VZCZCXRO0697
PP RUEHDBU
DE RUEHNT #1705 2710741
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 280741Z SEP 07
FM AMEMBASSY TASHKENT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8532
INFO RUEHAH/AMEMBASSY ASHGABAT 3303
RUEHTA/AMEMBASSY ASTANA 9491
RUEHEK/AMEMBASSY BISHKEK 3917
RUEHDBU/AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE 3782
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL 1916
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS TASHKENT 001705 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR SCA/CEN, INL (A. BUHLER), EXBS (J. HARTSHORN) 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SNAR PGOV PREL AF UZ
SUBJECT: UNODC HOSTS MEETING ON COUNTERNARCOTICS 
 
 
¶1. (U) On September 25 in Tashkent, the United Nations Office 
on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Regional Office for Central Asia 
hosted a meeting for Drug Liaison Officers and Embassy staff 
with a counternarcotics role.  The meeting addressed recent 
drug production and trafficking trends in Central Asia, 
UNODC's Outline Action Plan for Securing Central Asia's 
Borders with Afghanistan, and future activities. 
 
¶2. (SBU) The Regional Coordinator circulated copies of an 
unofficial UNODC document outlining the action plan.  The 
UNODC's Regional Coordinator stated that three areas in 
particular need more attention.  First is further development 
of intelligence analysis and sharing.  The plan envisions 
developing centers and offices that focus on improving the 
analytical capabilities of border control agencies as well as 
creating a "Competence Center" to monitor analytical work in 
target countries.  Second, UNODC's strategy includes further 
expansion of Border Liaison Offices (BLOs)--which consist of 
law enforcement representatives who maintain contacts with 
counterparts across the border--to other borders between 
Central Asia and Afghanistan.  Third, UNODC is interested in 
expanding interagency Mobile Interdiction Teams (MOBITs) to 
secure high-risk border areas.  UNODC noted that these 
projects have previously been isolated, but they want "to 
mold them into a single, comprehensive strategy."  UNODC is 
actively seeking project ideas from donors that support these 
goals. 
 
¶3. (SBU) The action plan notes that the Central Asian 
Regional Information Coordination Center (CARICC) is an 
important component in UNODC's strategy, and participants 
stated that this should be inaugurated sometime in the first 
half of 2008.  UNODC is looking to expand computer-based 
training for law enforcement officials in target countries, 
and a representative offered to brief Poloffs on this program 
in the future.  Participants said that this probably would be 
the group's last meeting of the year for Drug Liaison 
Officers and Embassy staff following counternarcotics in 
Central Asia. 
NORLAND