KYRGYZSTAN - NOTES FROM THE SOUTH

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BISHKEK 000478

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR SCA/CEN
MOSCOW FOR DEA TIMOTHY JONES

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/15/2018
TAGS: PGOV PREL ECON KCRM KCOR SNAR KG
SUBJECT: KYRGYZSTAN - NOTES FROM THE SOUTH

REF: A. BISHKEK 432

B. BISHKEK 428

C. BISHKEK 405

D. BISHKEK 359

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Classified By: Amb. Marie L. Yovanovitch for reason 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (U) Summary: On April 29, 2008, Ambassador Yovanovitch
traveled to Osh, Kyrgyzstan and met with representatives from
the Osh Governor's Office, members of local political
parties, and the Kyrgyz Drug Control Agency's Southern
Command. Water shortages, rolling black-outs, rising prices
and corruption were among the main issues raised in this area
that is still recovering from the December 2007 earthquakes.
The four U.S.-funded counter-narcotics Mobile Interdiction
Teams (MOBITS) operating in Osh have yet to make a
significant seizure or arrest, but they are hopeful that with
better weather bringing access to the mountain border
crossings and more efficient use of existing conspiracy laws,
that they can increase their efficiency. End Summary.

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The Breadbasket of Kyrgyzstan
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2. (SBU) Located on the edge of the Ferghana Valley and the
second largest city in Kyrgyzstan, Osh is a nexus for
agriculture and cross-border trade. Lacking significant
manufacturing facilities or industrial infrastructure, Osh
and its surrounds depend on agriculture for its livelihood.
At a meeting with Deputy Governor Bolot Burgoev, who is in
charge of agriculture, the Ambassador learned of the oblast's
pressing concerns regarding water shortages. The reservoirs
that supply hydroelectricity and fresh water are critically
low, and the oblast is undertaking water conservation
measures in an attempt to avert a crisis later in the year.
Water service to Osh has been limited and is turned off
periodically. In separate meetings, U.S. citizens reported a
bleak view of the electrical and water situation; noting that
outages are frequent, unscheduled and can last up to two
weeks. Irrigation is only permitted at night.


3. (SBU) Deputy Governor Burgoev reported that fuel prices
and the cost of consumer goods have risen, but he claimed
that food prices have remained moderately stable. He
attributed this to the Osh region being relatively
self-sufficient in food production. In contrast, local
citizens and members of local political parties told us that
food prices continue to rise in Osh, similar to the situation
in the rest of Kyrgyzstan (Ref B).

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The December Earthquakes ) Four Months On
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4. (U) In December 2007, Osh was struck by an earthquake
measuring 5.3 on the Richter scale. While there was no loss
of life, a series of after-shocks further damaged this city
where buildings are primarily constructed of concrete, brick
and even mud in the cases of some private homes. Deputy
Governor for Social Affairs and Education Aziza Turduyeva
reported that the city is still struggling to rebuild and
repair buildings four months after the earthquake. While many
homes and apartment buildings were damaged, the local schools
built of concrete appear to have suffered the most, as
several were condemned outright and replacement sites for
classes have not been found. The local government lacks the
funds to repair or build new buildings. USAID has provided
funds to rebuild two schools in Osh, and the initial phases
of the project are underway.


5. (SBU) Recently appointed to her position, Deputy Governor
Turduyeva expressed interest in increasing activities for

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gender-related issues. In her opinion, women's groups in Osh
are small and need to expand and she would like to support
efforts to encourage growth.

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"The South Has Been Asleep" ) Local Politics
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6. (C) The Ambassador met local representatives from the
Social Democratic Party, Jangy Kyrgyzstan (New Kyrgyzstan)
and Kyrgyzstan Ayaldary (Women of Kyrgyzstan). All three
parties were in agreement that corruption is one of the most
serious problems facing Osh and Kyrgyzstan -- encompassing
everything from property transfers and real estate zoning to
crime and the political process. As reported in reftels A and
C, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan recently engaged in a
controversial land swap. Though located far from any of the
affected regions, citizens in Osh appeared outraged and
speculated that corruption had to be involved. Party
representatives blamed power shortages on the corrupt sale of
energy from power stations to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. The
Social Democrat representative reported that there were no
corruption cases filed against any local government officials
during the last year and that the recently appointed mayor
was ineffective, not helping the citizens of Osh, and
actively selling agricultural land for private home
construction. Social and economic problems such as low wages,
unemployment, and rising prices all contribute to a decreased
quality of life for the average Osh citizen. "The South has
been asleep," said the representative from the Social
Democratic party, but all local parties at the meeting
appeared keen to defend their party platforms and build local
constituents, in advance of local elections in September.

