DRL A/S KRAMER URGES PRESIDENT ALIYEV TO IMPROVE

C O N F I D E N T I A L BAKU 000652 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/01/2018 TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM KDEM PBTS AJ SUBJECT: DRL A/S KRAMER URGES PRESIDENT ALIYEV TO IMPROVE AZERBAIJAN'S HUMAN RIGHTS PERFORMANCE Classified By: Ambassador Anne E. Derse per 1.4 (b,d). ¶1. (C) Summary: In a very frank June 27 meeting, DRL A/S Kramer urged President Aliyev to "turn an area of friction into an area of improvement" in the bilateral relationship by taking concrete steps to address Azerbaijan's human rights problems. Although initially cool and somewhat testy, President Aliyev gave a lengthy explanation of his frustrations regarding what he considers to be the United States' unfair criticism of Azerbaijan's democratic progress. He made it clear that he is still taking U.S. criticism of Azerbaijan personally and that he believes the U.S. is supporting Azerbaijan's opposition. He rejected the idea that Azerbaijan has any problems with media freedom, arguing that the three jailed journalists are guilty of other crimes and scoffing at the idea that the general public knew or cared about the imprisoned journalists. Kramer stressed the importance of addressing Azerbaijan's media problems, to bolster Azerbaijan's image and relations with the U.S., and to solve a real problem. He urged Aliyev to issue a strong public statement in support of media freedom, a suggestion Aliyev said he would consider. Aliyev rejected Kramer's suggestion that the GOAJ re-register the Election Monitoring Center (EMC),arguing that EMC is funded by NDI and therefore is neither neutral nor independent and is instead "working against us." Aliyev was not persuaded by Kramer and the Ambassador's arguments that NDI is neutral and that the U.S., as a matter of policy, does not support individual candidates or parties, though he did appreciate Kramer's offer to talk with NDI about the importance of impartiality. Aliyev also was skeptical that progress ON democracy and human rights would improve the bilateral relationship, stating that current cooperation is excellent and he could not imagine how it could be any better - except, he underscored, with respect to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. "You are a superpower and can solve any problem in the world," Aliyev said pointedly. The overall tone of the meeting was constructive, and Aliyev closed the meeting by telling Kramer that he was grateful for the "most open and broad discussion with U.S. officials ON this subject." End summary. ¶2. (C) DRL Assistant Secretary David Kramer and the Ambassador met President Aliyev for nearly two hours ON June ¶27. Aliyev was accompanied by his International Relations Advisor Novruz Mammadov; Pol/Econ Chief (notetaker) also attended the meeting. Aliyev, who normally begins his meetings with visiting U.S. officials with a broad statement noting that he is "satisfied with the level of bilateral relations," was uncharacteristically silent at the beginning of the meeting. Saying nothing other than the most perfunctory welcome while the cameras were in the room, Aliyev waited for Kramer to begin the meeting. THE SOLE DIFFICULTY IN OUR RELATIONSHIP -------------- ¶3. (C) Noting that he was in Baku to continue the high-level dialogue ON human rights begun by his predecessor, Kramer briefed Aliyev ON the June 20 interagency discussions ON U.S. policy toward Azerbaijan that had identified human rights and democracy as the sole area of difficulty in the bilateral relationship. Kramer stressed that the U.S. hoped to turn this area of friction into an area of progress, to help Azerbaijan reach its goal of becoming a modern democratic state. Aliyev said he welcomed the visit as an opportunity to discuss the full range of bilateral issues. Although he said that we have "good progress in all areas," Aliyev also tersely stated that Azerbaijan's democratic process "is not an issue of bilateral relations, it is a domestic issue." (Comment: In a follow-on discussion, Foreign Minister Mammadyarov made it clear that the GOAJ welcomed discussions with the U.S. ON Azerbaijan's democratic process, telling us that the GOAJ recognizes the important role played by democracy and human rights in its bilateral relationship with the U.S., septel. End Comment) Aliyev stressed that Azerbaijan wants to be a "fully democratic country" and, to that end, maintains relations with a range of international organizations, including the Council of Europe (COE),which Aliyev noted had criticized Azerbaijan eight times over the last five years - criticism Aliyev deemed "unbalanced" when compared to the COE's criticism of Russia. ¶4. (C) Aliyev stressed that the GOAJ has a policy of cooperation with the U.S. ON a full range of issues and is ready to continue that cooperation. However, the two sides need to "openly discuss issues that create uncertainty," Aliyev said. "We can't take one element of the relationship from the context of all others. It's a package. We can't have good military relations with tensions in other areas." Aliyev continued