Staff Of Uzbek Newspaper Resigns Over Censorship Order
Radio Free Europe
Tashkent, July 17: The entire staff of the Uzbek newspaper `Mokhiyat` has resigned to protest an order from the publication`s new director to stop publishing articles critical of the government, centrasia.ru reported on 17 July. The newspaper belongs to the NIA Turkiston-press news agency. Sa`dulla Hakim became director of the agency last month. According to the report, Hakim formerly served as the head of the presidential information office. `Mokhiyat` journalists said that immediately after he took over the directorship, Hakim began to censor the contents of the newspaper. The journalists asserted that previously `Mokhiyat` was the only newspaper in Uzbekistan trying to report the truth. Recently, President Islam Karimov called on the media to be more critical in their reporting.
Kyrgyz Parties Prepare For Government Round Table
Radio Free Europe
Bishkek, July 16: Kyrgyz opposition parties held an informal meeting on 16 July to prepare for a 19 July government-sponsored roundtable, Deutsche Welle reported. The round table, in which President Askar Akaev is expected to participate, will focus on the contributions of political parties and non governmental organizations to the development of Kyrgyz society, as well as on the responsibilities of the media and government transparency. According to RFE/RL`s Kyrgyz Service, leaders of parties and groups that are considered irreconcilable opponents of the government have not been invited to attend. Parliamentarian Azimbek Beknazarov, head of the Asaba Party and the Movement for Akaev`s Resignation, has already said that his movement is too busy trying to force the president out of office to take part in such events.
Former President Mutalibov Seeking Registration As Presidential Candidate
Interfax
Baku, July 16: The action group acting on behalf of former Azerbaijani President Ayaz Mutalibov submitted his documents for registration as a presidential candidate on Wednesday, the Elections Commission`s press service told Interfax. The action group was set up on July 7, 2003. Meanwhile, Mutalibov faces a criminal case opened in the 1990s on charges of involvement in the deployment of Soviet troops in Baku in January, 1990 and a coup attempt in Azerbaijani in the mid-90s.
Azeri Pro-govt Party To Back Aliev`s Son At Presidential Polls
IRNA
Baku, July 15: The pro-government Azerbaijan Social Prosperity Party will back Ilkham Aliev, son of head of state Geidar Aliev, at the coming presidential elections. This statement was made on Tuesday by party chairman Khangusein Kyazymly at a news conference in Baku. Presidential elections will be held in Azerbaijan on October 15. For this purpose, according to the chairman, the party set up the election centre `Azerbaijan-2003` which launched work among voters all over the country. Kyazymly claimed that Aliev, junior, `made an impressive contribution to the policy and is a worthy successor to the course of the operating president`.
OSCE Concerned About Denied Registration Of Azerbaijani Democratic Party Leader
Interfax
Baku, July 14: The OSCE is concerned about the refusal of the Azerbaijani Central Election Commission to register former Parliamentary Speaker Rasul Guliyev as a candidate for president, OSCE Baku office chief Peter Burkhard said on Monday. He said the very fact that a renowned personality is unable to take part in elections in his country is a reason for concern.
Azerbaijani Supreme Court Confirms Refusal To Register Guliyev As Presidential Candidate
Interfax
Baku, July 14: The Azerbaijani Supreme Court on Monday upheld the decision of the Central Election Committee to deny Rasul Guliyev, leader of the opposition Democratic Party, registration as a presidential candidate, Interfax has learned. This means that Guliyev will not be able to run for president in the elections scheduled for October 15. Guliyev`s supporters conducted a picket in front of the Supreme Court building, demanding that he be registered as a presidential candidate. Democratic Party General Secretary Sardar Dzhalalogly told reporters after the hearing that the party intends to continue its fight for Guliyev`s registration. Last week, the Appeals Court of Azerbaijan also upheld the Central Election Commission`s decision to deny registration to Guliyev.
