Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09ASHGABAT1123
2009-09-03 12:59:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Ashgabat
Cable title:
TURKMENISTAN: CHEMICALS SHIPMENT SNAFU
how-toVZCZCXRO7859 PP RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHBC RUEHBI RUEHCI RUEHDBU RUEHDE RUEHDF RUEHDIR RUEHIK RUEHKUK RUEHLH RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHNEH RUEHPW RUEHROV RUEHSK RUEHSL RUEHSR RUEHTRO RUEHVK RUEHYG DE RUEHAH #1123/01 2461259 ZNR UUUUU ZZH P 031259Z SEP 09 FM AMEMBASSY ASHGABAT TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3407 INFO RUCNCLS/ALL SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA COLLECTIVE PRIORITY RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE PRIORITY RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE PRIORITY RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA PRIORITY 5625 RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING PRIORITY 3344 RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO PRIORITY 3208 RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS PRIORITY RHMCSUU/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC PRIORITY RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC PRIORITY RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC PRIORITY RUCNIRA/IRAN COLLECTIVE RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL 3868 RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ASHGABAT 001123
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
STATE FOR SCA/CEN, INL/AAE BUHLER
DOJ/ICITAP FOR MOGLE
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SNAR PGOV KCRM SOCI TX
SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN: CHEMICALS SHIPMENT SNAFU
RESOLVED
REF: Ashgabat 392
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ASHGABAT 001123
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
STATE FOR SCA/CEN, INL/AAE BUHLER
DOJ/ICITAP FOR MOGLE
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SNAR PGOV KCRM SOCI TX
SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN: CHEMICALS SHIPMENT SNAFU
RESOLVED
REF: Ashgabat 392
1. (U) Sensitive but unclassified. Not for public
Internet.
2. (SBU) SUMMARY: A shipment of chemicals that
arrived in February under the auspices of Post's INL-
funded DOJ/ICITAP project with the Ministry of
Interior (MVD) has finally reached its destination at
the Interior Ministry's Criminal Research Center
(CRC). After seven months of bureaucratic back and
forth with the State Customs Service, the CRC was able
take the delivery of USG-donated methanol and
chloroform. END SUMMARY.
3. (SBU) Forty-five kilograms of methanol and
chloroform were shipped via diplomatic sea cargo to
Turkmenbashy last February under the auspices of
Post's INL-funded DOJ/ICITAP project to assist the
Interior Ministry's forensic lab (referred as CRC).
(NOTE: DOJ/ICITAP has been actively working with the
CRC since 2001. The USG previously donated several
essential pieces of lab equipment, including a gas
chromatograph. END NOTE). During the past six months,
Post sent five diplomatic notes requesting customs
clearance for the chemicals, but received no response.
Follow-up phone calls every week, as well as the
meetings with MFA and MVD officials, brought no
progress in clearing the chemicals, which sat for six
months at the Turkmenbashy Customs clearing point.
Turkmen Customs authorities had denied clearance on
the grounds that the importation of methanol requires
specific Presidential approval. The MFA applied to
the Presidential Apparatus (PA) in June, but that also
produced no resolution of the issue.
4. (SBU) Last week, the Embassy revised its approach
in a diplomatic note to the MFA, stating that the
chemicals had already been donated to the CRC, and
that the CRC had further responsibility for clearing
them through Customs and their transportation from
Turkmenbashy to Ashgabat. The note essentially
transferred responsibility for the chemicals from the
Embassy to the CRC, which in turn facilitated quick
clearance from the Presidential Apparatus. The head
of the CRC's Chemistry Department, who was given
responsibility for transporting the chemicals, said
that he was given a letter signed by Gurban Torayev,
Head of the Presidential Apparatus' Department of
Analysis of Law Enforcement Activities. The letter
contained a Presidential decree allowing the chemicals
to be cleared. CRC Forensic Lab personnel called the
Embassy to express their gratitude for the chemicals,
which they said were "badly needed" for their
operations. "There is no way for us to purchase this
stuff (chemicals) locally or overseas on our own. We
don't care if they're seven months late. If stored
properly, these solvents have no expiration dates, and
will be useable for a long time. We're just glad to
be getting them at last." chemists said.
