Turkmenistan Responds to USOSCE Plans to Support OSCE

UNCLAS ASHGABAT 000367

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR SCA/CEN (PERRY); INL (BUHLER); INL/AAE; EUR/RPM
DOD for OASD

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OSCE PREL TX
SUBJECT: Turkmenistan Responds to USOSCE Plans to Support OSCE
Border Assessment of Central Asian States

Ref: USOSCE 154


1. (U) Per reftel, post is providing comments, suggestions and
points of contact regarding the scope, focal points, and proposed
methodology for assessment of Turkmenistan's borders in conjunction
with a general assessment of the five Central Asian states' borders.



2. (SBU) SCOPE: Post envisages an assessment inclusive of internal
border station management among the 9-11 agencies represented at
each border crossing point (BCP); cross-border communication;
command and control capabilities and procedures along the border, at
the BCPs, and from the border areas to the capital city, Ashgabat;
sufficiency of personnel and resources to accomplish relevant tasks
associated with securing the entire length of the border and
operating the BCPs; overall training of officers working in border
areas; inter-agency coordination at the local BCP, regional, and
national levels; and the legislative framework for law enforcement
and border security-related issues.


3. (SBU) METHODOLOGY: The assessment should coordinate strongly with
international organizations, especially the European Union - Border
Management Program in Central Asia (EUBOMCA) and United Nations
Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) that already operate in
Turkmenistan and have a working relationship with the government.
It is unlikely a previously unknown, outside group will inspire much
confidence and openness with local interlocutors. Post recommends
that an assessment team first meet in Ashgabat with diplomatic
missions and international organizations working at the border and
all of the agencies represented at the border stations prior to
heading out to individual posts. An effective assessment will
require official buy-in at the highest level before lower-level
officials will feel comfortable sharing information. Any team
should recognize the fact that most law enforcement information is
considered a "state secret" and is not made available for public
consumption. Post looks forward to supporting an assessment as a
necessary and useful coordination step for regional work, but
cautions against too much optimism on the part of implementers.


4. (SBU) FOCAL POINTS: The focal points have already been laid out
in paragraph 2. The Government of Turkmenistan has shown an
increased willingness to engage the international community with
equipping the State Border Service (SBS),training SBS and State
Customs Service officers, and constructing border-crossing
checkpoints. The government has not shared a comprehensive border
management strategy with the donor community, so training, equipping
and construction has been sporadic and uncoordinated at a national
level. An assessment should highlight both areas of success and
improvement, but also consider national inter-agency coordination
and control.


5. (U) Points of contact:

Primary:
Political/Economic officer: Carla A. Gonneville
gonnevilleca@state.gov

Secondaries:
Export Control and Related Border Security Program Manager: Mike
Kirk
kirkml2@state.gov

Defense Attache: LTC James Zink
zinkjf@state.gov

BRUSH