Banned Uzbek Opposition Group Reported To Preparing Registration Documents
Radio Free Europe
Tashkent, July 12: The banned Uzbek opposition movement Birlik (Unity) is preparing the documents necessary for registration with Uzbekistan`s Justice Ministry, centran.ru reported on 12 July. The movement, which lost its registration in 1993, was allowed to hold a congress, a necessary step in the registration process, in Uzbekistan in June. According to the report, the U.S. State Department is closely monitoring the progress of Birlik`s registration efforts.
`Steppe Eagle` Is Spreading Its Wings
Kazakhstanskaya Pravda
Astana, July 17: Opening ceremony of joint tactical exercise `The Steppe Eagle 2003` took place near Almaty, at the base of a landing brigade. Flags of the member countries - Kazakhstan, U.S.A. and Great Britain were hoisted. Units of airmobile forces, special forces and the Scottish Guard participate in the exercise. In the beginning of 2003 RK Minister of defence Altynbayev and his foreign counterparts agreed on the joint training. Subject of the exercise is special military operation of the airmobile forces to liquidate illegal armed brigades. The training consists of two phases - headquarters and field exercise, and have the next targets: coordination of headquarters actions, and training of the personnel in the conditions of desert and mountains. The military of the three countries will show their skills in landing and assault. The training will last up to 24th July.
Kyrgyz Military Officials Invited To Participate In NATO Exercises
Radio Free Europe
Bishkek, July 16: Three representatives of Kyrgyzstan`s Defence Ministry have been invited to take part in NATO military exercises in Lviv, Ukraine, akipress.org reported on 16 July. The exercises are being organized under NATO`s Partnership for Peace (PFP) program, of which Kyrgyzstan has been an active participant since it was established in the early 1990s. In Lviv, the Kyrgyz participants will join contingents from 12 other PFP states and eight NATO members to undergo training as multinational battalions in the use of computer systems and in field exercises. The objective of the exercises is to establish a common understanding of the tasks involved in peacekeeping operations.
Georgian Parliament Wants UN To Use Force In Abkhazia
Interfax
Tbilisi, July 16: The Georgian parliament on Wednesday passed a resolution requiring the government to request the UN Security Council to apply Section Seven of the UN Charter against Abkhazia. Section Seven envisions the use of force against a conflicting side failing to comply with the international community`s decisions. Moreover, the government ought to take steps towards the deployment of international peacekeepers in Abkhazia, the resolution reads. The government should re-examine all legal acts involving Abkhazia, the resolution reads.
Georgian Parliament Approves Deployment Of Troops To Iraq
Interfax
Tbilisi, July 16: The Georgian parliament on Wednesday approved the deployment of a Georgian military contingent to Iraq. Over a hundred troops including military doctors have trained intensively over the past two months for the peacekeeping mission in Iraq, the Georgian Defence Ministry told Interfax. The issue of sending Georgian military and civilian specialists to Iraq `has practically been resolved,` President Eduard Shevardnadze told a recent press conference.
First HIV/AIDS Prevention Project Starts In Uzbek Armed Forces
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, July 15: UN Theme Group on HIV/AIDS and the Ministry of Defence of Uzbekistan signed the first project on HIV/AIDS prevention in the Armed Forces. The project document was signed by Richard Conroy, UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Uzbekistan, and Mannapjon Akhmedov, Deputy Minister of Defence of Uzbekistan. According to the UN representative office in Tashkent, the project aims to increase the capacity of the Armed Forces in prevention of HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections (STI) through development of an education programme. The total budget of the project is $54,900 in direct funding from UNAIDS and UNDP, $21,000 in parallel funding and additional in-kind contributions. The project envisages holding workshops in Tashkent for lecturers from army education institutions, cadets and deputies of the commanders for education from the military units. Besides, army physicians will be trained in social and medical services for HIV testing and STI diagnosis and treatment. This training will then be offered to servicepersons at all military units. The duration of the project is July 2003-December 2004.
