VZCZCXRO4907
RR RUEHAST RUEHDBU
DE RUEHTA #3186/01 3300520
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 260520Z NOV 07
FM AMEMBASSY ASTANA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1251
RUEAORC/US CUSTOMS SERVICE WASHDC
RHEBAAA/DEPT OF ENERGY WASHDC
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC
RULSJGA/COMDT COGARD WASHINGTON DC
RHMFIUU/US CUSTOMS AND BORDER WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC 0066
RHEBAAA/USDOE WASHDC
RUEKJCS/JCS WASHDC
RUCQAAA/USCINCCENT MACDILL AFB FL
RUEHRL/AMEMBASSY BERLIN 0447
RUEHEK/AMEMBASSY BISHKEK 8208
RUEHNT/AMEMBASSY TASHKENT 8095
RUEHKB/AMEMBASSY BAKU 0020
RUEHDBU/AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE 2303
RUEHAH/AMEMBASSY ASHGABAT 7267
RUEHAST/USOFFICE ALMATY 0019

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ASTANA 003186 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR ISN/ECC PVANSON, ACHURCH, JHARTSHORN 
DEPT FOR ISN/ECC-AMT LSPRINGER 
DEPT FOR EUR/ACE RBUCK 
DEPT FOR SCA/RA JSCHLOSSER 
DEPT FOR SCA/CEN M. O'MARA 
CBP/INA FOR CDONOFRIO AND RWATT 
USDOE/NNSA CWALKER, TPERRY AND EDESCHLER 
DOC FOR DCREED AND GPETERSEN-BEARD 
USCG FOR BGOLDEN 
AMEMBASSY BERLIN FOR CUSTOMS ATTACHE 
AMEMBASSY TASHKENT, BISHKEK, BAKU, DUSHANBE AND ASHGABAT FOR EXBS 
ADVISORS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ETTC MNUC PARM PREL KSTC KNNP KZ
SUBJECT: EXBS KAZAKHSTAN ADVISOR'S MONTHLY REPORTING CABLE 
(SEPTEMBER-NOVEMBER 2007) 
 
¶I. BROAD ITEMS OF INTEREST TO ADVISORS AND AGENCY MANAGERS: 
 
¶1. Permanent EXBS Advisor Robert Colbert arrived at post on October 
4, 2007. 
 
II. COMPLETED ACTIONS FOR THE REPORTING PERIOD 
 
¶A. SITE ASSESSMENTS AND MEETINGS CONDUCTED 
 
      ¶1. Task Order 79 Donation.  Four modular shelters were 
delivered to the Kazakhstan Border Guards military base 2029 in 
Uralsk. 
      - On September 9, 2007 - EXBS Program Manager Gulnara 
Abildaeva traveled to Uralsk to meet the trucks transporting the 
modular shelters and to get customs clearance.  The shipment was 
cleared by Kazakhstan customs and transported to the Chingirlau and 
Zhaik Border Guard Posts on September 15, 2007. 
      - On October 15, 2007 - EXBS Program Manager Gulnara Abildaeva 
traveled to the Chingirlau and Zhaik Border Guard Posts to inspect, 
accept, and transfer the four installed modular shelters to the 
Border Guards.  The Border Guards were represented by Colonel 
Budeneyev, the Deputy Director of the Border Guard Service and 
Head/Commander of Border Control Department of the Main Staff of the 
Border Guards Service in Astana; Lt.Colonel Magzhanov, Chief of 
Headquarters, Border Control Division of the Northern Region; Lt. 
Colonel Sokoryan, the Commandant and Chief of the Border Guards 
Division in the Uralsk Region; and Major Aidos Aliyev, Commander of 
the Border Guards unit #2029 in Uralsk. Ray Bloch (LATA), Alisher 
Nurumbetov (LATA), and Subru Nair (TFI) also traveled to the sites 
to inspect and accept the shelters. 
The portable shelters met all the specifications of Task Order 79 
and were accepted by the Kazakhstani Border Guards. 
 
