EXBS: KAZAKHSTAN ADVISOR'S MONTHLY REPORTING

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ALMATY 003211 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR ISN/ECC PVANSON, ACHURCH, JGABRYSZEWSKI DEPT FOR ISN/ECC-AMT LSPRINGER DEPT FOR EUR/ACE RBUCK DEPT FOR SCA/RA JSCHLOSSER DEPT FOR SCA/CEN MOMARA CBP/INA FOR BWATT AND CDONOFRIO USDOE/NNSA TPERRY, CWALKER, EDESCHLER DOC FOR DCREED AND GPETERSEN-BEARD USCG FOR BGOLDEN AMEMBASSY BERLIN FOR CUSTOMS ATTACHE AMEMBASSY TASHKENT, BISHKEK, BAKU, DUSHANBE AND ASHGABAT FOR EXBS ADVISORS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ETTC MNUC PARM PREL KSTC KNNP KZ SUBJECT: EXBS: KAZAKHSTAN ADVISOR'S MONTHLY REPORTING CABLE (AUGUST 2006) ¶I. BROAD ITEMS OF INTEREST TO ADVISORS AND AGENCY MANAGERS: ¶1. EXBS TDY Advisor Larry Adkins continued to assist the EXBS office in Astana throughout the month of August. Gulnara Abildaeva, EXBS Program Coordinator, took annual leave for much of the month. ¶2. September will likely be the EXBS program office's final month in its present interim facility. The move into the new embassy is now expected to take place in early October. In preparation for the office's move to the new facility, EXBS program staff has ordered new computers and a high-quality printer. The office has also completed the grant paperwork required to donate surplus furniture and computer equipment to the Border Control Management Faculty of the Almaty-based Military Institute. II. COMPLETED ACTIONS FOR THE REPORTING PERIOD ¶A. SITE ASSESSMENTS AND MEETINGS CONDUCTED ¶1. August 11 - Advisor Offenbacher and TDY Advisor Larry Adkins met with Victoria Sloan, the embassy's Public Affairs Officer, to discuss the Voluntary Visitor Program (VVP). The EXBS office has been asked to propose a U.S. visit to Askar Shakirov, Chairman of Kazakhstan's Customs Control Committee; the VVP appears to be the best fit. ¶2. August 24 - Briefed Deputy Assistant Secretary Evan Feigenbaum on the EXBS program during a country team meeting. ¶B. TRAINING DURING THE REPORTING PERIOD ¶1. The Department of Energy/National Nuclear Administration's (DOE/NNSA) International Nonproliferation Export Control Program (INECP) held a Commodity Identification Training (CIT) course for Customs personnel from August 7-11 in the southern Kazakhstani city of Shymkent. This was the second time the indigenized version of the CIT course has been presented; the pilot run was in March of this year. The training was conducted by instructors from Kazakhstan's Institute of Atomic Energy. ¶C. EQUIPMENT DELIVERED DURING THE REPORTING PERIOD ¶1. None. ¶D. IMMINENT TRAINING OR EQUIPMENT STATUS UPDATE ¶1. Fast Response "Safe" Boat parts: Replacements for a faulty air conditioning circuit card and a defective voltmeter were delivered to Almaty in late August and are in the process of being forwarded to Astana. ¶2. Two $400,000 task orders have been developed for the procurement of four modular shelters and 11 high- clearance Ural trucks that will be provided to Kazakhstan's Border Service. The trucks and shelters will be purchased and delivered in the coming months. ¶3. On September 6-8, the EXBS program's Larry Adkins and Andrew Offenbacher traveled east from Astana to Sherbakty and Kosak, two ports of entry in the neighboring ALMATY 00003211 002 OF 002 Pavlodar region, to assess customs and border control procedures, as well as inspection techniques and equipment. ¶4. A Second Line of Defense (SLD) team of three will arrive in country on September 12 to meet with Customs representatives and then embark on a survey of a number of ports of entry along Kazakhstan's southern border. The U.S. team will be accompanied by a Kazakhstani Customs official and representatives of companies involved in the portal monitor installation effort. The EXBS program office is the embassy point of contact for the SLD Program has coordinated the visit with the Customs Control Committee. ¶5. Administrative Enforcement (AE) project meetings are scheduled for September 27-29, in Astana. The goal of the meetings is to meet with technical experts from the Customs Control Committee to begin drafting AE training materials, and set target dates for course completion and instructor training. ¶6. The DOE/NNSA's INECP will hold a workshop on export controls for biological research institutes from October 3- 5, in Almaty. The workshop's goal is to ensure that the institutes understand and comply with Kazakhstan's export control regulations. ¶7. The DOE/NNSA's INECP will conduct a regional Internal Compliance Program workshop in Almaty from October 31 - November 2. ¶8. EXBS Program Coordinator Gulnara Abildaeva will attend the second annual EXBS Program Workshop for Locally Employed Staff in Bratislava, Slovkia from October 31 - November 1. ¶9. From November 6-17, a Department of Homeland Security/U.S. Customs and Border Protection team will conduct a border survey at a number of ports of entry in several Kazakhstani regions sharing a border with the Russian Federation. The team 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 against the WMD threat. ¶E. SIGNIFICANT DEVELOPMENTS IN EXPORT CONTROLS, NONPROLIFERATION, OR RELATED BORDER SECURITY ¶1. None. ¶F. CASPIAN SECURITY INFORMATION ¶1. None. 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. ORDWAY