KAZAKHSTAN - FORWARD MOVEMENT ON AMENDING MEDIA

UNCLAS ASTANA 000824

SIPDIS

C O R R E C T E D C O P Y (SECSTATE PASS INSTRUCTIONS)

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

SECSTATE PLEASE PASS TO SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA COLLECTIVE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PHUM KDEM OSCE KZ
SUBJECT: KAZAKHSTAN - FORWARD MOVEMENT ON AMENDING MEDIA
LEGISLATION

REF: ASTANA 0613 (NOTAL)


1. (SBU) Pol-Econ Chief met on April 24 with Anastasiya
Shchegortsova, head of the Information and Culture Ministry's
Strategic Planning Department, and Bogatoz Kaipova, from the
Presidential Administration's Domestic Policy Department, to
discuss Kazakhstan's Madrid commitment to amend the country's
media legislation by the end of 2008.


2. (SBU) Shchegortsova and Kaipova confirmed to Pol-Econ
Chief that the Information and Culture Ministry was moving
forward in establishing a working group on media legislation
amendments, as Minister Yertysbayev had agreed to do during a
February 25 meeting with the OSCE (see reftel). They
explained that the first working group meeting would be held
in Astana on May 12. In addition to the Information and
Culture Ministry, government participants would include the
Justice Ministry, Procurator General's Office, and the
Economy and Budget Planning Ministry. Shchegortsova and
Kaipova said that key NGO's in the media field had agreed to
participate, including Adil Soz, Internews, the Club of
Editors-in-Chief, the National Association of Broadcasters,
and the Congress of Journalists -- which had proposed its own
package of media legislation amendments in 2007. (Note: We
subsequently confirmed with Adil Soz that they had been
contacted by the Information and Culture Ministry requesting
the name of their working group participant, though Adil Soz
had not yet received a formal invitation to the May 12
meeting. End Note.)


3. (SBU) Pol-Econ Chief noted that addressing the fundamental
issues -- including media registration requirements as well
as decriminalization of libel -- would require not only
amendments to the law on mass media, but also amendments to
the criminal and civil codes. Shchegortsova and Kaipova
explained that the aim of the working group would be to
develop a package of amendments to all media-related
legislation. They also stressed that while the OSCE would
not be participating directly in the working group,
implementing the OSCE's recommendations would be the crux of
its work. The Information and Culture Ministry had already
received a number of amendment proposals from various
sources, which would be discussed by the working group, they
added.


4. (SBU) Shchegortsova and Kaipova could not provide details
on a timeframe for completing a package of amendments. The
working group, they contended, would develop a schedule once
it met. Kaipova emphasized that while the Information and
Culture Ministry has the lead on the media legislation
amendments, the overall effort of implementing the Madrid
commitments is being coordinated by the Presidential
Administration's Domestic Policy Department.
ORDWAY