VZCZCXYZ0012
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHAH #0177/01 0401325
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 091325Z FEB 07
FM AMEMBASSY ASHGABAT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8372
RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS ASHGABAT 000177 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE FOR SCA/CEN (PERRY), SCA/PPD, EUR/ACE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV ETRD TX TNGD KPAO ECON
 
SUBJECT: PRE-ELECTIONS MEETINGS IN TURKMENABAT: THE SAME, YET 
DIFFERENT 
 
SUMMARY 
------- 
 
¶1.  (SBU) On January 23, Charge d'Affaires a.i. Jennifer Brush, 
ConOff, and PolEcon LES visited Turkmenabat, the capital of Lebap 
Welayat (Province), to observe activity in the lead-up to 
Turkmenistan's first multi-candidate presidential elections.  During 
her courtesy call with local officials, the Charge raised continuing 
concerns about harassment of the Turkmenabat American Corner, and 
found a surprising ally in a local official whose daughter was a 
FLEX alumnus.  Following that meeting, Central Election Committee 
Chairman Myrat Garryev escorted Emboffs to formal campaign 
appearances by presidential candidates Orazmyrat Garajayev and 
Ashyrniyaz Pomanov, ending the day with a tour of a local voting 
precinct.  End Summary. 
 
ELECTIONS, EDUCATION AND PRIVATIZATION 
--------------------------------------- 
 
¶2.  (SBU) Deputy Hakim of Lebap Welayat Annamurad Saparmuhammedov 
introduced his colleagues, including Myrat Garryev, Central Election 
Committee Chairman; Yusup Jumayev, Deputy Chairman of the Lebap 
Election Committee; Akmurat Jomartov, Chief of Administration, Lebap 
Welayat Hakimlik; Batyr Abdiyev, Administration Department, Lebap 
Welayat Hakimlik; Ejegul Bayriyeva, Deputy Hakim (Mayor) of 
Turkmenabat city and Chief of Lebap Women's Union; and Shirin 
Jumakuliyeva, Trade Union Chief for Lebap Welayat. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) When discussing the elections, local officials were 
cautious in characterizing presidential candidates' platforms as 
deviating from Niyazov's policies.  Garryev was more confident in 
speaking about needed changes, perhaps signaling that he feels 
comfortable about his role within the post-Niyazov power structure. 
When Saparmuhammedov began to defend the nine-year education system 
using the old party lines, Garryev impatiently cut him off and 
reminded him that the Interim President and all the other candidates 
agreed that expanding education to a ten-year curriculum was 
necessary.  The Lebap officials were confused when the Charge 
mentioned one candidate's statement opposing the privatization of 
communal agricultural land; they agreed that privatizing home and 
garden plots could be possible, but felt that title to large-scale 
agricultural plots must remain communally held, albeit with 
long-term leaseholders having stronger rights to the land. 
 
THE AMERICAN CORNER AND FLEX TESTING PROBLEMS 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
¶4.  (SBU) The Charge noted post's continuing concerns about 
regarding harassment of the Turkmenabat American Corner, including 
the closure of a proposed children's Halloween party, an issue that 
ConOff had addressed with Jomartov and Abdiyev in November.  Charge 
remarked that the Halloween party incident had received high-level 
attention in Washington, and that welayat officials should not want 
this type of petty harassment to be seen as characteristic of Lebap. 
 While harassment of the American Corner had appeared to level off 
somewhat in the last few months, hakimlik officials still did not 
appear to be willing and cooperative partners. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) Jomartov and his deputy, Abdiyev, expressed appreciation 
that the Embassy had addressed a concern that he had raised in 
November with Conoff that the director of the American Corner was 
submitting her activities reports in English.  However, he remained 
defensive of his office's scrutiny of American Corner activities, 
insisting that the main obstacle to better cooperation was the 
"willful" and "provoking" personality of the American Corner 
director.  Jomartov pointed to his office's lack of harassment of 
the IATP center and "cooperation" on FLEX testing in Lebap as proof 
that "she was the problem, not us."  (COMMENT:  For those who have 
met the director of the American Corner, it is difficult to imagine 
a less antagonistic person. Emboffs suspect that her ethnicity -- 
she is an ethnic Russian, unlike her ethnic Turkmen predecessor -- 
may play a role.  END COMMENT.) 
 
