(U) KUDOS FOR BIOGRAPHIC REPORTING ON

S E C R E T STATE 011161 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/03/2035 TAGS: PINR KZ SUBJECT: (U) KUDOS FOR BIOGRAPHIC REPORTING ON KAZAKHSTANI OFFICIALS DURING JULY-DECEMBER 2009 REF: A. ASTANA 001366 ¶B. ASTANA 001438 ¶C. ASTANA 001450 ¶D. ASTANA 001512 ¶E. ASTANA 001518 ¶F. ASTANA 001902 ¶G. ASTANA 001903 ¶H. ASTANA 002158 ¶I. ASTANA 002200 Classified By: ELISSA G. PITTERLE, DIRECTOR, INR/OPS ¶1. (C) WASHINGTON ANALYSTS APPRECIATE AND RELY HEAVILY ON POST'S REPORTING ON KAZAKHSTANI OFFICIALS FOR USE BY U.S. POLICYMAKERS. REFS A-I ARE REPRESENTATIVE OF POST'S OUTSTANDING BIOGRAPHIC REPORTING OVER THE PAST SIX MONTHS. ¶A. (C) REF A PROVIDED EXCELLENT LANGUAGE ON HOW THE NEW MINISTER OF DEFENSE DZHAKSYBEKOV CAME ACROSS DURING THE MEETING - "RELAXED AND PERSONABLE, WELL-BRIEFED," AND "DEMONSTRATING A CONSULTATIVE LEADERSHIP STYLE." WE ALSO APPRECIATED POST'S ASSESSMENT OF DZHAKSYBEKOV'S ENGLISH-LANGUAGE CAPABILITY. ¶B. (C) SIMILARLY, REF B INCLUDED A DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF KULIBAYEV, "PRESIDENT NAZARBAYEV'S TANNED AND PERFECTLY MANICURED BILLIONAIRE SON-IN-LAW." IN ADDITION TO THE DATA POINTS ON KULIBAYEV'S ENGLISH-LANGUAGE CAPABILITY, WE READ WITH INTEREST THE CHARACTERIZATION OF THE VERY INFLUENTIAL KULIBAYEV AS HAVING THE "GRACE OF A STATESMAN" AND PRESENTING HIMSELF AS "CLEARLY IN COMMAND." ¶C. (C) THE PERSONAL INFORMATION IN REF C HELPED FLESH OUT PREVIOUS, MORE TWO-DIMENSIONAL DESCRIPTIONS OF DEPUTY MINISTER OF DEFENSE ADMIRAL RATMIR KOMRATOV. ¶D. (C) REF D NICELY ILLUSTRATED HOW EASILY SAUDABAYEV CAN CHANGE HIS DEMEANOR - FROM "UNCHARACTERISTICALLY RESERVED, ALMOST GRIM" TO BROADLY SMILING AND EMBRACING - IN MEETINGS WITH U.S. OFFICIALS. ¶E. (C) REF E PROVIDED GOOD CAREER BACKGROUND ON DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER KAIRAT UMAROV AS WELL AS DATA POINTS ON HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH SAUDABAYEV. ¶F. (SBU) WE APPRECIATED THE INFORMATION ON A REGIONAL OFFICIAL IN REF F, INCLUDING THE DESCRIPTION OF AKIM (GOVERNOR) KRYMBEK KUSHERBAYEV AS "URBANE" AND "SOPHISTICATED." ¶G. (C) REF G PROVIDED INSIGHTFUL LANGUAGE ON YERMUKHAMED YERTYSBAYEV, A "LOOSE-CANNON GADFLY," WHO IS OPERATING UNDER A "DARK CLOUD IN THE CURRENT CORRUPTION CLEAN-UP CAMPAIGN." ¶H. (S) REF H NICELY CONTRASTED ADIL SHAYAKHMETOV'S MORE POSITIVE DEMEANOR - "RELATIVELY RESERVED AND BUSINESSLIKE BUT NOT UNFRIENDLY" - WITH THE BRUSQUE AND ABRUPT BEHAVIOR OF HIS PREDECESSOR, AMANGELDY SHABDARBAYEV. ¶I. (SBU) WE APPRECIATED LANGUAGE IN REF I, INCLUDING KARIM MASIMOV'S "STRONG GRASP OF THE BIG PICTURE AND SMALLEST DETAIL" AND HIS "ABILITY TO ADAPT TO CHANGING CIRCUMSTANCES." ¶2. (SBU) THANKS AGAIN. WE ENCOURAGE POST TO CONTINUE ITS SOLID RECORD OF BIOGRAPHIC REPORTING. CLINTON