 
      ¶2. EXBS Maritime Advisor visit. 
      On September 25, 2007, EXBS Caspian Regional Maritime Advisor 
Michael Fisher, EXBS Baku Program Manager Tarlan Gahramanova, and 
EXBS Kazakhstan Program Manager Gulnara Abildaeva attended a meeting 
with Maritime Brigade Captains Ashimbayev and Smagulov in Aktau. The 
two sides discussed issues related to the maintenance and painting 
of the hulls of the three patrol boats, donated by EXBS in May of 
¶2006. The Border Guards were told that it would cost 45,000 USD to 
paint the boats.  Because of the cost, Captain Ashimbayev agreed 
that the Border Guards would paint the vessels themselves.  EXBS may 
have to pay for crane rental or renting of boat cradles. 
      - On September 26, 2007 - EXBS Maritime Advisor Michael 
Fisher, EXBS Baku Program Manager Tarlan Gahramanova, and EXBS 
Astana Program Manager Gulnara Abildaeva traveled to Bautino. The 
EXBS team learned that two of the patrol boats are in need of 
tweaking to get the engines operating at their max capacity.  EXBS 
Baku will provide the Border Guards with more detailed technical 
manuals so they will be able to perform a computer-assisted engine 
diagnosis.  The third patrol boat was out of the water. This boat 
has been non-operational since October of 2006 and has had numerous 
problems. 
      - On September 27, 2007 - EXBS Maritime Advisor Michael 
Fisher, EXBS Baku Program Manager Tarlan Gahramanova, EXBS 
Kazakhstan Program Manager Gulnara Abildaeva, and EXBS Program 
Assistant Oxana Limareva attended a meeting with Captain 
Nurakhmetov, Colonel Vishnyakov, and Major Kapizov in Astana. At the 
meeting, the EXBS team described the proposed Four-Week Safe Boat 
Course taught by the U.S. Coast Guards and emphasized its 
 
ASTANA 00003186  002 OF 003 
 
 
importance.  Possible dates for the training still need to be 
determined. During the meeting, the EXBS team delivered the spare 
parts required to fix one of the Safe Boats. 
 
 
¶B.  TRAINING DURING THE REPORTING PERIOD 
 
¶1.  No training was delivered during this period. 
 
¶C. EQUIPMENT DELIVERED DURING THE REPORTING PERIOD 
 
¶1. Modular Shelters donation. (See above) 
¶2. Spare parts for the safe boats donation. (See above) 
 
¶D. IMMINENT TRAINING OR EQUIPMENT STATUS UPDATE 
 
      ¶1. Task Order 79 Donations.  Delivery of the original water 
tanks for the four modular shelters donated to the Border Guards was 
delayed due to difficulties encountered in the Customs clearance 
process created by a change in the Kazakhstani law which required 
the submission of the Shipper's Exportation Declaration (SED) for 
all shipments arriving in Kazakhstan.  Because of this delay, LATA 
acquired additional water tanks locally so that the installation of 
the four modular shelters would be completed on schedule. 
 The U.S. Embassy and the foreign diplomatic community raised the 
issue of the SED with the Government of Kazakhstan.  There were 
several high-level meetings where the U.S. Embassy requested a 
waiver for the SED requirement.  The issue was resolved after the 
Customs Control Committee issued a letter dated October 20, 2007 
waiving the requirement to provide SED for goods from the U.S. 
 The EXBS office applied to the Ministry of Economy and Budget 
Planning to approve the release of the water tanks from the Almaty 
airport warehouse without a warehouse storage fee. The official 
letter from the Vice Minister, Ministry of Economic and Budget 
Planning, approving the release of the water tanks from the Almaty 
airport warehouse without a warehouse storage fee was passed on to 
the Customs Control Committee on November 19. 
 
      ¶2. Department of Energy Second Line of Defense (DOE/SLD) 
continues with its project to install portal monitors at border 
sites.  A diplomatic note was sent to the Ministry of Foreign 
Affairs requesting its assistance in gaining access to the following 
Phase One sites:  Kordai, Karasu, Sapytai Batyr, Kazgurt, Zhibek 
Zholy, Kaplanbek, and Sary-Agash. 
      The EXBS office also assisted DOE/SLD in requesting permission 
from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for DOE's experts to conduct 
engineering surveys and radiation detection monitor systems 
installation design reviews from October 31 to November 10, 2007, at 
5 selected sites along the western border of Kazakhstan: Aktau 
seaport, Atyrau and Aktau airports, and the Border Crossings at 
Kurmangazy and Temirbaba. 
      - October 31 to November 9, 2007 - EXBS Advisor Robert Colbert 
and EXBS Program Manager Gulnara Abildaeva traveled with the SLD 
delegation consisting of Mr. Glen Mitchell (Ahtna Government 
Services), Mr. Dave Olson  (Sandia U.S. National Laboratory), Mr. 
Andrai Belousov (Los Alamos U.S. National Laboratory, Mr. Davydov 
(Aspect), Mr. Alexandr Nazarenko (NTC). While the SLD team worked on 
engineering surveys, the EXBS Advisor conducted site assessments at 
the Aktau seaport, the Atyrau and Aktau airports, and the Kurmangazy 
and Temirbaba Border Crossing Points. 
 
      ¶3. The EXBS advisor will meet with Customs and Border Guard 
 
 
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