ADOPTIONS: AMBASSADOR MEETS WITH MPS

UNCLAS BISHKEK 001126

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR CA/OCS: MBOND
CA/OCS/CI: WBISTRANKSY, GFULLER, MSAINTVICTOR
CA/VO/F/P: MURBANCIC, MEARL
SCA/CEN: JGORKOWSKI
ALMATY FOR CBEARD
FRANKFURT FOR RCO KBROUGHAM

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: CASC CVIS KFRD KOCI PREL KG
SUBJECT: ADOPTIONS: AMBASSADOR MEETS WITH MPS


1. SUMMARY: Ambassador met with Members of Parliament Gulnara
Derbisheva and Damira Niiazalieva on October 13 to discuss proposed
revisions to the Kyrgyz Family code which would lead to the lifting
of the country's moratorium on international adoptions. The MPs
suggested that a new draft law could be submitted to Parliament for
consideration as soon as next week and urged continued support from
the Embassy. The Ambassador pressed very hard for a resolution for
the 65 families already matched with children as soon as possible
and certainly no later than the end of this year. End summary.


2. On October 13, Ambassador met with Members of Parliament Gulnara
Derbisheva and Damira Niiazalieva to discuss proposed revisions to
the Kyrgyz Family code. The revisions -- which, they say, will
likely be submitted to Parliament next week -- would remove the
current regulation which requires bilateral agreements to be in
force with the destination country and lead to a lifting of the
moratorium. The revisions have strong support from First Vice
Speaker Kubanychbek Isabekov, though the head of the government
faction in Parliament, Ak-Zhol Party leader Ulugbek Ormonov, is
opposed to the idea of international adoptions and appears to be in
no hurry to enable the moratorium to be lifted.


3. Ambassador pressed the MPs on the importance of lifting the
moratorium without further delay and finding a quick resolution for
the 65 families whose pending adoption applications have been put on
indefinite hold. She further stressed the importance to move as
quickly as possible to help the children -- many with special needs
-- by the end of the year, mentioning that at least one family has
already given up on adopting a very sick child in Kyrgyzstan.


4. Derbisheva and Niiazalieva co-authored the draft law on
amendments to the Family Code in consultation with the Prime
Minister's office and have been advocating for the rights of
adoptive families and orphans. They told Ambassador that they
maintain contact with U.S. adoptive parents after their return from
an International Visitors Program trip to the U.S. in May.
Derbisheva and Niiazalieva also presented a letter to the Prime
Minister urging timely completion of the 65 pending cases after
their trip. They had planned to also send the letter to the
President, but no other MPs agreed to sign the document.


5. COMMENT: Over 65 U.S. families await the lifting of the
moratorium in order to complete the adoptions they began under the
previous legal order. It remains unclear whether their cases can be
'grandfathered' under the new legislation when and if it does pass.
Several Parliamentarians are steadfastly against international
adoptions, and may view the issue as purely an American issue,
though there are more than thirty cases involving parents from other
Western countries.

Gfoeller