¶6.  (SBU) The Charge expressed the Embassy's full support for the 
American Corner director, noting that she had been carefully chosen 
for her position based on her qualifications, and that she was well 
aware of her obligation to operate within the boundaries of 
Turkmenistan law.  As for Jomartov's argument that the hakim's 
office was cooperative in facilitating FLEX testing, the Charge 
protested that Lebap Welayat Educational Department official 
Masharipov had attempted to block otherwise qualified students from 
testing sites and only relented when Emboffs who observed his 
actions confronted him directly.  Garryev, who appeared irritated 
with Jomartov's response, goaded Saparmuhammedov into promising that 
the hakim would look into the matter.  (COMMENT: When the Charge 
raised her concerns, the look of incomprehension on 
Saparmuhammedov's face and surprised displeasure on Garryev's face 
 
indicated that Jomartov had not briefed his superiors adequately. 
Garryev appeared deeply annoyed with Jomartov's defensive 
justifications of his officials' behavior.  END COMMENT.) 
 
¶7.  (SBU) At the end of the meeting, Shirin Jumakuliyeva, the head 
of the Trade Unions, interrupted Jomartov's attempt to have the last 
word.  "Do not let their actions make you think," she said, "that we 
do not appreciate what the United States has done for us."  She 
praised the availability of English-language texts, Internet access, 
and cultural programs through the American Corner.  She went on to 
mention her gratitude for her daughter's opportunity to study in the 
United States through the FLEX program, which led to her daughter's 
acceptance to the American University of Central Asia in Bishkek. 
Offering an opportunity to children to participate in the FLEX 
program, she said, was a dream for most Turkmenistan parents. 
 
"ELECTION THEATER": HIGHLY-SCRIPTED DEMOCRACY AT WORK 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
 
¶8.  (SBU) Following the morning meeting, Garryev accompanied the 
Charge, ConOff and PolEcon LES to a Turkmenabat auditorium for 
appearances by presidential candidates Orazmyrat Garajayev and 
Ashyrniyaz Pomanov.  The appearances were stultifying in their 
scripting, from the affected Soviet-style rhetoric of supporters' 
introductions to candidates' stiff discomfort as they read 
tonelessly from written speeches to the blandness of the 
"spontaneous" audience questions for the candidates. 
 
¶9.  (SBU) In addition to reiterating his general platform, Orazmyrat 
Garajayev, the candidate from Abadan City in Ahal Province, made a 
few remarks that were tailored to the Turkmenabat audience.  First, 
he promised to build a cement factory in Lebap, presumably to 
address unemployment, though he did not go so far as to say so.  He 
vowed to develop "natural resources" in Magdanly, a Lebap town, and 
to "continue the beautification" of all towns and villages.  Of more 
general interest, he promised to sell apartments newly built by the 
government at affordable prices and to further develop the 
transportation infrastructure between the welayats. 
 
¶10.  (SBU) Balkan Welayat candidate Ashyrniyaz Pomanov's speech was 
distinguished by his strong personal interest in rebuilding sports 
and recreation facilities and programs; he vowed to build a new 
public sports complex in each Welayat.  Noting the $1.5 billion of 
technology invested in the Turkmenbashy refinery, Pomanov promised 
that similar advanced technology would be invested in the Seydi 
refinery, located in Lebap Welayat.  Finally, he promised to develop 
a plan to allow privatization of homestead lots, and to provide 
long-term mortgage loans to young families. 
 
¶11. (SBU) COMMENT: Despite the predictability in the format of the 
candidate events, there were several nuances that were a welcome 
change from a similar candidate event Conoff attended in Turkmenabat 
in November, prior to district-level elections.  The local 
candidates' platforms, prior to Niyazov's death, consisted of 
praising "Saparmurat Turkmenbashy the Great" and the Ruhnama, along 
with taking uncontroversial stances "for beautification" and 
"against narcotics."  The presidential candidates, while not 
deviating substantially from each other, addressed areas where the 
Government of Turkmenistan could actually improve, an idea that 
would not be novel in almost any other country. 
 
BRUSH