VZCZCXRO3512
PP RUEHAST RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHLA RUEHMRE RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSK RUEHSR
DE RUEHC #8864 1331651
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P R 131638Z MAY 09
FM SECSTATE WASHDC
TO RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE PRIORITY 0384
INFO ORG FOR SECURITY CO OP IN EUR COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS STATE 048864 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM PREL OSCE TJ
SUBJECT: OSCE PERMANENT COUNCIL:  RESPONSE TO OSCE HEAD OF 
OFFICE AMBASSADOR PRYAKHIN 
 
¶1. Post is authorized to present the following statement at 
the May 14, 2009 Permanent Council meeting in Vienna. 
 
Begin text: 
 
Thank you, Madam Chairwoman. 
Ambassador Pryakhin, welcome back to the Permanent Council 
and thank you for your comprehensive report on the situation 
in Tajikistan and the OSCE,s activities in the country. 
 
When you were last at the Permanent Council a year ago, the 
Government of Tajikistan and the OSCE Chairmanship were in 
the midst of discussions about the future of the OSCE in 
Tajikistan. We are pleased that these discussions resulted in 
a robust mandate for the Office--with new staff and 
expertise--that addresses Tajikistan,s needs in all three 
dimensions. Since the new mandate took effect, we have 
witnessed an even stronger partnership between the OSCE and 
Tajikistan. This is a remarkable way to celebrate the 
fifteenth year of the OSCE Office in Tajikistan. 
 
The United States fully supports the Office,s work to assist 
the Government in its political, economic, and social 
development. The Office has experienced successes over this 
past year, including completing Phase II of the Small Arms 
and Light Weapons and conventional ammunition destruction 
program, clearing large swaths of land of anti-personnel 
mines, supporting new information and resource centers to 
enhance the business, trade, and investment climate, and 
raising awareness about human rights and trafficking. What we 
find especially noteworthy about these programs is that you, 
Ambassador Pryakhin, and your staff have done your utmost to 
transfer over time the ownership of projects to the host 
country, so that Tajikistan is left with an enhanced capacity 
to address its own security concerns. 
 
The United States is pleased that the OSCE Office has 
responded to calls from the Government of Tajikistan to 
increase the country,s capacity to combat corruption. This 
is a pervasive problem that requires serious and sustained 
attention and threatens Tajikistan,s relationship with 
international donors. We welcome the Office,s new initiative 
to add anti-corruption components to all of its work across 
the three dimensions. 
 
While the OSCE Office has experienced successes, the 
government has not engaged at a high level on human rights 
reforms.  We note that the OSCE,s efforts to help develop 
the Institution of the Human Rights Ombudsman have been 
hindered by the Government of Tajikistan,s lack of an 
appointment to fill the Ombudsman position. We urge the 
government to rectify this situation as soon as possible. We 
also encourage the government to more vigorously support the 
OSCE,s penitentiary reform program and other similar efforts 
of the international community, among other things by 
allowing fuller access to prisons for independent observers. 
 
In the next several months, we believe the OSCE has a larger 
role to play in assisting the Government to implement the 
recommendations from the 2005 election and to prepare for the 
February 2010 election. We hope the addition of an elections 
officer to the Office will help fulfill this role, and we 
encourage the Government of Tajikistan to work closely with 
the OSCE on this matter.  We take this opportunity to urge 
the government to implement the OSCE recommendations form the 
2005 election to avoid similar voting irregularities. 
 
Ambassador Pryakhin, as you near the end of your posting, we 
are thankful for your tremendous work in Tajikistan and 
appreciate that you are leaving behind a more streamlined, 
efficient, and effective Office than what you inherited. We 
are confident that your capable staff will carry on your 
legacy. 
 
Thank you, Madam Chairwoman. 
CLINTON