KAZAKHSTAN: INL DESK OFFICER CHECKS OUT CAMELS, KAZAKHSTANI

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ASTANA 001112

SIPDIS

SCA COLLECTIVE

DEPT FOR SCA/CEN, INL/AAE (ALTON),SCA/CEN (OMARA)

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SNAR PGOV KCRM KZ
SUBJECT: KAZAKHSTAN: INL DESK OFFICER CHECKS OUT CAMELS, KAZAKHSTANI
CUISINE, KUMYS, AND OF COURSE, INL PROGRAMS



1. Summary: In addition to attending the quarterly meetings
reported septel, INL desk officer viewed border intercepts at the
Tazhen border post in Western Kazakhstan; visited the Anti-TIP
Center in Karaganda; shared a Nauryz meal at the Financial Police
Academy in Koschi; learned of the increased drug seizures resulting
from the establishment of the Regional Border Guard Training Center
in Saryagash; and visited the Military Institute Border Guard
Training Center and the CARICC building. End summary.


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BORDER? SAY WHAT? WHERE THE CAMELS AND HORSES ROAM
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2. Two border posts in Western Kazakhstan provided visiting INL
desk officer an excellent view of the challenges of securing some of
the 13,000 kilometers of borders in the ninth largest country in the
world. Tazhen and Beineu are located in the desert of the far west
in Kazakhstan and provide passport control and customs services on a
quasi-road and rail line crossing into Uzbekistan.


3. In conjunction with an INL-funded project titled "Enhancing
Immigration Inspection and Border Control on the Land Border of
Kazakhstan with Uzbekistan," implemented by the International
Organization for Migration (IOM) to assess and lightly equip
selected border posts on the border with Uzbekistan and
Turkmenistan, the INL delegation visited the posts to deliver
vehicles and inspection equipment.


4. After a three-hour one-stop plane ride from Astana, an
eight-hour overnight train ride to Beineu and a two-and-a-half hour
4WD slog through the spring mud south to Tazhen, INL Officer and
staff were able to conduct the handover ceremony just in time for
the binoculars to prove their utility. Testing the binoculars, a
border guard saw a herder crossing the wide open border from
Kazakhstan to Uzbekistan who had almost been caught by the Uzbek
border guards. The Kazakhstani border guards used a 4WD vehicle to
respond to the apparent border violation. It turned out that the
shepherd was not crossing the border intentionally but wanted to
catch up with a member of his herd of grazing camels and horses that
was not respecting the boundary. (Note: In the last year several
cases have been reported where Uzbekistani border guards "capture"
Kazakhstani citizens who inadvertently wander across the unfenced,
unmarked border. The Kazakhstani border guards' quick action likely
avoided another messy border incident and saved an innocent shepherd
boy significant difficulties. End note.)


5. Aside from the overall aim of enhancing the security of
Kazakhstan's borders, INL's program provides an ancillary benefit to
under-funded, under-equipped, and under-staffed posts such as
Tazhen. Some of the biggest challenges for border guards serving in
this area are climate and geography. The post is located in a scrub
desert which is impassable when the winter and spring rains arrive.
During summer months the temperature reaches 50 degrees Centigrade.
In addition to the 4WD vehicle and binoculars, inspection equipment,
communications equipment, INL sometimes provides air conditioning
units just to make office space at the border posts tolerable.


6. Staffing these difficult posts will continue to be a problem for
the foreseeable future. Salaries would have to be substantially
increased to make service in the remote desert region attractive.
Currently, officers and staff work a week of 12 hour shifts living
in barracks and then travel two and a half hours back to Beineu for
time off. In addition, living in Mangystauskaya oblast is expensive
because the difficulties of importing products and the oil and gas
development has driven prices up beyond the reach of border guard
salaries.


7. More effective technology is necessary to monitor the vast open
territory on the border with Uzbekistan. The possibility of
providing such equipment is being considered within the framework of
the CENTCOM-funded Counter-Narcotics Project implemented by the
Embassy's Office of Military Cooperation.


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SOUTH, ALONG THE BORDER
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8. From the empty, desert west of Kazakhstan the INL desk officer
traveled to the urban, riverine south where INL funded a Regional
Border Guard Training Center in Saryagash. The Border Guards
provided the building, located on a base they share with the
military, and INL renovated and equipped a large classroom and
offices to provide a central location where officers and staff of
nearby posts could receive instruction without having to travel to
Almaty - a one day trip one way.


ASTANA 00001112 002 OF 002



9. The Head of the Border Guard Sector, Duman Yelemessov, informed
the delegation how he is effectively using the classroom. In just
four months, Yelemessov has welcomed international trainers to teach
his troops once and conducted six sessions of GOK-funded training.
The officers of the Kazakh-Uzbek border sector develop training
material and conduct training for locally hired staff who examine
the passports of those crossing the border.


10. Yelemessov announced that after providing the training seminars
to the border guard inspectors and controllers the number of
contraband seizures for the first three months of the year exceeded
the number of seizures for last two years. Within the framework of
projects based on the ALOA INL will continue to create regional
training centers at other locations on Kazakhstan's borders.


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TO KARAGANDA TO COMBAT TRAFFICKING
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11. In an effort to improve Kazakhstan's capacity to combat
trafficking in persons, Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs, Alik
Shpekbayev, initiated the opening of the Study Center for Combating
Illegal Migration and Trafficking in Persons (Anti-TIP Center) and
requested U.S. assistance. For their part, the Government of
Kazakhstan provided around $114,000 for the improvement of the Legal
Institute, including construction of dormitories for the Anti-TIP
Center. The GOK also assigned three positions to staff the Anti-TIP
Center. In addition, the GOK provided two classrooms and office
space for the Anti-TIP Center. INL provided $50,000 to furnish,
equip and renovate Anti-TIP Center and furnish a dormitory for the
participants who will be trained at the Center.


12. As a result of the meeting with the Director of the Legal
Institute in Karaganda during the visit of the INL Desk Officer, it
was agreed to conduct the official opening of the Anti TIP Center in
June. Opening the Anti-TIP Center is the first step in what
Shpekbayev said is a plan to create an International Anti-TIP
Training center where officers of neighboring countries could be
trained as well.


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TEAMWORK (AND HOSPITALITY) TO FIGHT MONEY LAUNDERING
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13. The INL desk officer's visit to the Financial Police Academy
provided an opportunity to meet the Acting Academy Director, Nurseit
Baizhanov. He vowed to continue the established professional
relationship between the Embassy and the Academy, where INL trains
Financial Police officers on how to combat money laundering.
Therefore, INL will continue supporting training for in-service
officers on detection and investigation of money laundering. New
courses for operational financial crimes officers are planned for
September and November 2007. Baizhanov also graciously provided the
INL delegation with a Nauryz eve meal of traditional Kazakh cuisine
including kumys (fermented mare's milk),kurt (dried milk balls),
horse meat and nauryz kozhe soup.


14. Baizhanov pointed out the utility of the INL-provided English
Language Laboratory, noting that for more effective AML training in
the longer term it is necessary to focus on development of English
language skills since this will allow Kazakhstani cadets to enroll
in more international institutions and in future will allow to
establish the working relationship FIU in U.S.


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AND THERE WAS SO MUCH MORE TO SEE
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15. Wrapping up the visit, the INL desk officer observed border
crossing activities at the Kaplanbek Southern border post with
Uzbekistan; breakfasted in the Border Guard barracks in Beineu,
viewed progress on the INL rehabilitation project at the Military
Institute in Almaty; and was briefed by UNODC on the Central Asia
Regional Information Coordination Center (CARICC) in Almaty.

ORDWAY