KAZAKHSTAN: SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE HOLBROOKE DISCUSSES AFGHANISTAN, ZHOVTIS, OSCE SUMMIT WITH FOREIGN MINISTER

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 ASTANA 000267



SIPDIS



STATE FOR SCA/CEN, S/SRAP



E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/06/2059

TAGS: PGOV, PREL, MARR, AF, KZ

SUBJECT: KAZAKHSTAN: SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE HOLBROOKE

DISCUSSES AFGHANISTAN, ZHOVTIS, OSCE SUMMIT WITH FOREIGN

MINISTER



Classified By: Ambassador Richard E. Hoagland, 1.4 (b),(d)



1. (C) SUMMARY: Special Representative for Afghanistan and

Pakistan (SRAP) Ambassador Richard Holbrooke met State

Secretary-Foreign Minister Kanat Saudabayev on February 21 to

discuss Kazakhstan's support for operations in Afghanistan,

including North-South polar-route overflights, the ground

transit of wheeled and armored but not weaponized non-lethal

military vehicles, Afghan police training, and other

bilateral assistance. Holbrooke also strongly urged the

government to consider a presidential pardon for imprisoned

human rights activist Yevgeniy Zhovtis, discussed

Kazakhstan's request for a bilateral meeting with the

President in April, and said the United States was seriously

considering Kazakhstan's initiative to organize a summit in

2010 during its chairmanship of the Organization for Security

and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE),although, as Secretary

Clinton had told Saudabayev recently, the President would not

attend. END SUMMARY.



2. (SBU) Participants:

United States



SRAP Ambassador Holbrooke

Ambassador Hoagland

SRAP Staff Gen. Field

SRAP Staff Pauli

SRAP Staff Bommer

NSC Director for Central Asia Donnelly

SCA/CEN Director Hushek

Embassy Astana Acting Pol/Econ Chief Covert (notetaker)

Embassy Astana Pol/Econ LES Zhantikina (interpreter)



Kazakhstan



State Secretary-Foreign Minister Saudabayev

Deputy Foreign Minister Umarov

Deputy Foreign Minister Yermekbayev

MFA International Information Committee Chair Vassilenko

Special Envoy for Afghanistan Bitimov

MFA Asia and Africa Department Director Kurmanguzhin

MFA America Department Director Tazhiyev

MFA America Department Arystanov



3. (SBU) State Secretary-Foreign Minister Saudabayev met

privately for 30 minutes with SRAP Holbrooke and then

escorted him into the larger meeting. Media were present

during Saudabayev's welcoming remarks, but left after five

minutes.



A WARM WELCOME FOR AN OLD FRIEND



4. (SBU) Saudabayev warmly welcomed SRAP Holbrooke back to

Kazakhstan, and said that Kazakhstan is grateful for the

strategic vision, leadership, and advice the United States

has provided to bring stability to Afghanistan. He stressed

that Kazakhstan has been and will remain a "trusted and

strategic partner" of the United States, and has stood by the

United States ever since the terrorist attacks of September

11, 2001.



5. (C) After the press left the room, SRAP Holbrooke told

Saudabayev that Kazakhstan is "the most important country in

the region," expressed admiration for President Nazarbayev's

achievements since independence in 1991, and asked Saudabayev

to convey his personal regards to Nazarbayev, who was out of

town.



A UNIQUE ROLE TO PLAY



6. (C) Holbrooke told Saudabayev that -- as

Chairman-in-Office of the OSCE -- Kazakhstan has a "unique



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role to play this year in world affairs." He said he

appreciated Kazakhstan's focus on stability in Afghanistan

and told Saudabayev that the situation is "at a very critical

moment." He noted that the United States was tripling the

number of troops from 31,000 to 100,000 since January 2009,

and hadtripled the number of civilians in Afghanistan.

Holbrooke said the United States would welcome Kazakhstan

becoming more involved in Afghanistan, and said that

Kazakhstan could share its expertise with Afghanistan in

police training and agriculture, for example.



NORTH-SOUTH POLAR-ROUTE OVERFLIGHTS



7. (C) To support operations in Afghanistan, Holbrooke

reminded Saudabayev that the United States has requested

Kazakhstan's agreement on North-South polar-route overflights

and rail transportation of wheeled and armored but not

weaponized military vehicles. Saudabayev responded that the

government plans to present the U.S. Embassy its draft

agreement on North-South polar-route overflights by the end

of the week of February 22. He said he did not expect it

would take the United States long to review and approve the

agreement, since it is based on an existing agreement with

Russia. Saudabayev said he expected to be able to finalize

and sign the agreement in March, before President Nazarbayev

departs for the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington, DC, on

April 12-13. Saudabayev also said that he expects the

North-South polar-route overflight agreement to "clear the

way" for an agreement on the ground transportation of armored

military vehicles.



