VZCZCXRO2564
PP RUEHDBU RUEHLH
DE RUEHNT #0992/01 1421044
ZNY SSSSS ZZH
P 221044Z MAY 06
FM AMEMBASSY TASHKENT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5786
INFO RUEHTA/AMEMBASSY ALMATY 7924
RUEHAH/AMEMBASSY ASHGABAT 1994
RUEHEK/AMEMBASSY BISHKEK 2526
RUEHDBU/AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE 2428
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 3477
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL 1477
RUEHLH/AMCONSUL LAHORE 0007

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 TASHKENT 000992 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR SCA/CEN 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/21/2016 
TAGS: PGOV PREL UZ ZK
SUBJECT: PARANOIA IN FLIGHT: KARIMOV ACCOMPLISHES LITTLE IN 
PAKISTAN 
 
 
Classified By: CLASSIFIED BY AMB. JON R. PURNELL FOR REASONS 1.4 (B, D) 
. 
 
¶1. (S) Summary: Prior to President Karimov's visit to 
Islamabad, Pakistani DCM Malik said the two largest issues 
facing Uzbekistan and Pakistan were transportation and 
customs problems.  Pakistani Ambassador Kamran reported that 
Karimov's visit produced few tangible results, but stressed 
that the Uzbeks seemed more open than during last year's 
summit in Tashkent.  Post has heard rumors of flights between 
Uzbekistan and Pakistan recommencing in July.  Both officials 
agree that bilateral relations have improved since 2005. 
Kamran attributed the improvement in part to increased 
intel-sharing.  Karimov refused to fly through Afghan 
airspace during his trip out of fear for his security.  End 
summary. 
 
¶2. (C) On May 2, President Islam Karimov visited Islamabad to 
discuss the future of Uzbek-Pakistani relations.  This visit 
reciprocated President Musharraf's March 2005 trip to 
Tashkent.  Pakistani Ambassador Sajjad Kamran told the 
Ambassador this was mostly a working visit with little pomp 
and circumstance.  There was one face-to-face, private 
meeting between the two presidents.  All other meetings were 
open to the delegation, including senior officials such as 
Uzbek Foreign Minister Ganiev, the Chief of the Air Force, 
and senior National Bank of Uzbekistan and customs officials. 
 Kamran said that the Uzbeks took the opportunity to 
congratulate Pakistan on its "ability to have good relations 
with both the U.S. and China."  Karimov reiterated to 
Musharraf Uzbekistan's support for the Global War on Terror, 
adding that Uzbekistan continues this effort not to please 
the U.S., but because it is important in its own right.  Ten 
Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) were signed on topics 
ranging from fighting terrorism, to plant quarantines, to 
bank cooperation.  Kamran told the Ambassador that he does 
not expect any concrete results from these new agreements any 
time soon. 
 
¶3. (S) Separately, Pakistani DCM Shahbaz Malik told the DCM 
that the two sides signed a protocol on counterterrorism. 
This is a follow-up to an earlier agreement on intel-sharing 
that included the possible repatriation of Uzbeks picked up 
in Pakistan.  Kamran said last year the Pakistanis 
repatriated a number of Uzbeks terrorists detained in 
Pakistani tribal areas.  He believes this had a positive 
effect on the bilateral relationship. 
 
¶4. (C) In April, Malik told poloff that Uzbekistan and 
Pakistan need to work on transportation issues, including 
reestablishing direct flights and improving customs control. 
The lack of direct flights, he noted, restricts trade.  Uzbek 
business owners import Pakistani goods mostly by air as extra 
baggage because the land routes are poorly developed.  Kamran 
told the Ambassador that flights may resume this summer, but 
the Uzbeks will have to make the first move.  On May 18, a 
local Pakistani businessman told Pol-Econ Chief that an Uzbek 
Air delegation was currently visiting Karachi and Lahore to 
finalize plans to begin a Tashkent-Lahore flight.  According 
to that source, flights are schedule to begin July 15 and 
will originate in Birmingham, UK.   Karimov refused to fly 
through Afghan airspace to Islamabad, said Kamran, because of 
security concerns.  Additionally, Kamran said Pakistani 
airlines are uninterested in flying to Tashkent as they 
believe it would be unprofitable.  According to Kamran, Uzbek 
fears of overflying Afghanistan have been a real stumbling 
block to establishing direct flights. 
 
