EXBS: KAZAKHSTAN ADVISOR'S MONTHLY REPORTING CABLE (APRIL

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ASTANA 001262 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR ISN/ECC PVANSON, ACHURCH, JHARTSHORN DEPT FOR ISN/ECC-AMT LSPRINGER DEPT FOR EUR/ACE RBUCK DEPT FOR SCA/RA JSCHLOSSER DEPT FOR SCA/CEN MO'MARA CBP/INA FOR CDONOFRIO AND RWATT USDOE/NNSA CWALKER, TPERRY AND EDESCHLER DOC FOR DCREED AND GPETERSEN-BEARD USCG FOR BGOLDEN AMEMBASSY BERLIN FOR CUSTOMS ATTACHE AMEMBASSY TASHKENT, BISHKEK, BAKU, DUSHANBE AND ASHGABAT FOR EXBS ADVISORS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ETTC MNUC PARM PREL KSTC KNNP KZ SUBJECT: EXBS: KAZAKHSTAN ADVISOR'S MONTHLY REPORTING CABLE (APRIL 2007) ¶I. BROAD ITEMS OF INTEREST TO ADVISORS AND AGENCY MANAGERS: ¶1. TDY EXBS Advisor Larry Adkins departed post on April 26. The Embassy welcomed TDY EXBS Advisor Kevin Cummings assigned to post from April 24 to May 24, as the second in a series of temporary advisors who will manage the office until the next TDY EXBS Advisor arrives. On May 2, it was announced that Bill Mayer, the former EXBS Advisor in Armenia, was selected as the permanent EXBS Advisor for Kazakhstan. His tentative reporting date is June 25, 2007. ¶2. Industry-Government Relations Forum. The EXBS office sent a diplomatic note proposing that the First U.S.-Kazakhstan, Industry-Government Relations Forum be conducted in Almaty from June 7-8, 2007. EXBS received oral confirmation from the Chancery of the Prime Minister that the Government of Kazakhstan accepted the proposed dates for this event. The Ministry of Industry and Trade of Republic of Kazakhstan will host the Forum and coordinate with EXBS on the details. CTP, INC. - contractor to DOC/BIS hired a local subcontractor to provide logistical support. ¶3. Safe-Boats maintenance. Program Manager Gulnara Abildaeva worked with GSO, the customs officials of Aktau, and the customs brokerage to have the anti-fouling paint released from customs control and moved to the Maritime Border Guards base in Bautino where the three safe boats are moored. Mike Taffe, Export Control and Border Security (EXBS) Regional Maritime Advisor based in Baku, will meet with representatives of the Maritime Division of Kazakhstan's Border Service in Aktau on May 23-24. The purpose of this trip will be to coordinate the painting of the Safe Boats, to work with the Maritime Border Guard (MBG) to select a vendor to perform scheduled Safe Boat maintenance, to identify a vendor to perform an assessment on the Sea Ark, to check the status of repairs to the engine of Safe Boat 622, and to discuss an advance Small Boat Operations Mobile Training (U.S.CG MTT) scheduled for summer 2007. ¶4. Department of Energy Software Upgrades. The trip to the Dostyk and Bakhty ports of entry from May 14-18 and the trip to the Maikapshagai port of entry from May 21-25 for the representative of Nuclear Technology Safety Center (NTSC) were approved by the Customs Control Committee. The NTSC representative will upgrade the software for the portable X-ray Florescence (XRF) metal analyzers provided to Kazakhstan Customs in June of 2006. ¶5. Border Site Assessments Kazakhstan-China Border. The EXBS team will accompany the representative from the NTSC to Dostyk and Bakhty to conduct Border Site Assessments. As part of the assessment process, the EXBS team will inspect all equipment donated by EXBS and review port facilities, operations and procedures. ¶6. Volunteer Visitor Program. The EXBS office received the completed Biographical and Program Data form from Mr.Shakirov, Chairman Customs Control Committee. His office notified EXBS that Mr. Shakirov is unable to attend during May and requested the visit be scheduled for late August. The information was forwarded to the Public Affairs Section for action. II. COMPLETED ACTIONS FOR THE REPORTING PERIOD ¶A. SITE ASSESSMENTS AND MEETINGS CONDUCTED ¶1. April 12-19 - TDY Advisor Larry Adkins and Kazakhstan EXBS ASTANA 00001262 002 OF 003 Program Assistant Oxana Limareva traveled to the Karasu Border Crossing in the Zhambyl Region and the Jibek Joli Border Crossing in the Southern Region. There they assisted the DOE/NNSA Mobile X-Ray Van Repair Team. Upon arrival at these locations, it was learned that rough road conditions, frequent power surges and the frequent loss of electrical power in these areas had rendered the