OSCE PROJECTS GET AXED DUE TO EU SANCTIONS

C O N F I D E N T I A L TASHKENT 001051

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR SCA/CEN

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/01/2017
TAGS: OSCE PREL PGOV EU UZ
SUBJECT: OSCE PROJECTS GET AXED DUE TO EU SANCTIONS

REF: A. TASHKENT 1029


B. TASHKENT 994

Classified By: CLASSIFIED BY CDA BRAD HANSON FOR REASONS 1.4 (B, D).


1. (C) OSCE Ambassador Jenca, on May 31, told Charge he was
called in by Foreign Minister Norov on May 29 to express the
GOU,s dissatisfaction with the EU,s May 14 sanctions
decision (Ref A). Norov explained to Jenca that since the
OSCE and EU were &like-minded8 organizations and cooperated
closely together, there were consequences. He told Jenca
that while the OSCE could continue to implement the projects
approved to date, those projects pending a GOU decision and
those projects submitted in the near future would be
rejected. A month prior to the sanctions decision, President
Karimov, on April 12, told the visiting OSCE
Chairman-in-Office, Miguel Angel Moratinos, that the OSCE
would soon receive a positive answer on the 2007 projects
(Ref B).


2. (C) Norov said the counter-terrorism conference, which the
OSCE has been trying to hold for over a year, was officially
"cancelled." The MFA had previously told Jenca in mid-May
that it was "postponed." Jenca explained that Norov made it
clear that the OSCE was free to hold a counterterrorism
conference elsewhere. As the OSCE Secretary General was
planning to come to Tashkent to inaugurate the conference,
Jenca asked Norov about his possible visit, nevertheless.
Norov responded that it was "not advisable" for the OSCE to
submit a request for the visit at this time.


3. (C) To the Charge, Jenca tried to spin positively this
turn of events, saying the situation was worse this time last
year. He added, at least the OSCE still was operating in
Uzbekistan, and actually was implementing more projects than
before. (Note: This is not entirely correct, as the OSCE is
implementing projects for 2007 in addition to those slated
for 2006, but delayed by the MFA. Due to an anticipated
decrease in workload, Jenca said he will have to let go two
local staff, as he cannot justify employing them.


4. Comment: The Uzbek-OSCE relationship has slipped back to
where it was this time last year: hostile. As in 2006, the
Uzbeks are officially postponing conferences, in effect
canceling them, advising the OSCE that it is not a good time
to submit requests for visits (as the GOU twice told the U.S.
Ambassador to the OSCE),and not approving projects. Last
year the GOU simply did not respond to certain project
proposals; this year the GOU has told the OSCE to not even
bother submitting proposals, in the near future, at least.
This downturn in relations makes it very unlikely the GOU
will request election observation assistance from the OSCE's
Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights for the
expected December 23 presidential election.
HANSON