Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07ULAANBAATAR281
2007-05-15 02:50:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Ulaanbaatar
Cable title:  

Snapshots of Mongolia's West Part 3 of 3: Uvs' Future

Tags:  PGOV ECON SENV PREL MG 
pdf how-to read a cable
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RR RUEHLMC RUEHVK
DE RUEHUM #0281/01 1350250
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 150250Z MAY 07 ZDK
FM AMEMBASSY ULAANBAATAR
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1101
INFO RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL 2748
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 5553
RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW 1768
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 2481
RUEHOT/AMEMBASSY OTTAWA 0445
RUEHML/AMEMBASSY MANILA 1376
RUEHBK/AMEMBASSY BANGKOK 1466
RUEHVK/AMCONSUL VLADIVOSTOK 0101
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC
RUCPODC/USDOC WASHDC 1272
RUEHLMC/MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE CORP WASHINGTON DC 0577
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RUEHRC/USDA FAS WASHDC
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ULAANBAATAR 000281 

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

STATE PASS PEACE CORPS, OPIC AND EXIMBANK
STATE FOR EAP/CM, OES, PD/ECA, AND EB/TPP
USAID FOR DEIDRA WINSTON
BANGKOK AND MANILA FOR USAID
TREASURY FOR T.T. YANG

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV ECON SENV PREL MG
SUBJECT: Snapshots of Mongolia's West Part 3 of 3: Uvs' Future
Focused on Agribusiness and Tourism

Ref: A) Ulaanbaatar 0253, B) Ulaanbaatar 0268,

SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED -- NOT FOR INTERNET DISTRIBUTION. PLEASE
PROTECT ACCORDINGLY.

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ULAANBAATAR 000281

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

STATE PASS PEACE CORPS, OPIC AND EXIMBANK
STATE FOR EAP/CM, OES, PD/ECA, AND EB/TPP
USAID FOR DEIDRA WINSTON
BANGKOK AND MANILA FOR USAID
TREASURY FOR T.T. YANG

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV ECON SENV PREL MG
SUBJECT: Snapshots of Mongolia's West Part 3 of 3: Uvs' Future
Focused on Agribusiness and Tourism

Ref: A) Ulaanbaatar 0253, B) Ulaanbaatar 0268,

SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED -- NOT FOR INTERNET DISTRIBUTION. PLEASE
PROTECT ACCORDINGLY.


1. (SBU) SUMMARY: The Charge visited Ulaan Gom (UG),the capital of
Uvs aimag (province) April 27/28. Uvs Governor Togoo said the best
business prospects are sea buckthorn production, cashmere,
agribusiness, tourism, and mining, but unemployment is high and
nearly 30% of the population lives below the poverty line.
Regarding USG assistance to the aimag, the USAID-funded Judicial
Reform Project has made important contributions to improving the
quality and speed of justice while improving human rights
performance. Mongolian Border Forces are deeply appreciative of the
U.S. DOD-funded communications upgrade project which helps them
protect Mongolia's frontier against "armed and increasingly
aggressive rustlers and thieves" from Russia's neighboring Tuva
Republic. University and vocational teachers asked for Peace Corps
Volunteers to teach English, books, and U.S. university contacts.
(Refs A and B summarize the Charge's stops in Khovd and Bayan Ulgi,
respectively.) END SUMMARY.

Ulaan Gom Itinerary
--------------


2. (U) Charge visited Ulaan Gom, the capitol of Uvs aimag (province)
April 27/28, on the third and final stop of his April 23-28 swing
through Mongolia's three western most aimags (refs A and B summarize
his visit to Khovd and Ulaan Gom). He met in Ulaan Gom with Uvs
Aimag officials, met with the 0245 Border Forces Regiment Commander
(enroute Charge stopped at a Border Forces outpost, the first to
receive US DOD-funded communications equipment),visited a Judicial

Reform Project, met with English language teachers, visited the
Dechinravjaalin Khiid temple, the aimag's museum, and the local
market, and toured a sea buckthorn project. This cable, the last of
three, provides a snapshot of the brief visit to Uvs.

Governor Sanguine About Agriculture, Tourism;

Grateful for Peace Corps, DOD Support
--------------


3. (U) Uvs Aimag Governor Togoo said Uvs, with 81,000 residents, is
some 1,400 kilometers from Ulaanbaatar and just 100 kilometers from
the Russian border. While blessed with many lakes and mountains,
giving it good tourism potential, it also experiences a daunting
range of temperatures from -60 to 105 degrees Fahrenheit. Togoo
said herding is still the predominant occupation for the aimag, with
21,000 families tending herds of 2.4 million goats, sheep, cattle,
horses, and camels. He hoped the aimag would expand into pig,
chicken, and vegetable seed production as well as agribusiness, as
it has some 50,000 hectares of fertile farmland. Meat production
and processing held some prospect, in this regard. Clearly the
climate has turned dryer in recent years, so the aimag was looking
into irrigation technologies and improved seed varieties. He hoped
U.S. firms might invest in these efforts. To date, beyond cashmere
production, sea buckthorn oil and juice exports are Uvs' largest
cash earner, with most production going to Japan, Korea, and China.
Mining has drawn limited interest to date, but the aimag has gold,
coal, molybdenum, and salt deposits that are not fully explored.


