Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09STATE48864
2009-05-13 16:38:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Secretary of State
Cable title:  

OSCE PERMANENT COUNCIL: RESPONSE TO OSCE HEAD OF

Tags:  PHUM PREL OSCE TJ 
pdf how-to read a cable
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DE RUEHC #8864 1331651
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P R 131638Z MAY 09
FM SECSTATE WASHDC
TO RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE PRIORITY 0384
INFO ORG FOR SECURITY CO OP IN EUR COLLECTIVE
UNCLAS STATE 048864 

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PHUM PREL OSCE TJ
SUBJECT: OSCE PERMANENT COUNCIL: RESPONSE TO OSCE HEAD OF
OFFICE AMBASSADOR PRYAKHIN

UNCLAS STATE 048864

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PHUM PREL OSCE TJ
SUBJECT: OSCE PERMANENT COUNCIL: RESPONSE TO OSCE HEAD OF
OFFICE AMBASSADOR PRYAKHIN


1. Post is authorized to present the following statement at
the May 14, 2009 Permanent Council meeting in Vienna.

Begin text:

Thank you, Madam Chairwoman.
Ambassador Pryakhin, welcome back to the Permanent Council
and thank you for your comprehensive report on the situation
in Tajikistan and the OSCE,s activities in the country.

When you were last at the Permanent Council a year ago, the
Government of Tajikistan and the OSCE Chairmanship were in
the midst of discussions about the future of the OSCE in
Tajikistan. We are pleased that these discussions resulted in
a robust mandate for the Office--with new staff and
expertise--that addresses Tajikistan,s needs in all three
dimensions. Since the new mandate took effect, we have
witnessed an even stronger partnership between the OSCE and
Tajikistan. This is a remarkable way to celebrate the
fifteenth year of the OSCE Office in Tajikistan.

The United States fully supports the Office,s work to assist
the Government in its political, economic, and social
development. The Office has experienced successes over this
past year, including completing Phase II of the Small Arms
and Light Weapons and conventional ammunition destruction
program, clearing large swaths of land of anti-personnel
mines, supporting new information and resource centers to
enhance the business, trade, and investment climate, and
raising awareness about human rights and trafficking. What we
find especially noteworthy about these programs is that you,
Ambassador Pryakhin, and your staff have done your utmost to
transfer over time the ownership of projects to the host
country, so that Tajikistan is left with an enhanced capacity
to address its own security concerns.

The United States is pleased that the OSCE Office has
responded to calls from the Government of Tajikistan to
increase the country,s capacity to combat corruption. This
is a pervasive problem that requires serious and sustained
attention and threatens Tajikistan,s relationship with
international donors. We welcome the Office,s new initiative
to add anti-corruption components to all of its work across
the three dimensions.

While the OSCE Office has experienced successes, the
government has not engaged at a high level on human rights
reforms. We note that the OSCE,s efforts to help develop
the Institution of the Human Rights Ombudsman have been
hindered by the Government of Tajikistan,s lack of an
appointment to fill the Ombudsman position. We urge the
government to rectify this situation as soon as possible. We
also encourage the government to more vigorously support the
OSCE,s penitentiary reform program and other similar efforts
of the international community, among other things by
allowing fuller access to prisons for independent observers.

In the next several months, we believe the OSCE has a larger
role to play in assisting the Government to implement the
recommendations from the 2005 election and to prepare for the
February 2010 election. We hope the addition of an elections
officer to the Office will help fulfill this role, and we
encourage the Government of Tajikistan to work closely with
the OSCE on this matter. We take this opportunity to urge
the government to implement the OSCE recommendations form the
2005 election to avoid similar voting irregularities.

Ambassador Pryakhin, as you near the end of your posting, we
are thankful for your tremendous work in Tajikistan and
appreciate that you are leaving behind a more streamlined,
efficient, and effective Office than what you inherited. We
are confident that your capable staff will carry on your
legacy.

Thank you, Madam Chairwoman.
CLINTON