VZCZCXYZ0004
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHNT #1199/01 1941051
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 131053Z JUL 09
FM AMEMBASSY TASHKENT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1125
INFO RHMFIUU/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHINGTON DC
RUEABND/DEA HQS WASHINGTON DC
RUEHAK/USDAO ANKARA TU
RUEHNT/AMEMBASSY TASHKENT

UNCLAS TASHKENT 001199 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL SNAR EAID UZ
SUBJECT: UZBEKISTAN:  INL PROJECT PROPOSALS 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED - PLEASE PROTECT ACCORDINGLY 
 
 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary:  In June, 2009 there was a major breakthrough in 
the counternarcotics situation in Uzbekistan when the host 
government finally accredited a DEA Country Attache, which presents 
an opportunity to pursue an important mutual interest.  The 
strawman exercise resulted in limited funding for INL activities in 
Uzbekistan, but given the positive change in the political 
situation we request that additional funding be considered to help 
DEA rebuild its relationships with key law enforcement agencies and 
promote counternarcotics cooperation in a strategic country that 
has the highest population in the region and is the only one to 
border each of the other former Soviet Central Asian Republics as 
well as Afghanistan.  We also wish to continue a successful 
forensic laboratory project that will run out of pipeline funds at 
the end of this fiscal year and continue with planned projects on 
drug demand reduction and rule of law programming.  End summary. 
 
 
 
¶2. (U) Per reftel, Embassy Tashkent submits the following project 
proposals for consideration by the Bureau of International 
Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) for fiscal year 2010: 
 
 
 
Expand Counternarcotics Cooperation 
 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
 
 
(A) Expand Counternarcotics Training / $500,000 / Priority 1 
 
 
 
(B) Background -- In the FY 2009 strawman exercise no funds were 
allocated for specific counternarcotics assistance, with limited 
funds instead addressing drug demand reduction and off-shore rule 
of law programming.  The situation on the ground has changed 
dramatically since the fall 2008 strawman, however, when in June 
2009 the Government of Uzbekistan finally accredited a Special 
Agent from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) who will serve 
as the Tashkent-based Country Attache.  This marked a major shift 
in Uzbekistan's willingness to cooperate with the United States on 
counternarcotics and will allow an accredited DEA Agent to work in 
the country for the first time since cooperation was suspended two 
years ago. 
 
 
 
(C) Goal -- The Country Attache has already begun rebuilding 
relationships on temporary duty trips to the country to meet with 
key law enforcement entities, including the Ministry of Internal 
Affairs Counter-Drug Department and the Sensitive Investigative 
Unit (SIU), the latter of which was equipped largely with the 
assistance of INL funds in a previous era of cooperation.  The DEA 
Country Attache will contribute to important mission goals, and 
counternarcotics is an area of mutual interest in which we believe 
we can successfully engage Uzbekistan.  There is a need for funding 
assistance to help DEA reestablish cooperation, and the identified 
priorities are for interdiction equipment and program design and 
learning (goal 1.4).  DEA will focus its efforts on operational, 
investigative, diversion training, and intelligence exchange. 
 
 
 
(D) Project Description - The newly accredited DEA Agent will 
replace aging, obsolete equipment at the SIU donated by INL several 
years ago.  Uzbek officers have meticulously maintained the 
equipment, ranging from vehicles to cell phones, even after useful 
life spans have elapsed.  These working level contacts are also 
eager to reengage with DEA peers on counternarcotics cooperation, 
but a lack of high-level political will prevented contact. 
Upgrading equipment will help DEA gain access and build trust with 
counterparts, and related training programs will sharpen the skills 
of Uzbek officers at a time when the U.S. is moving away from 
eradication efforts in neighboring Afghanistan and focusing on 
interdiction. 
 
 
 
(E) Performance Indicators - Quantifiable performance indicators 
would include monitoring seizure data, which is regularly provided 
by the National Drug Control Center.  Renewed DEA engagement should 
 
lead to increases in seizures throughout Uzbekistan.  Another 
indicator of robust engagement is the number of officers trained, 
which is important in a country where every invitation to 
participate in international events is closely scrutinized by the 
suspicious host government. 
 
 
 
(F) Sustainability - DEA hopes for a long-term engagement in 
Uzbekistan to complement its growing activities throughout Central 
and South Asia.  The project funds will help ensure that DEA is 
able to develop an effective working relationship with Uzbekistan, 
which will contribute to greater coordination of operational 
information in the entire region. 
 
 
 
(G) Timeline - The Country Attache will arrive at post in September 
2009, at which time he will be ready to immediately implement 
projects to jumpstart counternarcotics cooperation with Uzbekistan. 
Initial project timeframe is approximately two years. 
 
 
 
(H) Evaluation - At the end of the Country Attache's initial tour, 
we will be able to evaluate the impact of renewed cooperation and 
whether operational information provided by the Government of 
Uzbekistan is contributing to the region-wide counternarcotics 
efforts. 
 
 
 
Continue Forensic Laboratory Support 
 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
 
 
(A) Upgrade Main Forensic Laboratory under Ministry of Health / 
$500,000 / Priority 2 
 
 
 
(B) Background - As with counternarcotics, the FY 2009 strawman 
exercise did not result in the allocation of funds for forensic 
activities.  Forensic assistance was included in our Mission 
Strategic Plan, and additional funds would allow an already 
successful project to continue.  Prior-year funds were available to 
spend through FY 2008 on an INL-funded, DOJ-ICITAP-implemented 
project to provide sophisticated laboratory instruments, training 
assistance, and professional development opportunities to the main 
forensic laboratory.  The assistance is deeply appreciated by the 
cadre of scientific professionals and has engendered goodwill in 
the bilateral relationship, including coverage of signing 
ceremonies in the state-controlled press.  The laboratory plays an 
important role in analyzing evidence in narcotics cases, but has 
also already utilized U.S.-donated equipment to resolve criminal 
cases.  In an environment in which it is difficult to engage in 
human rights programming, forensic science work has provided an 
important inroad in promoting the rule of law and increasing the 
role of evidence in conducting sound investigations and trials. 
 
