SUBJECT: KAZAKHSTAN: UZBEK EMBASSY CIRCULATES

UNCLAS ALMATY 002595 SIPDIS SENSITIVE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KZ PREL MARR POLITICAL SUBJECT: SUBJECT: KAZAKHSTAN: UZBEK EMBASSY CIRCULATES PRESS RELEASE ON GOU POSITION ON U.S. BASE IN UZBEKISTAN 1.(U) In the wake of the July 5 Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Declaration calling for a timeline for U.S. departure from bases in Uzbekistan and the Kyrgyz Republic, the Uzbek Embassy circulated an MFA press release to the Kazakhstan MFA, the diplomatic community, and international organizations in Kazakhstan on July 7 to clarify the GOU's position on the U.S. base in Uzbekistan. ¶2. (SBU) The Uzbek press release, issued in English, first explains the GOU perspective on why the GOU allowed the USG to establish a base on October 7, 2001. The primary reason, according to the GOU, was because the Taliban in Afghanistan directly threatened Uzbekistan,s security, stability, and territorial integrity, and Uzbekistan wanted to contribute to the coalition to fight terrorism in Afghanistan. The press release then goes on to point out that permission to use the base was only intended for operations against Afghanistan and nothing else. The release concludes by piquantly underscoring that the USG has not sufficiently paid the GOU for its help: &(T)he U.S. practically has not made any payments to cover the extra costs made in fact by the Uzbek side to ensure the Khanabad, airfield security, establish and exploit the needed infrastructure, and nor has (it) compensated the environmental damage and discomfort for the local population.8 Furthermore, the GOU claims the USG has never paid for aircraft take-offs and landings on Uzbek territory and asserts that these issues must be the basis of further discussions on the future of the U.S. armed forces at Karshi-Khanabad. ¶3. (SBU) Comment: This is the most forceful public commentary coming from the Government of Uzbekistan that we have seen from this vantage point. It is not clear whether this press release was issued only in Kazakhstan or distributed more broadly. End Comment. ORDWAY NNNN