
salaries, actual social sector spending is certainly well below
agreed targets.
4. (C) Second, the government of Tajikistan committed to
limiting Roghun funding to $140 million in 2010. (Moers said
the IMF only reluctantly agreed to this level, which it believed
was too high given Tajikistan’s pressing needs in other
sectors.) The Roghun funding
drive has reportedly raised well
over $100 million in its first few days alone. If this amount
is added to the budget, it far exceeds the agreed amount.
Third, additional expenditures on Roghun would violate the
government’s overall commitment to maintaining a particular
budget spending envelope. Fourth,
the government has agreed to
try to maintain certain macroeconomic conditions. The forcible
extraction of massive amounts of cash from the already
impoverished population might have severe consequences on this
condition, including on inflation, exchange rates, and balance
of payments.
IMF HEADQUARTERS HAS SOFTER VIEW
5. (C) Moers said he had carefully briefed his superiors at IMF
headquarters in Washington about the severity of the Roghun
issue, but they appear have a relatively conciliatory attitude
toward the government’s actions.
For one thing, IMF
headquarters is not questioning the morality of the Roghun
campaign, even though Moers said it clearly constitutes a
regressive, ad hoc tax falling disproportionately on the poor.
IMF Washington is focusing on a few narrow macroeconomic
concerns. Even on these issues,
Moers said, they are showing an
early inclination to work with the government. In particular,
they say if the government could demonstrate the money it is
collecting for Roghun would be kept in savings until next year,
they would not have violated their spending envelope
restrictions. Provided they have
met other macroeconomic
benchmarks for 2009, the PRGF funding could continue.
6. (C) COMMENT: The upcoming
visit of the IMF team represents
an important opportunity to pressure the government to alter its
destructive Roghun strategy. In
addition to the socio-economic
and macro-economic issues raised by the Roghun campaign, it is
also a step backwards in budget transparency. The government is
collecting non-tax revenue in a separate off-budget account with
virtually no accountability. The
government cares about the
PRGF, and even little hiccups — such the U.S. «no» vote on
the
package last year — get its attention.
To stiffen the IMF’s
spine, however, the international community, and particularly
IMF board members, will have to be vocal, insistent, and unified
in voicing their concerns here, in their capitals, and in
Washington. We believe we are
pushing on an open door: in
informal discussions our European counterparts have been as
aghast as we are at the Roghun campaign.
The question is
whether their capitals will pay heed.
END COMMENT
GROSS
=======================CABLE ENDS============================
id: 243579
date: 1/14/2010 11:18
refid: 10DUSHANBE67
origin: Embassy Dushanbe
classification: CONFIDENTIAL
destination: 10DUSHANBE52
header:
VZCZCXRO7836
PP RUEHDBU
DE RUEHDBU #0067/01 0141118
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 141118Z JAN 10
FM AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1138
INFO RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL PRIORITY 0387
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING PRIORITY 0141
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEHDBU/AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE 2492
—————— header ends —————-
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 DUSHANBE 000067
SIPDIS
TREASURY PLEASE PASS LAWRENCE NORTON
E.O. 12958: DECL: 1/14/2020
TAGS: EFIN, PHUM, ENRG, EAID, IMF, TI
SUBJECT: TAKING A STAND AGAINST THE ROGHUN EXTORTION (*** CORRECTED
COPY ***)
REF: DUSHANBE 052
CLASSIFIED BY: Kenneth Gross, Ambassador, Exec, DOS.
REASON: 1.4 (b), (d)
*** CORRECTED COPY ***
1. (C) SUMMARY: International
Monetary Fund (IMF) Resident
Representative Luc Moers (protect) said the government’s
campaign to extort money from the population for the
construction of the Roghun hydroelectric dam appeared to violate
the terms of the IMF’s current assistance to Tajikistan. He
said, however, that his view may be at odds with that of IMF
headquarters in Washington, who appear to be adopting a more
conciliatory tone with the government.
A high-level IMF team
will be here in early February to assess the government’s
progress. This represents an
important opportunity for the
United States and other IMF board members to express their
serious concerns about the government’s behavior and to urge the
IMF to hold the government accountable to its agreements. Post
will work carefully with our diplomatic colleagues to present a
forceful and unitary message to the IMF and to the government of
Tajikistan. END SUMMARY
IMF RESREP SAYS ROGHUN CAMPAIGN MAY VIOLATE LOAN AGREEMENT
2. (C) Econoff met with IMF Resident Representative Luc Moers on
January 13 to discuss the government’s recent campaign to extort
and intimidate the Tajik population into buying shares in the
Roghun hydropower project (reftel).
