UZBEKISTAN: INTERIM DEMARCHE DELIVERED ON GSP

UNCLAS TASHKENT 000984 SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR EEB (STEVE RHEE) E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ELAB ECON ETRD PGOV KIPR UZ SUBJECT: UZBEKISTAN: INTERIM DEMARCHE DELIVERED ON GSP PETITIONS REF: STATE 83214 ¶1. (SBU) On August 22 Econoff delivered the interim Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) demarche per reftel to Ministry of Foreign Affairs Americas Desk Chief Ismat Fayzullaev, who promised to pass the information to the appropriate officials. On child labor, Fayzullaev repeated the Uzbek contention that the use of children in the cotton harvest is a result of the post-Soviet transition to family-owned farms on which children participate in agricultural activity in support of their parents. Fayzullaev warned that any boycott of Uzbek cotton by European and American firms would backfire because "the demand for Uzbek cotton is so high that we don't need Europe and America." ¶2. (SBU) Fayzullaev said he would assist Econoff in arranging meetings to discuss the continuing review of the GSP petitions against Uzbekistan in the Ministry of Foreign Economic Relations, Investment, and Trade, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Labor, and the State Copyright Agency. BUTCHER