TURKMENISTAN: DATE FOR ADOPTION OF REVISED

C O N F I D E N T I A L ASHGABAT 001068 SIPDIS STATE FOR SCA/CEN, DRL E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/18/2018 TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL KDEM UNGA TX SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN: DATE FOR ADOPTION OF REVISED CONSTITUTION SEEMS TO CONFLICT WITH UNGA TRAVEL Classified By: Charge Sylvia Reed Curran for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (U) During an August 15 cabinet meeting, the president announced that the 2000-plus member National Halk Maslahaty (People's Council) will convene on 26 September. During the session, the body will formally adopt the revised national constitution, and will also reportedly discuss a presidential decree to pardon prisoners on Night of Omnipotence, which occurs near the end of Ramadan, likely at the end of September this year. This is traditionally when the government pardons the largest group of people. ¶2. (C) COMMENT: The late September date will give government bureaucrats a little more time to hammer out remaining rough spots in the constitutional draft, given the short time the president allowed for this process. The selection of the date for the session appears to have been a sudden one, and immediately affected plans for Defense Minister Mammetgeldiyev to visit the United States during the week of September 24. DATT received notification soon after the announcement that the Minister would not be able to travel that week. This announcement also would seem to guarantee that President Berdimuhamedov will not travel to New York to attend the opening session of the UN General Assembly on September 23 and give an address (scheduled for September 25). Deputy Chairman/Foreign Minister Meredov had previously told us that he would lead the Turkmenistan delegation if the president did not attend the UNGA session. END COMMENT. CURRAN