VZCZCXRO0167
RR RUEHLN RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHDBU #0591/01 1090701
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 190701Z APR 07
FM AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0098
INFO RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL 2061
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 2068
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 2093
RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEHDBU/AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE 1754

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DUSHANBE 000591 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR SCA/CEN 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV PINR TNAR TI AF
SUBJECT: CONFERENCE ON U.S.-TAJIK RELATIONS ALLOWS PRAISE AND 
CRITICISM OF US ROLE IN REGION 
 
DUSHANBE 00000591  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1. Summary and Comment: The April 13th conference "15 Years of 
U.S.-Tajik Relations" offered few surprises in terms of opinions 
or positions, but did provide an open forum for real debate and 
discourse about the U.S. role and policy in Tajikistan and the 
region.  Some Tajik government officials praised U.S. 
cooperation in the region, while others took gentle stabs at the 
U.S. military presence throughout Central Asia after September 
11th and increasing narcotics production in Afghanistan.  A few 
academics cited their opinion that the U.S. government used the 
events of September 11th to expand its military presence in the 
region and to get closer to the oil and gas reserves of the 
Caspian Sea.  The conference -- one of a series of fifteenth 
anniversary events marking Tajikistan's bilateral relations -- 
was a useful opportunity to reach out to the Tajik public that 
gets most of its information from Russian media and to explain 
the nuances of U.S regional and bilateral priorities.  End 
summary. 
 
¶2.  (U)  Deputy Assistant Secretary Evan Feigenbaum gave the 
keynote speech and disabused the notion that the U.S. 
government's main role in Tajikistan was to further U.S. 
geopolitical strategic goals.  On the contrary, he highlighted 
the fact that the Untied States and Tajikistan faced the mutual 
problems of terrorism, narcotics, crime and corruption.  First 
Deputy Foreign Minister Saimuddin Yatimov expressed thanks for 
U.S. direct technical support through the Export Control and 
Border Security office (EXBS), and praised ongoing joint 
military and counter-narcotics efforts.  The Director of the 
Center for Strategic Research, Suhrob Sharipov, highlighted that 
the United States was an important partner in the field of 
counter-terrorism, since both Tajikistan and the United States 
faced the common threats of extremism and terrorism.  He noted 
that much of Tajikistan's security and stability depended on 
events in Afghanistan and that the U.S. and Tajikistan were 
working closely to improve border security.  Finally, while 
achieving democracy demanded a great deal of time, he added that 
Tajikistan had implemented many political reforms, and was 
moving closer to democracy. 
 
¶3.  (U) Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan leader Muhiddin 
Kabiri offered both words of praise and criticism for the United 
States; he stated that he believed there were two different 
"Americas": one for those who live in the United States, and a 
different world for those living in other countries and looking 
at it from the outside.  In general, Muslims do not have a 
positive view of the United States, primarily as a result of its 
military actions in the Middle East (he commented that Muslims 
could understand attacking the Taliban in Afghanistan, but could 
not justify a war in Iraq) and constant U.S. support for Israel 
in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.  He further added the 
United States pursues double standards against Muslims around 
the world; the United States voices support for human rights, 
democracy and rule of law, but at the same time supports 
autocratic Islamic regimes which violate these very principles. 
 
¶4.  (U)  Despite these words of criticism, Kabiri was encouraged 
by U.S. support for the Saudi initiative to bring peace to the 
Israeli-Palestinian conflict.  He also thanked the United States 
for its intervention in stopping the genocide of Bosnian and 
Kosovar Muslims.  He also praised the fact that President Bush 
hosts an annual Iftar dinner in Washington for the heads of 
Islamic states, and the fact that Secretary Rice wore a 
headscarf during her 2005 visit to a Dushanbe mosque. 
 
¶5.  (U)  Kabiri predicted that a new generation of Muslims was 
currently developing independent of the radical and 
fundamentalist movements, which would eventually sustain 
peaceful development.  While this can be achieved with or 
without the help of friendly governments, such assistance would 
expedite this peaceful development.  A superpower such as the 
United States can help, since they have great influence over 
existing authoritarian governments, whose existence he compared 
to slavery.  As the U.S. was able to overcome slavery, and 
former slaves were able to achieve their freedom and equal 
rights, modern-day Muslims will be able to follow this same 
path. 
 
¶6.  (U)  During the discussion at the end of the conference, 
participants again displayed both praise and criticism for U.S. 
involvement in Tajikistan.  One representative from the Ministry 
of Energy and Industry criticized the Russian government for not 
spending additional funds to raise the level of the dam at the 
Rogun hydropower station.  (Comment: The Russians have thus far 
proved unwilling to increase the proposed level of the dam from 
 
DUSHANBE 00000591  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
285 to 330 meters.  End Comment.)  He thanked the U.S. 
government for its exploratory projects in the Tajik energy 
sector.  A professor expressed his gratitude for U.S. 
educational exchange programs, including the Future Leaders 
Exchange Program (FLEX) that sends high school students for a 
year to the United States, and commented that such programs were 
beneficial for both sides. 
 
¶7.  (U)  Another Tajik participant criticized U.S. policy in 
Afghanistan, stating that the Taliban was reviving and that 
narcotics production had skyrocketed over the past two years. 
Another participant queried how the role of Islam affected U.S. 
policy in Central Asia.  PolOff gave the closing remarks at the 
conference, providing answers to the various questions posed by 
the participants.  He replied that while narcotics production in 
Afghanistan had increased, it was also important to note the 
achievements that have been accomplished in that country the 
last five years, including free elections and women's 
participation in Parliament for the first time in Afghan 
history.  On religious freedom, he explained that given the fact 
that the United States was founded on the principle of freedom 
of religion, and that thousands of mosques, churches and temples 
peacefully co-exist in the United States, the United States 
supports the rights of Central Asians and people around the 
world to peacefully and freely worship any religion without 
interference. 
 
 
JACOBSON 
SIGNATURE