GOU SIGNS MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING ON POLICE

C O N F I D E N T I A L TASHKENT 001257 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/09/2017 TAGS: PREL PHUM OSCE UZ SUBJECT: GOU SIGNS MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING ON POLICE TRAINING WITH OSCE Classified By: CDA Brad Hanson for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Senior Police Advisor to the OSCE Secretary General Kevin Carty told Poloff that the OSCE and Government of Uzbekistan have signed a Memorandum of Understanding on police training. The MOU was signed during Carty's July 4 meeting with First Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs (MVD) Kadirov. Carty said that his overall goal for police engagement with Uzbekistan is to gradually move the Uzbeks away from the Soviet police model of viewing the community with suspicion as an entity to be controlled towards Western models of community policing and cooperation. Initially, OSCE activities will focus on the Ministry of Internal Affairs training academy, beginning with a project to develop new curriculum and training methodologies in line with international standards. ¶2. (C) Carty said that he had been warmly received by Uzbek authorities and allowed very good access to MVD personnel and facilities. He said that the tour of the MVD Academy demonstrated that Uzbek law enforcement is geared entirely towards repression, both of criminal suspects to extract confessions and of the population as a whole. He said that he told Kadirov that adoption of Western police models would not only improve Uzbekistan's image in the international community, but also would result in improved law enforcement as the relationship between the police and general public moved from antagonism to cooperation. Carty said that Kadirov responded that Uzbekistan is willing to selectively adopt Western law enforcement practices, but overall is comfortable with the law enforcement system inherited from the Soviet Union and sees no need to "reinvent the wheel." Carty said that the OSCE's task now is to engage in ways that bring mutual benefits, but that avoid legitimizing Uzbek government repression. ¶3. (C) Comment: OSCE has a tough road ahead. Virtually everyone agrees that reform of Uzbekistan's law enforcement structures is sorely needed. Little progress has been made to date, largely because the government sees no real need to change the way it does business. This likely will not alter in the near future, although it is possible that the Uzbeks will be willing to selectively cooperate in areas they see as being to their benefit. Some legitimization may also be unavoidable, as the Government of Uzbekistan will no doubt trumpet engagement with the OSCE on police training - no matter how limited - as a sign that its "step-by-step" approach to democracy, civil society, and human rights has met with international approval. OSCE will have to decide where to draw the line, but this may be the price to be paid in return for partially opened doors at MVD. HANSON