(S) UZBEKISTAN - DEMARCHE ON FLIGHT OF

S E C R E T TASHKENT 000496 SIPDIS DEPT FOR SCA/CEN, ISN, T, NEA, EUR, EAP E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/28/2018 TAGS: KNNP PREL PARM KZ KN SY IR UZ SUBJECT: (S) UZBEKISTAN - DEMARCHE ON FLIGHT OF PROLIFERATION CONCERN DELIVERED REF: STATE 43804 Classified By: Poloff Steven Prohaska for reasons 1.4 (b, d). ¶1. (S) Poloff delivered reftel demarche on the updated information concerning the North Korean flight of proliferation concern to MFA Americas Desk Chief Ismat Fayzullaev on April 25. Fayzullaev said that the information would be relayed to other GOU agencies, and asked whether the Government of Kazakhstan was being informed. He claimed that it was more likely that the flight would transit a large portion of Kazakhstan's airspace than Uzbekistan's. He repeated an earlier assertion that any such flight would not transit more than a very small portion of Uzbekistan's airspace. Fayzullaev said the Government of Uzbekistan (GOU) would not permit any overflight of aircraft carrying nuclear material, and asked that if the United States becomes aware of any such attempt through its intelligence sources, that such information be relayed to the GOU. ¶2. (S) Fayzullaev then brought up recent press reporting on Syrian facilities, noting that these were dangerous to the Middle East peace process. He said that President Karimov had initiated a Nuclear Weapons Free Zone in Central Asia, and that the GOU would welcome something similar in the Middle East. NORLAND