KAZAKHSTAN: CICA SECRETARIAT OFFICIAL SAYS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ASTANA 000265 SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR SCA/CEN E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL KZ SUBJECT: KAZAKHSTAN: CICA SECRETARIAT OFFICIAL SAYS ORGANIZATION "LACKS MEAT" ¶1. (U) Sensitive but unclassified. Not for public Internet. ¶2. (SBU) SUMMARY: On January 26, PolOff met with Avinash Pandey, an Indian diplomat currently seconded to the secretariat of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in Almaty. Pandey discussed the agenda items at recent CICA meetings in Dushanbe and Tehran, as well as at the upcoming February 20 CICA Senior Officials Meeting in New Delhi. Pandey openly admitted to PolOff that CICA is still in its "infancy" and "lacks meat." He also said that CICA faces funding problems because contributions from member states are voluntary. END SUMMARY. CICA: A NAZARBAYEV INITIATIVE ¶3. (SBU) The Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) describes itself as "a multi-national forum for enhancing cooperation towards promoting peace, security, and stability in Asia.... based on the recognition that there is close link between peace, security, and stability in Asia and in the rest of the world." CICA is an initiative of Kazakhstani President Nursultan Nazarbayev, which he first proposed on October 5, 1992, at the 47th United Nations General Assembly. CICA member states adopted a CICA Declaration of Principles at a ministerial meeting in 1999. The first CICA heads of state summit took place in Almaty in 2002. Current CICA member states are Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, China, Egypt, India, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Pakistan, Palestine, Russia, South Korea, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkey, the UAE, and Uzbekistan. There are also several CICA observer states, including the United States and Japan. The fact that CICA's membership includes states with quite divergent views hints at the difficulty the organization has in finding common ground on contentious issues. DUSHANBE EXPERTS MEETING FOCUSES ON TOURISM ¶4. (SBU) The focus of the most recent CICA experts meeting -- held in Dushanbe in September 2008 -- was cooperation in promoting tourism. Avinash Pandey, an Indian diplomat currently seconded to the CICA Secretariat in Almaty told PolOff that this CICA initiative includes several goals: -- supporting the development of tourism facilities and infrastructure along the ancient Silk Road which passes from China to Europe; ;-- showcasing the potential of domestic tourism in other CICA member states; -- exchanging strategies and "best practices" regarding tourism infrastructure; and -- developing training in the tourism industry as a means to promote higher professional standards in tourism. COOPERATION IN DRUG TRAFFICKING AND TERRORISM ¶5. (SBU) CICA member states met in Tehran in August 2007 to discuss cooperation against international drug trafficking and "new threats and challenges." Pandey opined that cooperation on drug trafficking and terrorism could be the strongest area of CICA cooperation, as all countries share the goal of countering these threats. Pandey admitted, however, that while much has been discussed within CICA on these issues, little progress has thus far been made in turning talk into action. However, a concept paper was adopted at the Tehran meeting on counter-narcotics cooperation, and an action plan based on it is expected in the near future. NEW DELHI MEETING TO INCLUDE OSCE FOCUS ¶6. (SBU) During the upcoming CICA Senior Officials meeting in New Delhi on February 20, member states expect to discuss procedural issues within the organization, confidence-building measures, and possible future cooperation ASTANA 00000265 002 OF 002 between CICA and OSCE. (NOTE: With Kazakhstan set to become OSCE chairman-in-office for 2010, the country is seeking to find linkages between the OSCE and its other international initiatives. END NOTE.) Pandey explained that this cooperation with the OSCE will likely initially take form as a joint CICA-OSCE forum on security in Eurasia. Based on the outcome of the forum, CICA member states will determine if there are further opportunities for cooperation. KAZAKHSTAN MAKES UP FUNDING SHORTFALLS ¶7. (SBU) Pandey explained that funding the CICA secretariat's annual budget of approximately $1 million continues to be a problem, because the current CICA charter only calls for "voluntary" contributions from member states. According to Pandey, the result is that every year, the secretariat faces a 90% budget shortfall. In the end, the Kazakhstani government always steps in to make up the difference. Pandey maintained that member countries would need to change the organization's financing mechanism if "CICA is to have relevance." ¶8. (SBU) COMMENT: Pandey openly admitted that CICA, in its current form, "is still in its infancy" and "lacks meat." To some extent, member states are willing to participate in the organization to remain in the good graces of President Nazarbayev, who takes CICA quite seriously. For his part, Nazarbayev is seeking to push CICA beyond its Kazakhstani origins. Kazakhstan has held the CICA presidency since the organization's inception. At the CICA ministerial in Almaty in August 2008, Nazarbayev proposed that Turkey take over the presidency when Kazakhstan's latest term expires in 2010. END COMMENT. HOAGLAND