that there is a new "disbalance" in the area of democracy and human rights that the U.S. and Azerbaijan need to discuss openly. Kramer welcomed Aliyev's comments, stating that the U.S. wants closer, deeper relations with Azerbaijan, and believes that will happen as our values come closer. Kramer repeated that he was in Azerbaijan to find concrete ways to work together. The U.S. experience has demonstrated that we have closer ties with countries ON the democratic path. WE NEED AN OPEN DISCUSSION -------------- ¶5. (C) Aliyev said that he would find a "very open discussion more useful, to clarify the issues, the situation and expectations." Aliyev continued that Azerbaijan follows closely the regional situation; some of the United States' close partners cannot be considered democratic countries. Although the U.S. never criticizes the poor democratic records in Egypt and Saudi Arabia, "we don't expect the same," Aliyev said. We have our own direction, Aliyev continued, pursuing since the 1990s a policy of Euro-Atlantic integration that has not been easy. Although this policy has led to Azerbaijan's successful development, Aliyev asked, "What does the U.S. want from us? Why is our international reputation damaged by this?" Aliyev said that "Azerbaijan is a rapidly developing country; we don't want to be considered authoritarian." RANKINGS AND DOUBLE STANDARDS -------------- ¶6. (C) Given that Azerbaijan is a "close partner" of the United States, Aliyev said that he "has a right to ask why Azerbaijan is presented as a country with democratic deficits." Referring to Secretary Rice's April statements ON democracy in the South Caucasus, Aliyev complained that Azerbaijan was "ranked number 3, something we couldn't not answer" in light of undemocratic events surrounding recent elections in Georgian and Armenia. In Georgia, for example, there were brutal attacks ON the media and the opposition that went "unnoticed" by the international community yet in Azerbaijan "one so-called journalist is punched and it becomes a big deal." Aliyev said that he understands Georgia is a "special place for the U.S., a symbol of democracy" and that "no matter what they do, the U.S. will support them, otherwise all U.S. democracy policy in the former Soviet Union will be questioned." However, Aliyev could not understand the lack of international reaction to undemocratic events in Armenia. There, the opposition was arrested, beaten and killed, and television stations were closed. ¶7. (C) "If we did ten percent of what they did, we would be labeled the most brutal country in the world," Aliyev said. "I was named a predator of the press and it's not fair. You have double standards. We don't want to be represented as an undemocratic country. We were disappointed and very offended by Secretary Rice's remarks. Never before has a high-ranking U.S. official rank-ordered these countries. The ranking is not true and we can prove this with facts. We don't understand why (this happened) and what the U.S. wants from us," Aliyev repeated. Moreover, "rigged ballots in Georgia and Armenia" didn't create problems in their relationships with the U.S. but "much less irregularity here creates a big problem. This is what we don't understand." YOU TREAT YOUR ALLY THIS WAY? -------------- ¶8. (C) Aliyev made it clear that he has interpreted recent U.S. criticism of Azerbaijan's democratic progress as a personal insult. Aliyev said Ukrainian President Yushchenko had escaped criticism for his "50" pre-election violations of the constitution because he is "your ally." "But I am also your ally," Aliyev said, "and who plays a more important role for the U.S.? Me. Since the mid 1990s I was the most active supporter (within Azerbaijan) of Western integration; I advised my father ON the policies he adopted. Why am I not treated as a friend today? Why are you supporting those who oppose me, those who are taking steps that can damage me?" Hinting at his lingering fears that the U.S. had supported Azerbaijan's opposition in the 2005 parliamentary election, Aliyev said that his government "did not disclose all that happened in 2005. After 2005, I thought that was over. Now I see what happens and I have concerns. We need to clarify. If you tell us you want democratic development in Azerbaijan, we won't believe it. Democratic development was ruined in Georgia. This unfair approach to the three countries creates concerns. We need to clarify and understand your expectations. Then we can close that chapter." ¶9. (C) Kramer responded that he appreciated Aliyev's candor. In a recent article in Foreign Affairs, Secretary Rice wrote that U.S. policy in the Middle East for decades had been based ON the mistake of accepting stability from authoritarian countries at the expense of promoting reform and liberalization, a point President Bush has emphasized as well, including in his second inaugural address. The United States recognizes that changing this approach is not easy and wants to encourage democratic change in a way that increases stability. Kramer said that he appreciated Aliyev's concerns about consistency in our human rights