EXBS: KAZAKHSTAN ADVISOR MONTHLY REPORTING CABLE

UNCLAS ALMATY 004386

SIPDIS


DEPT FOR NP/ECC PVANSON, ACHURCH, ACUMMINGS
CBP/INA FOR PWARKER AND CDONOFRIO
USDOE/NNSA FOR TPERRY
DEPT FOR EUR/ACE
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
(NOVEMBER 2005)


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


1. EXBS Advisor Offenbacher will travel to the United
States on December 10 for training (December 12-16),
consultations (January 9-13),vacation, and to sign a new
contract. He hopes to be able to return to return to post
by mid-January.

II. COMPLETED ACTIONS FOR THE REPORTING PERIOD


A. SITE ASSESSMENTS AND MEETINGS CONDUCTED


1. November 3 - EXBS Advisor Offenbacher and Program
Manager Abildaeva participated in an information-sharing
meeting with Douglas Brisson and the Defense Threat
Reduction Agency's (DTRA) Mark Sullivan to discuss the
recently-signed WMD-PPI agreement. WMD-PPI efforts in
Kazakhstan are focused on the Caspian region and program
implementation is not likely to begin until later next
year. In the interim, Sullivan and Brisson intend to
develop a needs and requirements document.


2. November 16 - EXBS Advisor and Program Manager
attended a reception hosted by DTRA's International
Counterproliferation Program (ICP) at the Hyatt Hotel in
Almaty. The event was organized for Kazakhstani
participants from several agencies attending two
nonproliferation-related training courses held by DTRA ICP
that week.


3. November 28-29 - EXBS Advisor and Program Manager
traveled to Astana to attend two meetings with senior
Customs Control Committee and Border Service officials to
discuss their EXBS program needs in FY2006. The
conversations with both agencies' representatives were both
candid and fruitful, and provided the EXBS Advisor with a
more detailed understanding of their training and equipment
priorities.


B. TRAINING DURING THE REPORTING PERIOD


1. November 13-16 - The National Nuclear Security
Administration's (NNSA) Office of Global Security
Engagement and Cooperation sponsored a "Central Asia
Technical Workshop to Prevent the Illicit Trafficking of
Nuclear and Radioactive Materials" in Istanbul, Turkey.
Alexandra Vozhakova, Chief of the Customs Control
Committee's Radiological Control Department, and Tazhikhan
Serikbai, Head of Customs' Contraband Department,
represented Kazakhstan at the event.


2. November 13-15 - The NNSA's International
Nonproliferation Export Control Program (NNSA/INECP)
conducted a seminar in Shymkent on export controls and
internal compliance for representatives of several South
Kazakhstan Oblast uranium extraction facilities.


C. EQUIPMENT DELIVERED DURING THE REPORTING PERIOD


1. November 1 - EXBS Program Manager Gulnara Abildaeva
traveled to Aktau to transfer two URAL 4320 high-clearance,
six-wheel diesel trucks to the Border Service of
Kazakhstan. The vehicles will be stationed in Aktau and at
the Beineu frontier station and are to be deployed along
the Kazakhstan-Uzbekistan "green border" for the transport
of troops and supplies. Funding for the purchase of the
trucks was received by EXBS Almaty in September 2005 and
was authorized in State 170780.


2. Mid-November - EXBS Kazakhstan transferred 96 DTRA-
purchased evidence collection kits to three Kazakhstani
agencies: 38 to Customs, 10 to the Border Service, and 48
to the Traffic Police. Although the kits were originally


shipped to Kazakhstan in December 2002, their distribution
was delayed until now for bureaucratic reasons.


D. IMMINENT TRAINING OR EQUIPMENT STATUS UPDATE


1. In the first half of November the State Department
approved an export license for three 42-foot SAFE boats.
The boats were procured by the U.S. Coast Guard for the
Maritime Division of the Kazakhstani Border Service and are
currently en route to the Border Service unit at Bautino.
It is estimated they will arrive to the Caspian in early
January.


2. November 25 - A Kohler diesel generator to be given
to Kazakhstan was delivered to the Almaty airport. The
procurement was arranged by the EXBS Regional Maritime
office in Baku and was requested by the Kazakhstan Border
Guard's Marine Division for their SeaArk boat. Due to a
miscommunication the generator was delivered to Almaty
instead of Aktau. The logistics company will forward the
generator to Aktau as soon EXBS Baku can ascertain who is
liable for the additional shipping charges.


2. December 7-13 - A Bechtel team of two will perform
regularly scheduled maintenance on Kazakhstan's two x-ray
vans. The vans are located at the Kordai and Zhibek Zholy
ports of entry. The van at Zhibek Zholy (near Shymkent) is
currently out of commission and EXBS Kazakhstan hopes the
team will be successful in making it operational again.


3. December 12-14 - Two representatives from
Commonwealth Trading Partners (CTP),a Department of
Commerce contractor, will travel to Astana to conduct
project review meetings. They will discuss, among other
things, the progress to date on the customization of the
Product Identification Tool (PIT).

The PIT Instructor Training event originally scheduled to
be held the week of December 12 had to be postponed due to
local contractor issues.


6. February 17 - A turnover ceremony for the three
SAFE boats has been scheduled to be held in either Aktau or
Bautino.


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

Within the framework of the Eurasian Economic
Community (EurasEC),the Parliament of Kazakhstan has
ratified an agreement on uniform export control procedures.
Five countries are currently members of EurasEC: Russia,
Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan. This
development is significant because it may make it easier
for controlled commodities to cross the borders between
these countries.


F. CASPIAN SECURITY UPDATE

Please see section C, paragraph 1 and section D,
paragraph 1 above.

III. RED FLAG ISSUES.

None.

The point of contact for this report is Andrew S.
Offenbacher, EXBS Advisor, OffenbacherAS@state.gov, tel:
+7(3272)50-4945, cell: +7(333)225-1156.

ORDWAY


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