SCO: SECRETARIAT STAFF PREDICT NOT MUCH NEW AT

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIJING 001589

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/12/2039
TAGS: PREL PTER ETRD ENRG ZK XD CH RS IR
SUBJECT: SCO: SECRETARIAT STAFF PREDICT NOT MUCH NEW AT
UP-COMING SUMMIT

BEIJING 00001589 001.2 OF 002


Classified By: Acting Political Section Chief Ben Moeling.
Reasons 1.4 (B/D).

Summary
--------------


1. (C) Contrary to MFA official comments trumpeting the
importance of the upcoming SCO summit in Yekaterinburg June
15-16, officials at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization
(SCO) Secretariat in Beijing downplayed expectations for new
developments at the summit in a meeting with PolOff June 12.
The security situation in Afghanistan remained an important
concern for member states and possible SCO involvement was
under discussion. Our contacts also stated that there were
no efforts planned in the near future to admit new SCO
members. The officials highlighted the importance of Russian
culture and language in the everyday work at the Secretariat,
despite efforts to provide Chinese language instruction,
adding that Central Asian diplomats at the SCO Secretariat
and Beijing embassies maintained much stronger personal ties
to Russia than China. END SUMMARY.


2. (C) PolOff discussed the up-coming SCO summit June 12 with
two political staff members attached to the SCO Secretariat,
Bolat Syrlybaev, a Kazakh national and Special Assistant to
the SCO General Secretary, and Senior Expert Gulkaiyr
Balbaeva, from Kyrgyzstan.

SCO Summit Goals: More of the Same
--------------


3. (C) Despite MFA comments such as those by VFM Li Hui at a
June 9 media briefing that "the Yekaterinburg summit will be
a success and become another grand meeting in the development
history of the SCO," Balbaeva downplayed expectations for new
developments at the upcoming conference, noting that, as in
previous summits, the primary goal was to increase
cooperation among member states in security and economic
areas. Balbaeva reported that the summit was expected to
produce a joint communique that was unlikely to differ
significantly from previous joint statements.

Afghanistan Security a Concern, but Plans Remain Vague
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4. (C) Regarding the SCO's potential role in Afghanistan,
Balbaeva noted that the security situation remained the most
important area of concern for SCO members, and that member
states were in discussions on a range of potential SCO
assistance. When pressed for details, Balbaeva highlighted
the potential role for the SCO's existing Regional
Anti-Terrorism Structure (RATS) in Tashkent but did not
indicate there were specific plans for new initiatives.

No Plans to Admit New Members
--------------


5. (C) Both SCO officials reported that no plans existed to
admit new members into the SCO in the short term. Syrlybaev
cited the lack of a formal mechanism for admitting new
members, while Balbaeva noted that the SCO needed to improve
cooperation among existing members before taking on new ones.


China Not in the Driver's Seat
--------------


6. (C) Regarding relations between the six member states at
the Secretariat, both Syrlybaev and Balbaeva replied with
standard points that all members, including China and Russia,
treated each other as equals because of the consensus-based
nature of the SCO. When asked if China had a special role in
the organization, both responded that China had not attempted
to lead the organization, and "always conducted itself with
the utmost respect for other member states."

SCO Culture is Russian Culture
--------------


7. (C) Despite the fact that Chinese and Russian are both
official languages of the SCO, Syrlybaev noted that in

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practice Russian was the primary working language. He
explained that many of the Central Asian representatives did
not speak Chinese, while the Chinese representatives
invariably spoke fluent Russian. Syrlybaev noted that, when
the SCO was founded five years ago, the Secretariat attempted
to improve Chinese language capabilities by offering free
Chinese classes during working hours, but later discontinued
the program due to a lack of interest. He added that Central
Asian representatives at the SCO and Central Asian EmbOffs in
Beijing retained much closer personal ties to the Russians
than the Chinese, including through frequent social
gatherings for CIS countries at the Russian Embassy, as well
as through the Russian Embassy School, which the children of
most Central Asian diplomats attend.

Make-up of Shanghai Cooperation Organization
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8. (C) According to the SCO officials, representation at the
SCO Secretariat was based on the member state's financial
contributions to the organization. China and Russia both
have seven representatives at the Secretariat, Kazakhstan has
five, and Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan each have two
or three representatives.
PICCUTA