Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
05ALMATY1860
2005-05-16 08:34:00
UNCLASSIFIED
US Office Almaty
Cable title:  

EXBS: KAZAKHSTAN ADVISOR MONTHLY REPORTING CABLE

Tags:  ETTC MNUC PARM PREL KSTC KNNP KZ EXBS 
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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
UNCLAS ALMATY 001860 

SIPDIS


DEPT FOR NP/ECC PVANSON, ACHURCH, JGABRYSZEWSKI
CBP/INA FOR PWARKER AND CDONOFRIO
USDOE/NNSA FOR TPERRY
DEPT FOR EUR/ACE DMARTIN
DOC FOR PETERSON-BEARD
AMEMBASSY BERLIN FOR CUSTOMS ATTACHE
AMEMBASSY TASHKENT, BISHKEK, BAKU, DUSHANBE FOR EXBS
ADVISORS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ETTC MNUC PARM PREL KSTC KNNP KZ EXBS
SUBJECT: EXBS: KAZAKHSTAN ADVISOR MONTHLY REPORTING CABLE
(APRIL 2005)


I. BROAD ITEMS OF INTEREST TO ADVISORS AND AGENCY MANAGERS:

UNCLAS ALMATY 001860

SIPDIS


DEPT FOR NP/ECC PVANSON, ACHURCH, JGABRYSZEWSKI
CBP/INA FOR PWARKER AND CDONOFRIO
USDOE/NNSA FOR TPERRY
DEPT FOR EUR/ACE DMARTIN
DOC FOR PETERSON-BEARD
AMEMBASSY BERLIN FOR CUSTOMS ATTACHE
AMEMBASSY TASHKENT, BISHKEK, BAKU, DUSHANBE FOR EXBS
ADVISORS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ETTC MNUC PARM PREL KSTC KNNP KZ EXBS
SUBJECT: EXBS: KAZAKHSTAN ADVISOR MONTHLY REPORTING CABLE
(APRIL 2005)


I. BROAD ITEMS OF INTEREST TO ADVISORS AND AGENCY MANAGERS:


1. None.

II. COMPLETED ACTIONS FOR THE REPORTING PERIOD


A. SITE ASSESSMENTS AND MEETINGS CONDUCTED


1. Although no formal site assessments were conducted this
month, a trip to the Kordai post on the Kyrgyz-Kazakh
border was undertaken on April 22 in support of the
University of Georgia, Center for International Trade and
Security team's visit. Two members of the assessment team
and the EXBS advisor were given a tour of the Kordai's
inspection area and visited the customs office in which
documents and payments are processed.


2. On April 4, the EXBS advisor attended a meeting with
Yash Holbrook of EURCOM's Caspian Guard Initiative (CGI).
Also present at the meeting were representatives from the
embassy's International Narcotics and Law Enforcement
Office and the Security Assistance Office. CGI is a joint
EUCOM/CENTCOM effort to create an informal coordinating
mechanism for US government security cooperation efforts in
the Caspian Basin and at present focuses on Kazakhstan and
Azerbaijan. CGI has begun publishing monthly updates and
liaises with NP/ECC to obtain official input and comments.


3. Fred Fetty, EXBS Advisor to Uzbekistan and former EXBS
Advisor to Kazakhstan, met with EXBS Advisor Offenbacher on
April 5-7 to help the latter better understand the history,
current state of and future options for the EXBS program in
Kazakhstan.


4. On April 5, Offenbacher, Fetty and Gulnara Abildaeva,
EXBS Program Manager flew to Astana to meet with
representatives from the Customs Control Committee, the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Border Guard.

On April 6, Offenbacher, Fetty and Abildaeva met with
Customs Control Committee officials Mr. Alikhan Mambetalin,
First Deputy Chairman, Daniyar Kerimbekov, Head of
International Relations Department, and Ms. Zhannat

Shalabayeva, Senior Specialist of the International
Relations Division to discuss custom's training and
equipment requirements. Mr. Kerimbekov provided EXBS with
a list of desired equipment and said he would follow up
with a prioritized official list.

Offenbacher, Fetty and Abildaeva attended a roundtable
meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on April 7. The
Ministry of Foreign Affairs was represented by Mr. Dastan
Eleukenov, Deputy Director of the Multilateral Cooperation
Division, Mr. Sergei Savelev, Head of the International
Security Division, and Serik Zhumabaev, also with the
Multilateral Cooperation Division. Mr. Abylay Nurakhmetov,
Deputy Head of the Border Cooperation Department,
represented the Border Guard Service. Customs Control
Committee representatives Mr. Yergali Shiganbayev, Deputy
Head of the Customs Control Organizing Department and
Mr. Kerimbekov also attended the meeting. The purpose of
the meeting was to introduce new EXBS Advisor Offenbacher
to his counterparts in the Government of Kazakhstan and
learn more about Kazakhstan's training program and
equipment needs.


