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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ASTANA 000271 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE FOR SCA/CEN, DRL, ISN, EEB, INL 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM ECON EPET ENRG SOCI SENV KNNP KCOR
KZ 
SUBJECT:  KAZAKHSTAN:  WEEKLY SPOT-REPORT DIGEST, FEBRUARY 22-26 
 
ASTANA 00000271  001.3 OF 003 
 
 
¶1.  (SBU) This weekly cable disseminates spot reports based on 
Embassy conversations with contacts as well as reports from the 
Kazakhstani media.  Our goal is to draw attention to information 
that might not merit a full cable report or that will be developed 
later. 
 
MAJOR POLICY DEVELOPMENTS:  HOLBROOKE VISITS ASTANA 
 
¶2.  (U) February 23.  Local media reported that U.S. Special 
Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke 
visited Astana where he met with Kazakhstan's State 
Secretary/Foreign Minister Kanat Saudabayev.  During their meeting, 
the officials discussed cooperation between Kazakhstan and the 
United States, including issues related to bilateral and 
multilateral collaboration.  Saudabayev summarized Astana's 
priorities as OSCE Chairman, including the stabilization process in 
Afghanistan, which is one of its key priorities.  The two sides also 
discussed the agenda for the upcoming meeting of President Nursultan 
Nazarbayev with President Barack Obama during Nazarbayev's visit to 
the Global Nuclear Security Summit.  (COMMENT:  The press reports 
that seem to confirm an Obama-Nazarbayev meeting are premature.  END 
COMMENT). 
 
POLOFF VISITS HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST ZHOVTIS 
 
¶3.  (SBU) February 24.  Poloff travelled to a penal colony outside 
Ust-Kamenogorsk to visit imprisoned human rights activist Evgeniy 
Zhovtis.  According to Poloff, he is in relatively good spirits and 
seems to be on good terms with the prison administration.  Zhovtis 
said that he sees four possible resolutions to his case:  1) the 
Supreme Court annuls the lower court's sentence without overturning 
its guilty verdict; 2) he is granted amnesty in March, May, or July; 
3) he is released before his four-year sentence expires (NOTE: 
Zhovtis is not technically eligible for parole until early 2011, 
when Kazakhstan will no longer be OSCE Chairman-in-Office.  END 
NOTE); 4) he requests a Presidential pardon.  Zhovtis told Poloff 
that if the first three legal options fail and he is forced to 
request a pardon as a last resort, he will leave Kazakhstan for good 
upon his release.  Zhovtis also said that he is eager for outside 
news and welcomes outside visitors.  The two-hour conversation was 
carefully transcribed by two prison officials who were present at 
the meeting. 
 
MINISTER OF JUSTICE DISCUSSES THE ZHOVTIS CASE 
 
¶4.  (SBU) February 25.  The Ambassador met with Minister of Justice 
Rashid Tusupbekov to discuss the possibility of an amnesty for 
crimes of lesser gravity (which would include Zhovtis).  Tusupbekov 
said he submitted his recommendation supporting an amnesty to 
Parliament and the Presidential Administration for consideration. 
The Ambassador thanked Tusupbekov for allowing PolOff to visit 
Zhovtis, and requested the Minister's support for the Embassy's 
request to allow two Helsinki Commission staffers to visit Zhovtis 
as well.  Tusupbekov also discussed Kazakhstan's legal reform 
strategy and ongoing bilateral cooperation on judicial matters. 
Tusupbekov expressed appreciation for U.S. government assistance, 
including the Judicial Education Program, and support of Kazakhstani 
efforts on counter-narcotics and counter-trafficking in persons. 
While underscoring his Ministry's commitment to continue to work 
closely with the United States, Tusupbekov also asserted that if a 
meeting between Presidents Obama and Nazarbayev takes place in 
April, it could "open up new opportunities for further 
cooperation." 
 
MAJOR MILESTONES: BN-350 DECOMMISSIONING PROGRAM 1/12TH COMPLETE 
 
¶5.  (SBU) February 19.  The deputy director of the National Nuclear 
 
ASTANA 00000271  002.3 OF 003 
 
 
Center of Kazakhstan told Department of Energy office director that 
the spent fuel shipment portion of the BN-350 decommissioning 
program "is now 1/12th complete."  Eleven shipments remain, each 
with five casks, all which will be stored at the Baikal-1 storage 
facility before the end of 2010.  Moreover, the 30th of 60 spent 
fuel casks was staged at the rail head in Aktau, marking the halfway 
point of the spent fuel preparation activities.  Both Baikal-1 
storage and MAEK-Kazatomprom BN-350 reactor personnel plan held 
celebrations marking the event. 
 
