Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08TASHKENT266
2008-02-28 11:50:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Tashkent
Cable title:  

ICRC PRESIDENT TO VISIT UZBEKISTAN

Tags:  PHUM PGOV PREL EAID ASEC MCAP SOCI ZK AF KG 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXYZ0013
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHNT #0266/01 0591150
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 281150Z FEB 08
FM AMEMBASSY TASHKENT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9301
INFO RUEHZG/NATO EU COLLECTIVE
RUEHAH/AMEMBASSY ASHGABAT 3783
RUEHTA/AMEMBASSY ASTANA 9996
RUEHEK/AMEMBASSY BISHKEK 4399
RUEHLM/AMEMBASSY COLOMBO 0250
RUEHKA/AMEMBASSY DHAKA 0237
RUEHDBU/AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE 0277
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 3977
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL 2247
RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW 7323
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 0923
RHMFISS/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 1017
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE 2361
C O N F I D E N T I A L TASHKENT 000266 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/28/2018
TAGS: PHUM PGOV PREL EAID ASEC MCAP SOCI ZK AF KG
TI, UZ
SUBJECT: ICRC PRESIDENT TO VISIT UZBEKISTAN

REF: TASHKENT 253

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

C O N F I D E N T I A L TASHKENT 000266

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/28/2018
TAGS: PHUM PGOV PREL EAID ASEC MCAP SOCI ZK AF KG
TI, UZ
SUBJECT: ICRC PRESIDENT TO VISIT UZBEKISTAN

REF: TASHKENT 253

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


1. (C) Summary: International Committee of the Red Cross
(ICRC) Head of Regional Delegation in Central Asia Yves
Giovannoni and Deputy Head Raffaello Muller requested a
meeting with the Ambassador on February 28 to discuss ICRC's
new agreement with the Government of Uzbekistan to resume
prison visits. Giovannoni attributed the breakthrough to the
Ambassador's persistence in convincing the Uzbek side to come
to the table, and he thanked the Ambassador for his efforts.
We noted that ICRC's principled stand, and Admiral Fallon's
willingness to meet with ICRC during his visit, also no doubt
played significant roles. Giovannoni confirmed that a note
verbale finalizing the agreement was presented to the Uzbeks
in Geneva on February 21 and includes the key elements ICRC
has long sought: respect for the modalities per a 2001 signed
agreement; appointment of a liaison in the Government of
Uzbekistan to facilitate exchanges of information; a
substantive dialogue on prison visit reports; and access to
all detention facilities in Uzbekistan (not just those under
the jurisdiction of the Interior Ministry). Giovannoni
maintains a healthy skepticism but expects the initial phase
of the six-month trial period to go smoothly. A highlight of
the trial period will be a visit to Uzbekistan by ICRC
President Jakob Kellenberger, who intends to meet with
President Karimov on a Central Asia tour that will also

include Afghanistan and Tajikistan. ICRC also discussed its
desire to provide training for militarized interior troops
and implement a counter-tuberculosis program in the
long-term. The Government of Uzbekistan's willingness to
make a deal with ICRC after a long stalemate demonstrates

that engagement with the Uzbeks can pay dividends, although
we will watch carefully to make sure they hold up their end
of the bargain. End summary.

ICRC thanks U.S. for our support
--------------


2. (C) Giovannoni and Muller requested a meeting with the
Ambassador on February 28, immediately after learning that
the Government of Uzbekistan had informed the Ambassador
about a breakthrough agreement with ICRC that ended a long
stalemate (reftel). Giovannoni congratulated us and thanked
the Ambassador for post's efforts to convince the Uzbeks to
come to the table, and noted that "the U.S. arguments must
have been strong." We expressed appreciation but noted that
ICRC's principled stand was also a powerful factor, and
reminded them that Admiral Fallon's willingness to meet with
ICRC during his January visit had made a strong impression on
the Uzbeks. ICRC's Mission in Washington plans to inform the
State Department in the near future about the renewed visit
regime.

A Six-Month Trial Period
--------------


3. (C) Giovannoni confirmed that the agreement stipulates a
six-month trial period of prison visits, which could begin as
early as March 11. ICRC had planned to announce the visit
after the first day of the first visit but wanted to
elaborate for the U.S. Embassy since the Uzbeks had now
broken the news to us. The agreement was just finalized with
an exchange of notes verbale in Geneva on February 21, and
Giovannoni and Muller were surprised that the Uzbeks promptly
shared the information with post on February 26. Giovannoni
added that he "doesn't fully trust" the Uzbeks after a
"bumpy" relationship from 2001 to 2004 followed by three
years of negotiations, but he is pleased by the new agreement
and said ICRC will be "flexible and lenient" during the trial
period.
Elements of the Deal
--------------


4. (C) ICRC is satisfied that it got the commitments in the
new agreement which it had long sought from the Uzbek side,
specifically: respect for the standard international
modalities, as established in the original 2001 agreement;
appointment of a liaison within the Government of Uzbekistan
"who can intervene" in communications breakdowns; a
"substantive dialogue" on prison visit reports; and access to
all detention facilities in the country. Muller stressed
that the contact needs to be in the Presidential Apparatus,
which is the only entity which can effectively coordinate
across all of the different ministries with whom ICRC will
have contact.

