KYRGYZ PARLIAMENTARIANS VISIT TRANSIT CENTER

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SIPDIS

DEPT FOR SCA/CEN

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR PHUM KG
SUBJECT: KYRGYZ PARLIAMENTARIANS VISIT TRANSIT CENTER

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1. (SBU) SUMMARY: On September 15, the Manas Transit
Center hosted a delegation of Kyrgyz Parliamentarians and
other officials for a briefing and tour of Center facilities.
The delegation, led by Vice Speaker Isabekov, pressed for
more contracts to be awarded to Kyrgyz firms, especially
those selling fruits and vegetables. The group also
advocated for an increase in the flow of information from the
Transit Center, and offered to help get out the word on the
benefits of the Center for Kyrgyzstan. END SUMMARY.


2. (SBU) On September 15, eight members of Parliament,
along with Deputy Foreign Minister Baktygul Kalambekova,
visited the Transit Center to meet with the Center's director
and tour the facilities. The delegation was led by Vice
Speaker Kubanychbek Isabekov and consisted exclusively of Ak
Jol (governing majority) party members. Their stated aim was
to observe any operational or structural changes since the
signing of the new Transit Center agreement and ensure that
the U.S. was meeting all terms of the agreement. After
receiving a mission brief, the delegation toured housing and
recreation facilities, the cargo holding area, and climbed
aboard a KC-135 refueler for a first-hand look at one of the
Center's primary missions. A group of local television crews
and newspaper reporters accompanied the MPs throughout the
visit.

BUY KYRGYZ!
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3. (SBU) An ongoing theme among the Parliamentarians was
the push for the Transit Center to purchase more goods,
primarily fruits and vegetables, from Kyrgyz vendors. The
MPs pressed for Kyrgyz companies to be given priority when
the Transit Center awarded contracts (which is provided for
in the bilateral agreement). In an effort to help Kyrgyz
firms become more competitive, the Parliamentarians requested
additional information regarding the U.S. military's quality
standards for consumable products.

EDUCATION ON POSITIVE EFFECTS
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4. (SBU) During the visit, the MPs tabled additional
requests of the Transit Center Director to help them educate
their constituents about the Transit Center and the positive
effect it has on the Kyrgyz population. The delegation asked
for more information about humanitarian assistance efforts
conducted by the Transit Center, suggesting that a report
detailing the Center's activities be sent to Parliament each
month.


5. (SBU) Vice Speaker Isabekov suggested that the Transit
Center provide more articles to the Kyrgyz language press,
stating that the Kyrgyz people "don't know about your
positive impact." The Parliamentarians asked about fuel
dumping and the Transit Center's ecological impact on the
surrounding area. The MPs were assured that the joint
Kyrgyz-U.S. ecological committee, established as a result of
the new Transit Center agreement, would investigate and
analyze any environmental issues that may arise.

PRESS REPORTING
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6. (SBU) Press reporting on the visit has been mostly
positive, continuing the trend of the President's September
11 visit to the Transit Center. The three leading Kyrgyz
television stations, National TV and Radio (NTRC),Channel 1,
and NTS TV all provided detailed positive coverage of the
visit. NTRC led with previous footage of the President's
visit before starting coverage of the Parliamentarian visit.
The story picked up the theme of the Parliamentarians'
interest in more local contracts for the Transit Center. The
piece ended with a clip of Isabekov saying that he was fully

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satisfied with the visit, that everyone could see that the
Center was functioning in accordance with the agreement and
that there were no weapons, nuclear devices, or other illegal
items at the Center.


7. (SBU) Vecherniy Bishkek, the most widely circulated
newspaper, carried a story with a slightly ironic tone, under
the headline "The Americans got closer to us by 60 million
dollars." The article noted that 'friendly relations'
between our two countries increased from 17 million USD to 60
million USD. Following this, the article, like the other
news stories, then focused mainly on the Parliamentarians'
interest in increasing local contracts. The most critical of
the articles, in the Kyrgyz supplement of Russia-based
"Moskovskiy Komsomolets," poked fun at the Parliamentarians
for pushing for local contracts while "they feverishly
stuffed their bags with foreign chocolates." However, even
this piece was not negative towards the Transit Center.

COMMENT
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8. (SBU) The Parliamentarians and accompanying press were
obviously impressed at their access to the Transit Center )
and with the facilities themselves. After seeing the living
quarters and eating at the dining hall, one Parliamentarian
joked to an Embassy Officer that he would not mind serving in
the U.S. military given the "high quality" living conditions.
We expect that the increased coverage and visibility of the
operations of the Transit Center should help reduce the
negative rumors and speculation in the media. Our next step
will be to highlight the humanitarian work of the Center and
its employees in order to build public support for its
continuing operation.
GFOELLER