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