KAZAKHSTAN: MFA PUSHES ABC GOALS AS SUMMIT PROSPECTS LOOK

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SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

STATE FOR SCA/CEN

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL ECON EINV EPET SOCI KZ
SUBJECT: KAZAKHSTAN: MFA PUSHES ABC GOALS AS SUMMIT PROSPECTS LOOK
BRIGHTER AFTER FM VISIT

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1. (U) Sensitive but unclassified. Not for public Internet.


2. (SBU) SUMMARY: Over a working lunch on February 15, MFA
Americas Director Askar Tazhiev told Charge that State
Secretary-Foreign Minister Kanat Saudabayev was very pleased with
his February 1-4 visit to Washington and wants to get to work on
what the MFA sees as growing U.S. support for the OSCE Summit. On
the Annual Bilateral Consultations (ABC),he fretted that the forum
lacks the necessary high level coverage. Charge urged MFA to work
with member states to make the dialogue a success in its proposed
form. Tazhiev promised to assist with several lingering
administrative issues. END SUMMARY.

TONE OF FM MEETINGS AUGURS WELL FOR THE SUMMIT AND A POSSIBLE
PRESIDENTIAL BILATERAL


3. (SBU) MFA Director Tazhiev said State Secretary-Foreign Minister
Saudabayev had been especially pleased with the tone of his
Washington meetings during his February 1-4 visit. According to
Tazhiev, Saudabayev found the Secretary warm and receptive to
Astana's ideas across the board. Saudabayev was also pleased with
preparations for the Global Nuclear Security Summit. NSA Jones had
made U.S. views very clear on what progress in Afghanistan would
form the basis for a meeting with the President. On the Summit,
Tazhiev said it was clear that Afghanistan would be a key focus
regardless of whatever other issues might be discussed. Tazhiev
also said that Saudabayev had found A/S Blake particularly warm,
taking a strong personal interest in building the relationship. On
the Zhovtis case, there were few surprises and Tazhiev said that the
embassy's request to visit the Ust-Kamenogorsk penal colony where
the human rights activist is being held was nearly complete. He
expected resolution within a week.

ABC SHOULD BE GRANDER


4. (SBU) Turning to the ABC scheduled for March 8-9, Tazhiev said
Astana was ready to name its co-chairs once the United States
provides information about its goals. But he repeated what we have
often heard: Saudabayev still wants something more. Looking to the
Russia format and to past practice, he recounted the history of the
joint commission during former President Clinton's presidency.
According to Tazhiev, Saudabayev said this was the right formula for
getting things done: a broad policy forum with high-level backing
and sufficient staff support to ensure progress on the agenda. He
said that the Annual Bilateral Consultations were a far cry from the
past since they would take place at the level of Deputy Foreign
Minister Kairat Umarov and A/S Blake. He said Astana doubted that
this forum carried the appropriate political heft to get things done
in Astana, and urged Washington to hear that Astana still prefers a
higher level forum. Charge said the Bureau of South and Central
Asian Affairs was committed to a successful dialogue across the
board. Washington was preparing for the Summit and we expect the
bilateral consultations with Kazakhstan to be as successful as those
with other Central Asian states.

CENTCOM VISIT MAY CONFLICT WITH THE ABC


5. (SBU) Tazhiev welcomed the February 21 visit of SRAP Holbrooke,
but said a meeting with President Nazarbayev was not possible. He
noted that CENTCOM General Patraeus would come to Astana March 9,
but worried that this conflicted with the ABCs, yet another sign of
the questionable importance of the forum. Charge assured him that
the Commander's visit would cover very specific issues, and said it
was likely that the Ambassador would travel to Washington to
participate in the broader forum.

HELP ON MANAGEMENT ISSUES


6. (SBU) Charge left informal points on two lingering
administrative issues: first, the need for a meeting with Almaty
tax authorities to assist locally-engaged staff, and second,
lingering concerns over receipt of the diplomatic pouch. Tazhiev

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promised to assist with both, particularly the taxation meeting.
Charge assured him that many employees want to act in good faith and
pay their personal income taxes on a timely basis, which is our
policy and theirs, but conflicting information and extra pressure
from the authorities have created needless anxiety and confusion.

COMMENT AND ACTION REQUEST


7. (SBU) The MFA view on the ABC is not new. We have an
opportunity to make the ABC forum a productive and successful forum,
but engagement with the Kazakhstani government will be most
effective if we propose our agenda and co-chairs in the coming days.
While Charge made clear that the current formula is the one to
prepare for, we can expect a continued press for a higher level
forum that mirrors the format of the U.S.-Russia dialogue. Charge
expressed the view that the ABC is a pragmatic and flexible format
designed to address each country's situation. It offers the best
way forward to address many issues of mutual interest. Keeping the
Kazakhstanis positive and engaged will depend on our providing
information soon about the agenda and our co-chairs. Post requests
Washington action soonest. END COMMENT AND ACTION REQUEST.

SPRATLEN