VZCZCXRO7582
RR RUEHDBU RUEHLN RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHAH #0302/01 0751236
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 161236Z MAR 07
FM AMEMBASSY ASHGABAT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8549
INFO RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ASHGABAT 000302 
 
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 
 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KMDR KPAO OIIP PREL PGOV AF TX
SUBJECT:  MEDIA COVERAGE OF DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY MANN'S 
MEETING WITH TURKMENISTAN'S PRESIDENT[B1] MOSTLY POSITIVE 
[B2] 
 
Summary 
------- 
 
¶1.  (U) Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Steven Mann's March 3-6 
visit to Turkmenistan received wide and generally positive coverage 
in state media.  State media only gave coverage of Mann's March 5 
meeting with President Berdimuhammedov and omitted his meetings with 
other government officials.  State media inaccurately covered Mann's 
congratulations to President Berdimuhammedov on the latter's 
election.  Inaccuracy and some Russian-origin "black propaganda" of 
Mann's meeting with the president followed the visit.  End Summary. 
 
Inaccuracy and Omission of State Media Coverage[B3] 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
¶2.  (U) Following his March 5 meeting with President 
Berdimuhammedov, Mann gave a lobby statement wherein he noted he had 
congratulated the president on "assuming the duty of president." 
Instead, sameday state Watan TV (Turkmen) reported that Mann 
congratulated the president with his "election" to the position. 
(Comment:  The USG has issued no official statement on the 
presidential elections on Turkmenistan.  End Comment.)  The 
following day, state dailies "Neutral[B4] Turkmenistan" (Russian, 
circ. 34,701) and Turkmenistan (Turkmen, circ. 28,091) gave 
front-page treatment to an article about the meeting.  The same day, 
government website "Turkmenistan-Golden Age" 
(www.turkmenistan.gov.tm) (Russian) carried the same article.  On 
subsequent days the weeklies "Ashgabat" (Turkmen, circ.16,561), 
"Watan" (Turkmen, circ. 26,091), "Ahal Durmushy" (Turkmen, circ. 
35,391), "Maru-Shahu-Jahan" (Turkmen, circ. 36,252), "Balkan" 
(Turkmen, circ.24,631), "Dashoguz Habarlary" (Turkmen, circ. 27,183) 
and "Nesli" (Turkmen, 22,311) gave front-page treatment to the 
article.  (Comment:  All state coverage included the same inaccuracy 
mentioned above.  End Comment.)  The meeting also received coverage 
on the government website TURKMENISTAN.RU (English, Russian) on 
March 6. 
 
¶3.  (U) State media omitted Mann's meetings with other high-ranking 
government officials.  However, BBC Monitoring (English) and Dow 
Jones Commodities Service (English) carried excerpts from the 
embassy press release on March 5, which mentioned the meetings. 
(Comment:  Both newswires, based on the embassy press release, 
accurately quoted Mann's statement on energy sector development, 
which appears in para. 4.  End Comment.) 
 
Inaccuracy and Russian Black Propaganda 
--------------------------------------- 
 
¶4.  (U) Following his meeting with President Berdimuhammedov, Mann 
expressed U.S. support and hope that Turkmenistan would "fully make 
use of its potential in developing the energy sector."  ITAR-TASS 
(March 5, English) and Today.Az (March 6, English) misleadingly 
reported that Mann stressed the United States was ready to render 
"all necessary assistance in developing Turkmenistan's fuel and 
energy sector." 
 
¶5.  (U) Russian news agencies ITAR-TASS, WPS-Central Asia News 
(March 7, English, Russian) and newspaper "Nezavisimaya Gazeta" 
(March 12, Russian) ran speculative "black propaganda" articles 
about Mann's visit, asserting that the United States was determined 
to revive the Trans-Caspian gas pipeline project, specifically to 
bypass Russia.  WPS-Central Asia News explained Azarbaijan's attempt 
to restore relations with Turkmenistan as an "indicator" of 
Washington's plans regarding Turkmenistan.  Newspaper "Nezavisimaya 
Gazeta" explained that the warmer relationship between Ashgabat and 
Washington was due to U.S. strategic interests in the region and 
rising world gas prices.  The newspaper printed Russian Strategic 
Studies Institute analyst Ashdar Kurtov's analysis about the visit. 
Kurtov explained the improvement of U.S.-Turkmenistan relations as a 
plan to complete the encirclement of Iran in preparation for 
military operations against that country, because Turkmenistan was 
the only bordering country with no U.S. Forces.  Newswire Global 
Insight Daily Analysis (March 8, English) supported the idea of U.S. 
attempts to realize the Trans-Caspian pipeline, but explained Mann's 
visit as demonstrating a U.S. intention to "ensure sufficient 
political headaches" for other competitors for influence in the 
country. 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
¶10.  (U) Mann's visit received positive coverage on state media. 
Despite the inaccuracy over Mann's greeting to the president, state 
media accurately delivered the U.S. intention to open a new chapter 
 
ASHGABAT 00000302  002 OF 002 
 
 
in the bilateral relationship and expand cooperation.  However, 
Russian "black media" attempted to place misleading emphasis on U.S. 
intentions and thus perpetuate a "great game" vision of relations in 
Turkmenistan and Central Asia. 
 
¶11.  (U) Post notes that its general lack of access to Russian media 
representatives from Ashgabat makes countering "great game" claims 
about U.S. policy difficult.  Russian TV broadcasts are widely seen 
by citizens of Turkmenistan and almost certainly influence the 
country's largely unmeasured, unpolled public opinion about the 
United States.  Increased state media coverage of international -- 
and particularly embassy -- events and programs (septel) offers hope 
that, for this month at least, the positive will help to overshadow 
the Russian black media's more negative spin.  End Comment. 
 
BRUSH 
 
Drafted: IMA MHummedov 
03/12/2007 
Q:\Media Assistant\Media Reactions\Cables\2007\March 2007 PDAS 
Mann's Visit\20070313 PDAS Mann visit.doc 
Cleared: 
CHG 
ADCM 
PAO 
 
[B1]I always want for there to be a message in the subject line 
[B2]A PRESS RELEASE IS NOT A REFTEL 
[B3]Watch for the spacing and formatting, leave a space between the 
header and the text. 
[B4]I prefer using the english translation of neytralniy spelling of 
a cognate always bothered me.  the next guy may tell you the 
opposite.