OSCE PERMANENT COUNCIL: RESPONSE TO OSCE PROJECT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 STATE 062666

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM OSCE UZ
SUBJECT: OSCE PERMANENT COUNCIL: RESPONSE TO OSCE PROJECT
COORDINATOR IN UZBEKISTAN

STATE 00062666 001.2 OF 002



1. Post is authorized to make the following statement at
the June 18, 2009, meeting of the OSCE Permanent COUNCIL in
Vienna:

Begin Text:

Thank you, Madame Chairperson.

We welcome you, Ambassador Venczel, to the Permanent COUNCIL
and thank you for your comprehensive report on OSCE
activities in Uzbekistan.

Mr. Ambassador, we are pleased to see that cooperation
between the Government and the Project Coordinator's Office
has continued to improve during this past year. We are
encouraged by the number of approved projects in all three
dimensions and the Government's willingness to invite OSCE
institutions, including the Representative of Freedom of the
Media, to lead or participate in events in Uzbekistan.

We remain concerned, however, by the slow and complicated
project agreement process between the Project Coordinator's
Office and the Government. We hope that this review process
can be shortened so as to hasten project implementation and
increase budget utilization. Greater access to the
Presidential Administration would ease this process. We also
hope that Uzbekistan will allow the Office to become a fully
mandated center with increased STAFF to carry out its work.

The United States fully supports the Project Coordinator's
work in all three dimensions. The Project Coordinator's
assistance to the police academy, its support of regional
seminars on fighting terrorism and illicit drug trafficking,
and its activities aimed at increasing political
participation of citizens and the transparency of elections
are all examples of good cooperation with the authorities to
consolidate SECURITY in the first dimension. In the second
dimension, we commend the Project Coordinator's work to
advance economic development by promoting good governance and
fighting against money-laundering and corruption.

We note the Project Coordinator's positive work on human
dimension activities this year, including increasing the
capacity of the ombudsperson institution and public awareness
of it, providing training to the Ministry of Interior's Human
Rights Protection Unit, and raising awareness of OSCE
commitments in human rights and the rule of law. We believe
that the Office's outreach to inform the public,
academicians, politicians, and NGOs about OSCE commitments,
especially in the field of human rights, can have a very
positive impact. While we are encouraged by the Project
Coordinator's work with the NATIONAL Association of NGOs, we
would like the Project Coordinator to consult with all NGOs,
not just those that are officially registered.

As outlined in your report, the Project Coordinator's Office
has done a good job in working with other OSCE
institutions*including the Strategic Police Matters Unit,
the High Commissioner on NATIONAL Minorities, and ODIHR*to
advance the goal of meeting OSCE commitments by providing
expert assistance. We are confident that this cooperation
will continue, especially in light of the upcoming December
27th elections, in which we expect ODIHR to offer assistance
and an observation mission. We urge the Uzbek authorities to
implement ODIHR's recommendations from both the December 2007
presidential election and the 2004 Uzbek parliamentary
elections to improve the election process.

The United States takes note of efforts by the Project
Coordinator's Office to promote regional activities and
cooperation, including for example by working with the OCEEA
to hold last October a well-attended regional conference on
environmental SECURITY and safety as a factor of water
management. We would like to see more of this regional work
continue -- whether it be organized by missions in Central
Asia or through the Secretariat -- and believe that the OSCE
can offer a value-added forum for dialogue on sensitive
issues. We look to the Government of Uzbekistan to take
advantage of this offer of support and to help plan and host
regional conferences, seminars and roundtables with its
neighbors in the region.

Uzbekistan has been particularly helpful in assisting it
southern neighbor, Afghanistan, by allowing critical
non-military supplies to cross its territory. We hope that
Uzbekistan, with its deep historical understanding of
Afghanistan, can be actively involved in helping the OSCE's

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efforts to stabilize its southern neighbor. In this regard,
we would also encourage Uzbekistan to participate in regional
training activities for borders and customs officials, so as
to create more consistency in border practices across the
region and to help stem the flow of illicit goods across the
borders.

As always, the United States supports the important role that
the OSCE Project Coordinator's Office in Tashkent can play in
assisting the Government of Uzbekistan to fulfill its
Helsinki commitments and meet its SECURITY needs. We stand
ready to support the Government and the Project Coordinator
in their efforts.

Thank you, Madame Chairperson.
CLINTON