Ukraine Starts Implementation Of Uzbek Military Project
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, July 13: Military industry complex of Ukraine has started realisation of the contract with Uzbekistan, Ukrainian Ambassador to Uzbekistan Anatoliy Kasyanenko told a press conference in Tashkent. The contract envisages repair and modernisation of aviation and armoured machines of Uzbekistan. No details of the agreement were reported. According to military experts in Tashkent, it is the largest military order in three years, when Uzbekistan modernised its battle helicopters Mi-24 in France, Deutsche Welle reported. Uzbekistan chose Ukraine to implement its military order due to developing ties in all spheres.
Georgian Border Guards Chief Begins Visit To US
Radio Free Europe
Tbilisi, July 12: Valeri Chkheidze departed on 12 July for the United States for an official seven-day visit, according to Civil Georgia. Chkheidze is to meet with U.S. officials to review the work of the newly established Georgian Coast Guard and to discuss plans for expanded U.S. assistance. The Georgian Coast Guard was created two months ago at the recommendation of the United States. The Coast Guard operates from two divisional headquarters located at the western Georgian city of Poti and the Adjarian capital Batumi.
China Links Kyrgyz Bus Blaze To Separatist Group
MSNBC
Beijing, July 12: Two men wanted for the murders of 21 people shot and set ablaze on a Chinese bus in Kyrgyzstan in March have been linked to a Muslim separatist group China considers terrorist, the official China Daily said on Saturday. The paper said China`s embassy in Bishkek had confirmed that two of the suspects sought for the attack were identified as members of the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), an ethnic Uighur group agitating for independence in China`s northwest region of Xinjiang. Most of the passengers on the torched bus were Chinese Uighur traders returning home to Xinjiang after selling merchandise in Kyrgyz markets, Kyrgyz officials have said. They said the passengers could have been carrying a total of up to $500,000 in cash and blamed the incident on armed robbers. Last year, the United States added ETIM to its list of terrorist organisations at Beijing`s bidding. At the time, U.S. officials said ETIM had planned attacks against foreign missions in Kyrgyzstan. China has accused Uighur separatists of a series of bombings and uprisings since the 1980s and of fighting alongside Osama bin Laden`s al Qaeda network. But Uighur activists abroad have denied ETIM is a terrorist organisation and have accused Beijing of using the U.S.-led war on terror to justify a police crackdown on Uighurs by singling out ETIM unfairly. Some Western diplomats and scholars are sceptical that there is a unified Uighur independence movement and say most Uighurs are struggling against cultural and economic inequities.
Uzbekistan Records 3.8 per cent Growth Of GDP In 1H
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, July 18: The Cabinet of Ministers held a session on 18 July to sum up the results of Uzbekistan`s socio-economic development in the first six months of 2003. Speaking at the session, President Islam Karimov said that measures had been taken over the reporting period to deepen reforms in the main sectors of the economy. As a result, the GDP rose by 3.8 per cent, industrial output - 5.5 per cent, agricultural production - 3.8 per cent and volume of investments - 2.6 per cent, employment in the country rose by 2.8 per cent. GDP per capita grew by 2.6 per cent and the real income of the population by 8 per cent, the President said. Tight budget policy ensured execution of the state budget with a 0.5 per cent surplus to the GDP. Uzbekistan introduced some changes to tax policy in the beginning of the year, including reduction of income tax from 24 per cent to 20 per cent, assessment for social insurance from labour fund of legal entities from 37.5 per cent to 35 and abolished some taxes. This allowed the country to increase own investments of enterprises by 18 per cent to 46 per cent in the total volume of investments in Uzbek economy in the first half year.