policies but noted that the U.S. had strongly criticized recent elections in Russia, Armenia and Georgia. Having been in Yerevan just days before, Kramer pointed to his public criticism of the Armenian Government for its handling of the March 1-2 events that led to ten people being killed. He emphasized that the U.S. strives to avoid favoring particular parties or individuals; instead we stand by universal democratic principles and support development of democratic institutions and processes. This position is reflected in our democracy assistance programs which are available to all political parties and aim to support the development of political pluralism, transparency, accountability and rule of law. Kramer stressed that the U.S. wants to find ways we can work together to advance our relationship. We appreciate Azerbaijan's sensitivities with respect to its image and recent U.S. comments, but there are some real problems in Azerbaijan's human rights performance that if addressed will improve Azerbaijan's image. MEDIA FREEDOM -------------- ¶10. (C) Emphasizing that he came to Azerbaijan to offer concrete solutions, Kramer said that Azerbaijan has both a perception problem and a real problem with respect to its treatment of journalists. The U.S. appreciated Aliyev's pardon of five imprisoned journalists last year, but three still remain in jail. A strong statement from Aliyev or his administration condemning violence against journalists would send a strong signal of Azerbaijan's commitment to media freedom. Aliyev said he agreed that there are problems in Azerbaijan; "I'm not trying to say we're perfect." However, Aliyev argued that "we have a free press here," stating that opposition newspapers "criticize me, everyone every day." The three cases are "special cases and one is not a journalist at all," Aliyev continued. "The situation is not one I prefer to see; it doesn't help at all. But at the same time, when similar things happen (in other countries),the attitude is different." Aliyev said he recognizes that there are problems of social injustice and corruption; "we are trying to resolve them." "We have a western orientation yet we are under constant criticism," Aliyev repeated. Kramer responded by noting that Russia and Armenia have come under strong U.S. criticism for their media problems, and again urged Aliyev to think about ways he could support freedom of the press and condemn violence against journalists. ¶11. (C) Aliyev said he would consider Kramer's request but again argued that Azerbaijan - and he personally - had been treated unfairly by the international community. Aliyev said that after he took office, he pardoned all Azerbajianis identified by the Council of Europe as political prisoners. (Comment: Three persons identified by the Council of Europe in 2003 as political prisoners remain in jail.) Yet Azerbaijani human rights activists "took bribes" and sent lists to the Council of Europe identifying new political prisoners, including two "agents of Iran who took orders to publish articles criticizing the Prophet Mohammed." Similarly, the GOAJ has "absolute evidence that (jailed Realniy Azerbaijan editor) Eynulla Fatullayev is a Russian agent," Aliyev said. "What should we do," he asked, "Release him and then he'll START again?" TOUGH NEIGHBORHOOD REQUIRES TOUGH MEASURES -------------- ¶12. (C) Aliyev argued that Azerbaijan has "very rich and ignorant neighbors" who seek to undermine Western interests. For this reason, Aliyev continued, Azerbaijan "must be ready to protect ourselves from political expansion" yet journalists - "agents of influence" - become untouchable. "We will probably never have the opportunity to create a democracy like Western Europe," Aliyev said. "Our neighbors have the potential to crush the world and Azerbaijan is the only potential troublemaker, with its energy policy. Russia uses Azerbaijan's democratic development to promote its own interests," Aliyev said. "Our independence is our number one concern," Aliyev said, "and so far we have managed to protect it. We didn't become a Russian satellite or an Islamic state." Aliyev argued that a strong approach was necessary to counter growing Islamic influences from Dagestan and Iran, particularly as they were buying "agents" in the press and even in parliament. "If you look at the picture of broad national interests - ours and yours - we are doing the absolute maximum that can be done. If we increase the pace of democratic reform we will increase the influence of Iran." JOURNALISTS CAN'T BE IMMUNE -------------- ¶13. (C) Aliyev dismissed Kramer's concerns about the other two jailed journalists, Sakit Zahidov and Ganimat Zahid, characterizing Sakit Zahidov as "so-called poet and not a journalist at all" who was arrested for using narcotics. Aliyev noted that jailed Azadliq newspaper editor Ganimat Zahid had been convicted of "hooliganism" after he beat someone. Although journalists cannot be given immunity, Kramer urged Aliyev to think about ways of solving these problems and doing a better job of explaining any legitimate national security concerns. Aliyev scoffed at the need