ISRAEL GETS COLD SHOULDER FROM UZBEKISTAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L TASHKENT 000238 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/21/2018 TAGS: PGOV PREL KISL ASEC ELTN MASS EG IR IS XF UZ SUBJECT: ISRAEL GETS COLD SHOULDER FROM UZBEKISTAN Classified By: Political Officer Tim Buckley for reasons 1.4 (B) and (D) ¶1. (C) Summary: On February 19 the Ambassador met with his Israeli counterpart Ami Mehl and Gary Koren, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs Director of the Eurasia Department, Division for Central Europe and Eurasia. Koren noted that, for unknown reasons, the Israel-Uzbekistan bilateral relationship is poor. The Uzbek Ministry of Foreign Affairs would not meet with him on this trip and Koren said the Israeli Embassy here "is a waste of resources." Israel is searching for answers about why the Uzbeks are distancing themselves after a productive relationship in the 1990s and wonder whether Egypt is playing the role of "spoiler;" he mentioned the five Central Asian leaders traveled to Cairo as part of "an Egyptian charm offensive last year." He also wondered about the possibility of Iran influencing Uzbekistan, although it does not appear that either Egypt or Iran hold any special sway with Karimov. A charitable Israeli NGO, funded largely by the American Jewish community, was recently forced to suspend its operations in Uzbekistan. Koren also asked us about the feasibility of using a remote Uzbekistan site to assist with training for Afghan army and police units, although the Government of Israel is not optimistic. Israel is also cautiously pursuing a program to bring National Security Service (NSS) agents to Jerusalem to train them in balancing counter-terrorism with respect for human rights operations. Despite Israeli fears that a "third country" is to blame for the diplomatic chill, it is more likely just an Uzbek ploy to win favor with Arab suitors until the pendulum swings. End summary. No Meeting with Uzbeks -------------- ¶2. (C) Mehl and Koren requested a meeting with the Ambassador on February 19 to discuss the status of Uzbek-Israeli relations. Koren was frustrated that, despite considerable advance notice to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and vigorous efforts by the Israeli Embassy to set up a substantive schedule, "there is not a single meeting with the Ministry on the agenda." This follows a string of other snubs of visiting officials as well as day-to-day difficulty for the Israeli Embassy. Koren said in the current environment, maintaining an embassy in Tashkent "is a waste of resources." By contrast, Koren noted that the U.S. seems to once again be enjoying closer contact with the Government of Uzbekistan. This cold shoulder perplexes the Israelis since Koren described previous ties, especially in the 1990s, as "significant engagement." In the present, Israel is prepared to provide defense cooperation with Uzbekistan. "A Country of Significance" -------------- ¶3. (C) Koren frankly stated that Israel needs Uzbekistan's support on some important issues, particularly the Middle East Peace Process. Not only has Uzbekistan cooperated with Israel in the past, but Israel is aware of Uzbekistan's "historical value for the Muslim world," which makes it a desirable partner. The Israelis are satisfied with the level of cooperation from Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan, but troubled by the stonewalling from Uzbekistan. Koren also noted that Kyrgyzstan has been difficult for Israel to deal with but, unlike in Tashkent, there is not a resident Ambassador in Bishkek. So What's the Problem? -------------- ¶4. (C) Koren asked for the Ambassador's viewpoints as to why the Uzbeks aren't dealing with Israel and also said Israel would appreciate any help the Americans can offer. The Israelis speculate that the Uzbeks perceive them as a Western country which, in the wake of the Andijon events of 2005, joined in the international criticism. Yet Koren clarified that Israel explained to the U.S. and other Western countries that "it had a lot at risk in its bilateral relationship with Uzbekistan," and so abstained from any condemnation votes pertaining to the Andijon incidents. Nonetheless, he believes that the Uzbeks may have construed an abstention as a vote against Uzbekistan, and use it as an excuse to sideline the relationship. However, since the U.S. seems to be moving toward more normalized relations, Koren wonders whether there is "a third country influence" affecting Uzbek policy. Is it the Egyptians? -------------- ¶5. (C) Koren raised the possibility that Egypt could be "playing the spoiler" in the Uzbeks' frosty stance towards Israel. He described "a charm offensive last year in Cairo," in