US embassy cable - 05DUSHANBE1776

C O N F I D E N T I A L DUSHANBE 001776 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
STATE FOR EUR/CACEN, EUR/ACE, EUR/PPD, SA, DRL 
ALMATY FOR USAID 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL:  11/4/2015 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, EAID, KPAO, TI 
SUBJECT: TAJIKISTAN:  REQUEST FOR GUIDANCE - BILATERAL INFORMATION 
AGREEMENT 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: Richard E. Hoagland, Ambassador, EXEC, Embassy 
Dushanbe. 
REASON: 1.4 (b), (d) 
 
1.  (U) Request for guidance.  See para five below. 
 
2.  (C) In November 2003, President Rahmonov told the Ambassador 
he wanted to be able to broadcast a wider variety of news and 
opinion on Tajik State TV than simply Russia-generated material. 
 The Embassy offered access to VOA-TV Russian-language 
broadcasts.  After many months of preparation, IBB in Prague 
sent the required receiving equipment to Dushanbe for 
installation at Tajik State TV.  After months of equivocation, 
the Government of Tajikistan informed the Embassy that such 
broadcasts would be impossible unless the United States and 
Tajikistan completed and Bilateral Information Agreement.  We 
said we would look into it. 
 
3.  (C) The U.S. NGO Internews is finding it increasingly hard 
to fulfill its obligations to USAID and DRL grants in Tajikistan 
because of restrictive licensing laws and regulations for 
broadcast outlets and sources of production.  On October 26, 
Internews Country Director in Tajikistan, Troy Etulain, wrote to 
the Ambassador and suggested that Internews' roadblocks might be 
removed if the United States concluded a Bilateral Information 
Agreement (text of letter faxed to EUR/CACEN).  In fact, we 
doubt such a bilateral agreement would solve Internews' 
problems, because the fundamental issue is Tajikistan's strict 
control of its information space subsequent to "color 
revolutions" in Tbilisi, Kiev, and Bishkek, and prior to the 
late 2006 presidential election. 
 
4.  (C) In our opinion, a Bilateral Information Agreement would 
open a Pandora's Box for at least two reasons.  1) The 
Government of Tajikistan would view such an agreement as a 
"legal document."  In the ex-Soviet mindset prevalent here, the 
view is always "what is not explicitly permitted is always 
prohibited."  Thus, we would be setting ourselves up for the 
inevitable niggling legalisms that governments like this one use 
for control.  2) We are aware that the Government of Tajikistan 
would want an agreement on the model of their Russia-Tajikistan 
agreement, which, in theory, requires the mutual broadcast of 
each party's material.  This, of course, is impossible for the 
United States. 
 
5.  (C) GUIDANCE REQUEST:  We don't want to jump to conclusions 
and miss any possible chance to solve problems and advance the 
President's and Secretary's democracy agenda.  Therefore, 
Embassy Dushanbe requests Department of State guidance on the 
advisability of beginning negotiation for a Bilateral 
Information Agreement.  Should the Department's reply be 
positive, Embassy Dushanbe would appreciate a suggested 
negotiating text so that we can control the process from the 
beginning. 
 
 
HOAGLAND 
 
 
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