VZCZCXRO8422
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 #0811/01 1270845
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 070845Z MAY 09
FM AMEMBASSY ASTANA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 5377
INFO RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE 1557
RUCNCLS/ALL SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA COLLECTIVE
RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 0934
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 1637
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL 0619
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 2212
RUEHVI/AMEMBASSY VIENNA 0660
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC
RUEHRC/DEPT OF AGRICULTURE WASHDC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEFAAA/DIA WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC 1119
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC 1035
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC
RHMFIUU/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL
RUEHAST/USOFFICE ALMATY 1490
RUEHPH/CDC ATLANTA

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ASTANA 000811 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR SCA/CEN, EEB/TPP/MTA/ABT, OES/PCI 
STATE PLEASE PASS TO USTR (JDOHERTY) 
AGRICULTURE FOR OSTA (HAMILTON, BEAN) AND OCRA (MSMITH) 
ANKARA FOR FAS 
VIENNA FOR APHIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL EAGR ETRD ECON SENV KZ
SUBJECT:  KAZAKHSTAN:  DEMARCHE DELIVERED ON REMOVING H1N1-RELATED 
TRADE BANS ON PORK 
 
REF: STATE 44254 
 
ASTANA 00000811  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1. (U) Sensitive but unclassified.  Not for public Internet. 
 
¶2. (SBU) SUMMARY:  Akhmetzhan Sultanov, Vice Chairman of the 
Ministry of Agriculture's State Inspection Committee told us on May 
6 that, in response to the H1N1 virus, the Government of Kazakhstan 
took preemptive steps to prevent the possible importation of 
infected food by banning pork and meat imports from several 
countries and several U.S. states.  The Regional Environmental 
Officer (REO) delivered reftel demarche informing Sultanov that, in 
fact, there is no H1N1 risk from the consumption of fully cooked 
pork and urged Kazakhstan to end its import bans.  Sultanov said he 
was aware that the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) has 
issued a "preliminary statement" that there is no evidence that the 
virus is transmitted by food, but the government is waiting to 
receive OIE's official statement before taking any action regarding 
lifting the ban.  There currently are no cases of H1N1 in 
Kazakhstan.  END SUMMARY. 
 
DEMARCHE TO REMOVE BAN ON IMPORT OF PORK FROM UNITED STATES 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Akhmetzhan Sultanov, Vice Chairman of the Ministry of 
Agriculture's State Inspection Committee told the Regional 
Environmental Officer (REO) on May 6 that each country can obtain 
information on the status of its imports to Kazakhstan on the 
Ministry's website.  Sultanov said that in response to the H1N1 
virus, the Kazakhstani government took preemptive steps to prevent 
the possible import of "infected food," by banning pork and meat 
imports from Mexico, several countries in the Caribbean Basin, as 
well as several U.S. states, including Texas, California, and 
Kansas.  These measures were issued in a decree on April 27 (see 
full text in para 7).  Sultanov said it was a "precautionary 
measure" to ban imports not only of pork, but of all meat and 
poultry from Texas, California, and Kansas, since these three states 
have the highest instances of registered cases of H1N1 infection in 
humans in the United States.  REO delivered reftel demarche and left 
a non-paper with Sultanov informing the Kazakhstanis that the World 
Organization for Animal Health (OIE) issued statements on April 27 
and 28 indicating that there is no risk from the consumption of 
fully cooked pork.  REO urged the government of Kazakhstan to 
reconsider its decision and end import bans.  (NOTE:  In 2008, U.S. 
exports of pork to Kazakhstan reached 372 tons valued at $982,000. 
U.S. poultry exports of 18,000 tons were valued at nearly $20 
million.  END NOTE.) 
 
¶4. (SBU) In addition, REO presented Sultanov with "Key Facts About 
Swine Influenza" from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention clearly stating that H1N1 is not transmitted by food. 
REO also delivered the May 2 joint statement by the U.N. Food and 
Agriculture Organization, the OIE, the WHO, and the WTO, stating 
that "pork and pork products, handled in accordance with good 
hygienic practices...will not be a source of infection.  To date, 
there is no evidence that the virus is transmitted by food." 
 
¶5. (SBU) Sultanov said he was aware of the "preliminary statement" 
by OIE that there is no evidence that the virus is transmitted by 
food.  He said the government is reviewing its policy but is waiting 
to receive the OIE's official statement to that effect before it 
will consider taking any official action regarding lifting the 
existing ban.  Currently, Kazakhstan's policy is very similar to 
those of Russia and Belarus, Sultanov said, and he expected that 
there would be close consultation with those countries on further 
action. (NOTE: Kazakhstan is in the process of negotiating a 
trilateral customs union with Russia and Belarus.  END NOTE.)   Post 
 
ASTANA 00000811  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
will continue to monitor the situation and inform Washington if 
Kazakhstan lifts the import bans. 
 
NO H1N1 CASES IN KAZAKHSTAN 
 
¶6. (SBU) Sultanov said Kazakhstan currently has no cases of H1N1 
infection.  An inter-agency committee, consisting of the Ministries 
of Agriculture, Health, Emergency Situations, Internal Affairs, and 
others, has been tasked to work out a plan of action in the event of 
an outbreak of H1N1 virus.  It will present its plan to President 
Nazarbayev soon.  This plan will include procedures for isolation 
and quarantine, prevention, and medical unit response, among other 
measures.  The overall goal is to reduce the threat of an outbreak 
and its spread among the population from those who might come into 
contact with the H1N1 virus. 
 
DECREE ON IMPORT BANS 
 
¶7. (U) Following is the unofficial translation of the text of the 
import ban decree: 
 
BEGIN TEXT 
 
To: Heads of territorial inspections of oblasts, Astana, Almaty 
To: Heads of regional inspections of veterinary control on borders 
and transport 
 
Decree No. 18-2-1-9/3038, dated April 27, 2009 On Swine Flu 
Prevention 
 
Due to swine flu H1N1 outbreak on the territory of Mexico and the 
USA and with the purpose to prevent such disease spread on the 
territory of Republic of Kazakhstan: 
 
¶A.  The following restrictions are introduced: 
-- On the entrance to the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan 
and transit through its territory of meat, raw meat materials, and 
its processed products without thermal treatment and obtained from 
any animals, shipped after April 28, 2009 from Mexico and the U.S. 
states of Texas, California, and Kansas. 
-- On the entrance to the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan of 
meat and meat products, obtained from any animals, including 
products with thermal treatment, in the hand-luggage and on-board 
food of seacraft and aircraft coming from Mexico and the U.S. states 
of Texas, California, and Kansas. 
-- On the entrance of pork and its processed products with thermal 
treatment and shipped after April 28, 2009 from Guatemala, Honduras, 
Dominique Republic, Colombia, Costa-Rica, Cuba, Nicaragua, Panama, 
Salvador, as well as the U.S. states of Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, 
Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Florida. 
 
¶B.  The present Decree is subject to foreign trade members and all 
structures of Committee notification. 
 
¶C.  Vice Chairman of the Committee for State Inspection in 
Agriculture under the Ministry of Agriculture Mr. A.A. Sultanov is 
in charge of enforcing this Decree. 
 
Chairman S. Suleimenov 
 
END TEXT 
 
MILAS