mobile X-ray vans inoperable at both ports. In Karasu the van has been non-operational since June 2006 and the van in Jibek Joli has been non-operational since May 2006. While the repair team worked on the x-ray vans, the EXBS Advisor team conducted site assessments at the Karasu and Jibek Joli border crossings. Those assessment reports have been submitted to INS/ECC Country Lead Jeffrey Hartshorn. ¶2. On May 3, representatives from the Office of Military Cooperation and EXBS Advisor attended a meeting with the Director of the Border Guard Service, General-Lieutenant Bolat Zakiyev. Issues related to narcotic detections and interdictions consistent with DOD provisions of Counter Narcotics programs were discussed. ¶B. TRAINING DURING THE REPORTING PERIOD ¶1. Product Identification Tool Training. TDY EXBS Advisor Larry Adkins and Kazakhstan EXBS Program Manager Gulnara Abildaeva attended Product Identification Tool Training (PIT) from April 3-5 in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Mr. Douglas Evans and Mr. Eric Denijs of Commonwealth Trading Partners (CTP) conducted the training. Assisting in the training was CTP's in country representative Business Inform, who translated the PIT into Russian and modified the software to make the program more useful and user friendly. A total of fourteen Customs officers representing almost every region of Kazakhstan attended the training and received a copy of the PIT software. Everyone gave positive remarks regarding the training and the usefulness of the PIT software. They expressed the belief that it is an excellent tool that will increase proficiency and enhance the enforcement of export controls. ¶C. EQUIPMENT DELIVERED DURING THE REPORTING PERIOD ¶1. No equipment delivered during this reporting period. ¶D. IMMINENT TRAINING OR EQUIPMENT STATUS UPDATE ¶1. Task Order 79 Donation. Task Order 79 for the EXBS donation of Ural Trucks and Border Guard Shelters is nearing completion. EXBS was notified by Kazakhstan Border Guards that seven URAL trucks had arrived in Kyzyl-Orda, two trucks had arrived in Aktau, one truck has arrived in Beineu, and one truck had arrived in Uralsk. It was reported that the truck at Uralsk has a broken steering box. It is expected that the four shelters to be donated will arrive in May or June; however, definite delivery dates have not yet been determined. The Ambassador will be asked to participate in a dedication ceremony at an appropriate time. ¶2. X-Ray Van Repairs. The Department of Energy (DOE) sent technicians to maintain the donated X-Ray Van at the Korday Customs Post on the Kazakhstan - Kyrgyzstan border April 14-16, and to Shimkent city - on the Kazakhstan - Uzbekistan border on April 18-20. The DOE/NNSA Mobile X-Ray Van Repair Team consisting of Mr. Gilbert Chavez and Mr. Michael Lukens was unable to repair either van. The vans require replacements parts that the repair team did not have in their possession. ASTANA 00001262 003 OF 003 ¶3. Preliminary Department of Energy Second Line of Defense (DOE/SLD) site survey. The Second Line of Defense (SLD) program team will develop an installation and integration plan for the placement of radiation detection equipment and portal monitors at vehicle crossing sites throughout Kazakhstan. The dates for this project have been moved from June 1 to July 1. ¶4. Commodity Identification Training (CIT). The Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration's (DOE/NNSA) International Nonproliferation Export Control Program (INECP) plans to hold a Commodity Identification Training (CIT) course for Customs Control Committee (CCC) personnel during the week of May 28 in the city of Atyrau. CIT is intended to provide customs inspectors and others to recognize potentially export controlled, WMD-sensitive goods. INECP and its Kazakhstani partners including the Customs Committee, the Atomic Energy Committee and technical specialists from several institutes have been cooperating on CIT for several years, and the Kazakhstani side has modified INECP's course specifically for the Customs Control Committee, while also preparing a group of instructors to teach the course. This will be the fourth CIT seminar in Kazakhstan. ¶E. SIGNIFICANT DEVELOPMENTS IN EXPORT CONTROLS, NONPROLIFERATION, OR RELATED BORDER SECURITY ¶1. None. ¶F. CASPIAN SECURITY INFORMATION ¶1. None. III. RED FLAG ISSUES. ¶1. None. CROWLEY