KAZAKHSTAN: REQUEST FOR CONTINUED SUPPORT FOR EMBASSY

UNCLAS ASTANA 000445 SENSITIVE SIPDIS FROM THE AMBASSADOR FOR INL A/S DAVID JOHNSON STATE ALSO FOR SCA/FO, SCA/CEN, EUR/ACE, F, G/TIP, S/SRAP E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL APER EAID SNAR KCRM KTIP AF KZ SUBJECT: KAZAKHSTAN: REQUEST FOR CONTINUED SUPPORT FOR EMBASSY ASTANA INL OFFICER POSITION ¶1. (U) Sensitive but unclassified. Not for public Internet. ¶2. (SBU) Assistant Secretary Johnson, I want to express my great appreciation for INL's support for counter-narcotics, counter-trafficking in persons, and other law-enforcement programs in Kazakhstan. We have a fine INL officer posted at Embassy Astana, Anthony Beaver, who has done outstanding work implementing INL's programs. He is a credit both to our Embassy and your worldwide INL team. ¶3. (SBU) I learned that INL is considering eliminating Beaver's position after his summer 2010 departure from Astana because Kazakhstan's funding for INL programs -- which comes exclusively from the FSA budget, rather than the INCLE account -- is relatively limited, and INL believes it is not sufficient to justify the support costs for our INL officer slot. ¶4. (SBU) I want to be absolutely frank. Losing our INL officer would be disastrous for our Mission to Kazakhstan -- a country which is our most important partner in Central Asia. INL programs are a top priority for us. Kazakhstan is a major transit country -- and increasingly a destination one -- for narcotics originating in Afghanistan. Trafficking in persons is a very serious problem here, too. In fact, it is specifically because of INL funding for TIP prevention, prosecution, and protection activities that Kazakhstan is making dramatic improvements in its counter-TIP efforts. (The improvements were recognized last year when the Department raised Kazakhstan's ranking in the annual Trafficking in Persons Report from "Tier 2 Watchlist" to "Tier 2.") Our efforts are paying off in other areas too. INL is assisting the Kazakhstanis, finally, to establish a financial intelligence unit, and we are on the cusp of getting them to ratify new anti-money laundering/counter-terrorism finance (AML/CTF) legislation. INL is also helping Kazakhstan bring its forensics laboratories up to international standards through linkages with U.S. partners. ¶5. (SBU) Based on the hours Anthony Beaver routinely works, his job is more than full-time. That's not surprising, since he is overseeing six separate INL-related programs: counter-narcotics, drug-demand reduction, TIP, money laundering, and forensics. Kazakhstan is a vast country -- the world's ninth largest by area, with lengthy borders with Russia, China, and several Central Asian states -- and Anthony Beaver spends approximately one-third of his time on domestic travel outside of Astana. There is simply no way that we could effectively cover these programs and the travel they entail with other existing personnel if our INL officer slot were lost. What we would lose first are those critical relationships with the Ministry of Interior and other law enforcement bodies that Anthony Beaver and his predecessors have built up over many years. And without those relationships, we'd find progress on all these fronts a much tougher slog. We and Washington would also lose a valuable reporting resource that helps us understand the realities of this huge and complex country. ¶6. (SBU) It is unfortunate, but we are dealing with annually declining FSA budgets for Kazakhstan. That said, we have tried to do our part by repeatedly recommending FSA increases for our INL programs through our Mission Strategic Plans. We asked for $2.500 million for INL for FY2010 -- a major increase from the $1.214 million we received in FY2008 and the $1.150 million expected for FY2009. However, that FY2010 request was cut to $1.500 million by Washington. For FY2011, we have asked again for an increase, this time to $1.800 million. We will continue to press for more funds at every opportunity, and would welcome your assistance in making our case. ¶7. (SBU) I want to ask for your personal intervention to ensure that we find a successor for Anthony Beaver, so that we can continue to give our INL programs in Kazakhstan the attention they deserve. They are critical to our own national security, and, on the counter-narcotics side, to our stabilization and reconstructions efforts in Afghanistan. HOAGLAND