KYRGYZ FM PUSHES FOR GREATER COOPERATION WITH U.S.

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BISHKEK 001421 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR SCA/CEN E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/03/2017 TAGS: PGOV PREL MARR KG SUBJECT: KYRGYZ FM PUSHES FOR GREATER COOPERATION WITH U.S. REF: A. STATE 147334 ¶B. BISHKEK 1328 BISHKEK 00001421 001.2 OF 003 Classified By: CDA Lee Litzenberger, Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Visiting Central Asia Office Director Spratlen and Ambassador met with Foreign Minister Karabayev November 20 in Bishkek. Spratlen stressed the importance of the upcoming parliamentary elections as an indicator of the direction of Kyrgyzstan's political reform, and she discussed ideas for moving the bilateral relationship forward. Karabayev maintained that democracy was Kyrgyzstan's biggest resource, and these elections were part of the process for strengthening statehood. Karabayev listed a number of areas in which he hoped the U.S. and Kyrgyzstan could intensify cooperation, and he asked that the U.S. side propose a date for the next U.S.-Kyrgyz Comprehensive Policy Dialogue in Bishkek sometime in winter or early spring 2008 (Ref A). End summary. The Minister's Wish List -------------- ¶2. (C) Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Ednan Karabayev told visiting Central Asia Office Director Pamela Spratlen and Ambassador Yovanovitch November 20 that following his September visit to Washington for the inaugural "Comprehensive Policy Dialogue" (Ref A),there was "full interest" in developing the "strategic partnership" with the United States. Karabayev laid out several areas for greater cooperation or assistance. Noting that he had taken a long list of proposals with him to Washington, he suggested it would be better to focus on just a few investment projects, particularly in the energy sector; in the mining sector, with particular attention to smaller deposits; in rural development; and to rehabilitate of the road network. ¶3. (C) Karabayev was anxious to move forward with Kyrgyzstan's Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) Threshold Country Program, which he hoped would improve the country's standing on the MCA indicators. Karabayev noted that Kyrgyzstan's external debt remained a serious concern, and he said again that he hoped to find a way to write down that debt, perhaps in exchange for commitments on sustainable development. Karabayev asked for funding assistance to his ministry to implement an electronic visa system (see Ref B). Karabayev asked for help to get Kyrgyzstan included on the �0A;list of countries participating in the One Laptop per Child program headed by Nicholas Negroponte. Karabayev also said that a meeting "at the highest level" would send a very good signal, and if the pre-requisites were met, he could start planning for such a meeting in 2008. Outstanding Issues -------------- ¶4. (C) Karabayev said that in order to move forward, the two sides needed first to work through three outstanding issues. Karabayev raised the Kyrgyz government's earlier request for new air navigation equipment for Manas Airport. The Ambassador pointed out that the Kyrgyz Air Navigation service had already decided to move forward with plans to purchase and install a Russian-sourced radar system. Karabayev said the Kyrgyz side was still waiting for the final report from the U.S. side on the investigation into the December 2006 shooting of a Kyrgyz truck driver by a U.S. airman at the Manas Air Base. The Ambassador noted that CENTCOM Commander Fallon, in his November 5 meeting with Karabayev, said that the report had taken too long, but it should be completed before the end of the year. ¶5. (C) Karabayev then raised the case of Almazbek Raimkulov, a Kyrgyz professional boxer who has been jailed in Las Vegas on an outstanding warrant, stating that the case was of BISHKEK 00001421 002.2 OF 003 interest to President Bakiyev. Karabayev said that many Kyrgyz attached great significance to the case, and he hoped that Raimkulov could be released on bail while the case was resolved. The Ambassador said that the Kyrgyz Embassy in Washington was aware of the matter, and the Kyrgyz consul should assist Raimkulov to get a lawyer in order to resolve the matter according to law. Areas for Cooperation -------------- ¶6. (C) Spratlen said that successful cooperation on particular projects could lay the groundwork for discussion about the possibility of a higher level meeting. Spratlen said that in order to demonstrate progress in the bilateral relationship, the two sides should set out two or three achievable joint projects over the near to medium term, in the areas of security cooperation, economic development, and political reform. One possibility in the security area would be for the Kyrgyz to deploy a peace keeping or de-mining team; there were ongoing discussions within CENTCOM about how Kyrgyz team might participate. Karabayev stressed that a Kyrgyz deployment should be "under the UN flag," but we would take this "one step at a time." Spratlen suggested further discussions in Washington and in Bishkek to come up with specific projects. Spratlen said it was a positive sign that the MCA Threshold Country Program would be launched soon. Spratlen also said she would take the request for assistance on an electronic visa system back to Washington, but she was not optimistic that there would be any funding available to support the initiative. Parliamentary Elections -------------- ¶7. (C) Spratlen stressed the importance of the Kyrgyzstan's December 16 parliamentary elections as an indicator of the country's direction on political reform. She noted that Kyrgyzstan had made important strides during its 16 years of independence, but that the blatant fraud during the October constitutional referendum set a bad precedent. She said that a one-party parliament would undermine Kyrgyzstan's past advances on democracy and leave many voters unrepresented, and it was important that voters not be disenfranchised by technical rules. She said that Washington would be watching the conduct of the elections closely. ¶8. (C) Karabayev said that with few other natural advantages, Kyrgyzstan's biggest resource was its democracy. He said that Kyrgyzstan, unlike its neighbors, had built a vibrant civil society, but as a result economic development had lagged. In over two years of debate over constitutional reform, the "democracy of noise" had come to dominate the "democracy of reason," and it was time to reach a decision on the constitution. In addition, the parliament had become "out of control," he said. The purpose of the referendum and the parliamentary elections, Karabayev maintained, was to strengthen statehood and the "vertical of power." He hoped that the result would not be a one-party parliament, but he also noted that under the new rules, the new parliament would see greater representation of women, ethnic minorities, and youth. Next Comprehensive Policy Dialogue -------------- ¶9. (U) Karabayev said that he wanted to set a date for the second round of the U.S.-Kyrgyz Comprehensive Policy Dialogue and consultations, to be held in Bishkek. He said that the Kyrgyz side was flexible about the timing. Spratlen said that the next meeting would probably take place during the first quarter of 2008, but we would get back to the Kyrgyz side shortly with a specific suggestion. BISHKEK 00001421 003.2 OF 003 Comment -------------- ¶10. (C) The two-hour meeting was constructive in tone as Karabayev clearly hopes to intensify cooperation with the U.S., and he came to the meeting with a long list of general ideas for investment or greater assistance. Karabayev wants to demonstrate that the bilateral relationship with the U.S. is moving in the right direction, and that it results in tangible benefits to Kyrgyzstan. Karabayev also wants to demonstrate that Kyrgyzstan is moving in the right direction, and he went to great lengths to defend the steps underway to "strengthen statehood." Spratlen made clear, however, that from the U.S. perspective, "strengthening statehood" cannot be at expense of the democratic process. ¶11. (U) Central Asia Office Director Spratlen has cleared this cable. LITZENBERGER