FOREIGN MINISTRY ZARIFI INDOCTRINATES AMBASSADOR

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 DUSHANBE 001170

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/21/2019
TAGS: PREL PHUM PGOV TI
SUBJECT: FOREIGN MINISTRY ZARIFI INDOCTRINATES AMBASSADOR

REF: DUSHANBE 1151

CLASSIFIED BY: Ken Gross, AMB, EXEC, State.
REASON: 1.4 (b),(d)

1. (C) Summary: In an October 16 meeting, Foreign Minister
Zarifi rattled off a lengthy list of Tajikistan's desires for
infrastructure projects, increased trade, a softer human rights
report, assistance on trafficking in persons, and help on
relations with Uzbekistan. This appears to have been his
misplaced effort to give us input on the Annual Bilateral
Consultations (ABCs). End Summary.



TRADE AND LOCAL PROCUREMENT FOR AFGHANISTAN




2. (C) Zarifi called Ambassador to a meeting to discuss
"bilateral meetings." He was accompanied by newly appointed
Deputy Foreign Minister Ozoda Rahmonova (the President's
daughter). Zarifi first pointed to a map of Central Asia on the
table and said he would make good use of it. He then commented
that the recent TIFA meeting in Washington had been positive.
Tajikistan would like to increase trade with the United States
and specifically wanted to sell dried fruits, bottled water, and
fruit juices to U.S. and allied forces in Afghanistan.
Tajikistan would organize an exhibition for the Defense
Department if a delegation came to see what the Tajik market
offered. Ambassador said he would follow up on this offer with
USCENTCOM.



POWER AND RAIL LINES FROM TURKMENISTAN VIA AFGHANISTAN




3. (C) Zarifi raised his and President Rahmon's recent visit to
Turkmenistan, saying that Turkmenistan was interested in
electric and gas lines to Tajikistan via Afghanistan, bypassing
perpetually obstructive Uzbekistan. Making liberal use of the
map, Zarifi said the Turkmen would finance the power and gas
lines up to their border with Afghanistan, but Tajikistan was
looking for our support to obtain financing for the lines
through Afghanistan to link up with Tajik networks. Zarifi
suggested that the United States, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and
United Nations Representative Kai Eide meet to discuss these
projects.



REGIONAL ROAD AND RAIL VISIONS




4. (C) Having tested the road route from Kyrgyzstan via
Tajikistan to Afghanistan, it was time to expand NDN operations
to include rail cargo via Uzbekistan, Zarifi said. Tajikistan
needs U.S. help to gain Uzbek agreement to such transit. To
facilitate rail cargo movement to Afghanistan, Tajikistan would
like to build intermodal rail/road facilities in Kulyob and
Kholhozabad (near the Nizhny Pyanj bridge) and wants investors
to build a rail line from Kholhozabad to Nizhny Pyanj. Also
needed is an additional bridge across the Pyanj at Kokul, 95
kilometers east of Nizhny Pyanj, to better connect Afghan
Badakhshan with Tajikistan. A new road from the border crossing
at Nizhny Pyanj directly to Mazar e Sharif, bypassing Kunduz,
also would help complete the grand plan to connect western China
to the port of Bandar Abbas in Iran. A 600 kilometer railroad
from Kunduz to Herat also should be built.



CASA-1000, DAMS, BORDER SECURITY




5. (C) Barely pausing to take a breath, Zarifi pitched the
oft-discussed but never built Doshtizhum Dam on the Pyanj river,
saying it would help power the region and irrigate northern
Afghanistan - but Tajikistan needs U.S. support to get the Asian
Development Bank to fund a feasibility study. The CASA-1000
power line to Afghanistan should go forward too. And Zarifi
said that Tajikistan and the United States need to focus more on
border security so that Tajikistan has the resources to properly
inspect cargoes coming across the new bridges and to stop
narcotics trafficking.




DUSHANBE 00001170 002 OF 003


UZBEKISTAN




6. (C) The problem blocking all these grand plans was
Uzbekistan, Zarifi said. Uzbekistan "blocks all our ideas, even
in the cultural sphere," he added. Tajikistan needs the United
States' political support to convince lending institutions to
finance feasibility studies for dams. Uzbekistan had filled
reservoirs with water equivalent to three times the current
volume of the Aral Sea, while windborne dust from the Aral
seabed is coating Tajik glaciers, hastening their melting and
further exacerbating water shortages in the region. Zarifi
asked that the United States press Uzbekistan to reduce its
inefficient cotton farming, which wasted much water. He asked
that the United States urge Uzbekistan to remove landmines on
its border with Tajikistan, the source of many civilian deaths
and injuries.