5. (SBU) COMMENT: Although the Turkmen government
had been told from the beginning that the chemical
solvents were destined for the CRC, the fact that the
shipment technically belonged to the Embassy had
prevented their clearance. Neither the Customs
Service nor the Presidential Apparatus was willing to
take such responsibility. For the Turkmen, to
officially refuse customs clearance was also
ASHGABAT 00001123 002 OF 002
problematic given accepted norms of diplomatic cargo
destruction procedures. Ultimately, it was only
Post's creative alternative that got the shipment
cleared. END COMMENT.
CURRAN
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
STATE FOR SCA/CEN, INL/AAE BUHLER
DOJ/ICITAP FOR MOGLE
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SNAR PGOV KCRM SOCI TX
SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN: CHEMICALS SHIPMENT SNAFU
RESOLVED
REF: Ashgabat 392
1. (U) Sensitive but unclassified. Not for public
Internet.
2. (SBU) SUMMARY: A shipment of chemicals that
arrived in February under the auspices of Post's INL-
funded DOJ/ICITAP project with the Ministry of
Interior (MVD) has finally reached its destination at
the Interior Ministry's Criminal Research Center
(CRC). After seven months of bureaucratic back and
forth with the State Customs Service, the CRC was able
take the delivery of USG-donated methanol and
chloroform. END SUMMARY.
3. (SBU) Forty-five kilograms of methanol and
chloroform were shipped via diplomatic sea cargo to
Turkmenbashy last February under the auspices of
Post's INL-funded DOJ/ICITAP project to assist the
Interior Ministry's forensic lab (referred as CRC).
(NOTE: DOJ/ICITAP has been actively working with the
CRC since 2001. The USG previously donated several
essential pieces of lab equipment, including a gas
chromatograph. END NOTE). During the past six months,
Post sent five diplomatic notes requesting customs
clearance for the chemicals, but received no response.
Follow-up phone calls every week, as well as the
meetings with MFA and MVD officials, brought no
progress in clearing the chemicals, which sat for six
months at the Turkmenbashy Customs clearing point.
Turkmen Customs authorities had denied clearance on
the grounds that the importation of methanol requires
specific Presidential approval. The MFA applied to
the Presidential Apparatus (PA) in June, but that also
produced no resolution of the issue.
4. (SBU) Last week, the Embassy revised its approach
in a diplomatic note to the MFA, stating that the
chemicals had already been donated to the CRC, and
that the CRC had further responsibility for clearing
them through Customs and their transportation from
Turkmenbashy to Ashgabat. The note essentially
transferred responsibility for the chemicals from the
Embassy to the CRC, which in turn facilitated quick
clearance from the Presidential Apparatus. The head
of the CRC's Chemistry Department, who was given
responsibility for transporting the chemicals, said
that he was given a letter signed by Gurban Torayev,
Head of the Presidential Apparatus' Department of
Analysis of Law Enforcement Activities. The letter
contained a Presidential decree allowing the chemicals
to be cleared. CRC Forensic Lab personnel called the
Embassy to express their gratitude for the chemicals,
which they said were "badly needed" for their
operations. "There is no way for us to purchase this
stuff (chemicals) locally or overseas on our own. We
don't care if they're seven months late. If stored
properly, these solvents have no expiration dates, and
will be useable for a long time. We're just glad to
be getting them at last." chemists said.
5. (SBU) COMMENT: Although the Turkmen government
had been told from the beginning that the chemical
solvents were destined for the CRC, the fact that the
shipment technically belonged to the Embassy had
prevented their clearance. Neither the Customs
Service nor the Presidential Apparatus was willing to
take such responsibility. For the Turkmen, to
officially refuse customs clearance was also
ASHGABAT 00001123 002 OF 002
problematic given accepted norms of diplomatic cargo
destruction procedures. Ultimately, it was only
Post's creative alternative that got the shipment
cleared. END COMMENT.
CURRAN