AMB ORDWAY MEETS DFM SHAKIROV: BWC COMING SOON,

UNCLAS ALMATY 000255

SIPDIS


DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/CACEN JMUDGE, MOMARA; NP/PTR EVAZQUEZ,
ROLIVER, LSCHMIDT-WILLIAMS
DEFENSE FOR USDP/CTR JELLIOTT, JREID

SENSITIVE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL KZ WMD POLITICAL
SUBJECT: AMB ORDWAY MEETS DFM SHAKIROV: BWC COMING SOON,
WMDIE-K PPI APPEARS STALLED



1. (SBU) Summary/Background: Ambassador Ordway met with
Deputy Foreign Minister Askar Shakirov January 19 in Astana.
The meeting focused primarily on nonproliferation issues.
Shakirov indicated that the GOK is not yet ready to sign the
WMDIE-K PPI agreement. However, Shakirov did provide clear
reassurance on the GOK's commitment to continue the mission
in Iraq despite the recent casualties suffered by the
KazBat. He also indicated that the GOK is moving forward
with ratification of the Biological Weapons Convention, a
process he expects to be completed within the next few
months.


2. (U) Shakirov, 48, was appointed one of five Deputy
Foreign Ministers in August 2004 after a six-year posting as
Ambassador to India. His portfolio, most of which was
previously handled by former first deputy minister and
current Ambassador to Switzerland Abuseitov, includes
nonproliferation, multilateral cooperation, international
organizations, multilateral conferences such as CICA and the
Shanghai Cooperation Organization, anti-terrorism and export
controls. End Summary/Background.

Strong Support on Iraq; Progress Imminent on BWC
-------------- ---


3. (SBU) At his first meeting with Ambassador Ordway,
Shakirov made a point of underlining Kazakhstan's
determination to see the Iraq mission through to completion.
He said unequivocally that, despite the recent casualty in
the KazBat battalion, Kazakhstan would be with the coalition
"to the end." He also took the opportunity to talk up
Kazakhstan's partnership in the global coalition against
terrorism, citing the success of GOK security forces in
October 2004 in uncovering Al Qaeda- and IMU-linked
organizations and the upcoming UN Counterterrorism Committee
meeting on counterterrorism to be held in Almaty January 26-

28. (Note: In a January 24 meeting, the chairman of the
Parliament's International Affairs committee told the
Ambassador that in a closed session the 15-member committee
had unanimously agreed to support continuation of KazBat's
presence in Iraq. End Note)


4. (SBU) Shakirov also mentioned that the Ministry of
Education and Science is working on draft legislation that
would complete Kazakhstan's accession to the Biological
Weapons Convention. Although the legislation needs
interagency approval and a parliamentary vote, Shakirov
estimated that it would be a matter of months rather than a
year for all the procedures to be finished. He cited the G8
Global Partnership as an impetus for the GOK's drive to
formally join BWC, and noted that the GOK had submitted
several worthy projects for Global Partnership
consideration. The Ambassador confirmed that joining BWC
would certainly help the GOK gain support from other G8
governments in its bid for Partnership recipient status.

WMDIE-K Bio and PPI
--------------


5. (SBU) Shakirov and the Ambassador discussed two current
issues in the WMDIE-K area: next steps after the signing of
the biological program amendment, and the potential PPI
amendment. Shakirov repeated what Post has been told by MFA
about GOK intentions for the biological program annual work
plan, i.e. that they are devising an interagency plan which
they intend to offer alongside the U.S. plan at a meeting in
the near future. Shakirov did not indicate which dates the
GOK favors for the next meeting.


6. (SBU) With regard to the proposed PPI amendment, Shakirov
said that the question was under interagency review and was
not likely to be resolved "as quickly as the last one"
(presumably WMDIE-K bio). The Ambassador explained the
precarious situation with respect to PPI funding, but
Shakirov's response suggested that the GOK was in no hurry
to sign the amendment. (Note: This statement conflicts
with previous assurances to the Embassy that the amendment
had been given to the Ministry of Energy and Mineral
Resources (MEMR) to be prepared for Minister Shkolnik's
signature with no recommended changes in early November

2004. In a subsequent phone call to EBO, one of Shakirov's


staffers indicated that the DFM had asked him after the
meeting to check on the status of the PPI agreement; post is
awaiting clarification of whether Shakirov's comments may
have been off the mark.)


7. (U) Minimize for Dushanbe considered.

Ordway


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