TURKMENISTAN MEDIA COVERAGE OF DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ASHGABAT 000904 SIPDIS STATE FOR INR/R/MR, IIP/T, IIP/G/NEA-SA, SA SCA/CEN, SCA/PAB, SCA/INS, SCA/RA, SCA/PPD, DRL CENTCOM PUBLIC AFFAIRS-MAJ.BALDWIN/SGT. BAKER USCINCPAC FOR POLAD R. HUSO SECDEF FOR PA SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KMDR KPAO OIIP PREL PGOV AF TX SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN MEDIA COVERAGE OF DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY MANN VISIT REF: Ashgabat 884 SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (U) Turkmenistan's state media coverage of the August 13-15 visit to Turkmenistan of Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Steven R. Mann included misinformation about the content of his meeting with President Niyazov and downplayed Mann's emphasis on the need for transparency and competition in the energy market. State print media included the false claim that the main goal of the visit was to endorse the construction of the Trans-Afghanistan Pipeline (TAP) and gas pipelines from Turkmenistan to China; state media representatives did not attend Mann's August 15 press conference in which Mann rebutted these claims, and in which he spoke about the United State's support for democratic reform and human rights in Turkmenistan. (Note: Mann's meeting with Niyazov was the only official meeting of the visit. The government did not permit him to meet with either the Foreign or Oil and Gas Ministers, see reftel. End Note.) Russian news sources editorialized that Mann's visit was part of a U.S. effort to weaken Russian influence in Central Asia and boost Ukraine's interests in the energy sector. End Summary. Inaccurate Local Coverage -------------- ¶2. (U) On August 14, state TV's "Watan" News program provided long-winded but largely accurate -- albeit slanted -- coverage of Mann's meeting with Niyazov that included Mann's full post-meeting floor statement. (Note: Mann gave his floor statement in Russian. End Note.) The "Watan" newscaster narrated that the meeting included discussion of regional security and energy diversification, and claimed that the goal of the Mann visit had been to express USG support for new gas pipeline construction projects via Afghanistan and to China. Print Media Edit Mann's Lobby Statement -------------- ¶3. (U) On August 15, state dailies "Neytralniy Turkmenistan" (Russian, circ. 32,931) and "Turkmenistan" (Turkmen, circ. 28,161) printed top-of-the-fold front-page articles that duplicated the "Watan" coverage, except that they omitted most of Mann's floor statement and embellished the rest of it, stressing instead PDAS Mann's "endorsement" of the TAP and of pipelines to China. The omitted portions of Mann's statement had included statements in support of Caspian region energy development and U.S. opposition to monopolistic behavior in the energy sector. Mann had emphasized that competition and a strong private sector would enable the Caspian region - and states "that have considerable reserves of natural gas and oil... to attract the highest level of environmental protection and the most advanced technology." Further, state print media expanded upon Mann's comments about local hospitality. On subsequent days the weeklies "Watan" (Turkmen, circ. 25,419), "Mugallymlar Gazeti" (Turkmen, circ. 76,291),"Ahal Durmushy" (Turkmen, circ. 35,391),"Turkmen Gundogary" (Turkmen, circ. 42,982),"Nesli" (Turkmen, circ. 21,691) and "Adalat" (Turkmen, circ. 104,211) gave this article front-page treatment. Russian Black Propoganda -------------- ¶4. (U) Mann's visit received negative coverage from Russia's print outlet "Nezavisimaya Gazeta." The newspaper's August 16 article on the visit editorialized that Washington was increasing its efforts to weaken Russia's presence in Central Asia. The article cited Mann's positive statements about the construction of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline as "proof" of the claim that Mann is an active lobbyist for anti-Russian projects in Central Asia and the Trans-Caucasus regions. ¶5. (U) On August 22, Russian newswire "Vremya Novostey" claimed that Mann's meeting with Niyazov focused on furthering Ukraine's gas interests and convincing the president to hold gas prices stable at a rate of $65 per thousand cubic meters (tcm). According to the report Mann stated: "The United States supports the direct and transparent mechanisms of gas supply [to Ukraine] that existed in 2005." Contradicting the line taken by local media, however, the report concluded that U.S. support of gas transit routes to China was only a diplomatic curtesy to please the president. (Comment: The author, Arkadi Dubnov, claimed that his information came from informed sources close to the government of Turkmenistan. Dubnov has a proven track record of penning Russian black propaganda ASHGABAT 00000904 002 OF 002 vis-`-vis Turkmenistan. Dubnov also was the source of the "United States seeking basing rights in Turkmenistan," flap following CENTCOM Commander Abizaid's visit in 2005. End Comment.) Embassy Press Conference -------------- ¶6. (U) Post hosted a press conference on August 15 attended by stringers from the wire services Agence France Presse and Times Central Asia. Later the same day, international news wires Dow Jones Commodities Service, Agence France Presse, BBC Monitoring Central Asia, Energy and Commodities Digest and Interfax provided coverage of Mann's visit that was based both on state and Russian media coverage. The Agence France Presse and Times Central Asia coverage focused exclusively on energy development issues, despite the fact that these stringers asked questions about U.S. support for human rights in Turkmenistan. Mann stated at the conference: "During the course of my visit also I want to stress the desire of President Bush and of Secretary Rice to promote democracy and rule of law. United States' policy towards Turkmenistan will always be and must be multifaceted.... It includes permitting religious and civil society groups to work and to express their opinions. And it includes the right of individuals to travel freely into and out of their country." ¶7. (SBU) Agence France Presse positively, but inaccurately covered those aspects of Mann's press conference statement dealing with energy issues. The report correctly summarized Mann's statements that the private sector - rather than government - was responsible for the construction of pipelines, and that competition and a strong private sector were key to the development of viable pipelines. (Comment: The latter statement responded to host government assumptions that the USG should have a more direct role in supporting pipeline construction in the region. End Comment.) However, the Agence France Presse report suggested that Washington was pushing for pipeline construction to Pakistan to counter a rival pipeline from Iran, when in fact Mann stated: "We are firmly opposed to pipelines through Iran because this is a matter of U.S. law and U.S. policy. But we support a variety of other pipelines coming out of Central Asia." ¶8. (SBU) The Russia-based Interfax newswire reported on August 15 that Mann had expressed U.S. support for gas pipelines from Turkmenistan through Afghanistan and to China, and moreover falsely claimed that the Interfax coverage was based on an official statement from the embassy. (Note: Because the host government manipulated Mann's visit until the last possible moment, holding out the possibility that he would meet with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the embassy withheld its press release until later on August 15 - after the release of the Interfax article. End Note.) Comment -------------- ¶9. (U) Mann's meeting with Niyazov received extensive but inaccurate coverage in both local and foreign media outlets. The inaccuracies focused on host government claims that the goal of the visit was to show U.S. support for construction of pipelines through Afghanistan and to China and downplayed Mann's emphasis on the benefits of free and open competition in the energy sector. Russian media built upon these inaccuracies with anti-U.S. rhetoric about the power structure in Central Asia. Neither state nor international media gave play to Mann's reiteration of U.S. support for human rights - including freedom of movement - and a strong private sector. End Comment. BRUSH