5. On April 14, EXBS Advisor Offenbacher and EXBS Program
Manager Abildaeva met with Mr. Mukhtar Makulbayev, Head of
the Organizational Division of the Almaty Customs Control
Office. Also present at the meeting were Mr. Serik
Sarsenov and Ms. Amina Askarova, Deputy Heads of the said
office, as well as Mr. Ermek Smagulov of the Customs
Control Committee headquarters in Astana. The goal of the


meeting was to shed light on the reasons for past equipment
delivery delays and learn how to avoid them in the future.
The customs representatives were helpful and patiently
explained customs clearance procedures for US technical
assistance shipments, including advice on how to facilitate
the planned August 2005 delivery of three SafeBoats to the
Marine Division of the Border Guard. The EXBS advisor and
program manager were encouraged to contact the office when
questions arise.


6. During the week of April 18, Michael Beck, Dmitry
Nikonov and Michael Jasinski of the University of Georgia's
Center for International Trade and Security (CITS)
conducted an assessment of Kazakhstan's export control
system. The three CITS export control experts met with
government officials, NGO representatives, and industry
contacts in Astana and Almaty. The EXBS advisor
accompanied the group to their meetings in Almaty on April
18 and 19. The CITS group expressed the opinion that their
meetings were productive and the information they received
would be useful for their assessment.


7. On April 27, the EXBS advisor attended a meeting the
Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) held with
representatives of the Atomic Energy Committee of
Kazakhstan and the non-governmental Nuclear Technology
Safety Center. The DTRA team was headed by International
Conterproliferation Program (ICP) Policy Analyst Kathryn
Ducceschi. The purpose of the meeting was to determine the
types of radiation detection equipment needed by Kazakhstan
to establish an effective radiological investigative
response capability.

During the meeting, EXBS Advisor Offenbacher spoke with Ms.
Ducceschi and was told about DTRA ICP's planned activities
in Kazakhstan, including the upcoming Radiation Detection
and Response course to be held in September. Offenbacher
also inquired about what to do with 96 evidence kits given
to the EXBS by DTRA in early 2003. It was decided that the
kits will be distributed to Kazakhstani agencies, primarily
the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Customs.


B. TRAINING DURING THE REPORTING PERIOD


1. April 7-8 - Three export control specialists from the
U.S. Department of Commerce / Bureau of Industry and
Trade's Office of International Programs conducted a
development conference for a Product Identification Tool
(PIT) in Astana. The two-day event initiated the PIT
software development project and was attended by
representatives from the Ministry of Industry and Trade and
the Customs Control Committee of Kazakhstan.

The level of interest in the PIT program was high and many
questions were posed during the conference. An official
response from the Customs Control Committee was received in
early May in which the Committee states that it considers
the PIT program to be useful and necessary for its work.


2. April 11-14 - Commonwealth Training Partners conducted a
Targeting and Risk Management workshop at the Dostyk Hotel
in Almaty. The workshop was attended by twenty-three
officials and aimed to improve the ability of customs
officers to identify high-risk shipments.

The workshop was well received and provided a large amount
of information to Kazakhstani customs employees on how to
deal with the threat of WMD and dual-use material
proliferation. The EXBS advisor spoke with several
participants to solicit their opinions of the training and
received unequivocally positive responses. A desire was
expressed to incorporate more practical exercises in future
trainings, perhaps even conducting the training at


international customs ports in the regions.


C. EQUIPMENT DELIVERED DURING THE REPORTING PERIOD.


1. April 18-22 - EXBS Program Manager Gulnara Abildaeva
traveled to Aktau to hand over $300,000 in parts and
equipment for the SeaArk boat to the Marine Division of the
Kazakhstani Border Guard. Border Guard Marine Division
Commander Kenjemergen Abikeyev was somewhat disappointed
after reviewing the spare parts and discovering that there
was no diesel generator included in the shipment. He
emphasized that it is very important to receive a new
generator for the nine-year-old SeaArk boat. Commander
Abikeyev also expressed a desire for the parts to be
installed by qualified technicians.

Ms. Abildaev traveled to Bautino from Aktau to conduct an
inventory of EXBS equipment and determine mooring points
for the three EXBS-funded SafeBoats scheduled to be
delivered in September. Commander Abikeyev pointed out
that in order to properly maintain the three SafeBoats it
will be necessary to install lifts and a construct a boat
repair facility in Bautino.


D. IMMINENT TRAINING OR EQUIPMENT STATUS UPDATE.


1. May 17-18 - The Department of Energy/National Nuclear
Security Administration's (DOE/NNSA) International
Nonproliferation Export Control Program (INECP) will
conduct a seminar on export controls and internal
compliance at the Stepnogorsk Mining-Chemical Combine.


2. May 23-27 - DOE/NNSA/INECP will hold an instructors
training workshop in Almaty for technical experts involved
in the development of Commodity Identification Training.


3. In May, EXBS Kazakhstan will receive two shipments for
DOE/NNSA's Office of International Radiological Threat
Reduction. One is for the Cooperative Radiological
Instrument Transfer (CRITr) project and the other is for
the Search and Secure program.


E. SIGNIFICANT DEVELOPMENTS IN EXPORT CONTROLS,
NONPROLIFERATION, OR RELATED BORDER SECURITY.


1. None.

III. RED FLAG ISSUES.


1. None.

ORDWAY


NNNN