EXBS: KAZAKHSTAN ADVISOR'S MONTHLY REPORTING

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 ALMATY 002885

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR ISN/ECC PVANSON, ACHURCH, JGABRYSZEWSKI
DEPT FOR ISN/ECC-AMT LSPRINGER
DEPT FOR EUR/ACE RBUCK
DEPT FOR SCA/CEN JMUDGE
CBP/INA FOR BWATT AND CDONOFRIO
USDOE/NNSA TPERRY, CWALKER, EDESCHLER
DOC FOR DCREED AND GPETERSEN-BEARD
USCG FOR CWILSON
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
SUBJECT: EXBS: KAZAKHSTAN ADVISOR'S MONTHLY REPORTING
CABLE (JULY 2006)



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


1. Export Control and Related Border Security (EXBS)
Program TDY Advisor Kevin Cummings assisted Advisor
Offenbacher during the office's initial three weeks in
Astana. Mr. Cummings departed Kazakhstan the third week of
July. EXBS TDY Advisor Larry Adkins arrived in Astana on
July 24 to provide support for the EXBS Program office and
will remain until mid-September.


2. EXBS Program Coordinator Gulnara Abildaeva
relocated to Astana on July 31, completing the office's
move to Kazakhstan's new capital. Ms. Abildaeva will be on
annual leave beginning August 7, and will return to the
office in early September.


3. Post Astana's move across town from its current
location in the Embassy Branch Office to the New Embassy
Compound has been postponed and is now scheduled for the
last week in September.


4. The projected deployment date for the new EXBS
Program advisor to Kazakhstan, Mr. Michael Seguin, is mid-
September. Andrew Offenbacher, the incumbent EXBS advisor,
is scheduled to conclude his tenure at post on September

15.

II. COMPLETED ACTIONS FOR THE REPORTING PERIOD


A. SITE ASSESSMENTS AND MEETINGS CONDUCTED


1. July 3 - Kevin Cummings and Advisor met with Yermek
Smagulov and Aidyn Turashev of Kazakhstan's Customs
Committee to discuss the status of the Administrative
Enforcement (AE) and Product Identification Tool (PIT)
projects. The PIT project has been stalled for quite some
time, initially due to a change in the local subcontractor,
but more recently because Customs continues to drag its
feet on providing the technical requirements necessary to
put together a budget, timeline and guide future work.
Both Mr. Cummings and Mr. Offenbacher reiterated the need
for Customs to provide this information as soon as possible
to allow the PIT project to move forward. Aidyn Turashev
reiterated Customs' interest in the AE project.


2. July 3 - Advisor met with Alexandra Vozhakova, Head
of Customs' Radioactive Materials and Technical Means
Department, to discuss logistical arrangements for the
Second Line of Defense (SLD) site survey team.


3. July 13 - Kevin Cummings and Advisor met with Sahip
Zhubanishev of the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MIT) and
Mr. Aidyn Turashev of Customs. Topics of discussion
included the PIT and AE projects, proposed additions to
Kazakhstan's export control law, export control regulations
and the Tracker software. The additions to the export
control law are currently in interagency review and are
reputedly likely to be adopted before the end of the year.
MIT is still evaluating the Tracker software and source
code and will contact the EXBS Program office when they
determined whether there is a need for the Tracker package.


4. July 15-26 - Advisor and Gulnara Abildaeva held a
number of informal discussions with representatives from
Kazakhstan's Border Service and Customs Committee on the

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sidelines of the International Border Interdiction Training
(IBIT) sessions. Topics covered included: soliciting input
on CBP's border assessment project, questions about
equipment priorities, and their evaluation of the IBIT
training.


B. TRAINING DURING THE REPORTING PERIOD


1. A two-week U.S. Coast Guard Small Boat Operations
course concluded on July 7. Eleven officers of
Kazakhstan's Maritime Border Guard Division participated in
the course, which was held on the Caspian Sea in Bautino.
The training included lectures and hands-on exercises
designed to ensure the effective maintenance and operation
of Kazakhstan's three 42-foot fast response boats. These
three U.S.-made "Safe" boats were provided to Kazakhstan's
Border Service by the U.S. Coast Guard and the EXBS Program
in May 2006.