4. (U) Uvs' total population stands at 81,000, of which 30% live
below the nation's poverty level and about 25% are students, Togoo
said. There are several ethnic groups represented, including the
Khoton native Moslem minority numbering just over a thousand. He
said local sources produced about 30% of the aimag's budget and the
remaining 70% came from the central government. Togoo expressed
thanks for recent Peace Corps Volunteer contributions to improving
the aimag's English language training as well as U.S. DOD border
communications project improvements which have helped reduce animal
theft from the neighboring Russian Tuva Republic.


ULAANBAATA 00000281 002 OF 003



5. (U) In response, the Charge said he would carry back these
proposals for consideration. The U.S. and Mongolia are good
friends, he said, laying out the range of cooperation between the
two countries, and the U.S. was proud, as President Bush had said
during his 2005 visit, to be Mongolia's "third neighbor." He noted
the Embassy planned to expand its outreach this year, it being the
20th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations,
adding that the Ambassador planned to visit the region later this
year and the PAO had visited last month. He noted this was a
familiarization visit, but that he also hoped to identify potential
areas for cooperation in commercial, educational, and other
sectors.

Judicial Reform Project Much Appreciated
--------------


6. (U) During a brief meeting with Uvs aimag Chief Justice D. Bavuu,
Bavuu said the timing of the JRP's computerization of the courts was
perfect, as case loads had risen significantly yet automation
increased the speed and quality of the work being performed while
improving transparency and accountability. As a result of the USG's
efforts, there were fewer violations of human rights in the pretrial
and trial phases, witnesses and victims found greater confidence in
the process and thus were more willing to give evidence, and the
number and length of pretrial detentions had also dropped,
especially for young defendants.


7. (U) Twice annual training seminars had also improved performance
and professionalism, he said. The USG's approach of "train the
trainers" was paying off, he said, and he hoped more training would
be offered, including English language learning. The World Bank
plans this autumn to construct a new court building costing
US$375,000. With that and JRP's contributions, the courts will have
updated facilities, equipment, and training that brings the aimag
into the 21st century. The courts have plans to post their
judgments on the internet and to be able to share information with
other aimags and colleagues. He reiterated his deep gratitude to
the USG for providing this equipment and noted some minor problems,
including replacement of a defective copier and modems for internet
connection.

Hope to Grow English Language, Computer Science Programs; Vocational
Schools Seeks MCC Support; Need Books, Budget, Peace Corps Vols,
Contacts
-------------- --


8. (U) During a joint meeting with Ulaan Gom University, Vocational
Technical School, and a private institute's teachers, the Charge
learned that 75 of Ulaan Gom University's 147 students study
computer science and languages, including English, and 1170 were
enrolled at the vocational school. UGU's department chairman said
it was difficult to retain qualified staff in these disciplines as
they tended to migrate to UB and higher paying jobs. He expressed
appreciation for improvements in English language performance when
Peace Corps Volunteers were present and asked that PCVs -- and more
of them -- again be sent to UG. An extended discussion with
teachers revealed a keen eagerness to engage in discussions with
native English speakers and they explored a variety of options
included language exchanges via cell phones (Charge noted this is
popular in Korea) and via the internet, since UGU has some fairly
modern computer equipment and labs. Teachers sought contacts with
U.S. universities and the Charge said the PAO would help them
initiate this process.

Border Forces Grateful for DOD-Provided Communications Equipment;
Rustlers Armed
And Increasingly Dangerous
--------------


9. (SBU) LTC Damdinsuren, Commander of the 0245 Border Force
Regiment, briefed the Charge on his unit's mission of securing the
border with Russia as well as the status of the U.S.-DOD funded

ULAANBAATA 00000281 003 OF 003


communications project. Damdinsuren expressed appreciation for the
USG's communications project and provided a list of additional
requests (which has been previously provided to DAO). Damdinsuren
said there continue to be cross-border incursions from Russia's Tuva
Republic by thieves and rustlers, both of which are increasingly
aggressive as well as better and more heavily armed. He noted it
was not uncommon to have two to four simultaneous events on the
border which stretch his force's limited capacity. He concluded
that in some cases these appeared to be carefully coordinated and
orchestrated events, but he was unsure whether these attacks
represented a single gang's multi-pronged effort or an "agreement
among thieves" that working together reduced individual risks.
Rustling is the most common crime, LTC Damdinsuren said, and his
forces are often fired upon.


10. (SBU) Enroute from Bayan Ulgii to UG on April 26, Charge took a
detour to visit a platoon-size outpost using USG-provided
communications equipment. The Senior Lieutenant there stated that
his forces had been fired upon and returned fire the previous week
in response to a cross-border incursion by rustlers who initially
made off with 33 horses. Border Forces succeeded in regaining 23 of
the 33 stolen horses. In a separate but related event, last week
two soldiers in a neighboring outpost were shot and killed.

Goldbeck