TAJIK FOREIGN MINISTER PITCHES HIGH PROFILE BRIDGE OPENING

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 DUSHANBE 000044

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR SCA FEIGENBAUMAND DEUTSCH

E.O. 12958: DECL: 1/9/2017
TAGS: PREL EAID MASS KPAO TI AF
SUBJECT: TAJIK FOREIGN MINISTER PITCHES HIGH PROFILE BRIDGE OPENING

REF: DUSHANBE 34

CLASSIFIED BY: Tracey Jacobson, Ambassador, U.S. Embassy
Dushanbe, STATE.
REASON: 1.4 (b),(d)




1. (SBU) Summary: In a January 4 meeting with the Ambassador
(reftel),Tajik Foreign Minister Zaripov proposed a high profile
opening for the United States Government funded bridge linking
Tajikistan and Afghanistan across the Pyanj river. The Embassy
fully supports a strong public diplomacy package for the bridge
opening, estimated for August 2007, and requests Department
action to line up high-level attendees from both the
Administration and Congress. Additional public diplomacy and
security coordination will be required with Embassies Kabul and
Islamabad to maximize the regional impact of the opening. The
bridge at Nizhniy Pyanj is the largest United States Government
funded infrastructure project in Tajikistan (one of the largest
Army Corps of Engineers projects in the world) and will serve as
a physical and symbolic link between Central Asia and South Asia
through Afghanistan. See action request in para 6. End
summary.

Opening Day

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2. (SBU) Foreign Minister Zaripov asked the Ambassador to
confirm that the USG-funded bridge at Nizhniy Pyanj, linking
Tajikistan and Afghanistan, would open as planned in summer

2007. Referring to the most recent reports from our engineering
team at the bridge site, the Ambassador reported that the bridge
completion has already slipped from the June target date due to
repeated delays in delivery of cement from the state-owned Tajik
cement factory. Even since the latest "resolution" of the
cement issue, the contractors have received approximately only
two-thirds of the required deliveries. The Ambassador suggested
August would be a safe target for an opening ceremony provided
Tajikistan keeps to its cement delivery commitments, and noted
that Washington officials tend to travel more in August as well.
Zaripov promised to do what he could to facilitate the bridge
project, including pushing for on-time cement deliveries.
Zaripov agreed that both sides should aim for the bridge opening
in August.

Playing to the Crowd

===============


3. (C) Zaripov's proposal for the bridge opening includes
attendance by both President Rahmonov and President Karzai. The
twosome had attended the project's groundbreaking ceremony in
2005, and Zaripov noted that Karzai's New Year greeting to
Rahmonov mentioned the bridge opening this summer. Zaripov
asked what U.S. officials would attend and suggested including
members of Congress. Tied to the ribbon cutting ceremony,
Zaripov envisions launching a convoy of ten or more commercial
trucks loaded with Tajik export goods and accompanied by
international media. The convoy would cross the bridge to
Afghanistan, travel through Kunduz, the Salang Tunnel, Kabul,
and Kandahar and proceed through Baluchistan to either Karachi
or Gwadar on the Pakistani coast. This trip of 3000 kilometers
to an Indian Ocean port is dramatically less than the 7000
kilometers trade goods currently have to travel to the Baltic
Sea. Accompanying the convoy would be representatives of
international media, covering the stories of the bridge opening,
Afghanistan's new roads, and regional integration in general.


4. (C) Even before we could raise the issue, Zaripov
recognized the difficulties posed by security conditions in
southern Afghanistan. He asked that the United States or the
International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) "guarantee" the
security of the convoy, describing his vision of helicopter and
troop escorts. We acknowledged the potential security issues
and offered to raise these issues with Washington and our
embassies in Kabul and Islamabad.


5. (C) Comment: Zaripov evidently learned a lot about public
relations during his time as Ambassador in Washington. He
understands that the bridge opening represents a tremendous
opportunity to highlight Tajikistan's role in the region and its
relevance to U.S. objectives in Afghanistan and greater Central
Asia. His ideas about publicizing the opening of the bridge

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strike us as being right on target. The bridge opening provides
an unparalleled opportunity to demonstrate in concrete terms the
benefits of regional integration between Central and South Asia.
We understand the most difficult part of these arrangements
will be security for a commercial and media convoy through
southern Afghanistan and Baluchistan. Although road security
conditions in August are difficult to predict at present, a
preliminary assessment would help move plans forward. End
Comment.


6. (C) Action Request: Post recommends the Department begin
work now to identify appropriate high-level administration
official(s) and member(s) of Congress to participate in an
August event. We would also need assistance attracting
appropriate international media to the opening events and
coordinating a multi-day convoy from Tajikistan, through
Afghanistan and Pakistan to the coast. Embassy Kabul's
assistance will be required both to accommodate President
Karzai's participation as well as to make appropriate security
arrangements with Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF),
International Security Assistance Force and the Afghan National
Army for the proposed convoy. Embassy Islamabad and ConGen
Karachi would also be involved.
JACOBSON