 
 
(C) Goal - The overarching goal is to help the laboratory qualify 
for accreditation from the International Organization for 
Standardization (ISO), which is still several years away even with 
sustained U.S. support.  Other goals are to improve the criminal 
justice process by increasing the validity of evidence and the 
awareness among scientific and law enforcement officials about 
their roles in convicting criminals and exonerating innocent 
parties.  Assistance will also be provided to provincial 
laboratories, which are far from ISO accreditation but which 
nonetheless play important local roles. 
 
 
 
(D) Project Description - Numerous high-tech instruments - such as 
mass spectrometers and gas chemotographs - have already been 
provided with prior-year funds, but there is still additional 
equipment that must be purchased.  American experts from the DOJ 
will also regularly travel to Uzbekistan to help local counterparts 
properly train on new equipment.  The isolated group of scientific 
professionals will also travel abroad to international scientific 
conferences to learn about peer review, presenting their work, and 
what is expected in the international forensic community. 
 
(E) Performance Indicators - In addition to obtaining accreditation 
from ISO, other indicators will be the number of analyses performed 
by the main forensic laboratories using U.S.-donated equipment. 
 
 
 
(F) Sustainability - Incorporating U.S. expert-led training visits 
soon after the delivery of equipment is important to long-term 
sustainability, and the lab staff are already motivated from the 
original project to strive for international accreditation. 
 
 
 
(G) Timeline - This project request is for an additional two year 
horizon. 
 
 
 
(H) Evaluation - INL officers and DOJ-ICITAP will be able to 
evaluate the success of the project.  The initial project generated 
goodwill and led to substantial progress in the capability of the 
laboratory to conduct analyses. 
 
 
 
Drug Demand Reduction 
 
--------------------------------- 
 
 
 
(A) Drug Demand Reduction Project / $100,000 / Priority 3 
 
 
 
(B) Background - Funds were approved for this project, which will 
build on a previously implemented project through UNODC.  The 
quantity of narcotics transiting Uzbekistan, particularly in the 
provinces close to Afghanistan and Tajikistan, has increased 
substantially in recent years.  Drug demand reduction projects are 
not politically sensitive and are thus a good way to build our 
relationship with the Government of Uzbekistan and generate 
goodwill.  As DEA reengages with law enforcement agencies, drug 
demand reduction programs will be a good way to complement 
enforcement-oriented programs. 
 
 
 
(C) Goal - To educate young people, mainly high school students in 
vulnerable populations, about the dangers of drug use. 
 
 
 
(D) Project Description - UNODC will pick up where it left off on a 
previous project to work with schools to raise awareness, and this 
project will also involve important neighborhood associations 
("mahallas") in a more community-based approach. 
 
 
 
(E) Performance Indicators - UNODC will test students about their 
knowledge about drug abuse both before and after training programs, 
which will demonstrate increased awareness about the hazards of 
drug use.  We will also be able to track the total number of 
students reached in outreach efforts and training sessions. 
 
 
 
(F) Sustainability - Teachers are also included in the drug demand 
reduction program, as are neighborhood associations.  These 
stakeholders will be able to continue training future generations 
of students. 
 
 
 
(G) Timeline - Two year project timeframe. 
 
 
 
(H) Evaluation - We hope to see that drug demand reduction programs 
will lead to a reduced number of drug users in key provinces of 
Uzbekistan despite the recent increases in quantities of narcotics 
being transshipped through Uzbekistan. 
 
Offshore Rule of Law Programming / $200,000 / Priority 3 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---------------------- 
-------- 
 
 
 
 
 
(A) American Bar Association - Rule of Law Initiative (ABA-ROLI) 
Defense Attorney Training / $200,000 / Also priority 3 
 
 
 
(B) (SBU) Background - Since ABA was forced to exit Uzbekistan 
(along with most foreign NGOs) in 2005-06, we have continued to 
support offshore training opportunities for defense attorneys from 
Uzbekistan.  Sessions are generally held in Almaty, Kazakhstan and 
whenever possible are held in conjunction with other regional 
U.S.-funded activities to economize on travel costs.  This project 
work is an important way to continue at least some rule of law 
programming, although we hope to eventually resume activities in 
Uzbekistan in the future.  In 2008, despite several important new 
laws and Presidential decrees welcoming reform, Uzbekistan declined 
an offer for ABA to implement a habeas corpus project in Uzbekistan 
that closely mirrored President Karimov's stated goals. 
 
 
 
(C) Goal - Train the small cadre of defense attorneys in Uzbekistan 
about their evolving role in the Uzbek legal system as well as 
maintain contacts with international peers. 
 
 
 
(D) Project Description - ABA-ROLI invites Uzbek defenders to 
regional events offshore. 
 
 
 
(E) Performance Indicators - This project is difficult to quantify, 
but we hope to see increases in proactive defense of accused 
persons in trials, including challenges to pre-trial detention 
rulings. 
 
 
 
(F) Sustainability - Many defense attorneys are part of law firms 
and can help train colleagues in international best practices. 
 
 
 
(G) Timeline - Two year project timeframe. 
 
 
 
(H) Evaluation - The project should help to sustain an isolated 
group of defense attorneys in Uzbekistan who are struggling to find 
training opportunities in a country where a state-controlled entity 
recently supplanted the independent bar association and administers 
subjective licensing examinations. 
NORLAND