DUPONT'S EXPANSION IN KAZAKHSTAN 
 
¶6.  (SBU) February 22.  Foreign Commercial Service (FCS) 
representatives met with Dupont to discuss possible areas of 
business expansion including the food processing and packaging, and 
construction sectors.  Dupont reports increased sales during the 
economic crisis of their safety products, primarily purchased by the 
extractive sectors.  Finally, as a result of their meeting requested 
by the Ministry of Trade at the November 2009 Investment Forum in 
New York, Dupont and the government are in talks regarding ways to 
increase presence of the company's Pioneer line of plant genetics. 
 
MFA SIMPLIFIES VISA REGIME 
 
¶7.  (U) February 22.  The Kazakhstan TV Channel and Commercial 
Television of Kazakhstan (KTK) reported that Kazakhstan's MFA has 
promised to simplify its visa procedure starting March 1.  Foreign 
diplomats and employees of international organizations will not need 
visas, just official MFA accreditation.  A new type of visa, called 
an "exit visa," will apply to foreigners who have lived in 
Kazakhstan for a long time and decide to go back home, or have lost 
their passports while in Kazakhstan, or have been deported.  Foreign 
missionaries arriving in Kazakhstan to promote religious ideas will 
have to apply a special "missionary visa." 
 
FROM THE WIRES IN KAZAKHSTAN:  A "RESPUBLIKA" BY ANY OTHER NAME 
 
¶8.  (U) February 23.  The editors of the opposition newspaper 
"Respublika" and related newspapers ("Golos Respubliki," "Respublica 
Business Review") held a press conference on February 22 to protest 
against what they see as pressure from the authorities on 
independent newspaper printers to stop printing or selling 
"Respublika" and any of its related papers.  The editors described 
several instances when independent printers declined to print their 
newspapers.  For example, the director of a printing house in 
Karaganda contracted by "Respublika" was summoned to the mayor's 
office, shortly after which he declined to print the newspaper. 
According to the editors, these incidents have intensified after a 
February 18 ruling by the Medeu Judicial Administration, which 
ordered all printing houses and other organizations to transfer any 
payments received from "Respublika" to a depository account of the 
Judicial Administration, to be turned over to BTA Bank as 
compensation for the newspaper's debt. 
 
KAZAKHSTAN'S PLANS FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT REFORM 
 
¶9.  (SBU) On February 23, LegAtt and INL met with Alik Shpekbayev, 
Head of the Law Enforcement Section of the Presidential 
Administration, to discuss the government's plans for law 
enforcement reform.  Shpekbayev said the Presidential Administration 
is collecting, analyzing, and summarizing information on law 
enforcement systems in neighboring countries, especially Georgia, 
Armenia, the Baltic States, and the Russian Federation.  He asked 
for information about the law enforcement structure in the United 
States at all levels, including the jurisdiction of each agency and 
interaction and cooperation between agencies; the prison system, 
including alternative sentencing and how the United States manages a 
 
ASTANA 00000271  003.3 OF 003 
 
 
large prison population; basic and in-service training; crime 
statistics and how databases are maintained; performance criteria; 
and standards for determining the number of officers needed by a 
specific agency in a specific area.  When asked about the time frame 
for developing and implementing a reform plan, Shpekbayev said, "the 
sooner, the better."  INL said it would provide materials on the law 
enforcement structure in the United States and consider the 
possibility of study visits and IVLPs to the United States.  The 
Legal Attache offered to provide information on crime statistics and 
joint task forces in the United States and offered to facilitate 
study visits. 
 
FORMER DEPUTY MINISTER OF DEFENSE SENTENCED 
 
¶10.  (U) February 25.  Former Deputy Minister of Defense Kazhimurat 
Mayermanov was sentenced to 11 years in prison after being convicted 
of corruption, abuse of office, and bribe-taking, according to the 
Military Prosecutor's Office.  The court also convicted Israeli 
citizen Boris Sheinkman of fraud and bribery, sentenced him to 11 
years in prison, and confiscated his property.  In addition, the 
former acting commander of Kazakhstan's Rocket and Artillery Forces 
received a seven-year prison sentence on charges of abuse of office 
and was stripped of his military rank of colonel.  Mayermanov, who 
oversaw the Defense Ministry's research and development projects, 
was arrested on April 10, 2009, for allegedly signing unauthorized 
contracts worth $82 million with Sheinkman, who represented Israeli 
defense firms IMI and Soltam Systems.  Journalists were not allowed 
to attend Mayermanov's trial.  Partly as a result of this case, the 
Ministry of Defense has expressed a preference for using Foreign 
Military Sales channels rather than direct dialogue with 
Western/U.S. companies to procure systems such as C-130 aircraft. 
 
HOAGLAND