VZCZCXRO2114
RR RUEHAST RUEHBI RUEHCI RUEHLH RUEHPW
DE RUEHTA #0672 0941117
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 031117Z APR 08
FM AMEMBASSY ASTANA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2165
INFO RUEHAST/USOFFICE ALMATY 0366
RUCNCLS/SCA COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS ASTANA 000672 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR INL/AAE (BALABANIAN), INL/C, SCA/CEN (O'MARA) 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SNAR ASEC PREL KCOR KCRM PREL KZ
 
SUBJECT: KAZAKHSTAN - CSTO COUNTER-NARCOTICS MEETING 
 
¶1.  Summary:  On March 27, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of 
Kazakhstan (MVD) held a meeting in Astana of the Coordination 
Council of the Heads of Competent Bodies on Combating Illegal Drugs 
Trafficking (CCBCD) of the Collective Security Treaty Organization 
(CSTO).  The participants discussed the current status and 
development of CCBCD, results of the Kanal-2007 operations, the drug 
situation in CSTO member-countries, and measures to improve the 
CCBCD's fight against drugs.  End summary. 
 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
CSTO WILLING COOPERATION WITH SCO, NATO AND EU 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
¶2.  During the meeting, the SCTO extended an invitation to the 
Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), NATO, and the EU to work in 
cooperation with the CSTO.  This meeting was the first attended by 
SCO General Secretary Bolat Nurgaliyev.  CSTO General Secretary 
Nikolai Bordyuzha proposed that the CSTO and SCO unite their efforts 
against the trafficking of drugs from Afghanistan.   (Note:  At the 
June 2004 SCO summit, held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, a Regional 
Antiterrorism Structure (RATS) was established. On April 26, 2006, 
the SCO announced plans to fight cross-border drug crimes as part of 
the fight against terrorism.  End Note.) 
¶3.  On March 27, Bordyuzha met with President Nazarbayev and 
discussed a proposal to the EU to cooperate in countering drug 
trafficking and illegal migration and other possible international 
cooperation. 
 
------------------- 
OPERATION "KANAL" 
------------------- 
 
¶4.  Participants in the meeting raised the issue of reorganizing the 
Kanal Operation, which is an international anti-narcotics operation, 
into a continuing project.  Though the operation was initiated by 
CSTO countries, nineteen other countries joined it last year. 
Representatives from anti-narcotics units of Azerbaijan, Iran, 
China, Latvia, Lithuania, Mongolia, Pakistan, Poland, the U.S., 
Ukraine, Finland, and Estonia took part in this operation as 
observers.  For the first time, Afghanistan and Turkmenistan also 
joined the operation. 
 
¶5.  In 2007, Operation Kanal was conducted in two stages: August 28 
through September 3 and November 27 through December 3.  The aim of 
the operation was to detect and stop narcotics trafficking, create 
anti-narcotics security zones around Afghanistan, block 
inter-regional and international channels for delivery of synthetic 
drugs from European countries, and disrupt clandestine laboratories 
producing synthetic drugs.  Representatives of the National 
Security, Internal Affairs, Customs and Border Services 
participated.  During the first stage of the operation, Kazakhstani 
law enforcement bodies seized 1,608 kilos of drugs, including 1.5 
tons of marijuana, approximately 17 kilos of hashish, and over seven 
kilos of heroin. 
 
-------------------------------- 
UNIFIED DATABASE AND LEGISLATION 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶6.  The meeting participants discussed approval of information 
resources to be included in the CCBCD's unified database.  These 
resources may include information on drug dealers, 
narco-trafficking, psychotropic substances and precursors.  Russia 
has allotted some budget resources for the development of software 
to improve the unified database.  CCBCD has become an international 
center for combating the drug threat in Eurasia.  Bordyuzha stated 
that it is necessary to continue setting up a mechanism for 
confidential information exchange between the law enforcement bodies 
 
SIPDIS 
and special services of the CSTO countries. 
 
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OPIUM HARVEST 
------------- 
 
¶7.  As the opium harvest increases, criminals continue using Central 
Asia for the transit, sale, and distribution of narcotics.  The SCTO 
expects that closer cooperation with Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and, 
most importantly, with Afghanistan will lead to more opportunity to 
counter the expansion of drugs from Afghanistan. 
 
ORDWAY