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Counter-Narcotics and the Kyrgyz Approach
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7. (C) Kyrgyzstan and Osh, in particular, have benefited from
funding from CENTCOM in its fight against illegal narcotics.
Kyrgyzstan is a major trans-shipment route for illegal
narcotics from Afghanistan to Russia and the rest of Europe.
The amount of illegal drugs, such as heroin, hashish and
opium, transported through and used in Osh oblast is
estimated to be as much as 14% of Afghan's production. While
in Osh, the Ambassador met CENTCOM contractors working with
the U.S.-funded Mobile Interdiction Teams (MOBITS),as well
as General Sultanov, head of the Kyrgyz Drug Control Agency
(DCA),and General Major Mirzakarimov, DCA Deputy in Charge
of the South. Coincidentally, General Sultanov was on the
same flight as the Ambassador from Bishkek. While waiting for
the plane to depart, Sultanov cavalierly announced that he
was going to Osh to punish his department. In his opinion,
they were not performing adequately, and they were not only
to be subjected to a severe dressing-down, but also a 50% cut
in their quarterly and annual bonuses. This is a severe blow
to low-paid government employees who are supposed to resist
corruption.


8. (C) There are currently four MOBITS teams operational in
the Osh oblast. CENTCOM provided funds to construct a small
office, barracks, and base camps in the southern mountains on
the Tajik border. While meeting separately with the CENTCOM
contractors charged with training the MOBITS units, the
contractors admitted that the units had only made two small
seizures in the past six months. They cited the extreme
winter weather conditions in the mountains and lack of base
camps for shelter as two of the main reasons. The CENTCOM
contractors described the MOBITS units as eager to be trained
and enthusiastic in discharging their duties. The CENTCOM
contractors began working with the MOBITS units two months
ago and state that there is much work to be done.


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9. (C) In a roundtable with the Ambassador, General Sultanov
and General Major Mirzakarimov, the CENTCOM trainers raised
the issue of effectively using existing Kyrgyz conspiracy
laws in pursuing narcotic cases and the need for funds to pay
informants. The CENTCOM contractors cited that the Kyrgyz law
gave the DCA a profound legal advantage compared to similar
laws in the United States. On April 15)16, 2008, Embassy
Bishkek's Resident Legal Advisor conducted training for law
enforcement officers and prosecutors in Osh on using these
laws in such cases. The DCA representatives were dismissive
of this idea and more interested in placing blame and
punishing failure. The Ambassador stated that the Embassy is
interested in producing results and encouraged the DCA
leadership to focus on capacity building in order to achieve
the desired goals. DCA reluctantly agreed to give the MOBITS
commander more time to build his unit. Sultanov also said he
would look into the possibility of using Kyrgyz conspiracy
laws in future cases and even agreed to look for better
funding from their own budget.


10. (C) Comment: Similarly to citizens throughout Kyrgyzstan,
Osh residents are facing difficult economic times. With their
reliance on agriculture, Oshanye, as they are known locally,
are particularly vulnerable to water problems. All parties
with whom the Ambassador met expressed gratitude for the
various forms of assistance the U.S. government has provided
-- either through democracy programming from USAID or direct
aid in the form of reconstruction. Deputy Governor Burgoev
participated in an International Visitor's Program in 1999 --
and still spoke warmly of his trip almost ten years later.
Yet one of the largest recipients of CENTCOM assistance --
the Drug Control Agency ) is still struggling to establish
its MOBITS units. While the local commanders appear to be
competent and eager to use their new training and equipment,
the management style of their leaders appears to hinder
MOBITS progress by ruling through fear.
YOVANOVITCH