Gulnara Abildaeva attended the training for most of the two
weeks, and Kevin Cummings joined her for final day's
graduation ceremony. The four Coast Guard trainers
reported that the training was a success and that the
students were motivated, studious and digested the material
well.

Several problems came to light during the training,
including the need for the bottom of the boats to be coated
with anti-fouling paint, fuel quality and supply issues,
and a few problems with the boats' parts and systems.
These issues are being investigated; some are in the
process of being rectified with the assistance of the EXBS
Program's Regional Maritime office in Baku.

Upon conclusion of the course, Kazakhstan's Maritime Border
Guard Division expressed a desire to receive additional
training in such areas as maritime search and rescue, law
enforcement and boat maintenance.


2. From July 15 - July 27, Advisor Offenbacher and
EXBS Program Coordinator Gulnara Abildaeva accompanied a
group of 16 Kazakhstanis (eight representing the Border
Service and eight Customs) to McAllen, Texas to attend an
International Border Interdiction Training (IBIT 1). The
training included both classroom lectures and visits to two
ports of entry (Pharr and Hidalgo) on the U.S.-Mexican
border. Additional information is available in a separate
report, but in sum the training was very well received. An
indication of this was the level of participation - the
group was enthusiastic and highly engaged for the duration
the weeklong course.

In addition to the IBIT 1 training in Texas, the group was
afforded an opportunity to spend the day at the U.S. Border
Patrol Academy in Artesia, New Mexico. This was the
highlight of the trip for many of the Kazakhstanis as they
were given an opportunity to experience firsthand "a day in
the life" of a U.S. Border Patrol trainee. From the firing
range to the high-speed pursuit track, the group was given
an up close view of the academy's operations.


3. The Defense Threat Reduction Agency's International
Counterproliferation Program (DTRA/ICP) conducted a follow-
on "Weapons of Mass Destruction Crime Scene Management"
course in Almaty from July 17-21. The course is designed

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to help officials respond safely and effectively at WMD
crime scenes.


4. From July 24-28, DTRA ICP conducted an additional
follow-on "Weapons of Mass Destruction Crime Scene
Management" course, this week in Astana.


C. EQUIPMENT DELIVERED DURING THE REPORTING PERIOD


1. None.


D. IMMINENT TRAINING OR EQUIPMENT STATUS UPDATE


1. The National Nuclear Security Administration's
International Nonproliferation Export Control Program
(NNSA/INECP) will hold a Commodity Identification Training
course in Shymkent from August 7-11 for Kazakhstani Customs
personnel. This is the second time the "indigenized"
(i.e., taught by Kazakhstani nuclear technical experts)
version of the course has been offered. In March 2006, the
course was delivered in Almaty by Kazakhstani instructors
for the first time.


2. In follow up to the May 2006 signing of the Second
Line of Defense Implementing Arrangement and June talks in
Astana, the SLD Program will send a team to Kazakhstan from
September 11-20 to conduct site surveys at a number of
locations along Kazakhstan's southern border. The
information obtained during the surveys will be used to
guide subsequent portal monitor installations. The EXBS
Program office is the embassy point of contact for the SLD
Program and is coordinating the visit with the Kazakhstan's
Customs Committee.


3. An assessment of the Russian-Kazakhstani border
(both ports of entry and the adjacent green borders) is
planned for the first half of November. The assessment
team will include two U.S. Border Patrol Officers and two
representatives from U.S. Customs and Border Protection's
Office of International Affairs. The team will visit
several regions and will draw on the United States' border
security experience to provide Kazakhstan's Border Service
with recommendations on how to more effectively monitor,
secure and protect Kazakhstan's borders with a view to
preventing the spread of WMD.


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


1. A Kazakhstani governmental decree came out on July
14, 2006 with updated rules on the transit of export
controlled goods.


F. CASPIAN SECURITY INFORMATION


1. Please see section B, 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(3172)58-08-90, cell: +7(333)225-1156.


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ORDWAY