8. (C) Saudabayev added that President Nazarbayev strongly

supports the President's strategy in Afghanistan,

particularly the increase in troop levels, and the transfer

of greater responsibility and accountability to the

government of Afghanistan. Saudabayev told Holbrooke that

Afghanistan is the "most serious problem" facing Kazakhstan

at the moment and promised, "We will stand with you to

resolve the situation, because it affects the security and

stability of our region."



SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN AFGHANISTAN



9. (C) Saudabayev said Kazakhstan welcomes the U.S.

objective to make the transition from military operations to

sustainable humanitarian and social development through

investments in infrastructure and education. Saudabayev

noted that Kazakhstan itself will provide $50 million for an

education program and he introduced a Kazakh SRAP, Bitimov,

whom he said has worked on Afghanistan for 30 years, "speaks

the language," and understands the mentality and culture of

the Afghan people. Holbrooke said he was pleased by the

appointment of Special Representative Bitimov and invited him

to visit Washington to discuss coordination efforts in

Afghanistan.



THE ZHOVTIS CASE



10. (C) Holbrooke told Saudabayev that the imprisonment of

human rights activist Yevgeniy Zhovtis is one of the pressing

issues affecting Kazakhstan's bilateral relationship with the

United States. He told Saudabayev that Zhovtis has become a

symbol for the opposition in Kazakhstan, "a fact that he

certainly understands and exploits." Holbrooke said that if

Zhovtis could be released by presidential pardon, that would

reduce his symbolic value, since "he is worth less to the

opposition out of jail than in jail."



11. (C) On Zhovtis, Saudabayev agreed that "neither you nor

we need this problem." But he said that this is an issue of

principle. "We must respect the independence of our judicial

system," he said. "If we make an exception to the law for



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Zhovtis," he claimed, "then 200 others with similar sentences

will demand to be released from prison as well. They are

watching to see if the government of Kazakhstan will be

pressured into releasing Zhovtis." He also said that as a

human rights activist, "Zhovtis never came under any

political pressure" to cease his activities. Saudabayev said

that Zhovtis unfortunately killed a man, was tried and

sentenced by a court of law, and now must serve his four-year

sentence. According to Saudabayev, "the law worked exactly

the way it was designed."



12. (C) Saudabayev observed that the "unprecedented

pressure" being placed on Kazakhstan as a result of the

Zhovtis conviction is "not viewed positively in our society."

He acknowledged that the "only legitimate way out" for

Zhovtis would be via presidential pardon, but said, "that is

the prerogative of our president." Attempting to draw a

parallel, Saudabayev added that he admired the "persistence"

of the U.S. judicial system in its persistent attempts to

get film director Roman Polanski, "even though he was

forgiven by the victim." Holbrooke took strong exception,

noting that Polanski fled justice, escaped the law, and has

been living free despite his conviction by a U.S. court.



REQUEST FOR A BILATERAL MEETING



13. (C) Holbrooke said he was hopeful that bilateral

meeting between President Obama and President Nazarbayev

could be arranged in April. NSC Director Donnelly confirmed

that the White House is considering a possible bilateral

meeting. He noted that NSC Director McFaul might visit

Kazakhstan in the near future for further discussion on this

issue, but that no decision has been made.



OSCE SUMMIT IN 2010



14. (C) On the subject of an OSCE Summit in 2010, Saudabayev

asked Holbrooke to convey his thanks and warmest regards to

the Secretary of State for their "instrumental and helpful"

meeting on February 4 in Washington. He said he was grateful

to have U.S. support for holding the Summit, and noted that

Afghanistan would certainly be a major item on the agenda.

SRAP Holbrooke told Saudabayev that, "we will make certain

that the United States is represented at the appropriate

level." While Holbrooke promised to advocate personally for

the meetings that Kazakhstan has requested, since they would

serve the interests of both countries, resolution of other

issues such as North-South polar overflights, ground

transportation of military vehicles, and Zhovtis, would

greatly facilitate positive decisions in Washington.



15. (SBU) Ambassador Holbrooke cleared this cable.

HOAGLAND