International Reserves Growing
Kazakhstanskaya Pravda
Astana, July 17: International reserves of the National Bank continued rising in the first half of July 2003. In current prices net international reserves have grown 2.1 per cent (95.0mn USD), RK NB press service informs. Net monetary reserves have grown 95.4mn USD on account of currency purchase by the NB from domestic market and transfer of currency to the accounts of the Ministry of finances. Gold assets reduced 0.4mn USD, as a result of the 0.2-per-cent fall of the gold price on the world markets. In constant prices, net international reserves of the National Bank have grown 2.2 per cent; net assets in hard currency - 2.6 per cent; gold assets increased 0.1 per cent. Total international reserves of Kazakhstan (in current prices), including money of the National Fund (according to tentative data - 2,681mn USD), amounted to 7,270.1mn USD. Growth to the previous month was 1.2 per cent. Reduction of net internal assets of the National Bank on account of the increasing volume of short-term notes in circulation in the first two weeks of July 2003 resulted in contraction of monetary base by 2.2 per cent - 5.6bn tenge.
Uzbekistan To Build A Gas Pipeline Bypassing Turkmenistan
Interfax
Tashkent, July 17: Uzbekistan is to launch the Shurtan- Sherabad trunk gas pipeline in 2003. This pipeline will supply gas to southern regions in the country, bypassing Turkmenistan, a source in the national holding company Uzbekneftegaz told Interfax. The construction of the pipeline, at a cost of about 90 billion som, is expected to be completed at the end of August - start of September this year. Uzbekneftegaz financed the project. The source said that Uzneftegazstroi, a subsidiary of Uzbekneftegaz, is building the 193-km pipeline, which will have a capacity of about 1 bcm per annum. About 80 km of the pipeline has been built so far. Uztransgaz, which is part of Uzbekneftegaz, signed a contract with the U.S. company Zeromax for the turnkey construction of the most difficult section of the Shurtan-Sherabad pipeline - from the 81st km to the 167th km. The source refused to reveal the cost of the contract with the U.S. company, for reasons of commercial secrecy. He said that the pipeline passes through difficult, hilly territory. At the moment gas is transported to southern regions in Uzbekistan - to Sukhandarya region and the south of Kashkadarya region - through the Kelif-Dushanbe and Kelif-Murabek gas pipelines, significant sections of which pass through Turkmenistani territory. The launch of the Shurtan-Sherabad pipeline will mean that it is not necessary to transit Uzbek gas through Turkmenistan and will make it possible to meet the gas requirements of the southern regions in full. Uzbekistan may supply gas to Tajikistan by the same route.
Kazakhstan`s Karachaganak Oil Field Ships First Oil
Kazakhstanskaya Pravda
Astana, July 16: The giant Karachaganak oil field in western Kazakhstan shipped its first oil on 15 July, Kazinform, Interfax, and other Kazakh and Russian media reported on 16 July, citing British Gas (BG), one of the major firms working the field. BG head Frank Chapman noted that the field went into production exactly on schedule. The first sale of Karachaganak oil will take place at the end of September when the oil reaches Novorossiisk via the Caspian Pipeline Consortium`s pipeline system. BG and its main partner in operating the field, Italy`s ENI, have invested more than $1 billion in the project.
Caspian Experts Discuss Environmental Protection In Astana
IRNA
Astana, July 16: Caspian Sea experts have had a two-day meeting in Astana to discuss a legal mechanism for Caspian environmental protection. Experts from Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan and representatives of the United Nations discussed the draft of a framework for environmental protection of the Caspian Sea which will be presented to the Caspian governments for signing. It was noted at the meeting that the text of the convention had been discussed more than once at meetings of Caspian Sea representatives and all the disputable issues were settled at the meeting in Tehran in July 2002. Kazakh Deputy Environmental Minister Yenlik Nurgaliyeva said that the document would be signed before the end of the current year, but the precise date of signing had not been set.
Expert Meeting.
