VZCZCXRO7741
RR RUEHDBU
DE RUEHTA #2885/01 2230747
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 110747Z AUG 06
FM AMEMBASSY ALMATY
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6549
RUEAORC/US CUSTOMS SERVICE WASHINGTON DC
RUEBAAA/DEPT OF ENERGY WASHDC
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC
RULSJGA/COMDT COGARD WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RHEBAAA/USDOE WASHDC//NNSA//
RUEKJCS/JCS WASHDC
RUCQAAA/USCINCCENT MACDILL AFB FL
RUEHRL/AMEMBASSY BERLIN 0364
RUEHEK/AMEMBASSY BISHKEK 7671
RUEHNT/AMEMBASSY TASHKENT 7652
RUEHKB/AMEMBASSY BAKU 0717
RUEHDBU/AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE 1833
RUEHAH/AMEMBASSY ASHGABAT 7028

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 ALMATY 002885 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR ISN/ECC PVANSON, ACHURCH, JGABRYSZEWSKI 
DEPT FOR ISN/ECC-AMT LSPRINGER 
DEPT FOR EUR/ACE RBUCK 
DEPT FOR SCA/CEN JMUDGE 
CBP/INA FOR BWATT AND CDONOFRIO 
USDOE/NNSA TPERRY, CWALKER, EDESCHLER 
DOC FOR DCREED AND GPETERSEN-BEARD 
USCG FOR CWILSON 
AMEMBASSY BERLIN FOR CUSTOMS ATTACHE 
AMEMBASSY TASHKENT, BISHKEK, BAKU, DUSHANBE FOR EXBS 
ADVISORS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ETTC MNUC PARM PREL KSTC KNNP KZ
SUBJECT:  EXBS: KAZAKHSTAN ADVISOR'S MONTHLY REPORTING 
CABLE (JULY 2006) 
 
 
¶I. BROAD ITEMS OF INTEREST TO ADVISORS AND AGENCY MANAGERS: 
 
     ¶1. Export Control and Related Border Security (EXBS) 
Program TDY Advisor Kevin Cummings assisted Advisor 
Offenbacher during the office's initial three weeks in 
Astana.  Mr. Cummings departed Kazakhstan the third week of 
July.  EXBS TDY Advisor Larry Adkins arrived in Astana on 
July 24 to provide support for the EXBS Program office and 
will remain until mid-September. 
 
     ¶2. EXBS Program Coordinator Gulnara Abildaeva 
relocated to Astana on July 31, completing the office's 
move to Kazakhstan's new capital.  Ms. Abildaeva will be on 
annual leave beginning August 7, and will return to the 
office in early September. 
 
     ¶3. Post Astana's move across town from its current 
location in the Embassy Branch Office to the New Embassy 
Compound has been postponed and is now scheduled for the 
last week in September. 
 
     ¶4. The projected deployment date for the new EXBS 
Program advisor to Kazakhstan, Mr. Michael Seguin, is mid- 
September.  Andrew Offenbacher, the incumbent EXBS advisor, 
is scheduled to conclude his tenure at post on September 
¶15. 
 
II. COMPLETED ACTIONS FOR THE REPORTING PERIOD 
 
¶A. SITE ASSESSMENTS AND MEETINGS CONDUCTED 
 
     ¶1. July 3 - Kevin Cummings and Advisor met with Yermek 
Smagulov and Aidyn Turashev of Kazakhstan's Customs 
Committee to discuss the status of the Administrative 
Enforcement (AE) and Product Identification Tool (PIT) 
projects.  The PIT project has been stalled for quite some 
time, initially due to a change in the local subcontractor, 
but more recently because Customs continues to drag its 
feet on providing the technical requirements necessary to 
put together a budget, timeline and guide future work. 
Both Mr. Cummings and Mr. Offenbacher reiterated the need 
for Customs to provide this information as soon as possible 
to allow the PIT project to move forward.  Aidyn Turashev 
reiterated Customs' interest in the AE project. 
 
     ¶2. July 3 - Advisor met with Alexandra Vozhakova, Head 
of Customs' Radioactive Materials and Technical Means 
Department, to discuss logistical arrangements for the 
Second Line of Defense (SLD) site survey team. 
 
     ¶3. July 13 - Kevin Cummings and Advisor met with Sahip 
Zhubanishev of the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MIT) and 
Mr. Aidyn Turashev of Customs.  Topics of discussion 
included the PIT and AE projects, proposed additions to 
Kazakhstan's export control law, export control regulations 
and the Tracker software.  The additions to the export 
control law are currently in interagency review and are 
reputedly likely to be adopted before the end of the year. 
MIT is still evaluating the Tracker software and source 
code and will contact the EXBS Program office when they 
determined whether there is a need for the Tracker package. 
 
     ¶4. July 15-26 - Advisor and Gulnara Abildaeva held a 
number of informal discussions with representatives from 
Kazakhstan's Border Service and Customs Committee on the 
 
ALMATY 00002885  002 OF 004 
 
 
sidelines of the International Border Interdiction Training 
(IBIT) sessions.  Topics covered included: soliciting input 
on CBP's border assessment project, questions about 
equipment priorities, and their evaluation of the IBIT 
training. 
 
