KAZAKHSTAN: AUSTRIA ASKS WHERE IS RAKHAT ALIYEV

C O N F I D E N T I A L ASTANA 002162 SIPDIS STATE FOR SCA/CEN, EUR/CE, INL E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/04/2018 TAGS: PREL PINR KCRM AU KZ SUBJECT: KAZAKHSTAN: AUSTRIA ASKS WHERE IS RAKHAT ALIYEV Classified By: AMBASSADOR RICHARD E. HOAGLAND: 1.4 (B),(D) ¶1. (C) During a pull-aside at a commercial-diplomatic event in Astana on October 31, Austrian Ambassador Ursula Fahringer asked if the United States has any current information on the whereabouts of the former Kazakhstani Ambassador to Austria and President Nazarbayev's ex-son-in-law, Rakhat Aliyev, who has been convicted in absentia of "serious crimes" in Kazakhstan. She said the to-date presence of Aliyev in Austria has poisoned Austrian-Kazakhstani relations. Vienna has lost track of Aliyev but presumes he will try to stay within the Shengen visa area. The Ambassador responded that Aliyev is not high priority for the United States, despite requests to us from the government of Kazakhstan to help find Aliyev and return him to Kazakhstan. He said he is unaware from any source of Aliyev's current whereabouts. ¶2. (C) Ambasador Fahringer asked if the United States would extradite Aliyev from the United States, should he turn up there. The Ambassador responded that Aliyev's legal entry into the United States woukd be unlikely, if for no other reason than his Interpol listing. He noted the United States does not have an extradition treaty with Kazakhstan, and so extradition would not necessarily be assured. ¶3. (C) Ambassador Fahringer, admitting she was not under instructions, asked if the United States would pass fullest information to Vienna about Aliyev. The Ambassador responded he would convey this request to Washington. He suggested it might be better for the Government of Austria to deal with this issue either in Washington or at the U.S. Embassy in Vienna. HOAGLAND