Emphasizing that he was
speaking personally and not in his capacity as Resident
Representative, Moers said the «fundraising» campaign was not
only morally reprehensible but appeared to violate the
government’s agreement with the IMF under the Poverty Reduction
and Growth Facility (PRGF) signed last year. Under the PRGF,
the IMF has agreed to provide the government of Tajikistan $116
million in preferential loans over three years. The first
tranche of $40 million was disbursed last year; another tranche
of $30 million will be considered in the coming months.
3. (C) Moers said the Roghun drive, in which Tajik citizens from
all walks of life are being forced to buy shares in Roghun,
appeared to break several provisions of the PRGF. First, the
IMF and other donors have required the government to maintain
minimum social sector funding levels — including education,
health, and pensions — as a condition of assistance. Since the
government is forcing teachers, doctors, and pensioners to buy
shares in Roghun, often well in excess of their monthly
salaries, actual social sector spending is certainly well below
agreed targets.
4. (C) Second, the government of Tajikistan committed to
limiting Roghun funding to $140 million in 2010. (Moers said
the IMF only reluctantly agreed to this level, which it believed
was too high given Tajikistan’s pressing needs in other
sectors.) The Roghun funding
drive has reportedly raised well
over $100 million in its first few days alone. If this amount
is added to the budget, it far exceeds the agreed amount.
Third, additional expenditures on Roghun would violate the
government’s overall commitment to maintaining a particular
budget spending envelope. Fourth,
the government has agreed to
try to maintain certain macroeconomic conditions. The forcible
extraction of massive amounts of cash from the already
impoverished population might have severe consequences on this
condition, including on inflation, exchange rates, and balance
of payments.
IMF HEADQUARTERS HAS SOFTER VIEW
5. (C) Moers said he had carefully briefed his superiors at IMF
headquarters in Washington about the severity of the Roghun
issue, but they appear have a relatively conciliatory attitude
toward the government’s actions.
For one thing, IMF
headquarters is not questioning the morality of the Roghun
campaign, even though Moers said it clearly constitutes a
DUSHANBE 00000067 002 OF 002
regressive, ad hoc tax falling disproportionately on the poor.
IMF Washington is focusing on a few narrow macroeconomic
concerns. Even on these issues,
Moers said, they are showing an
early inclination to work with the government. In particular,
they say if the government could demonstrate the money it is
collecting for Roghun would be kept in savings until next year,
they would not have violated their spending envelope
restrictions. Provided they have
met other macroeconomic
benchmarks for 2009, the PRGF funding could continue.
6. (C) COMMENT: The upcoming
visit of the IMF team represents
an important opportunity to pressure the government to alter its
destructive Roghun strategy. In
addition to the socio-economic
and macro-economic issues raised by the Roghun campaign, it is
also a step backwards in budget transparency. The government is
collecting non-tax revenue in a separate off-budget account with
virtually no accountability. The
government cares about the
PRGF, and even little hiccups — such the U.S. «no» vote on
the
package last year — get its attention.
To stiffen the IMF’s
spine, however, the international community, and particularly
IMF board members, will have to be vocal, insistent, and unified
in voicing their concerns here, in their capitals, and in
Washington. We believe we are
pushing on an open door: in
informal discussions our European counterparts have been as
aghast as we are at the Roghun campaign.
The question is
whether their capitals will pay heed.
END COMMENT
GROSS
=======================CABLE ENDS============================
id: 243792
date: 1/15/2010 11:18
refid: 10DUSHANBE82
origin: Embassy Dushanbe
classification: CONFIDENTIAL
destination:
header:
VZCZCXRO8937
RR RUEHDBU
DE RUEHDBU #0082/01 0151118
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 151118Z JAN 10
FM AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1144
INFO RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL 0389
RUEHDBU/AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE 2523
—————— header ends —————-
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 DUSHANBE 000082
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 1/15/2020
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, PHUM, TI
SUBJECT: MAYOR MEETS AMBASSADOR, CONFIRMS EXTRATERRESTRIAL LIFE
CLASSIFIED BY: Ken Gross, Ambassador, EXEC, DoS.
REASON: 1.4 (b), (d)
1. (C) Summary: In a
platitude-ridden meeting, Dushanbe Mayor
Mahmadsaid Ubaidulloev said upcoming elections would be free and
fair, that contributions to the Roghun Dam were voluntary, and
that the losses suffered by the United States in Afghanistan
were felt by Tajiks as their own.
Ubaidulloev asked for help in
getting Tajik students admitted to Harvard University, but
effectively declined to help find a new location for an American
Corner in Dushanbe. He asserted
the existence of life on other
planets, caveating this by noting that we should focus on
solving our problems on Earth.