to explain these cases to the Azerbaijani public. "Generally in this society people don't know who they (the journalists) are," he said. Referring to a recent case in which the head of Azerbaijan's airport security was convicted of spying for Russia, Aliyev asked "what if that had been a journalist? Should we not have arrested him? People must know they can't work against the state." ¶14. (C) Kramer urged Aliyev to think about the effect of these cases ON Azerbaijan's image, a point Aliyev initially dismissed by saying, "We don't need explanations here." Aliyev grudgingly acknowledged that he cares about Azerbaijan's image but argued that there are "fundamental problems" that must be addressed. In response to Kramer's suggestion that Aliyev issue a statement condemning violence against journalists, Aliyev sighed and said that "some of these beatings never happened." Referring to the June 7 incident in which Institute for Reporter Freedom and Safety (IRFS) Director Emin Huseynov was allegedly beaten by police, Aliyev noted that the journalist claimed to have been beaten at an event commemorating Che Gueverra. "We do not need Che Gueverra here," and the journalist was "detained, not beaten," Aliyev said. STOP PLOTTING AGAINST ME -------------- ¶15. (C) Aliyev urged the U.S. to "tell those who listen to you not to be so aggressive." Stating that IRFS Director Huseynov was "planning a revolution" in 2005, Aliyev asked "why should they be gainst me? They should be loyal, or neutral." Aliyev acknowledged Kramer's statement that the U.S. is not seeking to overthrow his government, saying "I know that. But you're always trying to bite or punish. In the long run, this doesn't affect our bilateral relationship but ON the eve of elections there are some activities." When the Ambassador stated that this was a misperception, that U.S. election assistance activities aimed to strengthen democratic processes in support of the Azerbaijani Government's democratic goals, Aliyev strongly disagreed. "We know what is happening in every area. We know what kind of conversations occur, what kind of advice and instructions are being given. If we consider each other as friends, forces that work against me should not be stimulated. It creates questions: why is the U.S. working against me? Maybe this is a U.S. foreign policy practice, to criticize everything. No one reacted when your human rights report was issued but when those people who are working against me have some connections, this hurts me." ¶16. (C) When Kramer reiterated that the U.S. does not support particular parties or individuals but maintains an open dialogue with a broad cross-section of society, Aliyev repeated his complaint that he is not being given the treatment due a staunch ally. "You're always side-by-side with Yushchenko and Saakashvili," he said. "I expect at least a similar attitude." Aliyev accused the U.S. of encouraging Azerbaijan's opposition to adopt more extremist views. "When the opposition becomes constructive and engages in dialogue with us, they are expelled from your list." Aliyev insisted that Azerbaijan's opposition activists jockeyed for invitations to U.S. Embassy and other international events, comparing notes ON who was "on the list" and ratcheting up their criticism of the GOAJ in order ensure a spot ON guest lists. "The opposition is decided not by the public - they don't FOLLOW these things - it is decided by you. Embassies make the opposition more radical," Aliyev said. EMC: FIND SOME OTHER ORGANIZATION -------------- ¶17. (C) When Kramer urged Aliyev to consider re-registering the Election Monitoring Center (EMC) in order to signal his government's commitment to free and fair elections, Aliyev said that EMC's affiliation with the National Democratic Institute (NDI) was problematic. NDI was "always working against us in the past," Aliyev said. (Former NDI Regional Director) "Nelson Ledsky was a good friend of Rasul Guliyev, the founder of modern corruption in Azerbaijan." Aliyev argued that NDI had a "history" of plotting revolution in 2005; that "instructions with maps and plans" were given for NDI to "make a revolution to overthrow me." Then-Minister of Economic Development Farhad Aliyev was "encouraged" by NDI Director Madeleine Albright "to do what he did. I know what was said," Aliyev stated. He said the U.S. is welcome to monitor Azerbaijan's October parliamentary elections, "but it should not be NDI." Aliyev stated that EMC is "not independent, we all know that." EMC's registration was canceled because "new evidence of the center's lack of independence emerged. You should find some other organization." ¶18. (C) Although Kramer stressed NDI's nonpartisan nature and assured Aliyev that it was not U.S. policy to spawn a revolution in Azerbaijan, Aliyev was not swayed. "Why didn't you create this center in Armenia?" he asked. "And in Georgia, the exit poll was done by an organization that is controlled by Saakashvili. And why did the OSCE close its eyes ON fraud in Armenia?" Aliyev asserted that the OSCE gave a "deliberately not correct" preliminary assessment of Armenia's presidential