TURKMENISTAN'S STATE COUNTERNARCOTICS AGENCY ASKS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ASHGABAT 000821

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

STATE FOR SCA/CEN, EUR/ACE, INL
DUSHANBE FOR DEA
MOSCOW FOR DEA
ISLAMABAD FOR DEA
ANKARA FOR DEA
AID/W FOR EE/EA

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL EAID SNAR TX
SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN'S STATE COUNTERNARCOTICS AGENCY ASKS
FOR TRAINING, EQUIPMENT

REF: ASHGABAT 347


1. (U) Sensitive but unclassified. Not for public Internet.



2. (SBU) SUMMARY: The chief of Turkmenistan's DEA-like
State Counternarcotics Service (SCNS),Murad Islamov, said in
a June 24 meeting that he is eager to accept technical
assistance from the United States and that "we need a
foundation on which we can work together in the future."
Islamov has a list of equipment, facilities, and training
programs that he would like and is shopping them around to
various donors. Islamov repeated earlier statements that he
is strategic about deciding on training needs and will not
send officers for training if he thinks that it will not be a
good use of time. DEA now needs to decide what it can offer.
END SUMMARY.


3. (SBU) Islamov met with DEA Special Agent William
Gustafson, the Chief of the Embassy's Office of Military
Cooperation and INLoff for almost two hours on the fringes of
the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Caspian Sea
Initiative conference on June 24. Islamov was primarily
concerned with his new agency's technical needs (reftel).
Islamov asked questions about U.S. practices and laws during
the interactive meeting.

ISLAMOV SPELLS OUT HIS AGENCY'S NEEDS


4. (SBU) Islamov spelled out the priorities of the State
Counternarcotics Service:

-- 70 Toyota Hilux trucks and 30 Toyota Corollas. (Islamov
cited ease of serviceability of Toyotas in Turkmenistan.);

-- A state-of-the-art regional training center. (Later in the
conversation, he indicated that the State Counternarcotics
Service is building a new training center and gymnasium in
Bekrove, a western suburb of Ashgabat. He said that he would
like DEA to provide training at this center when construction
is completed.);

-- One- or two-month courses for Special Forces investigative
units in the latest crime-solving and counternarcotics
techniques -- taught locally and overseas by DEA if possible;

-- Scanners at border crossing stations;

-- Additional border crossing stations;

-- Six working sniffer dogs;

-- Training manuals on operations and investigation
techniques, including a catalog with photos of synthetic
drugs;

-- Face recognition and fingerprint analysis software.
Gustafson added that DEA could provide training on best use
of this equipment, and the chief of the Office of Military
Cooperation suggested a familiarization trip to the U.S. on
these products, to which Islamov reacted positively;

-- Two or three fast boats for patrolling the Caspian Sea.
Islamov added that the State Border Service would also need
boats for its work; and

-- Training on weapons use and techniques.

ASHGABAT 00000821 002 OF 002



He asked for feedback as soon as possible on which equipment
the U.S. Government can fund, so that he can plan his budget.
Islamov hoped to receive this information before leaving for
the International Drug Enforcement Conference in Istanbul on
July 7. DEA is sponsoring Islamov's and Deputy Minister of
Internal Affairs Mustafa Geldiyev's participation in the
conference.


5. (SBU) The U.S. delegation suggested a one-year course in
English training at the Defense Language Institute in El
Paso, Texas, followed by extended training at the DEA Academy
in Quantico, Virginia. Gustafson added that it might be
possible to embed foreign drug-enforcement officers in DEA
headquarters if the relationship with that country is a close
one.

PRAISE FOR THE U.S. RELATIONSHIP AND ASSISTANCE


6. (SBU) Islamov said that the U.S. Government provides the
only real useful assistance -- other countries and
organizations just talk about it. While it was too early for
DEA agents to come regularly to provide technical assistance,
Islamov said, "We need a foundation on which we can work
together in the future," and asked that the U.S. and Turkmen
sides make rational decisions about assistance and
cooperation together as a team.

COMMENTS ON TRAINING


7. (SBU) Islamov said that he refuses to have his valuable
personnel participate in some donors' training programs, if
he thinks that the particular training will not be useful.
He added that he carefully picks participants in order to
allocate training resources most rationally. Islamov asked
that DEA have some role in the upcoming Port Security
Project, which the U.S. Coast Guard is running.

NEW ROLE OF STATE CUSTOMS SERVICE


8. (SBU) Islamov said that the State Customs Service and the
State Counternarcotics Service have a good relationship. He
said that Customs "has its own assignments, but we specialize
in narcotics. We have a narrow direction and we know what we
want." He said that the State Counternarcotics Service is
already detecting and intercepting drugs.


9. (SBU) COMMENT: It appears that Islamov wants to work
with the United States -- but we know from other donors that
he has spoken to them about assistance needs also.
Nevertheless, it is clear that there are areas that we can
work on with Turkmenistan's State Counternarcotics Service.
DEA and others need to identify training to offer so that we
can move this relationship forward. END COMMENT.
HOAGLAND