VZCZCXRO2172
OO RUEHIK
DE RUEHTA #2053 3230154
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 190154Z NOV 09
FM AMEMBASSY ASTANA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6878
INFO RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE 2166
RUCNCLS/ALL SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA COLLECTIVE
RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 1536
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 2237
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL 1171
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 2588
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO 2890
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEFAAA/DIA WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC 1726
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC 1581
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC
RHMFIUU/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL
RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE 2069

UNCLAS ASTANA 002053 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR SCA/CEN, EUR/PRM 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL OSCE KZ
SUBJECT:  KAZAKHSTAN:  SUBSTANCE BEFORE SUMMIT 
 
¶1.  (U) Sensitive but unclassified.  Not for public Internet. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) SUMMARY:  During a November 16 dinner, representatives 
from the Embassies of Italy, Spain, the UK, and the Netherlands 
reasserted that their governments' insistence on substance before 
they commit to a 2010 OSCE Summit.  Several participants noted the 
Foreign Ministry's emphasis on its willingness to hold the Summit 
outside of Kazakhstan.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) At a dinner in honor of McKenzie Smith, Deputy Director of 
the Russia, South Caucuses, and Central Asia Directorate in the UK 
Foreign and Commonwealth Office, representatives from the European 
Union, United Nations, and the Embassies of Italy, Spain, the UK, 
and Netherlands discussed Kazakhstan's proposal to host a summit 
during its 2010 Chairmanship of the Organization for Security and 
Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).  Recently returned from accompanying 
President Nazarbayev to Italy, Italian Ambassador Bruno Antonio 
Pasquino clarified that his government has agreed only in principle 
to a summit.  The Italian President and Prime Minister told 
President Nazarbayev that they need an agenda before fully 
committing.   Both UK Charge Mike Welch and Smith concurred that the 
Kazakhstani government must determine the event's substance first. 
They reported that the Foreign Ministry conveyed its willingness to 
consider any topics that the UK wishes to propose. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Dutch Ambassador Frans Potuyt and Spanish DCM Beltran de 
Agueda also reported their respective governments' conditional 
support, which depends upon the summit's substance.  Most 
representatives cited European security as the most likely summit 
topic even though they believe that the Corfu process will not 
conclude before the end of 2010.  At the same time, they concurred 
with Pol/Econ Chief when she raised U.S. concerns that this topic 
could disrupt progress on the Corfu process. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) The Dutch Ambassador also pointed out, which the UK Charge 
confirmed, Kazakhstan's willingness to hold the summit outside its 
territory.  They highlighted Helsinki and Vienna as possible venues. 
 The Dutch Ambassador asserted that the government of Finland has 
welcomed the proposed summit.  Meanwhile, the UK's Deputy Director 
said the OSCE Secretariat would probably prefer to hold the summit 
in Vienna.  The Dutch Ambassador reminded guests that the government 
of Kazakhstan had approached The Hague about hosting its proposed 
high-level meeting on tolerance.  He appeared relieved that the 
government of Kazakhstan now prefers to have this event in Astana at 
the Palace of Peace and Harmony (aka, the Pyramid).  When the topic 
of the April 2010 Global Nuclear Security Summit arose, UN Resident 
Coordinator Haoliang Xu expressed skepticism that the international 
community could manage so many meetings in one year. 
 
SPRATLEN