VZCZCXRO6858
RR RUEHLN RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHDBU #1463/01 2131105
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 011105Z AUG 06
FM AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8258
INFO RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RUEHNT/AMEMBASSY TASHKENT 0658
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 1733
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 1739
RUEHRL/AMEMBASSY BERLIN 1692
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 1723
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL 1684
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 1627
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 1680
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 1486
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 1466
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 1261
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO 1662
RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE 1710
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS 1021
RUEHDBU/AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE 9577
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RHMFISS/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL
RHMFISS/CDR USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DUSHANBE 001463 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR SCA/CEN 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER ECON ENRG TJ UZ
SUBJECT: TAJIK-UZBEK TENSIONS GROWING IN GAS, WATER AND COUNTER 
TERRORISM 
 
REF: DUSHANBE 275 
 
DUSHANBE 00001463  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1.  SUMMARY AND COMMENT:  In the last six weeks, the Tajik media 
has reported on a series of small incidents, the sum of which 
suggest that the already fractious relationship between 
Tajikistan and Uzbekistan is not getting smoother, despite the 
hopes raised when Uzbekistan joined the Eurasian Economic 
Community (EurAsEC) in January.   Gas, water, crime and 
terrorism, pollution and student visas have all recently been 
sources of bilateral tension.  Moreover, President Rahmonov 
publicly became more critical of Uzbekistan's failure to fulfill 
its membership obligations in EurAsEC.  Taken separately, none 
of these issues seriously threatens regional stability. 
However, a pattern of constant squabbling over minor topics-as 
well as serious disagreements over water and gas -- could lead 
to more intense rhetoric or actions, possibly making regional 
transport and trade all the more difficult.  END COMMENT. 
 
GAS 
 
¶2.  Uzbekistan's natural gas supply company Uztransgaz limited 
gas supplies to Tajikistan around June 19 due to more than $7 
million in outstanding debts.  Press reports quote state-owned 
utility Tojikgaz head Shavkat Shoimov saying Tajikistan could 
not repay its debt due to low collection rates.  Shoimov called 
Tajikistan's largest industrial enterprises the biggest 
problems; Tojikcement alone owes Tojikgaz $2 million. 
 
¶3.  Another news report stated July 24 that in response to 
Uzbekistan cutting the delivery of natural gas to Tajikistan, 
Tajikistan blocked a pipeline transporting gas across Tajikistan 
to the Uzbek part of Ferghana Valley. The report listed 
Tojikgaz's debts to Uztransgaz as $7.63 million accumulated over 
half a year, according to a representative of Uztransgaz.   He 
noted that Uztransgaz, having supplied gas to Tajikistan in a 
volume of 347 million cubic meters for $19.88 million only 
received $11.46 million. 
 
WATER 
 
¶4.  In Ferghana valley, Tajikistan was unable to satisfy 
Uzbekistan's water demand, Tajik Minister of Land Reclamation 
and Water Resources Abdukokhir Nazirov announced July 17. 
Tajikistan's Kairakkum reservoir had not yet reached its full 
capacity due to a delay of water from the Kyrgyz Toqkogul 
reservoir; therefore, Tajikistan could not provide Uzbekistan 
with 600 cubic meters per second without threatening Tajik water 
demand.  Nazirov blamed the Kazakh and Kyrgyz governments for 
implementing agreements too slowly on water transfer from 
Toqtogul reservoir in exchange for gas and coal supplies for a 
Kyrgyz power station.  Nazirov commented during a press 
conference that it would be "incorrect" to link 
Tajikistan-Uzbekistan water regulation to gas supply issues. 
 
TERRORISM 
 
¶5.  Tajik Interior Minister Khumdin Sharipov announced July 17 
that in the first six months of 2006, Tajik authorities arrested 
10 suspected members of the terrorist organization Islamic 
Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), after a special operation in the 
northern city of Khujand.  These arrests included four suspected 
IMU members involved in November 2005 and January 2006 shootings 
in Sughd region.  July 26 Sughd police allegedly arrested a top 
IMU figure, 30-year old Uzbek citizen, Ruslan Haqberdiyev, on 
charges of organizing criminal activities and inciting ethnic 
and religious enmity.  Media reports claimed police confiscated 
texts in English, Arabic and Uzbek on jihad as well as how to 
organize explosions. 
 
¶6.  According to press reports, Uzbek authorities claimed June 
 
DUSHANBE 00001463  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
26 to have arrested a Tajik Spy in southern Uzbekistan.  Uzbek 
authorities detained Murodollo Jurayev in early June for 
violating his visa, but alleged he was a drug trafficker, given 
a special mission by the Tajik Ministry of Interior to recruit 
people to carry out terrorist attacks on Uzbek territory.  Tajik 
police dismiss the claims as unfounded. 
 
STUDENTS 
 
¶7.  A news agency reported June 23 that Tajik Pedagogical 
institute expelled 50 Uzbek students for lack of visas; in fact, 
the students had visas but did not have stamps from a border 
crossing checkpoint.  Later statements by university and 
Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials stated the students could 
continue to study, provided they "brought their documents in 
order."  Aside from an outraged article on the Uz-press.info 
website, no further reports of student visa issues made the 
press. 
 
POLLUTION 
 
¶8.  Uzbekistan has long complained about air and water pollution 
from TadAZ, Tajikistan's biggest industrial enterprise, a 
state-owned aluminum smelter located a few miles west of the 
Uzbek-Tajik border.  A July 21 article in an Uzbek language 
regional newspaper accused TadAZ of poisoning the environment, 
calling the emissions an "aggression against Uzbekistan." 
According to an Uzbek environmental organization, TadAZ emitted 
600,000 tons of pollutants in the past several years; 60 tons 
were hydrogen fluoride, which caused diseases in humans, animals 
and plants.  The report added that the incidence of growth and 
endocrine diseases and of anemia among children under 14 has 
grown by two to eight times in recent years (reftel). 
 
EURASIAN ECONOMIC COMMUNITY 
 
¶9.  According to multiple sources, Tajik President Rahmonov 
openly argued with Uzbek President Karimov at the EurAsEC 
meeting in Minsk June 23, reminding Uzbekistan of its 
obligations to eliminate the need for visa for citizens of 
Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.   Despite joining EurAsEC in January, 
Uzbekistan has failed to implement many of the organization's 
required policies. 
 
TRAINS AND TRANSPORT 
 
¶10.  Vladimir Sotkalov, Deputy Chief, Tajik Railroad, told 
Embassy staff that Uzbekistan holds up Tajik trains transiting 
Uzbek territory.  He pointed out that almost all trains are 
detained in Uzbek territory for more than 5 hours, thus fully 
changing the schedule.  He added that the issue will be 
discussed at the CIS Heads of Rail Roads meeting in Yerevan in 
October. 
HOAGLAND