EXBS: KAZAKHSTAN ADVISOR'S MONTHLY REPORTING CABLE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ASTANA 000078

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR ISN/ECC PVANSON, ACHURCH, JHARTSHORN
DEPT FOR ISN/ECC-AMT LSPRINGER
DEPT FOR EUR/ACE RBUCK
DEPT FOR SCA/RA JSCHLOSSER
DEPT FOR SCA/CEN MO'MARA
CBP/INA FOR CDONOFRIO AND RWATT
USDOE/NNSA CWALKER, TPERRY AND 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
(SEPTEMBER 2006)


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


1. Export Control and Related Border Security (EXBS) Program
Advisor Larry Adkins concluded his temporary duty assignment with
EXBS Astana on October 2. Larry's numerous and invaluable
contributions to the EXBS office during his two-month-plus sojourn
in Kazakhstan are highly appreciated.


2. September marks the EXBS program office's final month in
the interim Embassy Branch Office facility. Beginning next month
the program will operate from its office in the new embassy.


3. The EXBS program office took receipt of three new
workstations in September.


4. EXBS Advisor Jim Kelly arrived in Astana on September 26 on a
one-month TDY assignment.


5. EXBS program staff composed a letter from Ambassador Ordway to
Kazakhstani Customs Committee Chairman Askar Shakirov to gauge his
interest in the State Department's Voluntary Visitor Program. The
letter was sent to Mr. Shakirov in late September; a response has
not yet been received.


6. The US Customs and Border Protection survey of the
Kazakhstani-Russian frontier scheduled for November 6-17 has been
postponed until late spring or summer 2007.

II. COMPLETED ACTIONS FOR THE REPORTING PERIOD


A. SITE ASSESSMENTS AND MEETINGS CONDUCTED


1. September 6-8 - EXBS Advisors Larry Adkins and Andrew
Offenbacher drove the office's Nissan Pathfinder several hundred
miles east to Sherbakty and Kosak, two border posts in neighboring
Pavlodar region, to assess customs and border control procedures,
and evaluate inspection techniques and equipment. A report with a
detailed summary of the findings is available upon request.


2. September 12-19 - Two contractors working on the National
Nuclear Security Administration's (NNSA) Second Line of Defense
(SLD) program conducted surveys at seven ports of entry on
Kazakhstan's border with Krygyzstan and Uzbekistan. The information
from the survey will be used to develop a scope of work that will be
used to guide the future installation of portal monitors at rail,
vehicular and pedestrian crossings. On September 12, the EXBS
Advisor met with the two SLD contractors, representatives from
Kazakhstani Customs, and other interested parties to discuss the
project.

The SLD implementing arrangement was signed on May 5, 2006, after
approximately four years of negotiations. The EXBS program office
has been designated the embassy point of contact for the
implementation stage of the SLD program and acts as a liaison
between NNSA/SLD and Kazakhstan's Customs Control Committee.


3. September 12 - EXBS Advisors Larry Adkins and Andrew Offenbacher
met with General Alexei Artemchuk of Kazakhstan's Border Service to
discuss the details of modular shelter and Ural truck procurements.



4. September 22 - EXBS Advisor joined Political / Economic
Section Chief Deborah Mennuti for a meeting with Talap Sakhtapov and
Alexandra Vozhakova of Kazakhstani Customs to discuss the SLD

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project.


5. September 26 - Commonwealth Trading Partner's (CTP) Molly Pyle
visited the EXBS program office to discuss the next days' meetings
on the Administrative Enforcement (AE) project. The AE project was
first proposed to Kazakhstan at a preparatory conference in July
2005, and aims to improve the knowledge and skills of government
officials in investigating and taking administrative action on
non-criminal export control violations. For several reasons--not
the least of which was a change in CTP's local contractor--the
project has not yet entered the implementation phase.


6. September 27-28 - AE project meetings were held in Astana,
during which a preliminary agreement was reached on target dates for
the project's four stages, including the development of the course
materials and instructor training. Participants included CTP's
Molly Pyle, several representatives from Kazakhstan's Customs
Committee, a representative from the Ministry of Industry and Trade,
CTP's Kazakhstani subcontractor, and Vladimir Sidorenko of the
Moscow-based Center on Export Controls. Mr. Sidorenko's
participation in the meetings was particularly beneficial - his NGO
was responsible for the customization of the materials for the AE
and Product Identification Tool projects in Russia and this allowed
him to provide many valuable insights.


B. TRAINING DURING THE REPORTING PERIOD


1. None.


C. EQUIPMENT DELIVERED DURING THE REPORTING PERIOD


1. On September 12 the EXBS office granted surplus computer
equipment and furniture valued at $14,610 to the Border Control
Management Faculty of the Military Institute in Almaty.


2. Fast Response "Safe" Boat: replacement parts for a faulty
air conditioning control card and a defective voltmeter were
received by EXBS Astana in late September. The parts will be
delivered to the Border Guard's Maritime Division in Aktau during
the meeting there scheduled for October 10.


D. IMMINENT TRAINING OR EQUIPMENT STATUS UPDATE


1. October 3-5 - The Department of Energy/National Nuclear
Administration's (DOE/NNSA) International Nonproliferation Export
Control Program (INECP) will hold a workshop on export controls for
biological research institutes. The workshop aims to help the
institutes better understand and comply with Kazakhstan's export
control regulations. Representatives of Kazakhstani nuclear
enterprises will also attend the workshop; large companies such as
Kazatomprom and the Ulba Metallurgical Plant will share their
experience in implementing internal compliance programs with the
less export-control savvy bio institutes.


2. October 10 - EXBS Regional Maritime Advisor Mike Taffe will join
EXBS Program Coordinator Gulnara Abildaeva and EXBS TDY Advisor Jim
Kelly for a meeting with Kazakhstan's Maritime Border Guard Division
to discuss a range of maritime issues related to pending deliveries
and procurements, as well as the maintenance of EXBS-provided
assets, including the three 42-foot fast response "safe" boats
provided to Kazakhstan by the EXBS program earlier this year. The
team will also travel approximately 100 miles north of Aktau to the
port of Bautino to visit the location of the three Safe Boats.


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3. October 9-10 - The Monterey Institute's Center for
Nonproliferation Studies (CNS) will host a two-day workshop in
Almaty to discuss the implementation of UN Security Council
Resolution 1540 in Central Asia and the Caucasus.


4. October 31-November 2 - The DOE/NNSA's INECP will conduct a
regional Internal Compliance Program workshop in Almaty.


5. October 31-November 1 - EXBS Program Coordinator Gulnara
Abildaeva will attend the second annual EXBS Program Workshop for
Locally Employed Staff in Bratislava, Slovkia.


6. November 6-10 - The Defense Threat Reduction Agency's Weapons of
Mass Destruction Proliferation Prevention Initiative (DTRA WMD-PPI)
will conduct a "Combating WMD Proliferation at Maritime Ports"
training.


7. Two $400,000 task orders for the procurement of four modular
shelters and 11 high-clearance Ural trucks are in the process of
being finalized. The items will be provided to Kazakhstan's Border
Service.


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


1. The world's fifth nuclear-weapon-free zone was established
in Central Asia on September 8, 2006 with the signing of a treaty by
the foreign ministers of the five Central Asian states.


F. CASPIAN SECURITY INFORMATION


1. Please see paragraph C, item 2 and paragraph D, item 2
above.

III. RED FLAG ISSUES.


1. None.

The point of contact for this report is Andrew S. Offenbacher, EXBS
Advisor, OffenbacherAS@state.gov, tel: +7(3172)70-21-00, ext. 2420;
cell: +7(333)225-1156.

MILAS