GOOD TIMES AND GOODWILL FOR UZBEK LAW ENFORCEMENT

C O N F I D E N T I A L TASHKENT 001193

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR INL ANDREW BUHLER AND ELIZABETH CARROLL
BUDAPEST FOR ILEA RON ELKINS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/17/2018
TAGS: PGOV PREL ASEC PINR EAID UZ
SUBJECT: GOOD TIMES AND GOODWILL FOR UZBEK LAW ENFORCEMENT
OFFICERS AT TRAINING PROGRAM

Classified By: Political Officer Tim Buckley for reasons 1.4 (B,D)


1. (C) Summary: On October 7 poloff paid a visit to the
International Law Enforcement Academy (ILEA) in Budapest,
Hungary, where eight mid-level Uzbek officers from the
Ministry of Internal Affairs and the National Security
Service (NSS) were wrapping up an eight-week training program
funded by the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law
Enforcement Affairs (INL). The visit offered a rare
opportunity for an embassy officer to interact with security
personnel, who were in a relaxed mood on neutral turf. The
National Security Service major who served as the team leader
said he would submit a positive report about the training
program to his superiors and noted it was a welcome sign of
improving U.S. - Uzbek relations. Significantly, officers
from the two ministries appeared to bond with each other and
promised to maintain professional contacts upon their return
to Uzbekistan. The Uzbek officers also appreciated the
chance to meet peers from Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, with
whom they also plan to stay in touch. This was the first
time Uzbek officers participated in an ILEA course since
2005, which helped give us an important toehold for
assistance projects and generated goodwill among officers who
may rise quickly in the ranks. End summary.

Was the Class Half-Full or Half-Empty?
--------------


2. (C) Poloff paid a visit to the ILEA Academy in Budapest,
Hungary on October 7, where four officers from the Ministry
of Internal Affairs and four National Security Service
officers were in the final days of an eight-week INL-funded
program for mid-level officers from Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan,
and Kyrgyzstan. We originally invited 16 officers, including
officers from the State Customs Committee, but after much
behind-the-scenes diplomatic wrangling and deadline
extensions we were satisfied to secure approval from the
Government of Uzbekistan to send eight participants. No
explanation was ever provided by the Government of Uzbekistan
for why it ultimately accepted only half of the slots, but it
was clear that Customs -- which readily maintained contacts
with the Embassy about the program -- ran afoul of more
powerful forces and was cut as a punishment. It is also
possible that President Karimov wanted to stick to the
oft-stated "step by step" approach and not be seen as rushing
to fully reengage with the U.S. (Comment: According to an
MFA contact, even the decision about which officers would
participate was made by President Karimov himself, which
demonstrates the minutiae of top-down control in Uzbekistan
and explains why some things happen so slowly. End comment.)

Praise from the Participants
--------------


3. (C) The training staff at ILEA offered poloff a chance to
speak to the assembled Uzbek contingent in one of the lecture
halls, and the officers were uniformly enthusiastic about
their training experience. They were well aware it was a
U.S.-funded program and expressed gratitude to the U.S.
Government for the opportunity. They took professional pride
that the curriculum they completed closely mirrored that of
the FBI Academy in the United States. Poloff ran into an FBI
SWAT training team which had just completed a session, and
the members affirmed that they enjoyed working with the Uzbek
officers.

Happy Hour
--------------


4. (C) Following a good-natured discussion, the officers
invited poloff to join them for a happy hour celebrating the
successful completion of the physical training portion of the

course. The Kazakh and Kyrgyz officers joined this event,
and amicable toasts with Hungarian wine abounded.
Unsurprisingly, the Ministry of Internal Affairs officers
were the most jovial and friendly with the unexpected visitor
from the Embassy while the National Security Service officers
were polite but reserved. However, Gulistan-based National
Security Service Major Jaloliddin Tashtemirov, who served as
the group leader, seemed at ease sitting next to poloff and
spoke of how the course was an example of improving U.S. -
Uzbek relations. He also noted that we have many common
challenges in the law enforcement sector.

It Was Great Meeting Each Other
--------------


5. (C) One Ministry of Internal Affairs officer told poloff
that officers from his agency rarely interact with NSS
officers in Uzbekistan, even if they are working on similar
casework. The ILEA course gave him and his colleagues a
chance to bond with and earn the respect of these National
Security Service counterparts in the exercises. Officers
from both agencies mentioned that they plan to stay in touch
with each other and collaborate on investigations, which is
an important institutional link in a culture which highly
values personal connections.

It Was Great Meeting the Neighbors, Too
--------------


6. (C) In addition to the networking between Uzbek officers,
the participants also appreciated the chance to interact with
Central Asian colleagues from two adjacent countries. They
noted that, as the course highlighted, there is an increasing
amount of trans-national crime, and it will be valuable to
have law enforcement contacts across the border. They have
already traded cell phone numbers with each other, and one
Uzbek Ministry of Internal Affairs officer emphasized that it
makes a big difference to call someone he knows to discuss a
case rather than cold-calling, especially in a rigid
bureaucratic setting. This feeling was mutual, and one
Kyrgyz officer posted in Osh said he was pleased to have met
an Uzbek officer from Andijon, which is just a stone's throw
away in the same Ferghana Valley.

Let's Do This Again
--------------


7. (C) Poloff asked Tashtemirov why it was so difficult to
obtain approval for Uzbek officers to participate in the ILEA
program. He noted that, as the team leader, he would submit
a positive report about the experience to his superiors in
Tashkent. Tashtemirov suggested that this group was breaking
the ice and that subsequent groups of Uzbek officers would be
able to secure permission much more easily. (Note: This
likely reflects initial caution on the Uzbek side about the
content and atmospherics of the program, including fears that
there would be political content or attempts to co-opt the
officers. End note.) Tashtemirov added another caveat: "Do
not invite Customs. Stick to National Security Service and
Ministry of Internal Affairs officers on the invitations."

Law Enforcement is Apolitical
--------------


8. (C) This ILEA session began on August 18 in the height of
the crisis in Georgia, and an Amcit trainer noted that some
of the participants told him they were nervous that their
participation would be cancelled if their countries took the
wrong stance vis-a-vis the United States in the lead up to
their travel. They were relieved to arrive in Hungary as
planned, where trainers emphasized that law enforcement
officers should be apolitical and that the United States was

committed to their professional development. Likewise,
training staff said that at one point in the course they
stopped students from quizzing a visiting AmCit presenter
about his views on the U.S. Presidential race in order to
reinforce the point that police officers must fulfill their
duties regardless of who wins an election. The Uzbeks
separately mentioned to poloff that this was a useful
"take-away" lesson for them.

Comment:
--------------


9. (C) This was the first time law enforcement officers from
Uzbekistan participated in an ILEA program since 2005, and
even hard-fought partial participation represented a valuable
foot in the door that may help rebuild the bilateral
relationship. It is in the U.S. interest to expose
up-and-coming mid-level officers to a curriculum that
includes human rights awareness and effective law enforcement
techniques. On September 5 poloff escorted an OSCE visitor
to the Ministry of Internal Affairs Training Academy in
Tashkent, where a high-ranking Colonel proudly pointed to his
ILEA diploma on display in a police museum. This new
generation of officers came away from ILEA with new skills
and fond memories of the West, which is a good investment for
us even if for now Karimov hand-picks the participants.

NORLAND