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


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