KAZAKHSTAN: OSCE SYG HEARS SUMMIT IS NAZARBAYEV'S TOP

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ASTANA 002008 SIPDIS STATE FOR SCA/CEN, EUR/RPM, DRL E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/29/2019 TAGS: PGOV PREL OSCE KDEM KZ SUBJECT: KAZAKHSTAN: OSCE SYG HEARS SUMMIT IS NAZARBAYEV'S TOP PRIORITY REFTEL: ASTANA 2002 Classified By: Ambassador Richard E. Hoagland: 1.4 (b),(d) ¶1. (SBU) This is an action request. See para seven. ¶2. (SBU) SUMMARY: According to the deputy head of the Astana OSCE Center, Kazakhstan's desire to organize a summit of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) during its 2010 chairmanship was the main topic of discussion for the November 12 working visit by OSCE Secretary General Marc Perrin de Brichambaut to Astana. The meeting with President Nazarbayev focused solely on the summit, which the government also raised in de Brichambaut's other meetings. The SYG stressed that an OSCE Summit "must have substance" and should cover all three OSCE dimensions equally, and he advised the Kazakhstanis to concentrate on the Corfu process. The Kazakhstanis are pushing for a formal decision on the summit at the Athens Ministerial in December, and Foreign Minister Saudabayev plans to seek Secretary Clinton's support in Athens. Brichambaut is concerned the focus on summit will take Kazakhstan's attention away from the results of the Athens Ministerial, Kazakhstan's "homework" for 2010. The Kazakhstanis also raised the idea of the summit with the President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Joao Soares, who visited Astana on November 11. END SUMMARY. "THE PRESIDENT'S FIRST AND ONLY ISSUE" ¶3. (C) Jeannette Kloetzer, deputy head of the Astana OSCE Center, told us on November 13 that the idea of an OSCE summit in 2010 was the main topic of discussion for the one-day working visit to Astana of OSCE Secretary General Marc Perrin de Brichambaut. She told us that de Brichambaut's November 12 visit "was not really planned," far in advance but that de Brichambaut had intended to meet President Nazarbayev and establish closer ties with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs before Kazakhstan assumes the OSCE Chairmanship. (NOTE: Separately, OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (PA) Secretary General Spencer Oliver told us on November 11 that it was standard procedure for the PA to visit the capital of an in-coming OSCE chair, followed very soon after by the Secretary General. END NOTE.) Kloetzer ventured that the trip's short notice related to President Nazarbayev's schedule. Kloetzer did not participate in the meeting with the President, but de Brichambaut told her afterwards that the meeting "concentrated solely on the summit. It is the President's first and only issue," she said. De Brichambaut also met with Foreign Minister-State Secretary Kanat Saudabayev, Senate Speaker Kasym-Zhomart Tokayev, and Mazhilis Speaker Ural Mukhametzhanov, all of whom raised the summit idea. "It is now officially on the table," she said. ¶4. (C) According to Kloetzer, de Brichambaut told his Kazakhstani interlocutors that obtaining OSCE participating states' support for a summit is "a long process." He stressed that an OSCE summit "must have substance" and should cover all three OSCE dimensions equally. De Brichambaut suggested the Corfu process as the main topic for the summit. Kloetzer told us that Kazakhstanis are "fixated on the idea" of the summit and want to include a reference to it in the concluding document of the December Athens Ministerial. When de Brichambaut tried to prepare Saudabayev for the possibility that the reference might not be included, Saudabayev became visibly unnerved, telling Brichambaut that many of President Nazarbayev's ideas were initially received with great skepticism but are now a reality. As examples, he pointed to the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) -- a Kazakhstan-initiated intergovernmental forum that is headquartered in Almaty and has 16 participating states -- and the tri-annual Congress of Traditional and World Traditional Religions that brings together political and religious leaders in Astana. ¶5. (C) Kloetzer said that Brichambaut will formerly alert other participating states to Kazakhstan's wish to host a summit, but Kazakhstan must gather the necessary support. She said Saudabayev will discuss the issue with Russia's Foreign Minister Lavrov when they meet on November 17, and he will most likely raise it with Secretary Clinton at the Athens Ministerial in December. (NOTE: Deputy Foreign Minister Kairat Umarov separately told the Ambassador on November 11 that Saudabayev will seek Secretary Clinton's support for the summit in Athens (reftel). END NOTE.) Saudabayev told de Brichambaut that the CIS countries, France, Slovenia, Italy, and the ASTANA 00002008 002 OF 002 Vatican have all supported the idea. "Now comes the hard part," said Kloetzer, "deciding on the topics, setting the agenda, and picking the time and place." She said Saudabayev floated the idea of holding a preparatory conference in the summer, which would include the Ministers of the participating states and would replace the annual Ministerial. In her view, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is "very aware of how much work this will take" and is determined to succeed. She said de Brichambaut was concerned, however, that this summit focus will divert Kazakhstan's attention from the results of the Athens Ministerial. "Whatever happens in Athens will be Kazakhstan's homework, its primary responsibility, for the year," she said, "all else is extra." ¶6. (C) Kloetzer told us that the Kazakhstanis also raised the idea of the summit with the President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Joao Soares, who visited Astana on November 10-11. Soares met with President Nazarbayev and Senate Chairman Tokayev, as well as with NGOs and political parties. Kloetzer told us Soares supported the idea of the summit, but his main message to his Kazakhstani interlocutors was that a one-party parliament "was incomprehensible" to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly. Kloetzer said he received "a familiar message" in response -- Kazakhstan is moving slowly, but steadily, towards democracy. ¶7. (SBU) ACTION REQUEST: Embassy Astana requests the Department's official position on Kazakhstan's desire to organize an OSCE summit in 2010 so that we can use it with government interlocutors prior to the Athens Ministerial. HOAGLAND