EXBS: KAZAKHSTAN ADVISOR'S MONTHLY REPORTING CABLE (MARCH

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ASTANA 000892 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 (MARCH 2007) ¶I. BROAD ITEMS OF INTEREST TO ADVISORS AND AGENCY MANAGERS: ¶1. EXBS Advisor Mike Seguin departed post on March 15, due to receipt of military orders to Active Duty. TDY EXBS Advisor Larry Adkins arrived at post on March 7, 2007 and will depart on April 26, ¶2007. ¶2. Industry-Government Relations Forum II. The EXBS office has received a cable requesting our cooperation and assistance in preparing for the DOE and DOC sponsored Industry-Government Relations Forum II in Almaty (June 7-8, 2007). The Department of Export Licensing and Department of Commerce's representative in Kazakhstan (Business Inform) will be doing all the logistical work and sending out information to desired participants. This event is still in the planning stage. ¶3. Safe-Boats maintenance. The key issues in order to return safe boats back to operation involve painting the hulls of the vessels with anti-fouling paint and maintenance. On March 21, 2007, Aktau Customs notified the Embassy that they had received a shipment addressed for the U.S. Embassy Kazakhstan (4 pcs., weighing 82 kg). This cargo was the anti-fouling paint for the Safe Boats that was shipped from the United States. The shipment arrived in Aktau Airport on March 15. Unfortunately the shipper, Sound Specialty Coatings Corporation, sent the paint to Aktau instead of Astana as requested. Due to the distance from Astana to Aktau, EXBS is utilizing the services of a Customs Broker in Aktau to clear the shipment through Customs procedures and then turn the paint over to a Border Guard representative from Bautino where the Safe Boats are currently stationed. Program Assistant Gulnara Abildaeva is working closely with GSO, the Customs officials of Aktau, and the Customs Brokerage, firm to get the paint released from Customs before more storage fees accumulate. ¶4. Department of Energy Software Upgrades. The Department of Energy (DOE) will send a representative from the Nuclear Technology Safety Center (NTSC) to the Dostyk and the Bakhty Border Control Posts from May 14-18 and the Maikapshagai Border Control Post from May 21-25, to conduct necessary software installation and upgrades to 3-each portable X-ray Florescence (XRF) metal analyzers that were provided to Kazakhstan Customs earlier in June of 2006. EXBS, together with the NTSC representative, will also review how the units are being used at the ports of entry. ¶5. Volunteer Visitor Program. Since the February 26 meeting with the Customs Control Committee Chairman Askar Shakirov, where the proposed agenda for the upcoming Volunteer Visitor Program and the time frame (May 11-20) was discussed, the EXBS team has been waiting for the final confirmation from Mr. Shakirov. Although the timeframe discussed was acceptable to Mr. Shakirov, we have not received the necessary paperwork (EVBDs) from his office to initiate the proposed visit with the Voluntary Visitors Program. II. COMPLETED ACTIONS FOR THE REPORTING PERIOD ¶A. SITE ASSESSMENTS AND MEETINGS CONDUCTED ¶1. On March 26 INL and EXBS team had a meeting with the Deputy Director of the Border Guard Service, Head of the Main Division of Border Control, Major-General Tursyn Uazhanov. The meeting was organized by INL office for the visit of INL Program Officer Aaron Alton from Washington, D.C. INL had asked for feedback from the Border Guards on the results of the donations/training assistance ASTANA 00000892 002 OF 003 provided by the INL program. EXBS supports this query and expressed its interest in similar data for the EXBS program. EXBS Advisor Larry Adkins reinforced the message that co-operation between the programs - INL, EXBS, DTRO - is of vital importance in order for the programs not to overlap efforts and to provide better assistance. INL Officer Scott Waldo suggested that in the future such meetings should be attended by all the involved Embassy offices. The meeting was a good opportunity for EXBS to meet with the high-ranking border guard officials and to promote the program. ¶B. TRAINING DURING THE REPORTING PERIOD ¶1. Bucharest Export Control Conference. Kazakhstan's delegation to the 8th Annual Export Control Conference in Bucharest, Romania (March 6-8) consisted of two officials: Sergey Savelyev, representing Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Ernar Bakenov, representing Customs Control Committee under the Ministry of Finance. The event was well organized and attended. The Kazakhstani delegation has confirmed that such conferences reinforce the willingness and enthusiasm of the government officials to promote improvements at their home country. ¶2. Land Coastal Border Enforcement Exchange in Phoenix, Arizona and San-Diego, CA. March 19-25. Six representatives of the Kazakhstani Border Guard, Customs and Foreign Affairs agencies participated in the event. This project was sponsored and hosted by the Arizona National Guard and organized by the Office of Military Cooperation (OMC) in Astana. Gulnara Abildaeva, EXBS Program Manager, and Anara Nabieva, PfP Program Assistant (OMC) accompanied the group and reported that event was well organized. Maj. Ben Luoma of the Arizona National Guard and Captain Strangfeld of the U.S. Coast Guard did an excellent job of providing tours through their facilities and showing the command and control capabilities utilized by these agencies. However, there were some problems with the behavior of the Kazakhstan officials who participated in the event. Although they were high ranking officials from Border Guard, Customs and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, their attitudes demonstrated an indifference to the goals of the exchange program. They were also very rude and disrespectful to the two female Embassy employees who accompanied the group as interpreters. Post will follow up with the GOK regarding their unacceptable behavior. ¶C. EQUIPMENT DELIVERED DURING THE REPORTING PERIOD ¶1. No equipment delivered during this reporting period. ¶D. IMMINENT TRAINING OR EQUIPMENT STATUS UPDATE ¶1. Product Identification Training (PIT) April 3-5. Department of Commerce (DOC) is planning to conduct Product Identification Tool Training (PIT) in Almaty. This training focuses on the identification of nuclear, biological, and chemical materials, the use of Kazakhstan's software and licensing systems to identify materials, what to do if questionable materials are suspected at Border Crossings, as well as methods of processing licensing applications. All Country Clearances and necessary Diplomatic Notes were processed by EXBS. EXBS Advisor Larry Adkins and EXBS Program Assistant Gulnara Abildaeva will attend the training event. ¶2. Task Order 79 Donation. Task Order 79 for the EXBS donation of Ural Trucks and Border Guard Shelters is nearing fruition. We were ASTANA 00000892 003 OF 003 notified by LATA on March 13, 2007 that four of the eleven URAL trucks we ordered had arrived in Astana and would be delivered to the Border Guard Station in Kyzylorda. It is expected that the remaining trucks and shelters to be donated will arrive in April or May; however, definite delivery dates have not yet been determined. The Ambassador will be asked to participate in a dedication ceremony at an appropriate time. ¶3. X-Ray Van Repairs. The Department of Energy (DOE) will send technicians to maintain the donated X-Ray Van at the Korday Customs Post on the Kazakhstan - Kyrgyzstan Border April 14-16, and to Shymkent city - on the Kazakhstan - Uzbekistan border April 18-20. The EXBS team is planning to support the X-Ray van team and conduct Border Site Assessments at the Korday Customs Post on Kyrgyz border and on Zhibek Zholy and Kazgurt Customs Posts on the Uzbek border. The EXBS team will also inspect the state of donated equipment at the mentioned posts. ¶4. Preliminary Second Line of Defense (SLD) site survey. The Second Line of Defense (SLD) program team will conduct construction and integration efforts in the placement of radiation detection equipment and portal monitors to vehicle crossing sites throughout Kazakhstan. The dates for this project have been moved from April 2007 to May 2007 (May 1-31). ¶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. ORDWAY