FY05 TV CO-OP PROPOSALS FOR KAZAKHSTAN

UNCLAS ALMATY 000422

SIPDIS


FOR PA/OBS/BS GEORGE SANTULLI, EUR/PPD JARRETT BASEDOW

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KPAO OPRC OIIP KZ
SUBJECT: FY05 TV CO-OP PROPOSALS FOR KAZAKHSTAN

Ref: 04 State 270161


1. U.S. Embassy-Almaty offers the following TV co-
operative projects for FY05, in descending order of
priority. Post plans to cover international airfare costs
not covered by the stations and will arrange pre-departure
briefings for selected TV crews.

2a. "Muslims in the United States." The "Mir" TV Company
with broadcast affiliates in the former Soviet republics
now part of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)
would like to participate in a program focusing on how
Muslims live in the United States. Although this topic has
been around a couple years, it still has an audience among
the majority Muslim populations in Kazakhstan and other
regions of the CIS. In Kazakhstan one of the most popular
publications distributed among contacts is the Kazakh
language version of the IIP publication, "Muslim Life In
America."

2b. The target audience does not have access to the kind
of on-the-scene reporting Mir TV could provide from a visit
to the U.S. Other TV co-ops on the same topic have shown
that, by allowing Muslims to speak candidly about their
lives, the program will demonstrate both freedom of speech,
and freedom of religion. "Mir" TV plans to prepare two
films - one in Russian and one in Kazakh, 20 minutes each -
about Muslim Americans, to be broadcast in prime time.
They would like to cover the history of Islam in America,
how the faithful practice their religion, interethnic
relations, the attitude of the U.S. Government to mosques,
and interview prominent Muslim-Americans. (They have
expressed interest in interviewing Muhammed Ali.) "Mir"
will cover the cost of one round-trip ticket for the
correspondent and post will pay for two other roundtrip
tickets, one for the cameraman, another for an interpreter.

3a. "Prevention of Drug Addiction and Rehabilitation of
Drug Addicts in the U.S." Drug addiction is a serious
problem in Kazakhstan, affecting at least 50,000, according
to official statistics, and as many as 340,000 by
unofficial estimates. Most addicts live in Almaty, a city
of over one million, and other large cities. One of the
most alarming aspects of the problem is that intravenous
drug users are the leading cause of the spread of HIV/AIDS
in the country.

3b. For several years Almaty's municipal independent
station, "Yuzhnaya Stolitsa," has been covering the issues
of drug interdiction in a special weekly program, "Znak
Bedy" (Mark of Misfortune). Recently the program was
recognized by the UNDP as providing the best coverage among
the national mass media outlets of the problem of drug
addiction in spreading HIV/AIDS in Kazakhstan.

3c. "Yuzhnaya Stolitsa" proposes five twenty-minute
programs covering U.S. programs of prevention and
rehabilitation, to be broadcast in prime time. Topics will
include the U.S. national strategy for drug interdiction,
the work of federal, state and local law enforcement
agencies, laws about drug trafficking and possession, and
the role of the courts in sentencing those convicted.
Meetings at think tanks to discuss innovative deterrence
methods and visits to rehabilitation centers to observe
treatment programs would also be important parts of the
documentary series. "Yuzhnaya Stolitsa" will cover the
cost of one ticket, post will pay for two more.

4a "Migration and Border Control in the United States."
The independent "Era TV," a regional broadcaster based in
the capital Astana, proposes six 15-minute weekly programs
focused on immigration and border control issues and
structured as a comparison of immigration problems in the
United States and Kazakhstan. Each program will be
broadcast in both Russian and Kazakh.

4b. Over the last several years as Kazakhstan has
prospered economically, it has faced increasing problems of
illegal immigration from bordering countries by people
seeking a better quality of life in Kazakhstan. The
illegal immigrants are often exploited and become victims
of traffickers, who effectively enslave them for low wages
or only room and board. Besides the illegal immigration,
the country also faces problems as a transit point for
narcotics coming from Afghanistan and destined for
domestic, as well as Russian and European markets. The
2004 terrorist attacks in Uzbekistan allegedly carried out
by Kazakhstani citizens are at the center of a dispute
between the Governments of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.
Border control is at the center of attention of the
President, Parliament, NGOs, and, consequently, the TV
audience.

4c. The journalists would like to interview U.S.


Government officials, Senators and Representatives who deal
with migration and border control issues. They would also
like to visit ports of entry in the Northeast to observe
how the system of biometrics functions in verifying
travelers entering the U.S., as well as the south-western
border sites of illegal crossings from Mexico, and
detention centers for illegal immigrants. One of the goals
of the two-week program is to produce a documentary that
can also show Kazakhstani Border and customs officers how
their counterparts operate in the U.S., facing similar
challenges. The reporters hope to find out more about U.S.
migration legislation and explain it to their Kazakhstani
audience.

5a. Another project suggested by "Yuzhnaya Stolitsa" is
"Environmental Management in the United States." Pollution
is a serious problem in Kazakhstan, which is home to some
of the worst ecological disasters in the world. Besides
the tragic demise of the Aral Sea and nuclear contamination
in Semipalatinsk, the larger cities are polluted by
automobile emissions, particulates from coal burned in
homes, and industrial pollution from factories. Kazakhstan
also faces the problem of minimizing the environmental
impact of drilling for oil in the country's vast oil
reserves on the Caspian Sea.

5b. "Yuzhnaya Stolitsa" would like to show how individual
citizens, government, NGOs and private companies each
approach the challenge of protecting the environment. The
reporters would like to explore whether the experience of
the United States might be a model for solving similar
problems in Kazakhstan. They would like to interview
officials responsible for planning, coordinating and
implementing environmental policies at the federal, state,
and municipal levels. The program will include a visit to
the headquarters of Chevron-Texaco, one of several firms
with oil extraction facilities in Kazakhstan.

5c. The documentaries would be broadcast on "Yuzhnaya
Stolitsa's" "Sreda" (Environment) program, the only regular
weekly program covering environmental issues in Kazakhstan.
The station will cover one round-trip ticket and currently
is negotiating with Chevron-Texaco to pay for a second
round trip ticket. Depending on Chevron-Texaco's
involvement, one or two other tickets would be covered by
post funds.

Ordway


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