KYRGYZ MEDIA MOGUL ALEXANDER KIM ON THE CURRENT

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BISHKEK 001416

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR SCA/CEN AND SCA/PPD

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/05/2016
TAGS: PREL PGOV KPAO KG
SUBJECT: KYRGYZ MEDIA MOGUL ALEXANDER KIM ON THE CURRENT
POLITICAL CLIMATE

REF: 05 BISHKEK 739

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Classified By: Ambassador Marie L. Yovanovitch, Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) Summary: On September 27, Alexander Kim, Kyrgyzstan's
leading pro-government media mogul, spoke with the Ambassador
on Kyrgyzstan's political leadership, recent scandals, and
the state of relations with the United States. Kim described
President Bakiyev as a leader easily influenced by pressure,
but said there was no current alternative to him. Kim
contrasted Bakiyev with Prime Minister Kulov, who he
described as controlling the Parliament and being the main
power behind the scenes. Kim said the Matryoshkagate
operation had purposely been sabotaged by one of the plan's
implementers, who was concerned he could otherwise end up in
jail. Kim also recommended the U.S. adopt a more aggressive
public diplomacy strategy to counter Russia's influence. End
Summary.

Bakiyev Isn't Going Anywhere
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2. C) Commenting on the current political situation,
Editor-in-Chief of the pro-government newspaper MSN and
majority owner of the largest newspaper in Kyrgyzstan,
Vecherniy Bishkek, Alexander Kim told the Ambassador on
September 27 that he does not believe that there is any
figure in the opposition who is powerful or charismatic
enough to force President Bakiyev to leave office before the
end of his term. As a result, Kim stated that people are
focused on preparing for the next presidential election in
2010, but predicted that it will be difficult for the
opposition to wait four years.


3. (C) Kim described Bakiyev as not being a particularly good
president, but one who bows to pressure from all sides. With
a smile, Kim said that the situation for Bakiyev is easy - he
will do everything that the opposition wants. Describing the
relationship between Bakiyev and Prime Minister Kulov, Kim
predicted that Kulov would never become president, largely
because he already has accumulated as much power as he wants
in his current position. Kim stated without equivocation
that currently Kulov controls the Parliament. Kim recounted
how he used to receive threats from Ryspek Akmatbayev for his
reporting and said that he is now receiving threats from the
new criminal godfather Kamchy Kolbayev. Kim claimed that
Kulov supports Kolbayev, but was keeping him out of politics.

The Tekebayev Operation Was Planned to Fail
--------------


4. (C) Kim also opined on the recent Matryoshkagate scandal
involving drugs planted in opposition Member of Parliament
Tekebayev's luggage. Kim believed that the operation had
been ordered by Bakiyev's brother Janysh, the then-Deputy
Director of the National Security Service (SNB). He did not
believe that the President knew of this operation. Kim told
the Ambassador that the head of Manas Airport security Nadyr
Mamyrov, who is commonly believed to have actually planted
the drugs, purposely bungled the operation. A career SNB
Colonel, Mamyrov supposedly worried that he would be jailed
if the operation ever came to light. Kim said that Mamyrov
took his concerns to Kulov, and with Kulov's advice, left
enough clues behind to show that he was a pawn in a larger
game.

The U.S. Needs to be More Aggressive
--------------


5. C) The conversation with the Ambassador ended on
U.S.-Kyrgyz relations. President Bakiyev is heavily
influenced by Russia and is actively trying to hurt relations
with the United States, said Kim. When asked how to combat
the United States' negative portrayal in the media, Kim
recommended that the U.S. be more aggressive in its public

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diplomacy. In his opinion, the key was finding ways to
contrast the levels of assistance being provided to the
Kyrgyz Republic by its partners. The message should be, Kim
said, that "Kyrgyzstan is finished without the United States."


6. (C) Comment: Alexander Kim is always an interesting
interlocutor, who is very tied into the politics of
Kyrgyzstan. Though he does not paint Bakiyev in a flattering
light, it is clear over the arc of the past months he has
become increasingly pro-Bakiyev, perhaps because he sees no
alternative. This many critics, however, claim not long ago
Kim hitched his fortunes to the Bakiyev star and the steady
pro-government bias his tow newspapers display is the price
he has had to pay. Kim appeared much more frail than the
last time we saw him in the spring. During the entire
conversation, Kim had a noticeable tremor in both his hands.
End Comment.

Yovanovitch
YOVANOVITCH