KAZAKHSTAN: JUDICIARY EXPRESSES FURTHER INTEREST IN

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ASTANA 002087 DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/CEN, DRL/PHD SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PHUM EAID KZ SUBJECT: KAZAKHSTAN: JUDICIARY EXPRESSES FURTHER INTEREST IN DEMOCRACY AND GOOD GOVERNANCE REF: ASTANA 1220 (NOTAL) ASTANA 00002087 001.2 OF 003 ¶1. (U) Sensitive but unclassified. Not for public Internet. ¶2. (SBU) SUMMARY: On October 8, USAID led an emergency meeting to resolve issues related to the Memorandum of Understanding with the Supreme Court of Kazakhstan's Administration Committee. USAID met with the Chairman of the Committee to successfully resolve the problem and to discuss future areas for Rule of Law cooperation. END SUMMARY. MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING BACKGROUND ¶3. (U) The Memorandum of Understanding between USAID and the Supreme Court of Kazakhstan's Administration Committee was signed in December 2007 to delineate each party's expectations and commitments for modernizing the judiciary through the installation of video court recording software and equipment. Beginning in October 2007, USAID's Kazakhstan Judicial Assistance Project (Judicial Project) was based on a highly successful pilot program that installed video court-recording equipment in the Bostyndyk District Court in Almaty. The Judicial Project is now working with the Supreme Court to expand the use of courtroom video recording systems to every oblast (province) in Kazakhstan. The expansion will continue increasing the judiciary's transparency, accountability, and effectiveness; it also has the goal of creating a stronger and more independent judiciary as well as increasing citizen demand for a fair and transparent judicial system that responds to their needs. ¶4. (U) In accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding, over the next year, the Judicial Project and the Administration Committee will install video recording systems into at least 27 courts, train court staff in their usage, and oversee their usage and operation. As per the Memorandum of Understanding, the Administration Committee will purchase all of the video and computer hardware except for the six purchased by USAID in the first year of the program, while USAID will provide the software for all of the courts. These 27 courts will include 14 oblast courts, the city courts of Almaty and Astana, and several rayon (district) courts. The systems will include voice-disguising features to protect the identity of witnesses. This expansion includes a considerable cost-share from the Supreme Court and represents a nascent political will for judicial reform. TECHNOLOGY ISSUES ¶5. (SBU) During the last several months, the USAID implementer, Chemonics, had begun having problems with the deputy head of the Administration Committee, Mr. Ispanov. Ispanov wanted to purchase Kazakhstani-produced video recording hardware that is incompatible with the previously agreed to Ukrainian-produced video recording software to be purchased by USAID. (NOTE: The Ukrainian court recording software is used throughout Russia and much of the former Soviet Union. This software was also previously installed in six Kazakh courts as part of the Judicial Project. END NOTE.) While trying to keep to the Memorandum of Understanding's established timeline, Chemonics was working with the Ukrainian software company to resolve incompatibility issues with the Kazakhstani produced hardware. ¶6. (SBU) In the midst of trying to resolve the hardware software incompatibility problems, Ispanov notified Chemonics on October 6 that he would "rip up the Memorandum of Understanding." Chemonics explained this threat to USAID, and USAID immediately set up a meeting to resolve the issue. THE MEETINGS AND SOLUTION ¶7. (SBU) The meeting was attended by Mr. Shamshiyev, the head of the ASTANA 00002087 002.2 OF 003 Apparatus of the Supreme Court of Kazakhstan rather than Ispanov or any senior member from the Administration Committee -- although they had a note-taker present. (NOTE: The head of the Apparatus of the Supreme Court overseas the Court Administration Committee and reports directly to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. NOTE.) Several other senior members of the Apparatus were in attendance, including the head of International Development for the Supreme Court. Shamshiyev apologized for Ispanov and noted that Ispanov did not have the power to decide the fate of the Memorandum of Understanding. He stressed, however, that the Supreme Court was no longer interested in the Ukrainian software. ¶8. (SBU) The USAID representative accepted Shamshiyev's decision, noting that the United States has a similar policy of purchasing products made in the United States when possible. He argued that since the goal of the project was to cooperate in the rollout of a country-wide recording system, it did not matter which software was used -- as long as the Government of Kazakhstan continued with the rollout. He then proposed that since the Government of Kazakhstan was interested in purchasing more software than originally specified in the Memorandum of Understanding, perhaps USAID could use its money to provide additional training rather than to purchase software. He further proposed that some of the training could include capacity-building training that helps the Kazakhstani software company as well. (NOTE: The Kazakhstani software is meant to be fully operational by the end of the year -- thus no delay in the installation will occur. END NOTE) ¶9. (SBU) Shamshiyev was quite happy with this suggestion and immediately agreed. It was then agreed that an amendment would be drawn up to formalize the changes discussed. The main change is that USAID will not purchase the remaining 21 sets of video recording software; rather, USAID will use its money to provide additional regional training programs to the courts using the to-be installed video recording systems. The Administration Committee will purchase the new hardware as well as the new Kazakhstani software, leaving only the original six courts with the Ukrainian software and older equipment. The result is better than the previous Memorandum of Understanding since it allows USAID and its implementer to spend more resources on their strength -- capacity building -- rather than on commodities, something that the Government of Kazakhstan can easily provide. ¶10. (SBU) The USAID representative then met with Ms. Khuanova, the head of International Development of the Supreme Court of Kazakhstan, and Ms. Duganova, the sector head of International Development of the Supreme Court of Kazakhstan, to discuss future cooperation in the Rule of Law sector. USAID recapped the meeting in which the former U.S. Ambassador to Kazakhstan and the Regional USAID Mission Director had offered a new partnership with the Supreme Court of Kazakhstan after the expiration of the current Judicial Project in October 2009. The Chief Justice was extremely interested in the idea and specifically asked for project ideas related to World Trade Organization accession (see reftel). USAID then offered ideas related to training judges in preparation for World Trade Organization accession. ¶11. (SBU) Khuanova reconfirmed they would like to pursue a partnership in this area, but they were in the process of putting their budget together for next year. As a result, they did not know how much they could contribute to a Rule of Law Project at this time, but noted that it was important to get the idea in place. The USAID representative noted that the U.S. Government was going through the same budget planning process. (COMMENT: The Rule of Law and Human Rights money for Governing Justly and Democratically in Kazakhstan is currently too low to fully fund programs in both the Rule of Law and Human Rights sectors in FY 2009. USAID has raised this as an issue with the Bureau for European and Eurasian Affairs. END COMMENT.) The meeting concluded with both parties ASTANA 00002087 003.2 OF 003 agreeing to exchange further plans after budgets could be confirmed. COMMENT ¶12. (SBU) The first meeting helped resolve an issue related to technology and strengthened our Memorandum of Understanding. The second meeting highlighted the need for USAID to receive additional money for Rule of Law programming. It is important that the U.S. Government finds additional money for a new Rule of Law program because cooperating with the Supreme Court also presents an opportunity to advance United States-Kazakhstan relations in addition to supporting Rule of Law development in Kazakhstan. In Central Asia, it is very rare that the U.S. Government has an opportunity to partner with a host government on a development project. It is even rarer that they partner together on something related to democracy and governance. In addition to providing assistance at a critical juncture, a positive and significant U.S. Government response for further cooperation could go a long way to furthering relations with Kazakhstan and the region. END COMMENT. HOAGLAND