VZCZCXRO5224
RR RUEHDBU
DE RUEHDBU #1432/01 2830715
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 100715Z OCT 07
FM AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1083
INFO RUEHTA/AMEMBASSY ASTANA 0380
RUEHEK/AMEMBASSY BISHKEK 0867
RUEHNT/AMEMBASSY TASHKENT 0828
RUEHAH/AMEMBASSY ASHGABAT 0501
RHMFIUU/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHINGTON DC
RUEHDBU/AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE 2983

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 DUSHANBE 001432 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR INL/AAE (CARROLL AND BUHLER) 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SNAR ASEC PREL KCOR KCRM TI
SUBJECT: TAJIKISTAN INL DUSHANBE 2007 SEMI-ANNUAL REPORT 
 
 
¶1. In the absence of INL regular quarterly reports, the 
Narcotics and Law Enforcement Section in Dushanbe herein reports 
on activities for the period of January - September 2007: 
 
---------------------------------- 
Narcotics and Law Enforcement Activities 
--------------------------------- 
 
January 2007 
 
¶2.  Completed Grant Agreement with INIS Women's Legal Center 
located in Khujand city; grant provides funding to run the 
facility and provides salaries to defense advocates providing 
free services to victims of trafficking, domestic violence and 
similar crimes against vulnerable populations. 
 
¶3.  Border Guards assistance: completed purchase and handover of 
10,000 winterized uniforms for border guards. In subsequent 
inspection of the Border Guard warehouse with Chairman of the 
State Committee for National Security, most if not all the 
uniforms had not been distributed.  Although many uniforms have 
since been distributed on the Afghan-Tajik border, as of 
September 2007, there are still many outposts where border 
guards and officers are without winter gear.  The Narcotics and 
Law Enforcement Section (and the rest of the Embassy's Border 
and Law Enforcement Working Group (BLEWG) team) will endeavor to 
assist the Border Guards in distributing all uniforms and other 
winter supplies before the end of the year. 
 
 
March 2007 
 
¶4.  Completed renovation of both wings of the Border Guard 
Regional Training Center at Khorog; INL/IOM Project. 
 
¶5.  Conducted two-week Basic Driver Protective Skills Training 
Course for Representatives of Tajik Law Enforcement agencies 
(Ministry of Interior, Drug Control Agency, State Committee for 
National Security). 
 
¶6.  The Resident Legal Adviser (RLA) on board and established. 
 
 
April 2007 
 
¶7.  INL Officer attended INL Global Narcotics Affairs Officers 
(NAS) Conference in Washington. 
 
 
May 2007 
 
¶8.  Funded Tajik Drug Control Agency head General Nazarov's 
participation in the Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) 
International Drug Enforcement Conference (IDEC) in Madrid, 
Spain. 
 
 
June 2007 
 
¶9.  INL/United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Joint 
project, completed a full reconstruction of border posts Bog and 
Bakhorak.  Furniture and limited equipment including Russian UAZ 
and GAZ Hunter trucks delivered and in place; Ambassador and 
Border Guard Deputy Faizulloev attended ribbon-cutting ceremony. 
 
¶10.  Funded Interior Ministry Counternarcotics Unit Chief 
General Godoyev for DEA's International Narcotics Executive 
Management Seminar (INEMS) in Tampa, Florida. 
 
¶11.  Narcotics and Law Enforcement Section Staff attended 
Regional INL Workshop in Istanbul. 
 
¶12.  Embassy Dushanbe (coordinated by Narcotics and Law 
Enforcement Section) hosted the monthly Border Assistance 
International Group (BIG) multi-donor meeting. 
 
 
July 2007 
 
¶13.  Joint INL/ICITAP project.  Completed INL/Senior Law 
Enforcement Advisor project (SLEA) to reconstruct the forensic 
laboratory for the Ministry of Interior.  New furniture procured 
and installed.  With direct and full support from the U.S. 
Department of Justice International Criminal Investigative 
Training Assistance Program (ICITAP) forensic expert, laboratory 
equipment identified purchased, delivered and installed. 
 
 
DUSHANBE 00001432  002 OF 004 
 
 
¶14.  Completed Ministry of Interior Analytical Center; conducted 
building renovation, purchased and installed necessary equipment 
and ORACLE based software (TAIS ONTOS level seven).  Now the 
Analytical Center of the Ministry of Interior has potential to 
exchange information with other Tajik law enforcement agencies, 
in particular the Drug Control Agency, whose Analytical Center 
was also provided with INL assistance and also uses ORACLE-based 
software. 
 
¶15.  Completed renovation of the 3rd floor of Ministry of 
Interior Police Academy, with computer training lab and language 
lab and completed classroom furniture and server systems for 
both centers. 
 
 
August 2007 
 
¶16.  Completed two-week Advanced Driver Protective Skills 
Training Course for representatives of Tajik Law Enforcement 
agencies (Ministry of Interior, Drug Control Agency, State 
Committee for National Security). 
 
¶17.  The INL Project Engineer hired and on board. 
 
