VZCZCXRO9212
OO RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHBI RUEHCI RUEHDA RUEHDBU RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK
RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHLH RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHNEH RUEHNP RUEHPOD RUEHPW
RUEHROV RUEHSK RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHTA #0638/01 1041147
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 141147Z APR 09
FM AMEMBASSY ASTANA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 5162
INFO RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE 1491
RUCNCLS/ALL SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA COLLECTIVE
RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEHVV/ISLAMIC COLLECTIVE
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 0869
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 1572
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL 0556
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 2271
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO 2601
RHEBAAA/DEPT OF ENERGY WASHDC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEFAAA/DIA WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC 1054
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC 0968
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC
RHMFIUU/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ASTANA 000638 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR SCA/CEN, DRL, ISN 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM KDEM OSCE KNNP TU KZ
SUBJECT:  KAZAKHSTAN:  MFA REASSURES VISITING SCA/CEN DIRECTOR THAT 
KAZAKHSTAN WILL UPHOLD ODIHR'S MANDATE 
 
¶1.  (U) Sensitive but unclassified.  Not for public Internet. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) SUMMARY:  MFA Americas Department Director Askar Tazhiyev 
told visiting SCA/CEN Director Tom Hushek on April 8 that Kazakhstan 
is committed to upholding ODIHR's mandate during its 2010 OSCE 
Chairmanship.  Tazhiyev explained Kazakhstan's view of the top 
priorities in Afghanistan and floated the idea of the United States 
"using its influence" to help Central Asian states come to agreement 
on water, energy, and border issues.  Tazhiyev reiterated that a 
visit by President Obama to Kazakhstan would "send an important 
signal" on the bilateral relationship.  During a lunch with 
representatives of the diplomatic corps, Turkish Ambassador to 
Kazakhstan Attila Gunay railed against the European Union, in 
particular France and Germany, for stalling on Turkey's EU 
membership.  The ambassadors gave President Nazarbayev high marks 
for his expert balancing of relations with Russia, China, and the 
United States.  They also agreed that by continuously rotating a 
small cadre of political elite through various high-level government 
assignments, Nazarbayev assures loyalty and political stability.  In 
a separate meeting, Vice Minister of Energy Asset Magauov told 
Hushek that he fully understands that Kazakhstan needs to follow 
through on its funding commitments for the joint U.S.-Kazakhstani 
project to decommission and store spent fuel from Kazakhstan's 
BN-350 plutonium reactor, but admitted that few in the government 
understand the full scope and urgency of the project.  END SUMMARY. 
 
MFA REAFFIRMS COMMITMENT TO UPHOLD ODIHR'S MANDATE 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Visiting SCA/CEN Director Tom Hushek met on April 8 in 
Astana with MFA Americas Department Director Askar Tazhiyev. 
Tazhiyev, who has previously served at the Kazakhstani Embassy in 
Washington, was open and relaxed, speaking in fluent idiomatic 
English and peppering the conversation with light-hearted jokes. 
Referring to the widely-reported invitation to visit Kazakhstan 
which Senate Chairman Tokayev delivered to President Obama in 
Istanbul, Tazhiyev said that an Obama visit would "send an important 
signal" about the U.S.- Kazakhstan bilateral relationship.  He 
welcomed President Obama's emphasis on Afghanistan and shared what 
Kazakhstan sees as the top priorities there -- education for girls, 
job creation in agriculture, and good governance.  Tazhiyev 
postulated that Afghanistan -- "an Asian nation" -- will need some 
time to adjust to "an open democracy."  Asked about Kazakhstan's 
priorities for its 2010 OSCE chairmanship, Tazhiyev said the focus 
will be on moving frozen conflicts towards resolution, "although it 
will be hard."  He stressed that Kazakhstan is committed to 
upholding ODIHR's mandate, and supports the idea of ODIHR observing 
the Afghan elections.  Tazhiyev added that he wished the United 
States "would use its influence" to bring Central AsianQtes to 
agreement on the plethora of outstanding disputes on water rights, 
energy, and borders.  "Let me be frank," he confided, "Moscow still 
decides (the major questions)" -- but the region needs a more honest 
broker.  Hushek explained there were limits to what the United 
States could do -- which led Tazhiyev to admit that the Central 
Asian states themselves have to take responsibility for coming up 
with permanent solutions. 
 
