GERMANY WARNS THE UZBEKS TO BE NICE

C O N F I D E N T I A L TASHKENT 000579 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR SCA/CEN E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/23/2016 TAGS: EU PGOV PREL UZ ZK SUBJECT: GERMANY WARNS THE UZBEKS TO BE NICE REF: TASHKENT 422 Classified By: CLASSIFIED BY AMB. JON R. PURNELL FOR REASONS 1.4 (B, D) . ¶1. (C) Summary: Parliamentarians (MPs) from the German-Central Asia group met with GOU officials in February to discuss cooperation on issues including terrorism. GOU officials held to the party line that the truth about Andijon had been established. The Germans were generally pleased that the GOU treated the German delegation well. However, the German DCM believes this treatment was because the Uzbeks know Germany will have significant budgetary control over EU aid programs during the next year. End summary. ¶2. (C) MPs from a sub-group within the German Parliament that focuses on Central Asia met with Uzbek counterparts and the GOU's Ombudsman for Human Rights, Sayora Rashidova, on February 20. Uzbek television reported they discussed interparliamentary relations and cooperation on issues including terrorism, trans-border issues and the environment. German DCM Kurt Stockl-Stillfried told Poloff such a meeting has usually occurred every two years, but was cancelled last year due to events in Andijon. Stockl-Stillfried said that Uzbek television interviewed the delegation and GOU MPs, including Rashidova, at the German Ambassador's residence, and asked numerous questions about Andijon. He said that the official representatives held firm to GOU rhetoric, saying only that the &truth8 had been established and the trials had been held, implying that the GOU has done all that was required of it. ¶3. (C) The Germans also met with FM Ganiev who, according to the German DCM, spoke favorably about the OSCE, but said he thought it was too focused on the east. Stockl-Stillfried mentioned Ganiev did not yell at the Germans as he did at a Finnish delegation in February (reftel). In a separate meeting, Minister for Internal Affairs Bakhodir Matlyubov said that he supports a &dialogue with the people8 of Uzbekistan on the events in Andijon. In the German DCM,s opinion, Matlyubov gave the impression that he wants to move on from Andijon as he was not involved. ¶4. (C) Comment: The delegation felt the GOU was unwilling to proceed with resolving the events in Andijon. The GOU treated the German delegation respectfully, said the German DCM, because the GOU does not want to upset the Germans who will control most of the EU aid programs for the next year. PURNELL