which the Egyptians invited all of the Central Asian leaders to Egypt for high-level meetings. Uzbekistan Airways has also recently added Cairo to its flight network. However, the Ambassador noted that the Egyptian envoy in Tashkent has expressed as much frustration doing business here as most other countries, and it does not appear that they are exerting substantial influence on the Karimov regime. Then What About Iran? -------------- ¶6. (C) Koren also inquired about Iran's status in Uzbekistan and whether the U.S. has noticed any signs of rapprochement with Tehran. Israel is aware that "Uzbekistan is dependent on Iran for transportation links," particularly overland access to container ports. He also was interested in whether Iran operates a cultural center in Uzbekistan. Mehl, who has served nearly four years in Tashkent, said he believes the Uzbeks watch the Iranians very closely and limit interaction with Government of Uzbekistan officials. NGO Shut Down -------------- ¶7. (C) Mehl and Koren expressed their surprise and concern that the Government of Uzbekistan recently shut down the local NGO "Xessed," which is funded by the larger international Jewish charitable organization Joint Distribution Community (JDC). Mehl noted that "elderly Jews in Uzbekistan are starving because the government won't let the organization help them," and he added that the organization is also willing to provide charitable assistance to non-Jewish people as well. (Comment: Uzbekistan has made it very difficult for almost all international NGOs to operate in recent years, although the height of the crackdown was mid-2005 - mid-2007. Regardless of the charitable intent, it is probably the foreign funding stream the Government of Uzbekistan objected to in this case rather than the Israeli connection. End comment.) Is Inter-faith Dialogue Possible? -------------- ¶8. (C) Koren said Israel would be interested in promoting inter-faith dialogue events in Uzbekistan and wondered whether they could succeed. He emphasized the growing importance of inter-faith events in helping Israel work towards its foreign policy objectives. Rather than the high-profile inter-faith approach proposed by Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov for the United Nations, Israel prefers small-scale events in different countries that allow inter-faith progress "on a muted level." Koren added that Israel is interested in promoting inter-faith activities in Uzbekistan because it "is an excellent test case on successful religious coexistence" throughout its history. Assistance to Afghanistan -------------- ¶9. (C) Koren, following up on a recent conversation between the Department and the Israeli DCM in Washington, said that Israel is interested in providing technical assistance and law enforcement training to Afghanistan. However, Koren said this would have to be in a third country in the region, and suggested a remote area of Uzbekistan where a project could be quietly implemented. The Israelis fully understand that this is a "fluid" idea that depends on Afghan officials who cannot openly demonstrate such cooperation with Israel. Nonetheless, Koren believes that Afghan Ambassadors vary in terms of their willingness to consider such proposals. Mehl is more skeptical that offshore Israeli assistance to Afghanistan is possible in Uzbekistan and emphasized that "we tried this once before and failed miserably." (Comment: President Karimov does not like Hamid Karzai and would require some persuasion before agreeing to host any training program that strengthened his administration. End comment.) Training Uzbek Security Services -------------- ¶10. (C) Despite the chill in Israeli-Uzbek diplomatic relations, Koren said Israel is also interested in providing training, per a German proposal, for Uzbek counter-terrorism security services. The plan is to take a contingent of Uzbeks to Jerusalem for a 3-4 day seminar to "show them the dilemmas" in fighting terrorism while still respecting human rights. The Israelis are concerned that the Government of Uzbekistan may be sensitive about taking some criticism for its techniques, but the Israelis are confident it can be done subtly. Comment -------------- ¶11. (C) The Government of Uzbekistan excels at courting different countries in succession to further its interests. Despite Israel's concerns that hostile third parties are whispering into Karimov's ear, the silent treatment in this case is more likely due to a current Uzbek effort to win political support and financial investments from the Arab world. The pendulum will likely shift again and Israel may find itself in vogue once ties with Arab states are solidified and the Government of Uzbekistan decides a thaw is in its interests. NORLAND