VZCZCXRO9764
RR RUEHDBU RUEHLN RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHAH #0904/01 2361245
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 241245Z AUG 06
FM AMEMBASSY ASHGABAT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 7722
INFO RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ASHGABAT 000904 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR INR/R/MR, IIP/T, IIP/G/NEA-SA, SA 
SCA/CEN, SCA/PAB, SCA/INS, SCA/RA, SCA/PPD, DRL 
CENTCOM PUBLIC AFFAIRS-MAJ.BALDWIN/SGT. BAKER 
USCINCPAC FOR POLAD R. HUSO 
SECDEF FOR PA 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KMDR KPAO OIIP PREL PGOV AF TX
SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN MEDIA COVERAGE OF DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY 
MANN VISIT 
 
REF: Ashgabat 884 
 
SUMMARY 
------- 
 
¶1.  (U) Turkmenistan's state media coverage of the August 13-15 
visit to Turkmenistan of Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of 
State Steven R. Mann included misinformation about the content of 
his meeting with President Niyazov and downplayed Mann's emphasis on 
the need for transparency and competition in the energy market. 
State print media included the false claim that the main goal of the 
visit was to endorse the construction of the Trans-Afghanistan 
Pipeline (TAP) and gas pipelines from Turkmenistan to China; state 
media representatives did not attend Mann's August 15 press 
conference in which Mann rebutted these claims, and in which he 
spoke about the United State's support for democratic reform and 
human rights in Turkmenistan.  (Note: Mann's meeting with Niyazov 
was the only official meeting of the visit.  The government did not 
permit him to meet with either the Foreign or Oil and Gas Ministers, 
see reftel.  End Note.)  Russian news sources editorialized that 
Mann's visit was part of a U.S. effort to weaken Russian influence 
in Central Asia and boost Ukraine's interests in the energy sector. 
End Summary. 
 
Inaccurate Local Coverage 
------------------------- 
 
¶2.  (U) On August 14, state TV's "Watan" News program provided 
long-winded but largely accurate -- albeit slanted -- coverage of 
Mann's meeting with Niyazov that included Mann's full post-meeting 
floor statement.  (Note:  Mann gave his floor statement in Russian. 
End Note.)  The "Watan" newscaster narrated that the meeting 
included discussion of regional security and energy diversification, 
and claimed that the goal of the Mann visit had been to express USG 
support for new gas pipeline construction projects via Afghanistan 
and to China. 
 
Print Media Edit Mann's Lobby Statement 
--------------------------------------- 
 
¶3.  (U) On August 15, state dailies "Neytralniy Turkmenistan" 
(Russian, circ. 32,931) and "Turkmenistan" (Turkmen, circ. 28,161) 
printed top-of-the-fold front-page articles that duplicated the 
"Watan" coverage, except that they omitted most of Mann's floor 
statement and embellished the rest of it, stressing instead PDAS 
Mann's "endorsement" of the TAP and of pipelines to China.  The 
omitted portions of Mann's statement had included statements in 
support of Caspian region energy development and U.S. opposition to 
monopolistic behavior in the energy sector.  Mann had emphasized 
that competition and a strong private sector would enable the 
Caspian region - and states "that have considerable reserves of 
natural gas and oil... to attract the highest level of environmental 
protection and the most advanced technology."  Further, state print 
media expanded upon Mann's comments about local hospitality.  On 
subsequent days the weeklies "Watan" (Turkmen, circ. 25,419), 
"Mugallymlar Gazeti" (Turkmen, circ. 76,291), "Ahal Durmushy" 
(Turkmen, circ. 35,391), "Turkmen Gundogary" (Turkmen, circ. 
42,982), "Nesli" (Turkmen, circ. 21,691) and "Adalat" (Turkmen, 
circ. 104,211) gave this article front-page treatment. 
 
Russian Black Propoganda 
------------------------ 
 
¶4.  (U) Mann's visit received negative coverage from Russia's print 
outlet "Nezavisimaya Gazeta."  The newspaper's August 16 article on 
the visit editorialized that Washington was increasing its efforts 
to weaken Russia's presence in Central Asia.  The article cited 
Mann's positive statements about the construction of the 
Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline as "proof" of the claim that Mann 
is an active lobbyist for anti-Russian projects in Central Asia and 
the Trans-Caucasus regions. 
 
