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 NNNN