KAZAKHSTAN: AUSTRIANS PURPORTEDLY PREPARING TO

S E C R E T ASTANA 002245

SIPDIS

STATE FOR SCA/CEN, EUR/AGS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/12/2033
TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR KCRM AU KZ
SUBJECT: KAZAKHSTAN: AUSTRIANS PURPORTEDLY PREPARING TO
EXPEL KAZAKHSTANI DIPLOMAT

REF: A. ASTANA 2162

B. ASTANA 1560 (NOTAL)

Classified By: Ambassador Richard Hoagland, Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (S) On November 11, Canadian Embassy Political Counselor
Dierdrah Kelley confirmed for us rumors that Austrian Embassy
DCM Peter Hoehlmuller and his family had departed Kazakhstan
several days previously on short notice and might not be
returning to the country. Kelley, who is close to
Hoehlmuller and his wife (and resides in the same building as
them),explained that before he left, Hoehlmuller had told
her confidentially, without the permission of Austrian
Ambassador Ursula Fahringer, that Austria is preparing to
expel a counselor-level diplomat from the Kazakhstani Embassy
in Austria for his involvement in a September kidnapping
attempt in Vienna against former National Security Committee
(KNB) head -- and Rakhat Aliyev associate -- Alnur Musayev.
Hoehlmuller was returning to Austria to assist the Austrian
MFA in handling this sensitive matter. Ambassador Fahringer
had insisted that Hoehlmuller's wife and children leave with
him, apparently fearing for their safety.


2. (S) Hoehlmuller told Kelley that the Austrians want the
Kazakhstanis to withdraw the diplomat quietly, rather than
formally declaring him persona non grata. Hoehlmuller
believes that the Kazakhstanis might expel an Austrian
diplomat from Kazakhstan in retaliation. Since the Austrians
only have two diplomats at their embassy -- Hoehlmuller and
Ambassador Fahringer -- Hoehmuller would be the likely
victim. Hence, he and his family might not be returning to
Kazakhstan. The Austrians are also concerned about
retaliation against Austrian businesses in Kazakhstan.


3. (S) Hoehlmuller informed Kelly that the last-minute
cancellation of Austrian President Heinz Fischer's planned
October visit to Kazakhstan was the result of Rakhat Aliyev's
intervention. According to Hoehlmuller, Aliyev managed to
directly relay a message to Fischer advising him not to go to
Astana and describing the Kazakhstani government as
"despotic." Ambassador Fahringer interceded to try to keep
the visit on track, but to no avail.


4. (S) Hoehlmuller also confided to Kelley the details of
another unusual incident in Kazakhstani-Austrian relations.
In October, the Austrian Embassy in Astana received a
diplomatic note requesting agrement for Deputy Foreign
Minister Kairat Sarybay to be appointed as Kazakhstan's new
Ambassador to Austria. Quite oddly, the diplomatic note was
dated months earlier -- sometime in May. Shortly after
delivery of this agrement request, the Austrian Embassy
received a second diplomatic note withdrawing it. (NOTE: On
an unrelated note, Ambassador Fahringer got into a spat with
the Kazakhstani MFA at the October 17 Common World Forum
ministerial, when the MFA decided to recognize former
Austrian parliamentarian and Council of Europe Secretary
General Walter Schwimmer as the head of Austria's delegation
at the event. Fahringer explained to the Kazakhstanis that
Schwimmer was just a private citizen and that she represented
the Austrian government -- but the MFA nevertheless tried to
seat Schwimmer in Austria's chair at the heads-of-delegation
table and give him Austria's invitation to a private
heads-of-delegation lunch with Foreign Minister Tazhin.
Whether the MFA's treatment of Fahringer was simply the
result of confusion or was a deliberate snub remains unclear.
END NOTE.)
HOAGLAND