VZCZCXRO4524
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DE RUEHEK #0460/01 0961405
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 061405Z APR 06
FM AMEMBASSY BISHKEK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7088
INFO RUEHTA/AMEMBASSY ALMATY PRIORITY 1236
RUEHAH/AMEMBASSY ASHGABAT PRIORITY 4139
RUEHDBU/AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE PRIORITY 0867
RUEHNT/AMEMBASSY TASHKENT PRIORITY 0631
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC PRIORITY
RHMFISS/USCENTCOM INTEL CEN MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO BRUSSELS BE PRIORITY
RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE PRIORITY 1850
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 1233
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/OSD WASHDC PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BISHKEK 000460 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/06/2016 
TAGS: PREL PGOV KG
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR'S TRIP, STATEMENT TOUCH A RAW NERVE 
 
REF: BISHKEK 343 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Marie L. Yovanovitch, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
¶1.  (C) SUMMARY: During an April 6 meeting with Ambassador 
Yovanovitch, a clearly uncomfortable Deputy Foreign Minister 
Kadyrbek Sarbaev said that Foreign Minister Jekshenkulov had 
asked him to express concern over the "deep resonance" left 
by the Ambassador's recent trip to southern Kyrgyzstan.  In 
particular, Sarbaev expressed concern over a meeting held by 
the Ambassador with ethnic Uzbek representatives in the city 
of Jalalabad in  March.  Sarbaev claimed that according to 
"unconfirmed information," participants in one meeting had 
harshly criticized the government and that the Ambassador 
"had perhaps" stated her agreement with this criticism. 
Sarbaev also took issue with portions of the public statement 
issued by the Ambassador on the one-year anniversary of last 
year's "Tulip Revolution."  END SUMMARY. 
 
CONCERNS OVER "DEEP RESONANCE" OF TRIP TO SOUTH 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
¶2.  (C) On the morning of April 6, the MFA requested an 
"urgent meeting" with the Ambassador to discuss unspecified 
"bilateral issues."  Upon further digging, the MFA admitted 
that it wanted to discuss the Ambassador's recent trip to 
southern Kyrgyzstan.  A clearly uncomfortable Deputy Minister 
Sarbaev opened the meeting with a few routine questions about 
the upcoming visit of SCA Assistant Secretary Boucher.  After 
a great deal of hemming and hawing, Sarbaev finally got to 
the point ) Foreign Minister Jekshenkulov was concerned 
about "the deep resonance" left by the Ambassador's recent 
trip to the South. 
 
¶3.  (C) Sarbaev cited "unconfirmed information" that the 
Ambassador "had perhaps agreed with or supported" criticism 
of the Bakiyev government voiced by participants in a 
roundtable discussion held at the Uzbek Cultural Center in 
Jalalabad in late March.  (COMMENT: The Uzbeks appeared to be 
afraid to talk frankly until their leader arrived 30 minutes 
late.  At this point, participants began complaining about 
poor economic conditions in the region and about broken 
campaign promises by President Bakiyev ) as do virtually all 
interlocutors in Kyrgyzstan.  They also very gingerly 
discussed inter-ethnic tensions and prejudice against Uzbeks. 
END COMMENT).  Sarbaev said that Islamic extremists and 
others could "misuse the Ambassador's words" for their own 
ends, and claimed that the Kyrgyz people "could get the wrong 
impression" if they believe the Ambassador agrees with such 
criticism. 
 
CORRUPTION?  WHAT CORRUPTION? 
----------------------------- 
 
¶4.  (C) Sarbaev then turned his attention to the Ambassador's 
March 24 statement on the one-year anniversary of the 
overthrow of the Akayev government.  Wrapping his criticism 
inside warm praise for certain parts of the statement, 
Sarbaev said he disagreed with the portion of the statement 
that read: "Around the country, people have painted a grim 
picture for me," and citing rising inflation and problems 
with corruption and organized crime.  Sarbaev said he 
disagreed with this characterization of the current 
situation. 
 
¶5.  (C) The Ambassador pushed back by saying that, 
"unfortunately, there are many unhappy people today in 
Kyrgyzstan."  Sarbaev agreed, but said this was because of 
unrealistic expectations in the wake of last year's 
revolution.  Ambassador commented that it is important for 
diplomats to be able to travel around the country and meet 
with all types of people in order to understand what is 
happening in the country.  She noted that her message is the 
same with all groups, and that the MFA has heard the message 
many times. 
 
¶6.  (C) The Ambassador also expressed concern over the fact 
that a representative of the National Security Service (SNB) 
 
BISHKEK 00000460  002 OF 002 
 
 
had tried to force his way into one of the roundtables with 
the ethnic Uzbeks, adding that such tactics "remind her of 
another time." Sarbaev claimed to know nothing about this, 
saying only "that's a different agency." 
 
¶7.  (C) COMMENT: It was hard not to feel sorry for the genial 
Sarbaev as he relayed Jekshenkulov's criticism, which Sarbaev 
carefully wrapped in flowery praise and couched so indirectly 
that at times it was hard to figure out what he was really 
saying.  Sarbaev got stuck with this meeting at the last 
minute when the Deputy FM who had summoned the Ambassador was 
called away on urgent business.  Despite the hemming and 
hawing, however, it was clear that the Ambassador's meetings 
with ethic Uzbeks and then her March 24 statement clearly 
touched a nerve, most likely not in the MFA but in the 
Presidential Administration, which simply channeled its 
displeasure through the MFA.  Although interethnic relations 
have always been a touchy subject, particularly in the south, 
what really may have set off the Presidential Administration 
was the presence of ethnic Uzbek parliamentarian Kadyrjan 
Batyrov, a Bakiyev opponent, who helped to facilitate the 
meetings and plays a prominent role among his district's 
Uzbek community.  There is also the possibility that the 
Kyrgyz government overreacted to the roundtables due to 
hypersensitivity to all things Uzbek in the run-up to the 
one-year anniversary of the Andijon massacre, as well as the 
severely strained state of Kyrgyz-Uzbek relations. 
 
¶8.  (C) Sarbaev's concerns over the March 24 statement left 
the impression that the Kyrgyz government had gone over the 
statement with a fine-toothed comb, dissecting the inner 
meaning of each word and phrase.  Clearly, our criticism of 
rising crime and corruption are having at least some effect. 
But not everyone was offended by the statement.  Following 
the meeting, Director of the Western Countries Division Kanat 
Tursukulov (who also attended the meeting) told the 
Ambassador that he had read the statement for the first time 
just before today's meeting, and that he "agreed with every 
word." 
 
¶9.  (C) We note that this is the second time the MFA has 
criticized the Ambassador since February for meeting with 
parliamentarians and other non-government officials (reftel). 
 
YOVANOVITCH