¶18.  Completed Scope of Work and bid conference for Border 
Guards Training Academy and State Committee for National 
Security Training Center projects. 
 
 
September 2007 
 
¶19.  Completed renovation of Drug Control Agency mobile team 
training gym and shooting range, purchased and delivered all 
required equipment. 
 
¶20.  Narcotics and Law Enforcement Section met with supervisors 
and members of the Drug Control Agency Mobile Teams to conduct a 
review of Mobile Team performance and use of resources.  Unit 
goals, priorities, and requirements were better defined and the 
group reviewed use of donated equipment and vehicles.  All 
equipment and vehicles provided were accounted for. 
 
¶21.  Grant Agreement for Demining Project: $1,730 grant to the 
Tajik Mine Action Center.  This money covers costs to facilitate 
Tajik government passage of the "Ratification of the Convention 
on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities" under the Ottawa 
Convention.  This measure will facilitate equal rights and 
protection under local laws for Tajiks who have been injured in 
mine-related accidents. 
 
¶22.  In order to improve existing Aviation Security Service, INL 
purchased and delivered to the Dushanbe Airport three Dell 
computers. 
 
¶23.  Handover of two specialized Honda All Terrain Vehicles for 
the Drug Control Agency's Mobile Teams; required training 
conducted and All Terrain Vehicle manuals translated. 
 
¶24.  Handover of specialized law enforcement equipment to 
representatives of Drug Control Agency and Ministry of Interior 
mobile team units with training. 
 
¶25.  Completed development, installation and training for new 
SONDA AFIS (fingerprint) center in the Ministry of Interior 
forensics lab.  All historical data and arrest files with 
photos, biographical information and latent prints migrated and 
functioning well.  Expansion of system will be completed in 2008 
with interconnectivity with regional offices. 
 
 
--------------- 
INL ENGINEER 
--------------- 
 
¶26.  Due to the increase in INL-funded (and other Embassy 
agencies) construction projects and problems encountered over 
the last year dealing with local contractors, Embassy Dushanbe 
granted approval for INL to hire a full time Project Engineer. 
On September 3, 2007 the INL Project Engineer Mr. John McCann 
arrived in country.  He has already visited the rural border 
post at Khirmanjo several times and fully revised a scope of 
work for the border post's renovation and passed it to Border 
Guards' engineer for evaluation.  He has also visited the 
Nizhniy Pyanj Bridge to review construction projects for Customs 
facilities to be undertaken by the Office of Defense 
Cooperation. The INL Project Engineer also provided his 
expertise to procure two required Kamaz trucks for INL projects 
 
DUSHANBE 00001432  003 OF 004 
 
 
in the region. 
 
 
------------------------------- 
Resident Legal Advisor 
------------------------------- 
 
¶27.  Since his arrival in March of 2007, the Resident Legal 
Advisor conducted a complete analysis of the Tajik Criminal 
Procedure Code and will be part of the Tajik Government's 
Working Group responsible for reviewing and revising the Tajik 
Criminal Procedure Code -- a major and most critical step in 
creating a comprehensive rule of law reform program in 
Tajikistan. 
 
 
--------------------------------------------- - 
United Nations Office on Drugs Crime (UNODC) 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
¶28.  In June, UNODC, with U.S. Embassy representatives and the 
Tajik Drug Control Agency conducted the semi-annual 
International Working Group on administering "Phase Two" of the 
Tajikistan Drug Control Agency Project (AD/TAJ/03/HO3), which is 
fully funded by the USG.  The session included a review of 
progress on benchmarks for the first six months of 2007 and a 
presentation and discussion of benchmark proposals for the 
second half of the year.  Protracted discussions ensued 
regarding sustainability and what percentage of the Tajik 
government's resources have been invested into the Drug Control 
Agency.  We agreed to meet again in July to discuss Drug Control 
Agency sustainability and to conduct a review of the operational 
capability of the Mobile Teams in September.  Both subsequent 
meetings were fruitful in the sense that Embassy staff sent a 
clear message that more transparency on operational activities 
is required to continue to fund the Mobile Teams and that 
meaningful investigations leading to actual prosecutions is the 
ultimate measure of the Drug Control Agency's success, not the 
rate of seizures. (Note: Seizures by the Drug Control Agency 
decreased by nearly half in 2007 from 2006 due to shifts in 
local and regional command positions.)  Embassy also reiterated 
that recurring costs and additional infrastructure to 
headquarters facilities would no longer be provided by the U.S. 
Government with the exception of salary supplements.  The Drug 
Control Agency was also informed that they must begin to put 
together a plan to begin taking on responsibility for paying 
salary supplements by 2009.  The group will meet again in 
December 2007. 
 
