VZCZCXRO3067
RR RUEHAST RUEHBI RUEHCI RUEHDBU RUEHIK RUEHLH RUEHLN RUEHNEH RUEHPOD
RUEHPW RUEHSK RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHNT #0937 1591214
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 081215Z JUN 09
FM AMEMBASSY TASHKENT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0990
INFO AFGHANISTAN COLLECTIVE
ALL SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA COLLECTIVE
CIS COLLECTIVE
NATO EU COLLECTIVE
RHMFIUU/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL
RUEABND/DEA HQS WASHINGTON DC
RUEHNT/AMEMBASSY TASHKENT
RUEKJCS/JCS NMCC WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS TASHKENT 000937 
 
SIPDIS 
DEPT FOR SCA/FO BOB DEUTSCH 
DEPT FOR S/SRAP, SCA/CEN, SCA/RA, AND SCA/A 
DEPT PASS FOR AID/ANE 
DEPT PASS USTR FOR DELANEY AND DEANGELIS 
DEPT PASS OPIC 
DEPT PASS OES/ENV 
DEPT PASS FOR TDA FOR STEIN AND GREENIP 
USOECD FOR ENERGY ATTACHE 
CENTCOM 
FOR CSTC-A 
DEPT PASS NSC FOR JWOOD 
DEPT PASS TREASURY FOR MHIRSON, JCASAL, ABAUKOL, BDAHL, 
AND MNUGET 
OSD FOR SHIVERS 
DEPT PASS COMMERCE FOR HAMROCK AND FONOVICH 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ENRG EFIN ETRD KPWR EAID PGOV PREL SOCI SENV PBTS
EAGR, AF, UZ 
SUBJECT: Afghan Trans-Boundary Water Discussions:  Maintaining 
Transparency with the Central Asians 
 
REF: KABUL 1459; NORLAND-DEUTSCH 6/1/09 E-MAIL (NOTAL) 
 
¶1. (SBU) Reftel (A) notes that the Afghan government, with USAID 
and USFOR-A sponsorship, will hold a two-day conference on water 
management in early July.  If it does not already plan to do so, we 
recommend that Afghanistan be encouraged to invite Central Asian 
neighbors such as Uzbekistan to take part in the conference. 
Uzbekistan, like Afghanistan, has vital interests at stake in the 
common management of the Amur Darya river basin, one of the five 
cited in reftel.  Like all countries in this volatile neighborhood, 
Uzbekistan is deeply suspicious of any discussions surrounding 
regional water management to which it is not party.  Uzbekistan is 
playing a significant role in supporting Afghanistan these days, in 
terms of electricity transfers and supply of non-lethal equipment 
to our forces via the Northern Distribution Network. 
 
 
 
¶2. (SBU) While there is no guarantee the ever-perplexing Uzbeks 
would attend the conference even if invited, maintaining maximum 
transparency on any regional water-related discussions is in the 
U.S. interest.  We have already seen signs (Ref B) that certain 
elements may be seeking to exploit isolated efforts to reach 
agreement on water issues by charging that "U.S.-sponsored" 
discussions are taking place or "working groups" being formed 
"without participation of downstream countries" -- an extremely 
effective disinformation tactic in the Central Asian context.  We 
should not open ourselves up to such accusations.  From our vantage 
point, we would urge that Uzbekistan and other Central Asian 
neighbors with interests in the water basins noted ref (A) be 
included in the proposed July conference hosted by Afghanistan, at 
least as observers. 
NORLAND