TURKISH AMBASSADOR RAILS AGAINST THE EU 
 
¶4.  (SBU) On April 7, the Ambassador hosted a lunch in Hushek's 
honor with senior diplomats from like-minded countries.  The guests 
included Turkish Ambassador Attila Gunay, Czech Ambassador Bedrich 
Kopecky, Swiss Ambassador Stephan Nellen, Indian Ambassador Ashok 
Sajjanhar, German DCM Wolfgang Brett, Dutch DCM Maurits ter Kuile, 
European Commission DCM Hubert Petit.  The lunch conversation was 
for the most part cordial and open, although the tone became 
somewhat strained when the subject of Turkey's EU membership came 
up.  Ambassador Gunay reacted quite emotionally to a light-hearted 
joke that Kazakhstan could lay a claim to EU membership by the 
virtue of the large section of its territory that lies west of the 
Ural River and is thus in Europe -- a landmass larger than the 
European territory of EU candidate Turkey.  "This issue is very 
serious," a visibly irked Gunay said, explaining that Turkey's bid 
 
ASTANA 00000638  002 OF 002 
 
 
for EU membership cannot be compared to any Kazakhstani claim. 
Gunay praised President Obama for supporting Turkey's candidacy and 
railed against Germany and France for putting the brakes on it "once 
again" and for refusing to go beyond the stage of "special 
relationship."  In Turkey, this is read as "not being wanted" in 
Europe, he maintained.  Gunay argued that Turkey has complied with 
all its commitments since negotiations began in 1963, but that the 
EU has consistently failed to "live up to its promises."  "It's like 
we are not part of civilization," he charged.  Gunay stated his 
views so strongly and emotionally that embarrassed silence ensued. 
 
 
NAZARBAYEV'S FOREIGN POLICY -- "NOT A ZERO SUM GAME" 
 
¶5.  (SBU) Diffusing the situation, the Ambassador steered the 
conversation toward Kazakhstan and its external relations.  Indian 
Ambassador Sajjanhar said he sees great potential for 
Indian-Kazakhstani relations, but admitted that greater economic 
cooperation is hindered by lack of direct transport routes.  Hushek 
pointed out that India's support for Kazakhstan's requested 
membership in the IAEA's Middle East and South Asia (MESA) group 
would go a long way in strengthening the bilateral ties.  Sajjanhar 
agreed, saying that he is in contact with India's ambassador to the 
IAEA on the subject.  All the participants agreed that President 
Nazarbayev has shown great skill in pursuing the multi-vector policy 
of balancing Kazakhstan's relations with Russia, China, the United 
States, and, more recently, the EU.  "To him, it is not a zero-sum 
game, he sees the benefits in all these relationships," summed up 
Sajjanhar. 
 
INTERNAL POLITICS -- THE ELITE MERRY-GO-ROUND 
 
¶6.  (SBU) Swiss Ambassador Nellen noted that the recent reshuffling 
of high-level officials in the law enforcement and justice sectors 
exemplifies Nazarbayev's strategy for maintaining political control 
-- "keep your elites rotating."  The lunch guests agreed that 
Nazarbayev's practice of periodically rotating top jobs among the 
same cadre of political loyalists assures political stability -- 
since these political elites know they will always have cushy 
assignments -- while preventing any of them from developing their 
own strong power bases.  However, the lunch attendees agreed that 
changes will come when the Bolashak generation -- i.e., the 
generation of students educated abroad -- will begin assuming 
positions of greater responsibility within the government in large 
numbers. 
 
BN-350 -- PROBLEMS IN COMMUNICATION 
 
¶7.  (SBU) During an April 8 meeting,  recently appointed Deputy 
Minister of Energy Asset Magauov told Hushek and the DCM that he 
fully understands that Kazakhstan needs to follow through on its 
funding commitments for the joint U.S.-Kazakhstani project to 
decommission and store spent fuel from Kazakhstan's BN-350 plutonium 
reactor.  He raised the BN-350 project unprompted, thanked the U.S. 
government for its own contribution, and stressed that he sees the 
project's timely completion as "essential."  He confided, however, 
that few in the government share his sense of urgency or, for that 
matter, understand the whole concept of the project.  This means 
that when BN-350-related budgetary requests get submitted to 
Kazakhstani parliament -- "five million here or there" -- it is easy 
for the parliamentarians to push the financing back another year. 
Magauov said he has been lobbying Minister of Energy Mynbayev to 
explain the breadth and importance of the project to Prime Minister 
Masimov in order to get Masimov's backing to press for the necessary 
financing from parliament. 
 
HOAGLAND