Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09ASTANA622
2009-04-12 07:56:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Astana
Cable title:  

KAZAKHSTAN: MEDIA REACTION, APRIL 2-APRIL 8

Tags:  PGOV PREL PHUM MARR SOCI KPAO KMDR KZ 
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E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM MARR SOCI KPAO KMDR KZ
SUBJECT: KAZAKHSTAN: MEDIA REACTION, APRIL 2-APRIL 8

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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ASTANA 000622

SIPDIS

STATE FOR SCA/CEN, SCA/PPD, DRL

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM MARR SOCI KPAO KMDR KZ
SUBJECT: KAZAKHSTAN: MEDIA REACTION, APRIL 2-APRIL 8

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1. SUMMARY: This week Kazakhstani media highlighted what the media
believes is a possible visit of President Obama to Kazakhstan,
spurred by an invitation from President Nazarbayev that Senate
Chairman Kassym-Zhomart Tokayev gave the President during his trip
to Turkey. The media also focused on the April 6-7 visit to Astana
of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Two popular newspapers
published interesting news analysis pieces on regional politics,
looking forward to Kazakhstan's upcoming OSCE Chairmanship and
reflecting on NATO's 60th anniversary. Independent press outlets
commented on religious freedom issues and drew attention to cyber
attacks suffered by independent and opposition web sites. END
SUMMARY.

PROSPECTIVE VISITORS...


2. Senate Chairman Tokayev's invitation to President Obama to visit
Kazakhstan grabbed headlines this week. The Senate Press Service
issued an announcement reporting that President Obama had gratefully
accepted the invitation. The Senate announcement claimed that
President Obama told Tokayev that he plans to tour Central Asia and
that Kazakhstan -- "America's friend and trustworthy partner" --
will be the first country he visits.


3. Pro-government, Russian language "Liter" quoted First Deputy
Director of the Kazakhstani Institute of Strategic Studies Sanat
Kushkumbayev, who believes that Obama will visit Kazakhstan during
his first term. Kushkumbayev noted that visits of U.S. presidents
are tied to U.S. foreign policy interests, and "judging by the
Nazarbayev-Obama telephone conversation, it looks like Kazakhstan
has fallen in to this category. He went on to say, "The
significance of the United States can't be overestimated, despite
the current financial crisis. Certainly, partnership with this
country is very important for us."


4. "Liter" also commented on the substance of President Obama's
speech to the Turkish Parliament. Comparing the President's
demeanor to Julius Caesar's, the author stated that in Iraq and
Afghanistan, the United States will no longer rely on force, "but a

flexible approach that combines diplomatic and humanitarian ways of
solving problems." Arguing that Obama's statement that the EU will
be significantly strengthened after Turkey's accession "warmed the
hearts of Turkish officials," the author concluded, "The fact that
Obama often repeated the word 'Islam' left no doubts on the shores
of the Bosporus that the new American President has opened a new
epoch in U.S. relations with Islamic countries."

...AND CURRENT GUESTS


5. "Liter" commented on the visit of Iranian President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad by saying Iran, while not a "strategic partner," is
important for Kazakhstan due to Caspian Sea issues and the
transportation of Kazakhstani oil. "But because of complex
relations between Iran and the United States," states the author,
"the fate of Central Asian oil transportation routes through Iran
has looked doubtful in the past. However, if Iranian-American
relations improve, this project has great potential because many
European countries view this route as preferable to the route
through Russia."

BROADER HORIZONS...


6. Independent, Russian language "Delovaya Nedelya" looked ahead at
the challenges that Kazakhstan is likely to face as OSCE Chair,
including the situations in Nagorno-Karabakh, South Ossetia,
Abkhazia, and Transdnestria. The author credits Kazakhstan with
"meeting obligations in the spheres of religion, press freedom, and
election legislation that it took upon itself prior to being
elected," but criticizes the government for failing "to develop a
strategy that can be applied in post-Soviet space." While Moscow
will expect Kazakhstani sympathy due to the fact that it was a "key
promoter and supporter of Kazakhstan's candidacy to the position of
OSCE Chairman," the United States and United Kingdom also feel that

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Kazakhstan should consider their interests because "they finally
tempered justice with mercy and gave their support." "Much will
depend," writes the author, "on how skillfully Kazakhstan manages to
combine its close political, economic, and humanitarian ties with
the CIS countries with its arising pro-Western mentality."


7. "Delovaya Nedelya" published a second piece specifically on U.S.
interests in Central Asia, criticizing "experts" who claim that
"Russia competes with China for regional influence and the United
States competes with both of them. Mocking this idea, the author
says, "As soon as any American official visits Central Asia, the
media starts disseminating reports about America's intention to
strengthen its position in the region and to dictate its will to
regional leaders. But such reports overestimate the importance of
Central Asia for the United States." The author believes that "much
has changed in U.S. foreign policy in the last two to three years,
and especially since the Obama administration has come to power.
Washington's efforts to compete with a non-existent international
communism have diminished." The article concludes, "Speculation
that the Americans want to permanently settle in Central Asia is an
exaggeration," and that the United States has no intention to fight
for regional dominance "until the last drop of blood."


8. "Liter" marked NATO's anniversary by noting that "even though
NATO has reached the retirement age of 60, it is too early to write
it off," noting the April 1 accession of Croatia and Albania as well
as President Sarkozy's initiative for France to rejoin NATO's
military command. The author suggests that "France's passionate
love of NATO" is because "the alliance has become for the French an
embodiment of Euro-Atlantic identity." Since the demise of the
Soviet Union, however, the author is critical of the alliance's
purposes, giving NATO a "C" in its anti-terrorist fight, since the
"war has been going on for eight years and there is no end in
sight." Bemoaning the fact that member states have been unable to
direct the huge potential of the alliance towards positive
endeavors, the author compares NATO to a "Titanic" which resists
every effort to redirect its course.

... AND CLOSER TO HOME


9. Independent, Russian language weekly "Panorama" interviewed
Almaty Helsinki Committee head Ninel Fokina, who expressed
appreciation that the recently proposed religion law was declared
unconstitutional by the Constitutional Council, saying that the
decision gives human rights activists a "three-year window" to build
stronger religious freedom in Kazakhstan. (NOTE: This window
refers to Kazakhstan's presence in the OSCE Troika. END NOTE). She
also lauded the recent government decision to permit entry into
Kazakhstan of a foreign Hare Krishna leader it had previously barred
from returning to the country. However, she laments that there is
"more bad news than good news" on the religion front, complaining
about prosecutions of Scientologists and Baptists and castigating
inflammatory media reports about less popular religious groups.


10. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's "Radio Azzytuq" reported on
cyber attacks that are allegedly plaguing independent/opposition
news websites "Zona.kz" and "Respublika.kz." Tamara Kaleyeva, head
of the Adil Soz media watchdog NGO, asks, "Why are these attacks
only against popular, independent papers?" -- expressing her
suspicion about the "selective" nature of attacks which are forcing
these specific sites to fight to remain accessible.

HOAGLAND