Kazakhstanskaya Pravda
Astana, July 14: Monday in Astana RK ecology Ministry and the Ministry of foreign affairs, in cooperation with the Caspian Ecological Programme, with financial support of UNEP, held eighth meeting of the plenipotentiaries on the final formulation of the legal mechanism of marine ecology in the Caspian Sea. In 1992 in Teheran representatives of five Caspian states made a resolution on designing a framework convention on safeguarding maritime environment. The convention draft was elaborated within the frameworks of the Caspian Ecological Programme with assistance of the Caspian states experts on the subject `Legal, regulating and economic mechanisms`, with financial support of UNEP.
Uzbekistan Moves Towards Full Currency Convertibility -top Banker
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, July 14: The deputy chairman of the Central Bank of Uzbekistan, Ravshan Gulyamov, has pledged the further liberalization of the national currency, the som. In an interview with Uzbek TV`s weekly `Tahlilnoma` news programme on 13 July, Gulyamov said that the country, as part of meeting the requirements of the International Monetary Fund, had already unified the black market and official exchange rates. Gulyamov said: `Actually, we have already unified the exchange rates. As you can see, there is a little difference between the exchange rates on the domestic foreign currency market. In other words, it is within permissible parameters.` Gulyamov also said that Uzbekistan`s rules on the current international financial operations, including foreign currency operations, would be brought into line with international practice: `The norms on making foreign trade calculations and the purchase and sale of foreign currency will be brought into line with international practice.` Talking about the limits imposed on the amount of foreign currency cash Uzbek citizens are allowed to buy, Gulyamov said that they would be gradually removed.`
Talks On The Construction Of Caspian Gas Pipeline May Be Held During CIS Summit
Interfax
Ashgabat, July 13: The first round of talks between the presidents of Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Russia and Ukraine on the construction of a new Caspian pipeline to transport Turkmenistani gas may be held at the CIS summit in Yalta in September this year. A source in the Turkmenistani Oil, Gas and Mineral Resource Ministry told Interfax that Turkmenistani President Saparmurat Niyazov made this announcement after the signing of an agreement with Naftohaz Ukrayiny and Itera on gas supplies in 2004. The Turkmenistani president said that this theme was brought up on Thursday during a telephone conservation with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Niyazov noted that by September the gas buyers - Naftohaz Ukrayiny and Gazprom - would have to hold joint negotiations, decide on the route of the pipeline and its cost and resolve a whole range of issues.
Turkmen 2003 Gas Exports Planned At 51 Billion Cubic Meters
Interfax
Ashgabat, July 12: Turkmenistan plans to export 51 billion cubic meters of natural gas in 2003, a presidential administration source quoted President Saparmurat Niyazov as saying in Ashgabat on Friday. Niyazov said that of this figure, 34 billion cubic meters will go to Ukraine, 7 billion to Iran, and up to 10 billion to international gas trader Itera. In 2004, Turkmenistan will obtain another buyer for its gas, bringing exports to 60 billion cubic meters. Apart from Ukraine (36 bcm in 2004), Itera (10 bcm), and Iran (8 bcm), another 6 billion cubic meters of gas will be supplied to Russia`s Gazprom, the president said.
Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan Develop Friendly Ties Through Water Main
Uzbek Report
Bishkek, July 17: Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan are developing friendly relations through water main for two boundary villages, AKIpress reported. The project called `Pure water - guarantee of health` has been launched in the south of Kyrgyzstan. Its primary goal is to strengthen amicable relations through supplying drinking water to the population of Jekemiste village of Aravan district (Kyrgyzstan) and Nayman village of Markhamat district (Uzbekistan). From now on, at least 4,000 residents of these two boundary villages will be supplied with drinking water due to joint efforts of local authorities and financial support of foreign donors.