¶29.  During this period (Jan to Sept 2007) UNODC Regional 
Director Jim Callahan visited Embassy Dushanbe once to meet 
Narcotics and Law Enforcement Section staff.  INL has voiced its 
concerns over the need for more contact with the regional 
headquarters but we have yet to see increased engagement on the 
part of UNODC.  Meanwhile, E-23 project manager Sergey Bozhko 
was moved to his next post in Tehran without provision of a 
replacement.  Embassy staff was not notified of this development 
until a last minute invitation to Bozhko's farewell party in 
July.  The Narcotics and Law Enforcement Section looks forward 
to working with the new E-23 Project Manager when he/she 
arrives. 
 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
International Organization for Migration (IOM) 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
¶30.  IOM completed renovations on the second wing of the Khorog 
Regional Training Center for the Border Guards.  Living 
accommodations, classrooms, cafeteria, etc. are provided for 
both Tajik and Afghan border guards.  However, the Government of 
Tajikistan has yet to agree to conduct any joint training 
exercises with Afghan Border Guards. As a result of a full-court 
press by the major donor Embassies including the United States, 
Germany, UK and EU, there have been some signs that limited 
training may be allowed.  Embassy will pursue this possibility 
in the coming months.  IOM also continued to fund the Trafficked 
Victims Shelter in Dushanbe. Approximately 32 victims have 
passed through the facility from January 2007 to September 2007. 
 
¶31.  IOM has also proposed two additional projects, both of 
which were turned down by Embassy Dushanbe. The first was a 
proposed database to track trafficking in persons victims and 
cases. However, it was not integrated with existing database and 
intelligence gathering capabilities within law enforcement and 
was overpriced at $500,000.  The second was a proposal to 
renovate/construct the Tajik-China border crossing point at 
 
DUSHANBE 00001432  004 OF 004 
 
 
Kulma, Murghab in eastern Tajikistan.  At present, the Narcotics 
and Law Enforcement Sectin does not believe that IOM has the 
capability to oversee such a large project and without 
significant oversight (which is difficult given the remoteness 
of the region); it would not be prudent to allow a third party 
implementer to subcontract local vendors. 
 
¶32.  The IOM Country Director is on his way out to his next post 
in Almaty.  We have heard that the new director will take over 
by November 2007.  We look forward to working with a new 
Director as the previous, Mahmoud Naderi, had seemed to have 
lost his enthusiasm for the job and worn out his welcome after 6 
years on the ground.  One major problem we hope to overcome is 
Naderi's tendency to enter into direct negotiations with the 
government of Tajikistan on projects for which funding was not 
available. Naderi would in essence use the Border Guards to 
press the USG to fund projects not yet vetted by any major 
donors. 
 
---------------------------------- 
Women's Legal Initiative (INIS) 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶33.  INL financially supported a Free Legal Assistance for 
Vulnerable Populations Project implemented by the 
Non-Governmental Organization "INIS."  Report statistics show 
that during four months of 2007, from May to August, 38 males 
and 261 females applied and received legal support from the NGO. 
 Several different training courses for prosecutors, defense 
advocates and law enforcement were conducted as well.  The 
Narcotics and Law Enforcement Section is particularly interested 
in the joint seminars with law enforcement as we believe that in 
the long run, more awareness and better coordination between the 
police, advocates and prosecutors will enable investigations 
that are more successful and prosecutions of traffickers and 
perpetrators of domestic violence.  The Narcotics and Law 
Enforcement Section will conduct a site visit to Khujand before 
the end of 2007. 
 
 
------------------------------------ 
POSTPONED AND CANCELED ACTIVITIES 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶34.  Due to the sudden drop in the level of transparency and 
open cooperation between the U.S. Embassy and the Border Guards 
now under the State Committee for National Security, INL 
cancelled the much-anticipated Border Guards Salary Supplement 
Program.  Protracted negotiations over control of the bank and 
availability of border guard rosters made it clear that this 
program would not be feasible under the new management.  Funds 
will be redirected to refurbish and reconstruct key areas of the 
Tajik-Afghan border. 
 
¶35.  Renovation and construction of the Border Guard Academy was 
put on hold for nearly six months due to prolonged negotiations 
with the State Committee for National Security over specifics on 
the project schematics.  For some months between January and 
April it was unclear whether the Embassy was to work with the 
Border Guards directly or the State Committee's leadership. The 
Embassy is now engaging the Chief of the Border Guards, General 
Mirzoev, and his new staff to implement this project.  A 
contract will probably be awarded by November 2007 and work will 
begin in December, weather permitting. 
 
¶36.  The Border Post at Khirmanjo was scheduled to be completed 
in the spring of 2007 but due to various failures on the part of 
the local contractor to complete the work at acceptable 
standards, the project is not completed and will be 
re-advertised with a new statement of work for re-bid. Our plans 
to finish the project before winter sets in this year may not be 
achieved. Therefore, INL will use recouped expenses from the 
first contract to provide for shelters and other emergency 
living facilities for the officers and border guards who are 
currently living outdoors. 
 
---------------------- 
CONTACT INFORMATION 
---------------------- 
 
¶37.  Embassy Dushanbe POC is INL officer Ranjeet Singh, office 
telephone: 992-37-229-2000 x2111, email: HYPERLINK 
"mailto:SinghRK@state.gov" SinghRK@state.gov 
HUSHEK