¶5.  (U) On August 22, Russian newswire "Vremya Novostey" claimed 
that Mann's meeting with Niyazov focused on furthering Ukraine's gas 
interests and convincing the president to hold gas prices stable at 
a rate of $65 per thousand cubic meters (tcm).  According to the 
report Mann stated: "The United States supports the direct and 
transparent mechanisms of gas supply [to Ukraine] that existed in 
2005."  Contradicting the line taken by local media, however, the 
report concluded that U.S. support of gas transit routes to China 
was only a diplomatic curtesy to please the president.  (Comment: 
The author, Arkadi Dubnov, claimed that his information came from 
informed sources close to the government of Turkmenistan.  Dubnov 
has a proven track record of penning Russian black propaganda 
 
ASHGABAT 00000904  002 OF 002 
 
 
vis-`-vis Turkmenistan.  Dubnov also was the source of the "United 
States seeking basing rights in Turkmenistan," flap following 
CENTCOM Commander Abizaid's visit in 2005.  End Comment.) 
 
Embassy Press Conference 
------------------------ 
 
¶6.  (U) Post hosted a press conference on August 15 attended by 
stringers from the wire services Agence France Presse and Times 
Central Asia.  Later the same day, international news wires Dow 
Jones Commodities Service, Agence France Presse, BBC Monitoring 
Central Asia, Energy and Commodities Digest and Interfax provided 
coverage of Mann's visit that was based both on state and Russian 
media coverage.  The Agence France Presse and Times Central Asia 
coverage focused exclusively on energy development issues, despite 
the fact that these stringers asked questions about U.S. support for 
human rights in Turkmenistan.  Mann stated at the conference: 
"During the course of my visit also I want to stress the desire of 
President Bush and of Secretary Rice to promote democracy and rule 
of law.  United States' policy towards Turkmenistan will always be 
and must be multifaceted....  It includes permitting religious and 
civil society groups to work and to express their opinions.  And it 
includes the right of individuals to travel freely into and out of 
their country." 
 
¶7.  (SBU) Agence France Presse positively, but inaccurately covered 
those aspects of Mann's press conference statement dealing with 
energy issues.  The report correctly summarized Mann's statements 
that the private sector - rather than government - was responsible 
for the construction of pipelines, and that competition and a strong 
private sector were key to the development of viable pipelines. 
(Comment:  The latter statement responded to host government 
assumptions that the USG should have a more direct role in 
supporting pipeline construction in the region.  End Comment.) 
However, the Agence France Presse report suggested that Washington 
was pushing for pipeline construction to Pakistan to counter a rival 
pipeline from Iran, when in fact Mann stated: "We are firmly opposed 
to pipelines through Iran because this is a matter of U.S. law and 
U.S. policy.  But we support a variety of other pipelines coming out 
of Central Asia." 
 
¶8.  (SBU) The Russia-based Interfax newswire reported on August 15 
that Mann had expressed U.S. support for gas pipelines from 
Turkmenistan through Afghanistan and to China, and moreover falsely 
claimed that the Interfax coverage was based on an official 
statement from the embassy.  (Note: Because the host government 
manipulated Mann's visit until the last possible moment, holding out 
the possibility that he would meet with the Minister of Foreign 
Affairs, the embassy withheld its press release until later on 
August 15 - after the release of the Interfax article.  End Note.) 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶9.  (U) Mann's meeting with Niyazov received extensive but 
inaccurate coverage in both local and foreign media outlets.  The 
inaccuracies focused on host government claims that the goal of the 
visit was to show U.S. support for construction of pipelines through 
Afghanistan and to China and downplayed Mann's emphasis on the 
benefits of free and open competition in the energy sector.  Russian 
media built upon these inaccuracies with anti-U.S. rhetoric about 
the power structure in Central Asia.  Neither state nor 
international media gave play to Mann's reiteration of U.S. support 
for human rights - including freedom of movement - and a strong 
private sector.  End Comment. 
 
BRUSH