¶5. (C) Uzbekistan and Pakistan do not have a transit treaty. 
According to Malik, this inhibits commerce via land routes as 
the roads are poorly maintained (especially in Afghanistan) 
and customs regulations are often arbitrary.  The DCM 
attributed this problem mostly to the lack of trilateral 
cooperation among Uzbekistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan.  He 
mentioned a recent case of a Pakistani exporter who attempted 
to cross the Afghan-Uzbek border with truckloads of 
Pakistani-grown tangerines.  The Uzbek authorities initially 
refused to allow the tangerines to enter, citing lack of 
paperwork verifying the fruit was pest-free.  Apparently, the 
fruit was allowed to cross after the Pakistani gave the Uzbek 
authorities an unspecified gift. 
 
¶6. (C) Malik said around 100 Pakistanis live in Uzbekistan, 
 
TASHKENT 00000992  002 OF 002 
 
 
but few travel home to bring back goods to sell.  Most run 
their own small-medium size businesses, including stores and 
textile factories.  According to a press report from the 
"Business Recorder", the GOU has offered a series of 
incentives to attract Pakistani textile-related businesses. 
These include subsidized electricity and cotton, and no 
export taxes.  (Note: No official announcement has been made 
to this effect.  End note.)  Kamran said, during the visit, 
Pakistan offered a credit line of five million USD to the 
Uzbeks to purchase Pakistani-manufactured textile equipment. 
 
¶7. (S) Malik and Kamran each noted that Uzbek-Pakistani 
relations have improved over the past year.  Kamran said that 
when Musharraf visited last year, the Uzbeks did not seem to 
trust the Pakistanis.  This year, according to Kamran, 
Karimov appeared more at ease with Musharraf.   He attributed 
this change to intervention on the part of former Uzbek 
Ambassador to Pakistan and current Deputy FM Anvar 
Salikhbaev. (Note: Salikhbaev also served as Deputy Chief of 
the National Security Service.  End note.)   According to 
Kamran, during his time in Pakistan, Salikhbaev made 
overtures to the Pakistani secret service, greatly improving 
the relationship. 
 
¶8. (C) During the visit, Pakistani officials also reportedly 
encouraged the Uzbeks to take a larger role in Afghan 
reconstruction efforts.   Kamran, who participated in many of 
the meetings in Islamabad, believes the Uzbeks are genuinely 
concerned about Afghanistan's stability, and are much less 
optimistic than the Pakistanis.  Nonetheless, despite public 
announcements from the GOU that reconstruction of Afghanistan 
is crucial, Kamran does not believe the Uzbeks are ready to 
play an active role in Afghanistan 
 
¶9. (C) Pakistani businessmen, and even tourists, still have 
difficulty getting long-term, multiple entry visas.  Malik 
said his Embassy has asked for visa liberalization, but is 
still waiting for the GOU to respond.  During the visit, 
Pakistan raised the issue, but does not think, according to 
Kamran, that the Uzbeks will change the visa regime. 
 
¶10. (C) Comment:  Karimov's visit to Pakistan fits into his 
overall strategy to show that, despite problems with the U.S. 
and Europe, he has friends.  This visit followed closely on 
the heels of his trip to Seoul and a visit from the Indian 
Prime Minister to Tashkent.  Although numerous MoUs were 
signed, it seems that little concrete was actually decided 
during the visit.  Re-establishing air links between 
Uzbekistan and Pakistan would be a significant move and would 
demonstrate whether the Uzbeks are indeed serious about 
improving relations. 
PURNELL