URGENT REQUEST FOR DEMARCHE ON SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIAN

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 DUSHANBE 000870

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR P, SCA/FO, SCA/CEN, EUR/FO, EUR/RUS, INL

E.O. 12958: DECL: 5/11/2031
TAGS: PREL PGOV PINR SNAR RS TI
SUBJECT: URGENT REQUEST FOR DEMARCHE ON SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIAN
COUNTER-NARCOTICS AND SECURITY CONFERENCE


DUSHANBE 00000870 001.2 OF 002


CLASSIFIED BY: RICHARD E. HOAGLAND, AMBASSADOR, EXEC, EMBASSY
DUSHANBE.
REASON: 1.4 (B),(D)




1. (U) THIS IS AN ACTION REQUEST. SEE PARA NINE BELOW.


2. (S) ON MAY 11 AT 1800 LOCAL, GENERAL-COLONEL SAIDIMIR
ZUHUROV, CHAIRMAN OF THE TAJIK STATE BORDER COMMITTEE, CALLED
THE U.S. DEFENSE ATTACHE AND REQUESTED AN URGENT MEETING.
GENERAL ZUHUROV TOLD THE DATT HE HAD A SERIOUS INTERNATIONAL
ISSUE THAT HE WANTED THE DATT TO PASS TO THE U.S. AMBASSADOR
IMMEDIATELY. ZUHUROV SAID ON MAY 6 OR 7 RUSSIAN FOREIGN
MINISTER SERGEY LAVROV HAD CALLED IN THE AMBASSADORS OF
KYRGYZSTAN, KAZAKHSTAN, UZBEKISTAN, AND TURKMENISTAN, AND TOLD
THEM TO NOT PARTICIPATE IN THE U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND AND GEORGE

C. MARSHALL CENTER SPONSORED CENTRAL AND SOUTH ASIAN
COUNTER-NARCOTICS AND SECURITY CONFERENCE SET FOR MAY 15-17 IN
DUSHANBE. LAVROV REPORTEDLY ACCUSED THE UNITED STATES AND
TAJIKISTAN OF PUSHING THIS CONFERENCE TO SUPPORT U.S. GOALS, AND
CAUTIONED THE COUNTRIES TO NOT PARTICIPATE. ALL FOUR COUNTRIES
ARE INVITED TO PARTICIPATE AS CHARTER MEMBERS OF THE GROUP, IN
ADDITION TO RUSSIA, AFGHANISTAN, AND PAKISTAN. INDIA, CHINA,
AND TURKEY ARE INVITED AS OBSERVER NATIONS.


3. (S) GENERAL ZUHUROV STATED TAJIK PRESIDENT RAHMONOV
EXPRESSED ANGER AT THE RUSSIAN MOVE, AND THE TAJIK MINISTRY OF
FOREIGN AFFAIRS HAD COMPLAINED TO THE RUSSIANS. ZUHUROV ADDED
PRESIDENT RAHMONOV CONTINUED TO EXPRESS HIS STRONG SUPPORT FOR
STRENGTHENING RELATIONS WITH THE UNITED STATES, WHILE TAJIK
RELATIONS WITH RUSSIA ARE WEAKENING. ZUHUROV SAID ALL TAJIK
MINISTERS EXPRESSED THEIR STRONG SUPPORT FOR THE CONFERENCE.


4. (S) ZUHUROV REITERATED THAT THE RUSSIANS CONTINUE TO TRY TO
MAKE TAJIKISTAN APPEAR WEAK AND UNABLE TO PROTECT ITS BORDERS.
HE STATED THAT HE IS A GENERAL, NOT A POLITICAL FIGURE, AND DID
NOT UNDERSTAND WHY THE RUSSIANS WERE AGAINST A CONFERENCE ON
COUNTER-NARCOTICS, WHICH IS MANIFESTLY IN THEIR INTERESTS. HE
SAID NARCOTICS TRAFFICKING THREATENS ALL COUNTRIES IN THE REGION
AND IS ONE ISSUE ALL COUNTRIES CAN AGREE ON, INCLUDING RUSSIA
AND UZBEKISTAN. HE NOTED THE CONFERENCE IS BRINGING IN VERY
HIGH-LEVEL PARTICIPANTS, TO INCLUDE THE PRESIDENT OF
TAJIKISTAN'S PERSONAL PARTICIPATION.


5. (S) ZUHUROV SAID THE CHINESE EMBASSY HAD INFORMED THE TAJIK
MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS THEY PLANNED TO NOT ATTEND. HE SAID
HE HOPED THE UNITED STATES COULD STILL PERSUADE THE CHINESE TO
PARTICIPATE. ZUHUROV, THEN USING A SLAPPING GESTURE, SAID
CHINESE PARTICIPATION WOULD BE A SLAP IN THE RUSSIAN FACE. THE
DATT COMMENTED THAT HE COULD POSSIBLY ARRANGE A MEETING WITH THE
CHINESE EMBASSY. ZUHUROV TOLD HIS CHIEF OF FOREIGN RELATIONS TO
BE PREPARED TO MEET WITH THE DATT AND THE CHINESE EARLY ON MAY

12.


