TAJIKISTAN: SCA A/S BOUCHER, NSC MILLARD MEET WITH

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 DUSHANBE 000865

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

SIPDIS
STATE FOR P, R, SCA/FO, SCA, CEN, SCA/PPD, ECA, DRL
NSC FOR MILLARD, MERKEL

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM KDEM KPAO TI
SUBJECT: TAJIKISTAN: SCA A/S BOUCHER, NSC MILLARD MEET WITH
POLITICOS AND CIVIL SOCIETY, CONDUCT FREE-WHEELING STUDENT ROUNDTABLE


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1. (U) Sensitive but unclassified. Please handle accordingly.
Not for public Internet.


2. (SBU) SUMMARY: Assistant Secretary for South and Central
Asian Affairs Richard Boucher and National Security Council
Senior Director Elisabeth Millard met May 8 with Tajikistan's
political party leaders, independent media representatives, and
other civil-society players during an IFES-hosted meeting. The
participants, exhibiting increased political maturity, noted
their desire for increased - and equal - media access in the
run-up to the November presidential election, U.S. support to
amend the presidential election law, and greater participation
for women at high levels of political life in Tajikistan. The
Assistant Secretary and Senior Director also met with university
students at the Dushanbe American Corner for a free-wheeling
roundtable that covered topics including Iran and Iraq, the U.S.
role in Central Asia, globalization, and education exchanges.
END SUMMARY.

POLITICIANS AND CIVIL SOCIETY


3. (U) Assistant Secretary Boucher and NSC Senior Director
Millard met with the leaders of all legally registered political
parties, independent mass media organizations, political
scientists, and civil society organizations on May 8 prior to
their meeting with President Rahmonov. The participants
expressed their gratitude for the high-level visit and for
meeting with them before the meeting with the president.


4. (SBU) The November presidential election focused the
discussion. Deputy Chairman Davlatov of the ruling Peoples
Democratic Party attempted a long statement during the
introductions, and then sat in a bit of a snit when his set
piece was politely cut short. Democratic Party Deputy Chairman
Valiyev called for elections to meet international standards,
changes to the election law, and for all parties to have greater
access to the media. Social Democratic Party Chairman Zoyirev
(former presidential legal adviser turned opposition figure),
noted he had crafted amendments to the current Law on
Presidential Elections that he said was supported by his party,
the unregistered faction of the Socialist Party, and the
Democratic Party. He announced he intends to submit the law to
parliament in time for the November election. (COMMENT:
Unlikely. END COMMENT.) He called for the United States to
support his proposed amendments.

5, (U) The "opposition" political parties asked the Assistant
Secretary to raise the need for election law reforms in his

SIPDIS
meetings with the president and other government officials.


6. (SBU) Participants requested the Assistant Secretary urge
President Rahmonov to allow political parties and election
candidates more access to television and radio, either through
state or independent media. According to Tajik law, in the
60-day official campaign period before an election, candidates
are permitted 15 minutes of airtime. Although political parties
in theory have the right to access state television, this free
access has never been granted since independence, they alleged.
Further, no national independent television station yet exists.


7. (SBU) The headline news of the session was Islamic
Renaissance Party Deputy Chairman and Member of Parliament
Kabiri announcing his party council had just decided that it
would nominate a candidate for president. (COMMENT: Based on
previous conversations with him, we expect this candidate will
not be Kabiri himself, but, rather, a symbolic "sacrificial

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lamb." But we'll see. END COMMENT.)


8. (SBU) The representative of the break-away faction of the
Socialist Party intoned that his party would never, never
support the other "democratic parties" in their attempt to
reform the presidential election law.


9. (SBU) COMMENT: Many believe the government engineered the
split in the Socialist Party. In any case, the Socialist Party
- whether the pro-government or opposition wing - is a political
non-entity. In fact, in reliable but unpublished public opinion
polls, not one so-called democratic party registers more than
1.5 percent support in the electorate. END COMMENT.


10. (U) Rano Akhumova of the NGO Women Voters noted that
although there have been great legal strides made to ensure
women equal rights, more women need to have access to higher
power structures, and more women should become leaders within
political parties. No political parties have female leaders,
although women do serve in deputy positions. She readily agreed
with Boucher's assessment that empowerment of women improves
basic social conditions of a country and promotes its
development.


11. (SBU) National Democratic Institute Program Manager Parvis
Kamolidinov pointed out that NDI's registration problems limit
its ability to work to improve political party capacity across
the board. (COMMENT: Given NDI's current
Tajik-government-generated crisis, Kamolidinov's presence at
this meeting - and his speaking out - was enormously brave. END
COMMENT.)


12. (SBU) Chairman of the Association of Political Scientists
Mamadaminov pointed out that civil society is growing well in
urban areas, but Tajik NGOs outside the major cities face more
registration problems, because remote authorities act like
"local kings." Mamadaminov called on the United States to
strengthen its efforts to develop Tajik civil society and NGOs.


13. (SBU) The participants generally concurred that the
upcoming presidential election would not be completely free and
fair. Some noted that the Ambassador had frequently reminded
them "Rome wasn't built in a day," and they said they fully
understood building democracy is a gradual and evolutional
process. That said, they hoped the United States would continue
to help move that process along faster.

STUDENT ROUNDTABLE AT THE DUSHANBE AMERICAN CORNER


14. (U) The Assistant Secretary, the NSC Senior Director, and
Ambassador met with twenty English-speaking students at the
American Corner in the Library of the National Academy of
Sciences. The Assistant Secretary's opening statement
emphasized the importance of Tajikistan in the region and the
U.S. desire for a positive and productive relationship. In the
following hour, the students asked the Assistant Secretary
questions about U.S. policy in Iraq and Iran, U.S. intentions in
Central Asia, globalization, and whether the U.S. promoting
global democracy today isn't akin to the USSR having promoted
global communism in the past - a Russian talking point.


15. (U) The students emphasized their keen interest for more
possibilities and U.S. support to study in the United States.
Assistant Secretary Boucher confided that President Rahmonov had
raised the same issue in their meeting, and said he would do
what he could to promote this worthy goal.

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16. (U) Although not shy to speak their minds, the students
were not overly confrontational, and evidence real pleasure in
the meeting. On Iran, especially, they raised the issues as
they understood them, but even the most outspoken young man
respectfully listened to Boucher's detailed replies.


17. (U) NOTE: Embassy Dushanbe has sent a nearly full text of
this roundtable to SCA/PPD. END NOTE.


18. (SBU) COMMENT: At the political and civil-society meeting
at IFES, we were struck by the newly sophisticated understanding
(relatively speaking) expressed about democracy as a process.
This represents a real step forward from several years ago when
such folks expected the United States to carry their water for
them and regularly demanded black and white solutions: "Stop
working with the government and support us!" Likewise, we were
delighted by the university students, both for their
understanding of world events, despite the Russian domination of
their information space, and by the relative sophistication of
their views. We are deeply grateful Assistant Secretary Boucher
and Senior Director Millard were willing to devote such a
significant proportion of their relatively short visit in
Dushanbe to public diplomacy events. These activities have a
ripple effect and will make a difference. END COMMENT.


19. (U) The Assistant Secretary did not have an opportunity to
clear this cable before departing Dushanbe.
HOAGLAND