election in order to prevent a second round of voting. Armenian President Sargsyan is "not a legitimate president yet his election was not criticized." And "if Armenia was free from NDI monitoring, why should we be part of this? I know what NDI's numbers will be; they will try to delegitimize me." Stressing again NDI's nonpartisan nature and pledging to discuss this with NDI's Executive Director, Kramer urged Aliyev to consider his request that thought be given to re-registering EMC. HOW COULD THE RELATIONSHIP BE BETTER? KARABAKH -------------- -- ¶19. (C) When Kramer urged Aliyev to consider taking concrete steps that would improve Azerbaijan's human rights record and better the bilateral relationship, Aliyev asked point-blank: "Better means what?" "With all respect," he continued, "I want a practical, visible outcome ON the issues that are most important to us. I can't imagine a better relationship ON security and energy. For us, the number one issue is Karabakh. The U.S. is a superpower and can solve any problem in the world." Aliyev dismissed Kramer's arguments that Azerbaijan would benefit from the enhanced stature that would come from an improved human rights record. "How could the relationship be better?" Aliyev asked. "We have excellent relations with Europe and I don't care about the Council of Europe. I've already told them that if there will be sanctions, we will withdraw. They know I'm not joking." Turning to the U.S.-Azerbaijan relationship, Aliyev said "For today, we've achieved the maximum that can be achieved, what can be more than that?" ¶20. (C) Aliyev pledged that "Our election, will be absolutely free and fair; the only question is what ODIHR will say." When Kramer encouraged Aliyev to issue an open public invitation now to ODIHR to observe Azerbaijan's election, in contrast to some of Azerbaijan's neighbors, Aliyev noted that U.S. Representative Alcee Hastings as Chair of the OSCE's Observer Mission for Azerbaijan's 2005 election, had "very strong words against the election but called Georgia's election a triumph of democracy. The OSCE will say what you tell them to say," Aliyev said. "Everyone here knows that." Kramer again urged Aliyev to issue the invitation. THINK ABOUT THE POSSIBILITIES -------------- ¶21. (C) Kramer emphasized that Azerbaijan's October presidential election is an opportunity for Aliyev to lay the foundation for Azerbaijan to become known as a model democratic state in a very difficult region, no less with a Muslim majority population, and encouraged him to take concrete steps to lay this foundation. With improvement in Azerbaijan's democratic record, the U.S. could be an even stronger ally and partner for Azerbaijan. Kramer emphasized that this issue was unlikely to change following the U.S. election, as both major parties had a strong interest in building better relations with Azerbaijan. Kramer also appealed to Aliyev to think about his legacy and that of his father. Although Aliyev didn't make any promises regarding the specific steps proposed by Kramer, he said he was "very grateful" for the discussion, characterizing it as the "most open and broad discussion with U.S. representatives ON this subject." "It is important to see your approach," Aliyev concluded. COMMENT -------------- ¶22. (C) Aliyev, who normally is relaxed and expansive with visiting U.S. officials, was cool and somewhat testy at the beginning of this meeting, and clearly uncomfortable with certain turns of the discussion, cracking his knuckles and grimacing when Kramer stressed the need for Azerbaijan to promote shared democratic values or referred to problems and ongoing discussions with "authoritarian" states. His irrational insistence that the U.S. is "plotting against him" illustrates the grip that Soviet-style advisors continue to have ON him and ON his administration. That said, he welcomed the opportunity for a very frank discussion and was explicitly appreciative of the honest exchange of views ON what he understands to be the most difficult aspect of our bilateral relationship. ¶23. (C) Aliyev's message in his almost two hour meeting with Kramer was blunt and clear: Azerbaijan sees all aspects of the relationship as a package, and no one element can be separated from the others. Azerbaijan wants to develop as a democracy, and is doing as much as it can for now given its realities. Other USG partners are given more generous treatment with respect to progress ON human rights and democracy, and Azerbaijan, as a partner supporting important U.S. interests, expects the same. He remains personally "disappointed and offended" by recent public criticism. Azerbaijan wants to know "what the U.S. wants from us," and for its part, expects that strong bilateral relations will include a stronger U.S. effort to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Aliyev made clear that he awaits a USG response. We believe that further candid, high-level engagement with Aliyev is essential to address his lingering personal resentment and clarify expectations with respect to the relationship ON both sides. ¶24. (U) A/S Kramer cleared this message. DERSE