TURKMENSITAN: GENERAL PETREAUS MEETING WITH

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ASHGABAT 000084

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/19/2019
TAGS: MARR MOPS PREL TX
SUBJECT: TURKMENSITAN: GENERAL PETREAUS MEETING WITH
TURKMEN FOREIGN MINISTER

REF: ASHGABAT 0083

Classified By: Charge Richard Miles, per reasons 1.4(b) and (d).


1. (C) Summary. On January 16, following his conversation
with Turkmen President Berdimuhamedov, CENTCOM Commander
Petraeus, accompanied by Charge Miles, met for an hour and a
half with Turkmen Foreign Minister Meredov. The Minister was
accompanied by the Ministry's North American Office Chief
Bashimov. The Minister began with a lengthy description of
the various ways in which Turkmenistan supported the U.S. and
coalition effort in Afghanistan. When he began what looked
to be an even lengthier description of Turkmenistan's policy
of "positive neutrality," the General interrupted and forced
the conversation into an intense discussion of the underlying
issues behind the Turkmen unwillingness to interpret
"positive neutrality" in a way which would allow Turkmenistan
to participate in the Northern Distribution Network (NDN).
The ensuing discussion defies summarization. Suffice to say
that the U.S. position was made very clear and the two sides
agreed to continue to work on the issue. The General was
able to get the Minister to agree to look into the "Gas and
Go" situation at Ashgabat Airport personally. While intense,
the discussion on NDN was extremely useful and, hopefully,
laid some serious ground for later resolution of this issue.
End Summary.


2. (C) The Foreign Minister began by giving a high
assessment of the earlier meeting between his President and
the General. He asked General Petraeus to have
"understanding" for the Turkmen approach. He then gave a
lengthy description of the various ways in which Turkmenistan
has supported the U.S. and NATO's effort in Afghanistan.
Some of these measures, he said, mentioning the U.S. air
corridor in particular, were negotiated by himself personally
with his American colleagues. We understand the U.S. mission
in Afghanistan, the Minister emphasized, and we want to work
cooperatively with the U.S. to improve security in
Afghanistan. We are also working with you, he continued, to
improve security on a broader scale, noting, as an example,
the U.S. has helped us build several border control points
including on the border with Iran. We cooperate on narcotics
interdiction, and we have actively supported President Bush's
Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI). The Minister said
President Berdimuhamedov had asked him to bring the PSI
matter to the General's attention. General Petraeus said
that he was familiar with Turkmenistan's efforts. We are
grateful, he said, but, he added, these efforts are in
Turkmenistan's interest also.


3. (C) The Minister then said that there were certain
actions which Turkmenistan could not take. As he was about
to launch into what appeared to be a lengthy explanation of
the Turkmen policy of "positive neutrality," the General
interrupted. "I can be a diplomat or I can be a soldier," he
said. "I was a diplomat with President Berdimuhamedov," he
continued, "now let me be a soldier. This refusal to allow
the land shipment of civilian, commercial cargo just doesn't
work." "By the way," he went on, "let's get this 'Gas and
Go' problem solved. We've got the money. Your airport
people will make money out of the re-fueling. Let's get this
problem fixed before we start patting ourselves on the back
over our successful cooperation." Give me a "Da," he told
the Minister.


4. (C) The General continued. "Let's be honest," he said,
"you have a convenient policy behind which you are hiding. I
understand this. But my soldiers are fighting and dying for
a cause which you say you support. You say you don't want
the Taliban to return to power. You don't want extremist
groups in Afghanistan. And yet you are not helping us on
this shipment of goods. Even Russia supports this. As a
soldier, I want you to know what I'm thinking. I'm trying to
rationalize what I heard this morning. You have a policy
which you use when it's convenient to do so." The General
added that it was very important for Turkmenistan to show

ASHGABAT 00000084 002 OF 002


some sign of increased cooperation as the new Presidential
Administration takes office in Washington. Petraeus
continued, "This is a fight against extremism. These people
don't want me - or you - to worship the way we want. It's a
struggle against extremism." Noting that the Minister was
trained as a lawyer, Petraeus said that "viewed through this
lens, the Turkmen case is unpersuasive." "How long does your
neutrality last?" he asked and then continued, "Until they
come across your border?"


5. (C) The Minister said, "It is good when people speak
openly." He defended his description of the history of
Turkmen support for the Allied effort in Afghanistan. These
are our neighbors in Afghanistan, he said. We are concerned
with extremism and with the narcotics traffic and with the
conditions which create them. We are working together with
you on this, he said. When we say "neutrality," the Minister
explained, it doesn't mean we will sit aside and do nothing.
The General interjected - "How can I explain to the Secretary
of Defense that I can't even get the "Gas and Go" operation
back on its feet after six months of inactivity?" The
Minister said he would take that task on personally. Meredov
then reiterated that Turkmen "positive neutrality" did not
allow the delivery of civilian goods by land. Our law, he
said, does not allow our involvement in military activities -
even when setting up a civilian infrastructure. If these
were "humanitarian" goods delivered by an international
organization, that would be different, he said. In
2000-2001, Turkmenistan allowed land shipments of
humanitarian goods under the aegis of the ICRC, the World
Food Organization, and UNICEF. The General referred to the
Charge's belief that it would have been better never to have
asked in the first place but simply to have sent the goods by
normal international shipping methods. This caused the
Minister to bring up the now somewhat worn chestnut of a
previous incident in which some Italian "provisions"
transiting by land to Afghanistan were found to have
contained wine. Comment. Even the Minister had a difficult
time keeping a straight face when telling this story. End
Comment.


6. (C) The General asked whether the Afghans could come
into Turkmenistan and buy goods for transport back to
Afghanistan. Why not, said the Minister. That would be a
bilateral matter. The conversation ended with an exchange on
the importance of pipeline diversification and of western
involvement in the exploitation of Turkmenistan's gas
reserves.


7. (C) Comment. The Minister took the General's intensity
in stride, and we are sure that both the substance and the
passion of the discussion will be passed on to President
Berdimuhamedov. While positive results can hardly be
expected in the immediate future, it is likely that a certain
amount of stone has been chipped away by the General's
approach. We need to keep up the pressure finding leverage
when and where we can. END COMMENT.
MILES