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FM AMEMBASSY ULAANBAATAR
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INFO RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL 2748
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 5553
RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW 1768
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 2481
RUEHOT/AMEMBASSY OTTAWA 0445
RUEHML/AMEMBASSY MANILA 1376
RUEHBK/AMEMBASSY BANGKOK 1466
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RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC
RUCPODC/USDOC WASHDC 1272
RUEHLMC/MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE CORP WASHINGTON DC 0577
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ULAANBAATAR 000281 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE PASS PEACE CORPS, OPIC AND EXIMBANK 
STATE FOR EAP/CM, OES, PD/ECA, AND EB/TPP 
USAID FOR DEIDRA WINSTON 
BANGKOK AND MANILA FOR USAID 
TREASURY FOR T.T. YANG 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV ECON SENV PREL MG
SUBJECT: Snapshots of Mongolia's West Part 3 of 3:  Uvs' Future 
Focused on Agribusiness and Tourism 
 
Ref:  A) Ulaanbaatar 0253, B)  Ulaanbaatar 0268, 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED -- NOT FOR INTERNET DISTRIBUTION.  PLEASE 
PROTECT ACCORDINGLY. 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY:  The Charge visited Ulaan Gom (UG), the capital of 
Uvs aimag (province) April 27/28. Uvs Governor Togoo said the best 
business prospects are sea buckthorn production, cashmere, 
agribusiness, tourism, and mining, but unemployment is high and 
nearly 30% of the population lives below the poverty line. 
Regarding USG assistance to the aimag, the USAID-funded Judicial 
Reform Project has made important contributions to improving the 
quality and speed of justice while improving human rights 
performance.  Mongolian Border Forces are deeply appreciative of the 
U.S. DOD-funded communications upgrade project which helps them 
protect Mongolia's frontier against "armed and increasingly 
aggressive rustlers and thieves" from Russia's neighboring Tuva 
Republic.  University and vocational teachers asked for Peace Corps 
Volunteers to teach English, books, and U.S. university contacts. 
(Refs A and B summarize the Charge's stops in Khovd and Bayan Ulgi, 
respectively.) END SUMMARY. 
 
Ulaan Gom Itinerary 
------------------- 
 
¶2. (U) Charge visited Ulaan Gom, the capitol of Uvs aimag (province) 
April 27/28, on the third and final stop of his April 23-28 swing 
through Mongolia's three western most aimags (refs A and B summarize 
his visit to Khovd and Ulaan Gom).  He met in Ulaan Gom with Uvs 
Aimag officials, met with the 0245 Border Forces Regiment Commander 
(enroute Charge stopped at a Border Forces outpost, the first to 
receive US DOD-funded communications equipment), visited a Judicial 
 
Reform Project, met with English language teachers, visited the 
Dechinravjaalin Khiid temple, the aimag's museum, and the local 
market, and toured a sea buckthorn project.  This cable, the last of 
three, provides a snapshot of the brief visit to Uvs. 
 
Governor Sanguine About Agriculture, Tourism; 
Grateful for Peace Corps, DOD Support 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
¶3. (U) Uvs Aimag Governor Togoo said Uvs, with 81,000 residents, is 
some 1,400 kilometers from Ulaanbaatar and just 100 kilometers from 
the Russian border.  While blessed with many lakes and mountains, 
giving it good tourism potential, it also experiences a daunting 
range of temperatures from -60 to 105 degrees Fahrenheit.  Togoo 
said herding is still the predominant occupation for the aimag, with 
21,000 families tending herds of 2.4 million goats, sheep, cattle, 
horses, and camels.  He hoped the aimag would expand into pig, 
chicken, and vegetable seed production as well as agribusiness, as 
it has some 50,000 hectares of fertile farmland.  Meat production 
and processing held some prospect, in this regard.  Clearly the 
climate has turned dryer in recent years, so the aimag was looking 
into irrigation technologies and improved seed varieties.  He hoped 
U.S. firms might invest in these efforts.  To date, beyond cashmere 
production, sea buckthorn oil and juice exports are Uvs' largest 
cash earner, with most production going to Japan, Korea, and China. 
Mining has drawn limited interest to date, but the aimag has gold, 
coal, molybdenum, and salt deposits that are not fully explored. 
 
¶4. (U) Uvs' total population stands at 81,000, of which 30% live 
below the nation's poverty level and about 25% are students, Togoo 
said.  There are several ethnic groups represented, including the 
Khoton native Moslem minority numbering just over a thousand.  He 
said local sources produced about 30% of the aimag's budget and the 
remaining 70% came from the central government.  Togoo expressed 
thanks for recent Peace Corps Volunteer contributions to improving 
the aimag's English language training as well as U.S. DOD border 
communications project improvements which have helped reduce animal 
theft from the neighboring Russian Tuva Republic. 
 
