VZCZCXRO8526
PP RUEHLN RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHEK #0820/01 2251051
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 121051Z AUG 08
FM AMEMBASSY BISHKEK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1270
INFO RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 2613
RUEHDBU/AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE 0053
RUEKJCS/OSD WASHDC
RUMICEA/USCENTCOM INTEL CEN MACDILL AFB FL
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE 3006
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 2391
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO BRUSSELS BE
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
RUEHLMC/MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE CORP

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BISHKEK 000820 
 
Dept for SCA/CEN, SCA/PPD and TFGG01 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL KPAO KG
SUBJECT: TFGG01: Reactions in Kyrgyz Media to the Crisis in Georgia 
 
BISHKEK 00000820  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED.  NOT FOR INTERNET DISTRIBUTION 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Summary: Most Kyrgyz newspapers continue in a sporadic 
summer publishing schedule, and only a few analysts have spoken out 
on the events in Georgia.  Television media is overwhelmingly 
dominated by reports based on information from Russian sources. 
Internet forums are overflowing with mixed commentary on the 
situation.  Most opinion pieces in the media support a peaceful 
resolution to the conflict, but also note that Kyrgyzstan and 
Central Asia could be susceptible to separatism or Russian meddling. 
 End Summary. 
 
Newspapers 
---------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) During the summer season, most newspapers either go on 
vacation or publish sporadically.  Bishkek's most widely-read paper, 
Vecherney Bishkek, continues to publish daily.  Reports in the paper 
on the fighting in Georgia have been limited to reprints of articles 
from Russian press.  There has so far been no independent local 
reporting, beyond small opinion interviews with local analysts. 
While reporting in the Russian-language media has been limited, 
reports in Kyrgyz-language media newspapers been briefer still. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Anti-American and pro-Russia Beliye Parus newspaper 
republished on its website many of the commentaries that have 
appeared elsewhere on internet wire services.  The author of the 
compilation did comment that President Bakiyev's recently 
announced"short vacation" on Issyk Kul lake is a "favorite tactic of 
Kyrgyz politicians in critical moments of history," but predicted 
that the current situation will not allow him to rest peacefully. 
 
Television 
---------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) Television coverage of events in Georgia are almost 
exclusively limited to Russian media reports rebroadcast on local 
television frequencies.  Local stations have reported on President 
Bakiyev's instructions to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to begin 
consultations on the crisis with other Commonwealth of Independent 
States members.  There has been no local reporting independent of 
Russian media on day to day events inside Georgia since the crisis 
began. 
 
Wire Services 
------------- 
¶5. (SBU) Traditionally anti-American 24.kg has been the most active 
in soliciting local opinion on Georgia.  Political analyst Askarbek 
Mambetaliev commented on 8/11 that "the majority of people in the 
NIS do not have access to non-Russian language media and therefore 
cannot objectively evaluate the situation in Georgia." He goes on to 
add that "the danger of the this tragedy is that if South Ossetia, 
the legal territory of Georgia, is successfully separated, it forms 
a precedent that gives the right to the President of Russia to 
'protect the lives and property of Russian citizens, no matter where 
they may be located' using those same methods.  Who then will give 
the guarantee that this example will not inspire chauvinists to 
invade Kyrgyzstan?" 
 
¶6. (SBU) Member of Parliament Murat Juraev said in 24.kg on 8/11, 
before departing on a fact-finding trip to South Ossetia organized 
by the group "For Russia," that "I am for the integrity of Georgia, 
and am not a supporter of the breaking away of any piece of a 
sovereign state, otherwise all these events can form a chain 
reaction.  Remember Kosovo, Abkhazia.  Remember how Yugoslavia fell 
apart, our Central Asia is also susceptible to these trends as 
well." 
 
¶7. (SBU) Political Analyst Mars Sariev says in the neutral and 
professional wire service AKIpress.kg that "Kyrgyzstan, as a member 
of the CSTO, will support the Russian position.  You see what is 
happening in Georgia; the same thing can happen here."  He goes on 
to comment that "this is not a conflict between the Ossetians and 
Georgians, but we should understand that this is a conflict between 
 
BISHKEK 00000820  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
Russia and the USA."   Sariev also says, "You can also understand 
Russia.  Georgia enters into NATO, and next it will be Kavkaz then 
Tatarstan.  The West is worried about energy pipelines from Central 
Asia into Europe.  All this is a big game with the Ossetians and the 
poor Georgians caught in the middle.  We too can find ourselves in 
this situation..." 
 
Public Opinion on the Internet 
------------------------------ 
 
¶8. (SBU) In contrast to the relatively limited number of opinions 
published in traditional media, there has been an explosion of posts 
in Kyrgyzstan's web forums.  In the most popular web forum, 
diesel.elcat.kg, as of 8/12, 9 separate threads have been started on 
Georgia with a total of at least 4677 separate posts and at least 
95374 page views. 
 
¶9. (SBU) Comments in the threads have been mixed, but have largely 
followed a pro-Russian tone.  Many posts have been trading rumors 
and theories about Russia's ultimate goals in Georgia and 
speculating of the involvement of external parties, namely the 
United States, in the conflict. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶10. (SBU) The lack of local coverage of events in Georgia is not 
surprising.  Media in Kyrgyzstan has traditionally been extremely 
parochial in outlook and focus.  It is interesting to note the 
disparity between the relatively unfettered and energetic 
discussions on the internet, and the relative lack of coverage on 
traditional local media.  Reporting to date also shows the continued 
strong influence of media from Russia on popular opinion throughout 
Kyrgyzstan. 
 
Litzenberger