OSCE Says Continued Dialogue Needed In Central Asia
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, July 17: The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Chairman-in-Office , Netherlands Foreign Minister Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, returned from a five-day visit to Central Asia convinced that there is no alternative to continued dialogue with the Central Asian states. `I am satisfied that I have been able to visit Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan and that I had discussions with the highest authorities of these countries as well as with representatives of the civil society`, the Chairman-in-Office said. `I hope that the personal contact I have established with the Presidents and Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the four countries will help us translate the priority this Chairmanship has given to Central Asia into intensified activities and co-operation.` Minister de Hoop Scheffer said that in all four countries there had been a discussion about the objectives and priorities of the Netherlands chairmanship of the OSCE and the way forward to the Maastricht Ministerial Council on 1 and 2 December, the OSCE official statement says. `One item on the OSCE`s agenda is the preparation of a document dealing with `new threats`. Terrorism, organised crime and various forms of trafficking have been recurring themes in my talks with the Central Asian leaders. Fighting an effective battle against the threat of terrorism is of great importance not only for that region, but for the OSCE as a whole `, said the Minister who stressed that responding to these threats should not be at the expense of respect for basic democratic and human rights.
13 Check Points To Be Opened On Uzbek-Kyrgyz Border
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, July 17: Uzbekistan has agreed with the offer of Kyrgyzstan to open 13 check points on the border, Deutsche Welle reported. The statement was made by Bazarbay Mambetov, Kyrgyz Vice Premier, who headed Kyrgyzstan`s delegation at the recent negotiations on border issues of the two states. According to Mambetov, such a measure would allow to increase commodity turnover between the neighbouring republics. in order to cardinally improve the situation, it is necessary to open a minimum of 40 check points on joint border, Kyrgyz Deputy Prime Minister said.
German Chancellor To Visit Kazakhstan In December
Interfax
Almaty, July 17: German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder is expected to pay an official visit to Kazakhstan in December per President Nursultan Nazarbayev`s invitation. Schroeder and Nazarbayev reached an agreement on the visit by telephone on Wednesday, the Kazakh presidential service has announced. Economic issues were also addressed, including German companies` projects in Kazakhstan in general and Siemens` telecommunications projects in particular.
Uzbek President Appoints New Envoy To Great Britain
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, July 17: Uzbek President appointed Tukhtapulat Riskiev as the ambassador of Uzbekistan to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Islam Karmov signed the corresponding decree on 17 July 2003.
Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan To Discuss Division Of Caspian Sea
Interfax
Almaty, July 17: Astana and Ashgabat have said Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan should hold trilateral negotiations to determine the point at which the lines dividing parts of the Caspian coast between the three countries intersect. This statement was made during the second round of talks between Kazakh and Turkmen experts on the division of the Caspian Sea floor, which were held in Astana on July 14-15. Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan have also discussed the geographical coordinate catalogues of the coastal line`s initial base points and the median lines dividing the Caspian Sea floor.
Turkmen Envoy To Armenia Seen As Latest Defector
MSNBC
Yerevan, July 16: Turkmenistan`s ambassador to Armenia has been sacked, an official at the mission in Yerevan said on Wednesday, but an opposition Web site said he had become the fourth high profile ambassador to defect. The official gave no reason for the dismissal of Toily Kurbanov, 32, but opposition Web site www.gundogar.org said he had refused to return to Ashgabat when summoned by the foreign ministry, and his whereabouts were unknown. The foreign ministry in Ashgabat would not comment to Reuters on Monday. A number of diplomats have fled recently rather than return to Turkmenistan, where President Saparmurat Niyazov, who styles himself Turkmenbashi the Great -- the word means `father of the Turkmen` -- is President-for-Life, Prime Minister, Commander in Chief and five time the Hero of Turkmenistan. Turkmenistan`s ambassador to Britain, Chary Babayev, defected earlier this year, the Web site reported, also after being summoned back to Ashgabat. Last year the Turkmen ambassador to Turkey fled when recalled, and in late 2000 Boris Shikhmuradov, a former foreign minister who later became ambassador to Beijing, fled to Moscow when recalled and announced that he was joining the opposition.