Expect Smooth Sailing...At First
--------------


5. (C) Giovannoni has "the sense that there is an order from
the top to comply," at least during the initial phase of the
trial period. He expects the first month to be particularly
smooth, but there will be challenges ahead as the three ICRC
teams (plus a physician) attempt to gain unfettered access to
the estimated 200 detention facilities around the country
holding approximately 40,000 prisoners. He noted that the
Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD) Penitentiary Directorate
is not the only entity that operates jails, and ICRC will
insist on accessing other facilities -- including those
administered by the National Security Service (NSS) -- to
ensure that prisoners are not merely transferred away from
the MVD prisons to sidestep ICRC visits. Giovannoni
concluded that "a key test will be whether we can access the
other places."

ICRC President Plans Visit
--------------


6. (C) Another reason the initial phase of the prison visit
regime should be smooth is that ICRC President Kellenberger
is planning to visit Uzbekistan in April 16-17 as part of a
Central Asia trip that will include stops in Tajikistan and
Afghanistan. Giovannoni said ICRC will accept nothing less
than a meeting with President Karimov. (Comment: We believe
Karimov will agree to the meeting, especially given how eager
the Uzbek Government was to break the news about the new
agreement to us. The meeting will be a high-profile platform
for Karimov to draw attention to progress on human rights.
End comment.)

Correcting Mistakes of Andijon
--------------


7. (C) Giovannoni noted that ICRC would like to be more
involved in other aspects of human rights development in
Uzbekistan, and he specifically mentioned a desire to focus
on training for the MVD's militarized troops. He noted that
there are differences between generations within the
Ministry, with Soviet-trained commanders who prioritize the
role of defending state security on one hand and younger
officers who seem more open to reform and a focus on law
enforcement on the other. Giovannoni cited the government's
Andijon response and stressed the importance of training
interior troops in "what to do when there is a rioting crowd"
and the fundamentals of "the use of force during initial
arrest and detention." ICRC now has a law enforcement expert
based in the Tashkent regional office; however, Giovannoni
noted that such programs are still a tough sell throughout
Central Asia. He also expressed concern that Central Asian
countries, within the framework of the Collective Security
Treaty Organization (CSTO) have discussed the establishment
of mutual rapid deployment of troops to help each other
"quell demonstrations." However, this also represented an
opportunity for reform and modern training methods to be
introduced. (Note: Press reporting indicated the arrangement
was aimed at quelling major riots and violent incidents. End
note.)

No Prison Tuberculosis Projects Yet
--------------


8. (C) Muller clarified that ICRC will not be able to embark
on any projects to address the serious tuberculosis problems
in Uzbekistan prisons due to the short timeframe of the
six-month trial agreement. He noted that effective programs
are time and resource intensive, and there must also be
strong access guarantees to ensure that identified infected
persons cannot be transferred to healthy populations. ICRC
is pleased by early positive outcomes of a three-year project
in Kyrgyzstan, in which the death rate has already
"significantly dropped." Anti-tuberculosis projects also
require World Health Organization (WHO) approval, and
treatment costs for complex drug-resistant cases can exceed
USD 3,000 per person over the required treatment timeframe.
Nonetheless, if the trial period is successful, ICRC is
interested in pursuing a long-term tuberculosis project in
Uzbekistan.

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


9. (C) As reported in reftel, this is a potentially very
significant positive step forward in the human rights
situation in Uzbekistan. The ICRC representatives, despite
their warranted skepticism, were sincere in congratulating us
on what they termed a major accomplishment. It took the
Uzbeks a long time but, when presented with a clear "menu" of
achievable steps forward, they eventually recognized that
ICRC prison visits were in their best interest and came to
the table. This breakthrough demonstrates that the strategy
of engaging the Uzbeks can pay dividends, if not always
promptly. As this agreement becomes public knowledge we will
certainly give the Uzbeks modest credit where credit is due
but, like ICRC, we will maintain our healthy skepticism and
make sure the Government of Uzbekistan follows through on its
end of the bargain.

NORLAND