HUMAN RIGHTS, SOME BALANCE PLEASE




7. (C) Turning to human rights, Zarifi requested that the
embassy, in preparing background information for the annual
Human Rights Report, consult more with the government of
Tajikistan. Arguing that human rights-oriented NGOs are in the
business of finding bad news, Zarifi said such sources distorted
the situation in Tajikistan. "Listen to us too" he concluded.



TIP - HELP US TO HELP YOU




8. (C) Zarifi commented that Tajikistan was making greater
efforts to fight trafficking in persons, but continues to be
weak on reporting its efforts to the outside world. He asked
for greater U.S. assistance to fight trafficking in persons and
to better tell Tajikistan's story. Ambassador said that a
representative of G/TIP would visit in the near future, and
Zarifi assured Ambassador that he would do all he could to make
the visit useful.



ZARIFI IS POC FOR SENSITIVE AFGHAN MATTERS




9. (C) Zarifi said that during President Rahmon's meeting with
Special Representative Holbrooke at the United Nations General
Assembly, Holbrooke had asked Rahmon to designate a point of
contact for communications on "sensitive matters" related to
Afghanistan. Zarifi said that President Rahmon designated him
to be that point of contact.



MORE TOURISTS AND MORE STUDENTS FROM KULYOB




10. (C) Zarifi urged that the United States fund more student
exchange programs, saying more students should travel "in both
directions" between the United States and Tajikistan. At this
point Deputy Foreign Minister Ozoda spoke to Zarifi in Tajiki,
reminding him that the point was to get more exchange
opportunities for "students from Kulyob." Zarifi translated
this to us more diplomatically as a request that U.S. exchange
programs counterbalance those of the Aga Khan Development
Network and the Soros Foundation which, he said, "mostly select
Pamiris." He also asked for USG assistance to bring more
tourists to Tajikistan and financing for advertising materials,
including tourist maps and guide brochures. When the Ambassador
pointed out that the removal of the extra visa requirement to
visit Gorno-Badakhshon would help increase tourism in that area
- along with the opening of the Kulma border crossing to
foreigners - Zarifi began a brief, animated discussion with
Ozoda over the status of the GOTI's requirement for visas for
Gorno-Badakhshon. Neither was sure where the matter stood, but
they promised to get back to us.




DUSHANBE 00001170 003 OF 003


MILITARY MATTERS AND RUSSIANS




11. (C) Zarifi said the Government of Tajikistan looked forward
to the next visit by U.S. military "commanders" and wished to
discuss the U.S. military presence in Tajikistan. Tajikistan is
talking to the Russian Government about the status of the
existing Russian bases, Zarifi said without further elaboration.
Ambassador informed him of the possible October 26-27 visit of
Central Command Commander General Petraeus. With that, Zarifi
closed the meeting, thanked the Ambassador for coming to the
Foreign Ministry, and proclaimed Tajikistan ready to begin the
Annual Bilateral Consultations.



THIS WAS AN ABC DISCUSSION?




12. (C) The Ambassador passed to Zarifi a modified list of
topics for discussion at the ABC and requested that we start
in-depth discussions so that both sides would be well-prepared
for the ABCs. Zarifi glanced at the list, said it "looked
fine," and agreed that we could have further talks as needed.
In response to the Ambassador's inquiry, Zarifi added that he
would soon appoint a new director for the MFA office for North
America and Europe and that this person would shepherd the ABC
process for the Tajik side.



COMMENT - A MILE WIDE AND THIN ON THE STAFF WORK




13. (C) Like in many meetings, Zarifi covered the usual litany
of issues. This was, hopefully, only his first attempt to flesh
out Tajik interests in advance of the ABCs. Clearly he and the
MFA have much work to do before they are prepared for these
discussions, and embassy will work with them to develop a more
substantive agenda than the grandiose wish list Zarifi spilled
out. Presidential daughter Ozoda, now overseeing these regions
as one of three deputy ministers, contributed only the request
for more Kulyobis to study in the United States.




14. (C) Zarifi's comment on the desire for discussions on our
military presence in Tajikistan may indicate the source of
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Karasin's questions to
Ambassador earlier the same day (Reftel) on whether the United
States planned to place forces on the Tajik border with
Afghanistan. Whether the two issues are in fact linked, Karasin
certainly was right when he observed that the Tajiks try to play
the United States and Russia off each other in an effort to get
more for Tajikistan. End Comment.
GROSS