Georgia`s Deputy FM Meets Kharrazi
IRNA
Tehran, July 15: Georgian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for cultural affairs and foreign ministry spokesman Karlo Sikharulidze conferred here on Tuesday with Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi. A report released by the Foreign Ministry`s media department said that at the meeting, Sikharulidze assessed his negotiations in Tehran as quite positive and fruitful. He reiterated that the two countries have the potentials for cooperation in various cultural and art fields such as cinema, theater, painting, literary seminars and media affairs. The Georgian official noted that mutual cooperation in various cultural fields can be materialized under the framework of specific agreements.
German Delegation Holds Meetings With Uzbek Officials
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, July 14: Delegation led by Marcus Lening, member of German Bundestag, speaker of Free Democratic Party fraction in development politics, is visiting Uzbekistan. On 14 July the delegation visited a number of Uzbek government departments and establishments. At the meeting with Chairman of Oliy Majlis (Uzbek Parliament) Erkin Khalilov, the sides discussed opportunities to raise inter-parliamentary relations to the new level. The members of the delegation also held meetings at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Economy and Tashkent city administration, UzA reported.
Preparations To Agreement
Kazakhstanskaya Pravda
Astana, July 14: Second round of negotiations between experts of Kazakhstan and Turkmenia on demarcation of the Caspian seabed started at the foreign ministry of RK Monday. At first meeting in Ashkhabad the sides exchanged opinions on the methods of constructing a benchmark of basic coastline and a boundary; then they started studying maps, considered and agreed provisions of the draft agreement on delimitation of the Caspian seabed between the Republic of Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. At the meeting in Astana the experts intend to agree methods of the Caspian delimitation, and prepare a draft of the final document for signing.
Japan Allocates Uzbekistan 50,000 Dollar Education Grant
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, July 13: The Japanese government has allocated a grant to Uzbekistan for the implementation of a joint educational project under which Uzbek nationals will study at Japanese universities, sources from the Japanese embassy to Uzbekistan told ITAR-TASS on Monday, 14 July. According to the ambassador, Akio Kawato, the grant will amount to 50,000 dollars. More than 30 young people from Uzbekistan will receive higher education at leading higher educational establishments of Japan.
Tensions Test Formerly Friendly Ties Among Former Soviet States
The Seattle Times
Aybek, July 13: The border with Tajikistan has two faces in Aybek - one an imposing checkpoint behind an iron fence policed by stern border guards with dogs, the other an unmarked ditch. `This is the border,` Rojaboy Khamrayeva insists, pointing at the unimposing ditch a few steps from her house in this village 75 miles south of Uzbekistan`s capital, Tashkent. On the other side of the ditch, in Tajikistan, three men warm themselves by a bonfire as their sheep graze in a field. Their village is just across the field, some 300 yards away. One of them, Komilzhon Toirov, says he doesn`t even bother with formalities when crossing the border. `Why should I go through the checkpoint?` he says. `I live here.` This openness is disappearing, however. Uzbekistan is moving to impose strict controls along the entire border, a response to growing tensions among the five former Central Asian states of the Soviet Union. Some parts of its borders with Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan have been mined, leading to more than 40 civilian deaths. Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan began drifting apart as soon as the Soviet Union collapsed at the end of 1991. Border disputes, economic hardship and security pressures have created distrust among ethnically and culturally close nations that lived side by side for centuries without borders. The region was cut into five republics in the 1920s by Soviet leader Josef Stalin. His divide-and-rule dictatorship ran borders through areas populated by people of the same ethnic group. Now all independent, the countries are pressing territorial claims against one another. None wants to give in, and all have been putting armed guards and barbed wire along the borders and introducing visa requirements. The restrictions and harassment by poorly trained and poorly paid border and customs officers anger border dwellers who are losing the freedom to move about freely to visit relatives and do business.
Sezer Calls Ailing Leader Aliyev On Phone
Turkish Daily News
Ankara, July 12: President Ahmet Necdet Sezer talked to Azerbaijan`s veteran leader Haydar Aliyev on the phone. Aliyev who has been battling a series of ailments, and returned to a Turkish hospital on Tuesday where he was treated this spring after a collapse. No details were made available for the press about the tests on the 80-year-old leader of the oil-rich country, who is to run for a new term in office in October. Azerbaijani officials in Turkey branded the visit as a planned follow-up visit. The statement issued from the Presidency on Thursday said Sezer called Aliyev and conveyed his best wishes.
