UZBEKISTAN: AGRICULTURE, BORDERS, AND ISLAM IN THE FERGHANA

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 TASHKENT 000751

SIPDIS
DEPT FOR INL ANDREW BUHLER AND EXBS JEFF HARTSHORN
ANKARA FOR DEA CHRIS MELINK
USOSCE FOR ELIZABETH KAUFMAN
AMEMBASSY HELSINKI PASS TO AMCONSUL ST PETERSBURG
AMEMBASSY MOSCOW PASS TO AMCONSUL VLADIVOSTOK
AMEMBASSY MOSCOW PASS TO AMCONSUL YEKATERINBURG
AMEMBASSY BELGRADE PASS TO AMEMBASSY PODGORICA
AMEMBASSY ATHENS PASS TO AMCONSUL THESSALONIKI

E.O. 12958: DECL: 2019/05/13
TAGS: PGOV PREL KTIP SOCI EAGR KISL ASEC KG UZ
SUBJECT: UZBEKISTAN: AGRICULTURE, BORDERS, AND ISLAM IN THE FERGHANA
VALLEY

REF: TASHKENT 375

CLASSIFIED BY: Timothy P. Buckley, Second Secretary, Department of
State, Political and Economic Section; REASON: 1.4(B),(D)


1. (C) Summary: Poloff visited the Ferghana Valley on May 5-6,
traveling through Fergana and Andijon Provinces en route to
Kyrgyzstan. The overland trip was a good opportunity to take the
pulse of this unique and populous area of the country. The land
border crossing with Kyrgyzstan between Andijon and Osh was
strictly controlled but with brisk pedestrian traffic. There were
armed guards near the Kyrgyz border but life seemed to be very
normal for local inhabitants. An imam in Fergana City also shared
his thoughts about the new U.S. administration and issues important
to Muslims in the Ferghana Valley. Anti-trafficking in persons
awareness signs were prominently displayed in government facilities
and on the roads. At least on this visit, there was no evidence of
public discontent. End summary.



Bridge is Out

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2. (C) Poloff traveled overland to the Ferghana Valley on May 5 on
a six-hour journey to Osh, Kyrgyzstan. Road conditions in the
Kamchik Pass were considerably better than on poloff's last visit
in March (reftel). Once in the broad plain of the valley, poloff
traveled due east on the main highway toward Andijon until reaching
a canal where a bridge was under reconstruction. There were no
signs warning motorists that the bridge was out, let alone
indications of a detour. A dirt track led to another crossing
point, but that bridge was also out of commission. Locals helped
put the vehicle back on an alternate route, and this presented an
opportunity to talk with rural farmers. Interestingly, several
interlocutors aged 11 to 30 spoke no Russian whatsoever. Cotton
was planted late this year, they reported, due to the
uncharacteristically heavy spring rains, but they were still
optimistic about a decent harvest and seemed very at ease. Poloff
asked an 11-year old Uzbek boy why he was not in school on a
weekday morning, and he replied "no, I go to the bazaar." For the
next hour in the rural backroads of Fergana Province poloff then
noticed dozens of school-age children playing and riding bicycles.
It was not until reaching the metropolitan area of Andijon that
poloff confirmed that schools were indeed open.



TIP Awareness

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3. (U) As was reported elsewhere in the country, the Ferghana
Valley was full of anti-trafficking in persons billboards. They
are in virtually every population center - poloff saw them in
Kokand, Fergana City, Asaka, and Andijon - as well as in small
villages. Thus, the traveler encounters virtually dozens of
notifications on the journey from Tashkent to the Kyrgyz border.
Even railroad control stations and guard booths protecting
infrastructure such as bridges were displaying anti-TIP materials
for passing cars to see. Inside the border checkpoint, the
passport control area was also bristling with anti-TIP materials,
and poloff counted seven signs about the issue, including on the
glass of the passport booth itself and a listing of hotline numbers
around the country. (Note: This is more evidence of the
Government of Uzbekistan's aggressive and widespread public
awareness campaign. A digital photo example of one billboard will
be sent to G/TIP and the desk. End note.)

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Dostlik Border Zone

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4. (C) Following recent reports in the Kyrgyz media about tensions
amid border disputes, including an alleged incursion of armed Uzbek
officers in the village of Chek, poloff paid close attention to the
border area. In the outskirts of Andijon City, already a sensitive
part of Uzbekistan after the 2005 incidents there, there were more
vehicle checkpoints than is typical and plainclothes officers
usually attended each one along with the omnipresent traffic
police. Another vehicle checkpoint is located about three
kilometers from the border, and the buffer zone between this outer
checkpoint to the border is densely populated. Poloff observed
four Uzbek border guards armed with machine guns at various points
along this stretch of road, including one standing guard where a
small fence separated a Kyrgyz grazing field from a cluster of
houses on the Uzbek side. This looked to be normal in this zone,
however, and residents went about their business or were out
enjoying the nice spring weather.