6. (S) ZUHUROV SAID HE WAS DISAPPOINTED THE UZBEKS AND TURKMEN
HAD ALREADY DECIDED NOT TO PARTICIPATE IN THE CONFERENCE, GIVEN
THEY HAD PARTICIPATED IN THE FIRST CONFERENCE IN GARMISCH IN
NOVEMBER 2005. ZUHUROV ASKED THE UNITED STATES TO CONFIRM
KYRGYZ AND KAZAKH PARTICIPATION.


7. (S) ZUHUROV AGAIN REQUESTED THE DATT TO PASS THIS
INFORMATION TO THE AMBASSADOR QUICKLY. HE REITERATED PRESIDENT
RAHMONOV'S STRONG SUPPORT FOR THE UNITED STATES AND THE
CONFERENCE. HE EMPHASIZED PRESIDENT RAHMONOV WAS PERSONALLY
INVOLVED IN ENSURING EACH PART OF THE CONFERENCE IS A STRONG
SUCCESS.


8. (S) CONFERENCE BACKGROUND. THE CENTRAL AND SOUTH ASIAN
COUNTER-NARCOTICS AND SECURITY WORKING GROUP AND CONFERENCE IN
DUSHANBE FOLLOWS THE INITIAL CONFERENCE HELD AT THE GEORGE C.
MARSHALL CENTER IN GARMISCH, GERMANY, NOVEMBER 2005. THE UNITED
STATES CENTRAL COMMAND AND THE GEORGE C. MARSHAL CENTER ARE

DUSHANBE 00000870 002.2 OF 002


CO-HOSTING THE DUSHANBE CONFERENCE. THE FOCUS OF THE CONFERENCE
IS TO IMPROVE - VIA REGIONAL COOPERATION - EFFORTS TO CURB OPIUM
CULTIVATION, PROVIDE ALTERNATIVE LIVELIHOODS, AND THE
INTERDICTION OF NARCOTICS IN THE REGION. THE OBJECTIVES OF THE
CONFERENCE ARE TO PRESENT A MODEL FOR CONDUCTING FUTURE BUSINESS
MEETINGS, DEVELOP A DATABASE PARTICIPATING NATIONS CAN SHARE,
AND CREATE A TWO-YEAR SCHEDULE FOR FUTURE MEETINGS. DURING THE
INAUGURAL MEETING LAST NOVEMBER, THE PARTICIPATING NATIONS - THE
UNITED STATES, U.K., AFGHANISTAN, TAJIKISTAN, PAKISTAN,
TURKMENISTAN, UZBEKISTAN, KYRGYZSTAN, AND KAZAKHSTAN - HAD
AGREED TO HOLD THE SECOND CONFERENCE IN DUSHANBE, TAJIKISTAN
THIS MAY. THE PARTICIPANTS ALSO RECOMMENDED RUSSIA PARTICIPATE
AS A CHARTER NATION, DESPITE RUSSIA'S PREVIOUS REFUSAL TO
PARTICIPATE. SINCE THE WEEK FOLLOWING THE FIRST MEETING IN
NOVEMBER, EMBASSY DUSHANBE HAS ENGAGED THE RUSSIAN EMBASSY ON
THE UPCOMING MAY CONFERENCE. EMBASSY DISCUSSED AGAIN LAST WEEK
WITH THE RUSSIAN DEFENSE ATTACHE AND RUSSIAN DEPUTY CHIEF OF
MISSION THE OPPORTUNITIES THE CONFERENCE PROVIDED FOR ALL
REGIONAL PARTICIPANTS. BOTH EXPRESSED THAT PARTICIPATION WAS AN
ISSUE THE RUSSIAN MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS WAS HANDLING, AND
THE EMBASSY IN DUSHANBE HAD LITTLE INPUT. OF NOTE, THE RUSSIAN
BORDER GUARD LEADERSHIP IN TAJIKISTAN HAS EXPRESSED INTEREST IN
PARTICIPATING.


9. COMMENT AND ACTION REQUEST: GENERAL ZUHUROV IS ONE OF THE
STRAIGHTEST SHOOTERS IN TAJIKISTAN. WE HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO
REASON TO BELIEVE HE IS PLAYING SOME SORT OF ZERO-SUM GAME WITH
THIS INFORMATION. EMBASSY DUSHANBE REQUESTS THE DEPARTMENT
PREPARE AN URGENT DEMARCHE TO BE DELIVERED, IF AT ALL POSSIBLE,
ON MAY 12 IN THE PARTICIPATING STATES' CAPITALS, URGING THEM TO
PARTICIPATE IN THE DUSHANBE CONFERENCE BECAUSE IT IS IN THEIR
OWN AND THE GREATER REGION'S INTERESTS. END COMMENT AND ACTION
REQUEST.
HOAGLAND