US embassy cable - 05ALMATY422

UNCLAS  ALMATY 000422 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
FOR PA/OBS/BS GEORGE SANTULLI, EUR/PPD JARRETT BASEDOW 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KPAO, OPRC, OIIP, KZ 
SUBJECT:  FY05 TV CO-OP PROPOSALS FOR KAZAKHSTAN 
 
Ref:  04 State 270161 
 
1.  U.S. Embassy-Almaty offers the following TV co- 
operative projects for FY05, in descending order of 
priority.  Post plans to cover international airfare costs 
not covered by the stations and will arrange pre-departure 
briefings for selected TV crews. 
 
2a.  "Muslims in the United States."  The "Mir" TV Company 
with broadcast affiliates in the former Soviet republics 
now part of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) 
would like to participate in a program focusing on how 
Muslims live in the United States.  Although this topic has 
been around a couple years, it still has an audience among 
the majority Muslim populations in Kazakhstan and other 
regions of the CIS.  In Kazakhstan one of the most popular 
publications distributed among contacts is the Kazakh 
language version of the IIP publication, "Muslim Life In 
America." 
 
2b.  The target audience does not have access to the kind 
of on-the-scene reporting Mir TV could provide from a visit 
to the U.S.  Other TV co-ops on the same topic have shown 
that, by allowing Muslims to speak candidly about their 
lives, the program will demonstrate both freedom of speech, 
and freedom of religion.  "Mir" TV plans to prepare two 
films - one in Russian and one in Kazakh, 20 minutes each - 
about Muslim Americans, to be broadcast in prime time. 
They would like to cover the history of Islam in America, 
how the faithful practice their religion, interethnic 
relations, the attitude of the U.S. Government to mosques, 
and interview prominent Muslim-Americans.  (They have 
expressed interest in interviewing Muhammed Ali.)  "Mir" 
will cover the cost of one round-trip ticket for the 
correspondent and post will pay for two other roundtrip 
tickets, one for the cameraman, another for an interpreter. 
 
3a.  "Prevention of Drug Addiction and Rehabilitation of 
Drug Addicts in the U.S."  Drug addiction is a serious 
problem in Kazakhstan, affecting at least 50,000, according 
to official statistics, and as many as 340,000 by 
unofficial estimates.  Most addicts live in Almaty, a city 
of over one million, and other large cities.  One of the 
most alarming aspects of the problem is that intravenous 
drug users are the leading cause of the spread of HIV/AIDS 
in the country. 
 
3b.  For several years Almaty's municipal independent 
station, "Yuzhnaya Stolitsa," has been covering the issues 
of drug interdiction in a special weekly program, "Znak 
Bedy" (Mark of Misfortune).  Recently the program was 
recognized by the UNDP as providing the best coverage among 
the national mass media outlets of the problem of drug 
addiction in spreading HIV/AIDS in Kazakhstan. 
 
3c.  "Yuzhnaya Stolitsa" proposes five twenty-minute 
programs covering U.S. programs of prevention and 
rehabilitation, to be broadcast in prime time.  Topics will 
include the U.S. national strategy for drug interdiction, 
the work of federal, state and local law enforcement 
agencies, laws about drug trafficking and possession, and 
the role of the courts in sentencing those convicted. 
Meetings at think tanks to discuss innovative deterrence 
methods and visits to rehabilitation centers to observe 
treatment programs would also be important parts of the 
documentary series.  "Yuzhnaya Stolitsa" will cover the 
cost of one ticket, post will pay for two more. 
 
4a  "Migration and Border Control in the United States." 
The independent "Era TV," a regional broadcaster based in 
the capital Astana, proposes six 15-minute weekly programs 
focused on immigration and border control issues and 
structured as a comparison of immigration problems in the 
United States and Kazakhstan.  Each program will be 
broadcast in both Russian and Kazakh. 
 
4b.  Over the last several years as Kazakhstan has 
prospered economically, it has faced increasing problems of 
illegal immigration from bordering countries by people 
seeking a better quality of life in Kazakhstan.  The 
illegal immigrants are often exploited and become victims 
of traffickers, who effectively enslave them for low wages 
or only room and board.  Besides the illegal immigration, 
the country also faces problems as a transit point for 
narcotics coming from Afghanistan and destined for 
domestic, as well as Russian and European markets.  The 
2004 terrorist attacks in Uzbekistan allegedly carried out 
by Kazakhstani citizens are at the center of a dispute 
between the Governments of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. 
Border control is at the center of attention of the 
President, Parliament, NGOs, and, consequently, the TV 
audience. 
 
4c.  The journalists would like to interview U.S. 
 
 
Government officials, Senators and Representatives who deal 
with migration and border control issues.  They would also 
like to visit ports of entry in the Northeast to observe 
how the system of biometrics functions in verifying 
travelers entering the U.S., as well as the south-western 
border sites of illegal crossings from Mexico, and 
detention centers for illegal immigrants.  One of the goals 
of the two-week program is to produce a documentary that 
can also show Kazakhstani Border and customs officers how 
their counterparts operate in the U.S., facing similar 
challenges.  The reporters hope to find out more about U.S. 
migration legislation and explain it to their Kazakhstani 
audience. 
 
5a.  Another project suggested by "Yuzhnaya Stolitsa" is 
"Environmental Management in the United States."  Pollution 
is a serious problem in Kazakhstan, which is home to some 
of the worst ecological disasters in the world.  Besides 
the tragic demise of the Aral Sea and nuclear contamination 
in Semipalatinsk, the larger cities are polluted by 
automobile emissions, particulates from coal burned in 
homes, and industrial pollution from factories.  Kazakhstan 
also faces the problem of minimizing the environmental 
impact of drilling for oil in the country's vast oil 
reserves on the Caspian Sea. 
 
5b.  "Yuzhnaya Stolitsa" would like to show how individual 
citizens, government, NGOs and private companies each 
approach the challenge of protecting the environment.  The 
reporters would like to explore whether the experience of 
the United States might be a model for solving similar 
problems in Kazakhstan.  They would like to interview 
officials responsible for planning, coordinating and 
implementing environmental policies at the federal, state, 
and municipal levels.  The program will include a visit to 
the headquarters of Chevron-Texaco, one of several firms 
with oil extraction facilities in Kazakhstan. 
 
5c.  The documentaries would be broadcast on "Yuzhnaya 
Stolitsa's" "Sreda" (Environment) program, the only regular 
weekly program covering environmental issues in Kazakhstan. 
The station will cover one round-trip ticket and currently 
is negotiating with Chevron-Texaco to pay for a second 
round trip ticket.  Depending on Chevron-Texaco's 
involvement, one or two other tickets would be covered by 
post funds. 
 
Ordway 
 
 
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