To Kyrgyzstan and Back

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5. (C) At the Dostlik border checkpoint itself, numerous taxi
drivers clustered outside the main gate but the Embassy vehicle was
the only car passing through at midday; however, a steady stream of
pedestrians were entering passport control on foot. A plainclothes
officer, presumably from the National Security Service, glowered at
poloff and followed him through the facility; the Uzbek official
also freely accessed the border guards' compartment and studied the
computer screen. A line started to form as the officials - as
usual - made phone calls reporting poloff's presence and
transcribed previous entries and exits recorded in the passport.
Almost all of the pedestrians were speaking Uzbek, but most were
Kyrgyz citizens. Interestingly, the Kyrgyz citizens were more
vocal in complaining about the delay to the officials. The Kyrgyz
side was much easier, and Kyrgyz citizens merely waved their
passports and kept walking. A few farmers were pushing large
pushcarts heaped with leafy produce across the border, and there
appeared to be only minimal inspections of the goods as they
labored across.




6. (C) Returning on May 6 from Osh to the same border checkpoint,
poloff was impressed that the Kyrgyz officer came to the car window
with a stamp, joked with us, and sent us across to the Uzbek side
in less than one minute. The Uzbek formalities then consumed 29
minutes. This time, about 15 people were already clustered in
front of the passport control booth, and all appeared to be Uzbek
speakers with Kyrgyz passports. One lady was pleading with the
border guard "I have to get in, you must let me in today..." but
apparently to no avail. Poloff noticed that several people waiting
around him had pages full of identical passport stamps from this
crossing. A man in line next to poloff confirmed that he was an
ethnic Uzbek from Osh who travels to Andijon almost weekly to buy
cheaper produce which he then sells in the bazaars in Osh. (Note:
It seemed that the hassle of the border crossings and the transport
costs would negate any profit margin, but most of the people seemed

TASHKENT 00000751 003 OF 004


to be doing similar shuttle shopping trips. End note.)




7. (C) Poloff spoke with a good-natured Customs officer after
finally being spotted in the cluster of locals and quickly ushered
through the gate while they processed the passport. He indicated
that relations with Kyrgyz counterparts were normal and there were
no indications of heightened tensions. Poloff also asked about
precautions against swine flu. He was aware of reports this virus
was spreading rapidly but he said no measures were put in place yet
at this border and there were no instructions to wear masks or
assess travelers' health.



Too Much Rain

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8. (U) The Fergana City bazaar was ablaze with color as the first
waves of fresh produce were on display. Shoppers were in a good
mood after looking forward to the first strawberries, cherries, and
green onions of the season. One fellow browser complained that the
berries are not tasty this year due to the heavy rains. A vendor
confirmed that the strawberry harvest was disappointingly small
because many were lost as a result of the rains, and he was not
optimistic that higher prices from increased demand would offset
the losses. Other than the bazaar, the only large gathering poloff
saw was a crowd watching a traveling circus perform an acrobatic
routine in a village center.



Visit to Yangi-Chek Mosque

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9. (C) Poloff met with Imam Abduvali Khafizov at the Yangi-Chek
Mosque in Fergana City, who was happy to receive an official
American guest without any diplomatic note. Workers were busy
painting an ornate decorative ceiling under a balcony, improvements
which Khafizov said was a community service project. He reported
that up to 200 Muslims in the community worship at the mosque on a
typical day, and many more on Fridays. He said his mosque was one
of 200 in Fergana Province alone, and there were 200 others in
Namangan and Andijon Provinces, respectively, for a total of about
600 in the Fergana Valley. This was a substantial increase over
Soviet times, he said, and he was satisfied that the Government of
Uzbekistan allowed for this expanded freedom to worship. Imam
Khafizov also praised the U.S. for nominating him for a "Muslims in
America" international Visitor Program in 2002, which helped him
appreciate how many Muslims are in the U.S., and he continues to
share this goodwill with his congregation. He suggested holding
additional versions of the same program for other imams. (Note:
This is an excellent example of how valuable the IVP is, as it
influenced a Muslim leader in a conservative part of Central Asia
and open doors for sustained contact with him over several years.
Unfortunately, it has since been very difficult for imams to obtain
permission to participate in such programs. End note.)




10. (C) Imam Khafizov said he and his community welcomed the new
U.S. administration and hoped that President Obama will strive for
peace. Khafizov clarified that he did not think President Bush was

TASHKENT 00000751 004 OF 004


a bad person, but the end result of his policies was
counterproductive. "We are simple people from a poor country, and
we just want to see other people live in peace," he stated, adding
that " I am also sad that the U.S. lost so much money on wars in
which innocent civilians die from bomb attacks." Nonetheless, Imam
Khafizov does not believe his followers are anti-American and he
preaches to them about peace. Rather, he said, they are more
concerned about basic economic issues and making ends meet. For
example, he discussed a local controversy in which poor squatters
built some illegal dwelling units which were torn down by the
hokim's (governor) office because they blocked a fire lane for
emergency vehicles. He sympathized with both sides, noting that
the government does have a responsibility to ensure safety but that
communication should have been better. He is less preoccupied with
larger political issues, although he had no kind words for Muslim
extremists and Christian missionaries alike, accusing both groups
of trying to undermine established society.



Comment:

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11. (C) The populous Ferghana Valley remains strictly controlled by
suspicious Uzbek officials, yet life seems to go on as normal.
Uzbeks have a tremendous reservoir of patience, be it waiting for
passport stamps, stopping for traffic fines, or dealing with less
than optimal growing conditions, and during this snapshot in time,
at least, everything seemed ordinary with no signs of discontent.
NORLAND