End Summary.
AFGHANISTAN
2. (SBU) On January 13 Ambassador called on Dushanbe Mayor and
Chairman of the upper house of Parliament Mahmadsaid Ubaidulloev
at his parliamentary office. The
Mayor began the meeting with a
lengthy discourse on Afghanistan, thanking the United States for
its contributions and sacrifices there, and saying that U.S.
activities there were very important «as we enter the third
millennium and the 21st century.»
Ubaidulloev thought the main
task there was to build a sense of national identity among
ethnically disparate groups, and said the United States was an
example for this. He noted that
«war is very dangerous», and
said «we know there is life on other planets, but we must make
peace here first.»
ELECTION RESULTS ARE LIKE EARTHQUAKE IN HAITI — UNPREDICTABLE
3. (SBU) Ambassador asked for the Mayor’s prediction on the
results in the upcoming election.
Ubaidulloev said predicting
the results was as hard as «predicting the earthquake in
Haiti.»
He assured Ambassador that the
elections would be free,
transparent, and fair, noting that President Rahmon had insisted
on this at the last PDPT congress.
He commented that political
parties in Tajikistan were not proactive enough in contesting
elections, but «thanks God we have independent media» which
gave
all parties and candidates public exposure.
THE OTHER CAMPAIGN — ROGHUN
4. (SBU) Ubaidulloev said despite the low salaries of most
Tajiks, they supported Roghun’s construction, as they had
suffered from the lack of electricity.
He claimed the health,
education, and cultural sectors did not contribute to Roghun,
and all other contributions were voluntary. Ubaidulloev said
wealthy businessmen were eager to buy shares of Roghun as it was
a profitable investment.
CYBERCAFE, AMERICAN CORNER, AND EDUCATION
5. (SBU) Ambassador told the Mayor that the Dushanbe cybercafe,
built by the city of Boulder, Colorado, as part of its
sister-city relationship, still did not have water or power
except for a few solar panels.
These power some of the Internet
computers, but were inadequate for the cafe’s full operation.
He asked the Mayor to help get water and power connected to the
cafe. Ubaidulloev averred that he
was hearing of this problem
for the first time and said it would be no problem to connect
power and water. (Note: the Cybercafe supervisor has raised
these problems with the Mayor’s office several times.)
6. (SBU) Ambassador then asked for Ubaidulloev’s help to find a
location for a second American Corner in Dushanbe. The Mayor
quickly suggested that the cybercafe would be the ideal location
for the American Corner since it was in a densely populated area
of the city.
7. (SBU) Ubaidulloev said the parliament had declared 2010 the
Year of Education. He raised his
interest in seeing Tajik
students attend U.S. universities, repeatedly mentioning Harvard
DUSHANBE 00000082 002 OF 002
University as an example. The
Tajik government and the
administration of Dushanbe were ready to fund studies at
Harvard, but needed the embassy’s guidance on what training
courses and level of English were required. Ambassador offered
to put Ubaidulloev’s staff in contact with Embassy Public
Affairs staff to explore this issue.
8. (C) Comment: The Mayor has for
long been a difficult,
unpredictable, and sometimes hostile interlocutor. In deference
to the Ambassador’s language preference, Ubaidulloev spoke for
the most part in Tajik, though he readily admitted that he would
make many mistakes. His
monologues confirmed this, and
understanding him in Tajik was made doubly difficult by some of
his nonsensical statements.
Embassy staff have heard that the
Mayor opposes unfettered public Internet access and has told
city businesses and government agencies not to rent space for an
American Corner if it involved Internet facilities. His quick
suggestion that we colocate the American Corner in the cybercafe
was unhelpful and in accord with our longstanding impressions of
him. However, what we found most
striking in this meeting was
his strict adherence to obvious, and tired, lies about free
elections, voluntary contributions to Roghun, and free media. A
right painful 90 minutes. End
Comment.
GROSS
=======================CABLE ENDS============================
id: 244317
date: 1/20/2010 8:32
refid: 10DUSHANBE93
origin: Embassy Dushanbe
classification: UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
destination: 10STATE1923
header:
VZCZCXRO2668
RR RUEHLN RUEHSK RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHDBU #0093 0200832
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 200832Z JAN 10
FM AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1150
INFO RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RUEHDBU/AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE 2541
—————— header ends —————-
UNCLAS DUSHANBE 000093
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
STATE FOR EEB/IFD/OMA B SAUNDERS AND SCA A SABAR
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: AID, EAID, ECON, EFIN, PREL, TI
SUBJECT: BUDGET TRANSPARENCY IN TAJIKISTAN
REF: STATE 1923
1. (U) Following are post’s responses to reftel regarding
transparency of the government of Tajikistan’s central budget.
