TAJIKISTAN: REQUEST FOR GUIDANCE - BILATERAL INFORMATION

C O N F I D E N T I A L DUSHANBE 001776

SIPDIS


STATE FOR EUR/CACEN, EUR/ACE, EUR/PPD, SA, DRL
ALMATY FOR USAID

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/4/2015
TAGS: PREL PGOV EAID KPAO TI
SUBJECT: TAJIKISTAN: REQUEST FOR GUIDANCE - BILATERAL INFORMATION
AGREEMENT

CLASSIFIED BY: Richard E. Hoagland, Ambassador, EXEC, Embassy
Dushanbe.
REASON: 1.4 (b),(d)


1. (U) Request for guidance. See para five below.


2. (C) In November 2003, President Rahmonov told the Ambassador
he wanted to be able to broadcast a wider variety of news and
opinion on Tajik State TV than simply Russia-generated material.
The Embassy offered access to VOA-TV Russian-language
broadcasts. After many months of preparation, IBB in Prague
sent the required receiving equipment to Dushanbe for
installation at Tajik State TV. After months of equivocation,
the Government of Tajikistan informed the Embassy that such
broadcasts would be impossible unless the United States and
Tajikistan completed and Bilateral Information Agreement. We
said we would look into it.


3. (C) The U.S. NGO Internews is finding it increasingly hard
to fulfill its obligations to USAID and DRL grants in Tajikistan
because of restrictive licensing laws and regulations for
broadcast outlets and sources of production. On October 26,
Internews Country Director in Tajikistan, Troy Etulain, wrote to
the Ambassador and suggested that Internews' roadblocks might be
removed if the United States concluded a Bilateral Information
Agreement (text of letter faxed to EUR/CACEN). In fact, we
doubt such a bilateral agreement would solve Internews'
problems, because the fundamental issue is Tajikistan's strict
control of its information space subsequent to "color
revolutions" in Tbilisi, Kiev, and Bishkek, and prior to the
late 2006 presidential election.


4. (C) In our opinion, a Bilateral Information Agreement would
open a Pandora's Box for at least two reasons. 1) The
Government of Tajikistan would view such an agreement as a
"legal document." In the ex-Soviet mindset prevalent here, the
view is always "what is not explicitly permitted is always
prohibited." Thus, we would be setting ourselves up for the
inevitable niggling legalisms that governments like this one use
for control. 2) We are aware that the Government of Tajikistan
would want an agreement on the model of their Russia-Tajikistan
agreement, which, in theory, requires the mutual broadcast of
each party's material. This, of course, is impossible for the
United States.


5. (C) GUIDANCE REQUEST: We don't want to jump to conclusions
and miss any possible chance to solve problems and advance the
President's and Secretary's democracy agenda. Therefore,
Embassy Dushanbe requests Department of State guidance on the
advisability of beginning negotiation for a Bilateral
Information Agreement. Should the Department's reply be
positive, Embassy Dushanbe would appreciate a suggested
negotiating text so that we can control the process from the
beginning.


HOAGLAND


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