Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09ASTANA572
2009-04-02 10:20:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Astana
Cable title:  

KAZAKHSTAN: RUSSIAN AMBASSADOR ON START TREATY,

Tags:  PREL KACT OSCE RS KZ 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO7492
PP RUEHBI RUEHCI RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHLH RUEHNP RUEHPW
RUEHROV RUEHSR
DE RUEHTA #0572 0921020
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 021020Z APR 09
FM AMEMBASSY ASTANA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5069
INFO RUCNCLS/ALL SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE PRIORITY 1433
RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING PRIORITY 0811
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL PRIORITY 0498
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO PRIORITY 1514
RHMFISS/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY
RHEFAAA/DIA WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY 0996
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY 0909
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO PRIORITY 2573
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 2243
C O N F I D E N T I A L ASTANA 000572 

SIPDIS

STATE FOR SCA/CEN, EUR/RUS, S/SRAP

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/02/2019
TAGS: PREL KACT OSCE RS KZ
SUBJECT: KAZAKHSTAN: RUSSIAN AMBASSADOR ON START TREATY,
EUROPEAN SECURITY TREATY

REF: A. MOSCOW 0839

B. SECSTATE 30048

C. ASTANA 0557

Classified By: Ambassador Richard E. Hoagland: 1.4 (B),(D)

C O N F I D E N T I A L ASTANA 000572

SIPDIS

STATE FOR SCA/CEN, EUR/RUS, S/SRAP

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/02/2019
TAGS: PREL KACT OSCE RS KZ
SUBJECT: KAZAKHSTAN: RUSSIAN AMBASSADOR ON START TREATY,
EUROPEAN SECURITY TREATY

REF: A. MOSCOW 0839

B. SECSTATE 30048

C. ASTANA 0557

Classified By: Ambassador Richard E. Hoagland: 1.4 (B),(D)


1. (C) The Ambassador hosted Russian Ambassador Mikhail
Bocharnikov for a one-on-one lunch April 2. The Ambassador
briefed Bocharnikov in detail on his March 24 meetings at the
Foreign Ministry in Moscow with Deputy Foreign Minister
Karasin and Director of the Third CIS Department Maksim
Peshkov (ref A). The Ambassador emphasized that Presidents
Obama and Medvedev, and Secretary Clinton and Foreign
Minister Lavrov, have set the standard for a new era of
reality-based diplomacy and transparency between our
countries. Bocharnikov commented that he was very pleased
with the Obama-Medvedev joint statements in London on April
1, characterizing them as sober, substantive, and realistic.

START TREATY NEGOTIATIONS: KEEP KAZAKHSTAN IN THE LOOP


2. (C) Noting the Ambassador had met with President
Nursultan Nazarbayev on March 30, Bocharnikov asked if
Nazarbayev had complained that the new START Treaty would be
bilateral between Russia and the United States, rather than
also include the original signatories Kazakhstan, Ukraine,
and Belarus. The Ambassador recounted that he had delivered
points to Nazarbayev on U.S.-Russian plans to begin
negotiations for a new START Treaty (ref B),and Nazarbayev
had responded, "This is excellent. We fully support it.
Please continue to keep us informed. If we can be helpful in
any way, we will do so" (ref C). Bocharnikov said State
Secretary Kanat Saudabayev had phoned him, worried that
Kazakhstan was not being accorded full respect by being "cut
out" of the new treaty, but had seemed satisfied when
Bocharnikov explained it would be "illogical" for a
non-nuclear state to be party to such a treaty. (NOTE:
Saudabayev's Chief of Staff Roman Vassilenko made the same
call to the Ambassador on March 31, and the Ambassador had
given Vassilenko the same explanation Bocharnikov had given
Saudabayev. END NOTE.) The Ambassador suggested that
perhaps he and Bocharnikov should offer periodic joint
briefings to senior Kazakhstani officials on the progress of
the treaty negotiations. This would serve to keep Kazakhstan
informed, and would demonstrate U.S.-Russian cooperation.
Bocharnikov did not seem overly enthused but said he would
pass the suggestion to Moscow. He added he was pleased
Kazakhstan was being "reasonably civilized" about this,
because he had read cables reporting that Ukraine was not at
all pleased not to be included.

PROPOSED EUROPEAN SECURITY TREATY DRAFT TO BE REVEALED AT
OSCE IN JUNE


3. (C) Bocharnikov said Moscow was working on the draft text
of its proposed European Security Treaty, and expected to
reveal it late in June at the annual European Security Review
Conference at the OSCE. He said FM Lavrov plans personally
to present the draft and, thus, will request that the Review
Conference be elevated to the Ministerial level. Bocharnikov
said "the gist of the draft treaty will be 'hard security.'
We are not too keen to encompass the other two OSCE baskets."


4. (C) COMMENT: This was the most relaxed and forthcoming
we have seen Bocharnikov to date. He revealed a fondness for
American movies, "but only the good ones, not the trash with
special effects and lots of explosions." He said his Embassy
plans to build a new Chief of Mission Residence on part of
the large plot of land across the street to the east of the
U.S. Embassy -- "something appropriate, at last, for Russian
ambassadors" -- although he predicted he would never see it
completed during his tenure. END COMMENT.
HOAGLAND