KAZAKHSTAN: SENATE CHAIRMAN OFFERS TO CONSULT WITH THE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ASTANA 002365

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

STATE FOR SCA/CEN, DRL

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM ECON SOCI KDEM KZ
SUBJECT: KAZAKHSTAN: SENATE CHAIRMAN OFFERS TO CONSULT WITH THE
AMBASSADOR ON MADRID-COMMITMENT LEGISLATION


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


2. (SBU) SUMMARY: On November 26, Ambassador Hoagland met with
Senate Chairman Kasym-Zhomart Tokayev. Tokayev told the Ambassador
that the Senate's priorities are to pass a package of "Madrid"
amendments now making their way through the Mazhelis (lower house of
Parliament) and to assist the government in mitigating the impact of
the economic downturn. He said his goal is to improve ties between
the Kazakhstani Senate and the U.S. Congress and asked for our
assistance in setting up meetings for his trip to the United States
sometime next year. Regarding the recently passed religion law,
Tokayev lamented that "the OSCE and Europe" criticized the law
without realizing that it is far more liberal than similar laws in
the region, and even in Europe. He contended that the legislation
was guided by public pressure from the Muslim and Orthodox
communities to fight against sects. Tokayev promised to get the
Cooperative Threat Reduction legislation ratified quickly. In
response to the Ambassador's question on elections, Tokayev said
early elections were unlikely but "no one can be 100 percent sure."
END SUMMARY.

TOP PRIORITIES: MADRID, THE ECONOMY, IMPROVED TIES WITH THE UNITED
STATES


3. (SBU) On November 26, the Ambassador met with Senate Chairman
Kasym-Zhomart Tokayev to discuss the Senate's broad legislative
goals. Tokayev congratulated the Ambassador on the "successful
beginning" of his tenure in Kazakhstan, especially based on his
interviews in the Kazakhstani press, which he said he followed
closely. He noted that he has been following the U.S. election and
is eagerly anticipating the naming of the new Secretary of State.


4. (SBU) Tokayev said his number-one focus is on the draft laws on
the media, elections, and political parties that are making their
way through the Mazhelis (the lower house of Parliament). He
expressed hope that this meeting was the beginning of a "close and
personal" relationship with the Ambassador that would allow for
"close consultation on all pieces of legislation." "Please do not
hesitate to voice your concerns," he underlined, stressing that he
would appreciate hearing our view on all OSCE-related legislation.
The Ambassador thanked Tokayev and suggested that the government
should allow civil society to review the laws in the Mazhelis'
Public Chamber. Tokayev agreed with the suggestion, but he noted
that this package of laws is a "big step forward" and added that he
doesn't expect to hear many concerns from civil society. (COMMENT:
Some civil society leaders are already expressing concern. END
COMMENT.)


5. (SBU) The Senate's second top priority, according to Tokayev, is
the economy. "These are tough times," he noted, reminding the
Ambassador that Parliament had to renegotiate Kazakhstan's budget to
adjust for falling oil prices. The Senate is determined to give the
government necessary "freedom of movement," stressed Tokayev, "much
like the Congress in the United States."


6. (SBU) Looking more long-term, Tokayev said his goal is to
strengthen inter-Parliamentary ties between Kazakhstan and the
United States. He shared his plans to organize several trips for
Kazakhstani Senators to the United States "to explain Kazakhstan."
He also expressed hope that more Congressional delegations would
come to Kazakhstan. Tokayev told the Ambassador he plans to visit
the United States next year and asked for our help scheduling
appropriate meetings. The Ambassador asked him to keep us updated
on his travel plans so we can fully assist him.

RELIGION LAW "LIBERAL" COMPARED TO OTHERS


7. (SBU) Tokayev brought up Kazakhstan's religion legislation,
which the Parliament passed on November 26 (septel). He lamented
that "many in Europe and the OSCE" are criticizing Kazakhstan
without fully understanding the legislation. The law is "much more
liberal" than similar legislation in Russia and Kyrgyzstan, he
maintained, and many of the new provisions are more liberal than
even those found in some European religion laws. Tokayev told the
Ambassador that he plans to attend OSCE's Parliamentary Assembly
session in February in part to publicize Kazakhstan's Path to Europe
program, and to "assuage the concerns and confusion" about the

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religion legislation.


8. (SBU) The Ambassador noted that civil society and OSCE's Office
of Democratic Institutions and Human Rights were concerned about how
the new law would treat small, "non-traditional" faiths. Tokayev
countered by saying the government "is under pressure from public
opinion to counter the influence of sects." (NOTE: While Tokayev is
correct that most people want the government to do something about
"sects," civil society leaders maintain that this view is fueled
largely by the broad media campaign that paints many non-traditional
faiths as "dangerous sects." END NOTE.) He maintained that "there
are those" in the Russian Orthodox establishment who believe that
only Islam and Russian Orthodoxy should be allowed in Kazakhstan and
even oppose Catholicism and Judaism. He confided to the Ambassador
that, in his view, the government should "provide more liberties for
non-traditional faiths," but repeated that the legislation is more
liberal than those in other countries. Kazakhstan's legislation
requires only 50 members to register as a religious organization, he
underlined, while Spain requires 1,000 and Kyrgyzstan is considering
imposing a minimum of 200. In answer to the Ambassador's question
on whether the President might send the law to the Constitutional
Court before signing, Tokayev said it would be a "good idea" but he
did not know whether there were any plans to do so and made no
commitments.

CTR WILL MOVE THROUGH THE SENATE QUICKLY


9. (SBU) Tokayev said the Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR)
Amendment was still undergoing intergovernmental review and had not
yet arrived at the Parliament. He promised to expedite it once it
passes the Mazhelis and comes to the Senate. The Ambassador
encouraged final ratification before the 15th anniversary of the CTR
on December 13.

"NO REASON" FOR EARLY ELECTIONS


10. (SBU) The Ambassador asked Tokayev about persistent rumors that
the President will call early elections after the new political
party and election laws are passed. Tokayev denied the possibility,
saying the President "sees no reason" to have them before 2012, but
added the caveat that "no one can be 100 percent sure, of course."


HOAGLAND