— Is the central government expected to receive funding under
the FY 2010 SFOAA?
2. (SBU) Yes. The U.S. government
is expected to provide
assistance to the central government of Tajikistan from several
sources: FMF and IMET
(administered by the Embassy Dushanbe’s
Office of Defense Cooperation), NADR-EXBS (administered by the
Embassy’s Export Control and Related Border Security Program),
and NADR-ATA (administered by Diplomatic Security). In
addition, some AEECA funding INL and USAID is intended to
support the central government.
— Is the host country’s annual national budget publicly
available?
3. (SBU) Yes, but not in detail.
The Russian version of the
publicly available 2010 budget is 13 pages and only includes
revenue and expenditures at the highest level of aggregation.
Only fourteen broad expenditure categories are listed, including
«government operations,» «agriculture, land use, and
water,» and
«mining, mineral processing, and construction.» The final two
categories are «other services and sectors» and «other
expenditures.» On the income
side, just three sources are
itemized: taxes, non-tax
proceeds, and grants for budget
support (i.e., from international organizations). Much of the
budget is occupied by tables prescribing how funds are to be
allocated regionally.
— Are incomes and expenditures included in the
publicly-available budget?
4. (SBU) Given the small size and generality of the published
budget, a great deal about government operations remains
unknown. This not only includes
information about government
spending at levels more specific than the very broad categories
mentioned above, but also the budgets of a host of other
government institutions. For
example, the budgets of major
state-owned companies, such as the Talco aluminum company, which
is allegedly the government’s biggest revenue earner, and the
national electricity grid operator, are not publicly available.
5. (SBU) In addition, there is also substantial reason to
believe that much of the government’s operations are entirely
off-budget, and operate in a gray area governed by corruption
and opaque rules. For example,
the recently completed
presidential palace was alleged to have cost $300 million, but
there is no accounting for it in the budget. (The government
claims the palace cost only $80 million.
Even that amount is
not in the budget, however.)
Likewise, there is reason to
believe that revenue from Talco and other state enterprises ends
up in the pockets of the ruling elite, a proposition that is
difficult to confirm because the finances of these state
institutions are not available.
— What is post’s assessment of the extent to which the
publicly-available budget accurately reflects actual government
incomes and expenditures?
6. (SBU) The publicly-available budget may reflect some aspects
of government operations at the highest levels of aggregation,
but, in light of the concerns noted above, there are clearly
very broad areas that remain opaque.
— Have there been any events since the 2009 review that may
have affected fiscal transparency (e.g., a coup)?
7. (U) See paragraph 8.
— Since last year’s review, what efforts has the host
government undertaken to improve fiscal transparency? What
progress has been made, pursuant to the 2009 demarches on the
subject?
8. (SBU) Until recently the government appeared to be on a path
toward more fiscal transparency.
Several efforts were underway
to provide more detailed information on spending, for example.
So far, however, we have seen no results. Things may in fact be
getting worse. A recent
government campaign to coerce Tajik
citizens into buying shares in the Roghun hydroelectric project
raises even more concerns about budget transparency (to say
nothing of human rights), since there has been very little
mention of how these funds will be kept, spent, and accounted
for.
GROSS
=======================CABLE ENDS============================
id: 244337
date: 1/20/2010 9:25
refid: 10DUSHANBE95
origin: Embassy Dushanbe
classification: SECRET
destination: 09DUSHANBE1016|09DUSHANBE714|09DUSHANBE845
header:
VZCZCXRO2715
RR RUEHDBU
DE RUEHDBU #0095/01 0200925
ZNY SSSSS ZZH
R 200925Z JAN 10
FM AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1152
INFO RHMFISS/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL
RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL 0391
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 0143
RUEHDBU/AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE 2543
—————— header ends —————-
S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 03 DUSHANBE 000095
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 1/20/2020
TAGS: PGOV, PHUM, ECON, PINR, TI
SUBJECT: TAVILDARA — THE MOST STABLE PLACE ON EARTH?
REF: A) 09 DUSHANBE 845; B) 09 DUSHANBE 714; C) 09 DUSHANBE 1016
CLASSIFIED BY: Ken Gross, Ambassador, EXEC, DoS.
REASON: 1.4 (b), (d)
1. (C) SUMMARY: During a visit to
the Tavildara District, scene
of fighting between government forces and militants from
May-July 2009, contacts described the area as stable and
identified the absence of international development groups and
lack of jobs, rather than security concerns, as the main
problems facing the area.
Officials claimed all fighters
involved in May-July fighting in remote mountain areas were
either «liquidated» or in go