 
ULAANBAATA 00000281  002 OF 003 
 
 
¶5. (U)  In response, the Charge said he would carry back these 
proposals for consideration.  The U.S. and Mongolia are good 
friends, he said, laying out the range of cooperation between the 
two countries, and the U.S. was proud, as President Bush had said 
during his 2005 visit, to be Mongolia's "third neighbor."  He noted 
the Embassy planned to expand its outreach this year, it being the 
20th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, 
adding that the Ambassador planned to visit the region later this 
year and the PAO had visited last month.  He noted this was a 
familiarization visit, but that he also hoped to identify potential 
areas for cooperation in commercial, educational, and other 
sectors. 
 
Judicial Reform Project Much Appreciated 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶6. (U) During a brief meeting with Uvs aimag Chief Justice D. Bavuu, 
Bavuu said the timing of the JRP's computerization of the courts was 
perfect, as case loads had risen significantly yet automation 
increased the speed and quality of the work being performed while 
improving transparency and accountability.  As a result of the USG's 
efforts, there were fewer violations of human rights in the pretrial 
and trial phases, witnesses and victims found greater confidence in 
the process and thus were more willing to give evidence, and the 
number and length of pretrial detentions had also dropped, 
especially for young defendants. 
 
¶7. (U) Twice annual training seminars had also improved performance 
and professionalism, he said.  The USG's approach of "train the 
trainers" was paying off, he said, and he hoped more training would 
be offered, including English language learning.  The World Bank 
plans this autumn to construct a new court building costing 
US$375,000.  With that and JRP's contributions, the courts will have 
updated facilities, equipment, and training that brings the aimag 
into the 21st century.  The courts have plans to post their 
judgments on the internet and to be able to share information with 
other aimags and colleagues.  He reiterated his deep gratitude to 
the USG for providing this equipment and noted some minor problems, 
including replacement of a defective copier and modems for internet 
connection. 
 
Hope to Grow English Language, Computer Science Programs; Vocational 
Schools Seeks MCC Support; Need Books, Budget, Peace Corps Vols, 
Contacts 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
¶8. (U) During a joint meeting with Ulaan Gom University, Vocational 
Technical School, and a private institute's teachers, the Charge 
learned that 75 of Ulaan Gom University's 147 students study 
computer science and languages, including English, and 1170 were 
enrolled at the vocational school.  UGU's department chairman said 
it was difficult to retain qualified staff in these disciplines as 
they tended to migrate to UB and higher paying jobs.  He expressed 
appreciation for improvements in English language performance when 
Peace Corps Volunteers were present and asked that PCVs -- and more 
of them -- again be sent to UG.  An extended discussion with 
teachers revealed a keen eagerness to engage in discussions with 
native English speakers and they explored a variety of options 
included language exchanges via cell phones (Charge noted this is 
popular in Korea) and via the internet, since UGU has some fairly 
modern computer equipment and labs.  Teachers sought contacts with 
U.S. universities and the Charge said the PAO would help them 
initiate this process. 
 
Border Forces Grateful for DOD-Provided Communications Equipment; 
Rustlers Armed 
And Increasingly Dangerous 
--------------------------------------- 
 
¶9. (SBU) LTC Damdinsuren, Commander of the 0245 Border Force 
Regiment, briefed the Charge on his unit's mission of securing the 
border with Russia as well as the status of the U.S.-DOD funded 
 
ULAANBAATA 00000281  003 OF 003 
 
 
communications project.  Damdinsuren expressed appreciation for the 
USG's communications project and provided a list of additional 
requests (which has been previously provided to DAO).  Damdinsuren 
said there continue to be cross-border incursions from Russia's Tuva 
Republic by thieves and rustlers, both of which are increasingly 
aggressive as well as better and more heavily armed.  He noted it 
was not uncommon to have two to four simultaneous events on the 
border which stretch his force's limited capacity.  He concluded 
that in some cases these appeared to be carefully coordinated and 
orchestrated events, but he was unsure whether these attacks 
represented a single gang's multi-pronged effort or an "agreement 
among thieves" that working together reduced individual risks. 
Rustling is the most common crime, LTC Damdinsuren said, and his 
forces are often fired upon. 
 
¶10. (SBU) Enroute from Bayan Ulgii to UG on April 26, Charge took a 
detour to visit a platoon-size outpost using USG-provided 
communications equipment.  The Senior Lieutenant there stated that 
his forces had been fired upon and returned fire the previous week 
in response to a cross-border incursion by rustlers who initially 
made off with 33 horses.  Border Forces succeeded in regaining 23 of 
the 33 stolen horses.  In a separate but related event, last week 
two soldiers in a neighboring outpost were shot and killed. 
 
Goldbeck