CARICC READY TO MOVE FORWARD AS PILOT PHASE NEARS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 TASHKENT 000485 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR INL ANDREW BUHLER AND NORIS BALABANIAN ANKARA FOR DEA MARK DESTITO ASTANA FOR NAS ANTHONY BEAVER ASHGABAT FOR KRISTINE MARSH DUSHANBE FOR NAS SCOTT WALDO AND DEA PAUL HACKETT BISHKEK FOR SLEA ROBERT DEL CORE ISLAMABAD FOR DEA MIKE MARSAC E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV KCRM ASEC PREL UZ SUBJECT: CARICC READY TO MOVE FORWARD AS PILOT PHASE NEARS COMPLETION ¶1. (SBU) Summary: On April 23 the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Regional Office for Central Asia hosted a briefing by Barsultan Sarsekov, Director of the Central Asian Regional Information Coordination Center for Combating Ilicit Trafficking of Narcotic Drugs, Psychotropic Substances and their Precursors (CARICC) to discuss the results of the six-month pilot phase. Sarsekov noted that CARICC has already facilitated some major seizures and it intends to intensify full-scale operations. Turkmenistan became the first country to ratify the CARICC agreement, and the Uzbek Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) informed Sarsekov that Uzbekistan has begun the process. Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan have also reportedly initiated ratification procedures, and Sarsekov is optimistic Russia will complete the ratification process before President Putin steps down. Sarsekov also noted that CARICC "is ready to cooperate with Western countries" as well as Afghanistan, and suggested the CARICC mandate should be broadened to encompass all transnational crime rather than just counter-narcotics. The apparent success of CARICC's pilot phase is a good sign, especially since the Central Asian countries have not worked well historically on collaborative multinational platforms. End summary. Pilot Phase Successful -------------- ¶2. (U) UNODC invited the diplomatic corps to its Central Asia headquarters in Tashkent on April 23 for a briefing by the visiting CARICC Director Sarsekov. The briefing was attended by two officials from the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO),including the Deputy Director, as well as diplomats representing Russia, Turkey, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom. All five former Soviet Central Asia republics are CARICC members, along with Russia and Azerbaijan. The UNODC-funded CARICC pilot phase began on November 1, 2007 and will end on April 30. Sarsekov summarized that "the decision to establish CARICC was absolutely correct," and he said it has already contributed to greater unification of all law enforcement agencies in the region in addressing the narcotics threat. He added that CARICC's mandate should be broadened to encompass all transnational crime rather than just narcotics issues. (Comment: While Sarsekov did not discuss bumps in the road during his briefing, his remarks suggested the differences in law enforcement structures, responsibilities, and personnel ranks between member countries at first posed some challenges in establishing effective information-sharing links. End comment.) "We're Not Just Sitting Around Doing Nothing" -------------- ¶3. (U) Sarsekov noted that CARICC has already facilitated some major drug seizures and it intends to intensify full-scale operations. He cited recent information exchanges between CARICC liaison officers which led to the seizure of 50 kilos of heroin in Tajikistan as an example of successful collaboration. CARICC also contributed to the seizure of precursor materials in Kyrgyzstan, according to Sarsekov. TASHKENT 00000485 002 OF 003 "We're not just sitting around doing nothing in Almaty," Sarsekov said, noting that CARICC is a unique institution that brings disparate law enforcement agencies and approaches together. CARICC also conducted some trainings, and additional sessions on controlled deliveries will help increase its operational effectiveness. The permanent staff will increase from six to 22 when full-scale operations begin, and Sarsekov stressed that this will help CARICC intensify its operations. There is competitive selection of staff, who undergo rigorous screening and regular polygraph tests. UNODC Regional Representative James Callahan added that UNODC funding via donor countries will also allow for an increase from one to two liaison officers from each member country to ensure that two distinct law enforcement agencies are represented. Ratification is Highest Priority -------------- ¶4. (U) Sarsekov described the importance of the ratification process in allowing full-scale operations to proceed. The CARICC agreement will enter into force when the fourth country ratifies the agreement and submits its documents. Turkmenistan became the first country to ratify the agreement, and Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan have all initiated the process. During his visit to Tashkent, Sarsekov is meeting with Government of Uzbekistan officials from the National Security Service (NSS),Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD),and Customs Committee, and the MFA already informed him that Uzbekistan has now begun the ratification process. CARICC officials see Russia's ratification as pivotal, and Sarsekov expressed optimism that, per earlier promises, Russia will ratify the agreement before President Putin steps down. Coordination with Afghanistan -------------- ¶5. (U) Tofik Murshudlu, UNODC's Tashkent-based project manager, noted that CARICC is interested in forging stronger links with Afghanistan since it is central to any counter-narcotics effort. He said that the Afghan Embassy in Astana has already begun to coordinate with CARICC in Almaty, and he added that it was likely that Afghanistan would be invited to join CARICC as an observer. Sarsekov added that, as a result of CARICC-initiated coordination, senior Tajik law enforcement officials have proposed making a visit to Kabul to build contacts among counterparts in Afghanistan. Ready to Cooperate with the West -------------- ¶6. (U) Sarsekov also announced that "CARICC is ready to cooperate with Western countries" to strengthen its activities against counter-narcotics in the region. Murshudlu added that CARICC is open to working with any country or organization with any competence or stake in the fight against narcotics trafficking in the region. CARICC has already built productive relationships with Europol and TASHKENT 00000485 003 OF 003 Interpol, and the latter has already provided access to several databases via its I24/7 secure channel. Interpol also plans to send 4-5 liaison officers to CARICC in Almaty once it is up and running in earnest, which will further enhance cooperation. Murshudlu added that CARICC will visit Europol next month to learn about best practices "so it does not have to reinvent the wheel." Sarsekov also mentioned active cooperation with the SCO and Moscow-based Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) offices. Comment: -------------- ¶7. (SBU) It has historically been difficult to get the Central Asian countries to work cooperatively with each other, so the six-month CARICC pilot phase appears to have succeeded in getting the members acclimated to the idea of liaising with their neighbors on counter-narcotics. Uzbekistan in particular has been wary of participating in multilateral platforms, especially ones headquartered elsewhere, so news that the Uzbeks have begun the ratification process is a good sign. It remains to be seen how extensive the level of cooperation and exchange of sensitive information will actually be, but the CARICC members have some intersecting interests with each other and with Western countries on counter-narcotics. The pilot phase suggests CARICC has some promise for many stakeholders. NORLAND