¶B.  TRAINING DURING THE REPORTING PERIOD 
 
     ¶1. A two-week U.S. Coast Guard Small Boat Operations 
course concluded on July 7.  Eleven officers of 
Kazakhstan's Maritime Border Guard Division participated in 
the course, which was held on the Caspian Sea in Bautino. 
The training included lectures and hands-on exercises 
designed to ensure the effective maintenance and operation 
of Kazakhstan's three 42-foot fast response boats.  These 
three U.S.-made "Safe" boats were provided to Kazakhstan's 
Border Service by the U.S. Coast Guard and the EXBS Program 
in May 2006. 
 
Gulnara Abildaeva attended the training for most of the two 
weeks, and Kevin Cummings joined her for final day's 
graduation ceremony.  The four Coast Guard trainers 
reported that the training was a success and that the 
students were motivated, studious and digested the material 
well. 
 
Several problems came to light during the training, 
including the need for the bottom of the boats to be coated 
with anti-fouling paint, fuel quality and supply issues, 
and a few problems with the boats' parts and systems. 
These issues are being investigated; some are in the 
process of being rectified with the assistance of the EXBS 
Program's Regional Maritime office in Baku. 
 
Upon conclusion of the course, Kazakhstan's Maritime Border 
Guard Division expressed a desire to receive additional 
training in such areas as maritime search and rescue, law 
enforcement and boat maintenance. 
 
     ¶2. From July 15 - July 27, Advisor Offenbacher and 
EXBS Program Coordinator Gulnara Abildaeva accompanied a 
group of 16 Kazakhstanis (eight representing the Border 
Service and eight Customs) to McAllen, Texas to attend an 
International Border Interdiction Training (IBIT 1).  The 
training included both classroom lectures and visits to two 
ports of entry (Pharr and Hidalgo) on the U.S.-Mexican 
border.  Additional information is available in a separate 
report, but in sum the training was very well received.  An 
indication of this was the level of participation - the 
group was enthusiastic and highly engaged for the duration 
the weeklong course. 
 
In addition to the IBIT 1 training in Texas, the group was 
afforded an opportunity to spend the day at the U.S. Border 
Patrol Academy in Artesia, New Mexico.  This was the 
highlight of the trip for many of the Kazakhstanis as they 
were given an opportunity to experience firsthand "a day in 
the life" of a U.S. Border Patrol trainee.  From the firing 
range to the high-speed pursuit track, the group was given 
an up close view of the academy's operations. 
 
     ¶3. The Defense Threat Reduction Agency's International 
Counterproliferation Program (DTRA/ICP) conducted a follow- 
on "Weapons of Mass Destruction Crime Scene Management" 
course in Almaty from July 17-21.  The course is designed 
 
ALMATY 00002885  003 OF 004 
 
 
to help officials respond safely and effectively at WMD 
crime scenes. 
 
     ¶4. From July 24-28, DTRA ICP conducted an additional 
follow-on "Weapons of Mass Destruction Crime Scene 
Management" course, this week in Astana. 
 
¶C. EQUIPMENT DELIVERED DURING THE REPORTING PERIOD 
 
     ¶1. None. 
 
¶D. IMMINENT TRAINING OR EQUIPMENT STATUS UPDATE 
 
     ¶1. The National Nuclear Security Administration's 
International Nonproliferation Export Control Program 
(NNSA/INECP) will hold a Commodity Identification Training 
course in Shymkent from August 7-11 for Kazakhstani Customs 
personnel.  This is the second time the "indigenized" 
(i.e., taught by Kazakhstani nuclear technical experts) 
version of the course has been offered.  In March 2006, the 
course was delivered in Almaty by Kazakhstani instructors 
for the first time. 
 
     ¶2. In follow up to the May 2006 signing of the Second 
Line of Defense Implementing Arrangement and June talks in 
Astana, the SLD Program will send a team to Kazakhstan from 
September 11-20 to conduct site surveys at a number of 
locations along Kazakhstan's southern border.  The 
information obtained during the surveys will be used to 
guide subsequent portal monitor installations.  The EXBS 
Program office is the embassy point of contact for the SLD 
Program and is coordinating the visit with the Kazakhstan's 
Customs Committee. 
 
     ¶3. An assessment of the Russian-Kazakhstani border 
(both ports of entry and the adjacent green borders) is 
planned for the first half of November.  The assessment 
team will include two U.S. Border Patrol Officers and two 
representatives from U.S. Customs and Border Protection's 
Office of International Affairs.  The team will visit 
several regions and will draw on the United States' border 
security experience to provide Kazakhstan's Border Service 
with recommendations on how to more effectively monitor, 
secure and protect Kazakhstan's borders with a view to 
preventing the spread of WMD. 
 
¶E. SIGNIFICANT DEVELOPMENTS IN EXPORT CONTROLS, 
NONPROLIFERATION, OR RELATED BORDER SECURITY 
 
     ¶1. A Kazakhstani governmental decree came out on July 
14, 2006 with updated rules on the transit of export 
controlled goods. 
 
¶F. CASPIAN SECURITY INFORMATION 
 
     ¶1. Please see section B, paragraph 1 above. 
 
III. RED FLAG ISSUES. 
 
     None. 
 
The point of contact for this report is Andrew S. 
Offenbacher, EXBS Advisor, OffenbacherAS@state.gov, tel: 
+7(3172)58-08-90, cell: +7(333)225-1156. 
 
 
ALMATY 00002885  004 OF 004 
 
 
ORDWAY