Uzbek-Swiss Conference On Drug Abuse Ends In Tashkent
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, July 12: Two-day Uzbek-Swiss conference on drug abuse has finished in Tashkent. The forum was organised within the framework of the agreement on implementation of a joint project on drug prevention signed between Foreign Ministries of Uzbekistan and Switzerland in February 2003. According to Swiss Ambassador to Uzbekistan Wilhelm Mayer, the conference favoured fruitful exchange of experience and knowledge between Uzbek and Swiss specialists, representing law enforcement and health care bodies, as well as NGOs. The project is financed by Swiss Federal Health care Office and implemented by Swiss No Contact organisation. Head of No Contact Jacob Huber said the project had started in February and should have a positive impact to Uzbekistan. He said the project aims to reduce the number of drug users in two largest cities of Uzbekistan - Tashkent and Samarkand. Uzbek partners are NGOs Sabo (Samarkand) and Ayol (Tashkent) NGOs, which provide free syringes to drug users. 19,000 drug users are officially registered in Uzbekistan, but, according to Deputy Health Minister Damin Asadov, the number of unregistered drug users is much higher. He said the capacity of Uzbek drug centres is only 1,500 people. So far 14,933 people have undergone treatment at these centres.
Kyrgyzstan To Tighten Control Over Export, Import Of Products Used To Make WMD
Interfax
Bishkek, July 14: The government of Kyrgyzstan plans to introduce mandatory licensing for the import, export and re-export of products entered on the so-called National Control List, which may be used to manufacture weapons of mass destruction. This measure will help create a system of tight control over the movement of such products, First Deputy Minister for Foreign Trade and Industry Nina Kirichenko told the Economic Policy Council on Tuesday. The National Control List was drawn up following the adoption of the Law on Export Control, which envisions procedures for controlling products used in manufacturing weapons of mass destruction. The list includes uranium, rare earth metals and oxides exported from Kyrgyzstan. The import of dual-use products, including cyanides, will also be licensed.
Azerbaijani HR Orgs Concerned About Detention Of Opposition Leader`s Guards
Interfax
Baku, July 17: A monitoring group of Azerbaijani human rights organizations is concerned about the recent detention of vehicles and escorts of Isa Gambar, chairman of the Musavat opposition party. `The actions endanger security of Musavat party leader, candidate for president Isa Gambar,` says the statement released in Baku on Thursday. They think that the actions violate the right to free traveling and limit the ability of the Musavat leader to participate in the elections campaign. Two bodyguards and the driver of the Musavat leader were detained in Baku last Wednesday.
OSCE To Train Kyrgyz Police To Cope With Mass Disturbances
Radio Free Europe
Bishkek, July 16: A spokesman for the OSCE Centre in Bishkek, Shamshibek Mamyrov, told a press conference at the Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry on 16 July that an OSCE police-training program will definitely include the formation of special police units to deal with `mass disturbances,` akipress.org reported. Mamyrov was quoted as asserting that such units are necessary order to avoid diverting ordinary police from their normal jobs, adding that the experience of `many countries` has shown that special units are particularly effective in dealing with mass disturbances. The OSCE program also includes the formation of eight mobile canine units and two checkpoints equipped with modern equipment to fight drug smuggling. Mamyrov added that the OSCE expects the success of the police program will encourage the Kyrgyz government to allocate funds to reform the law enforcement system.
Special Focus
The Kazakh Military Looks WestIn July 2003, NATO Secretary-General Lord Robertson visited Kazakhstan during a trip to Central Asia to promote NATO`s relations with these states. Whilst generally praising Kazakhstan for its increasingly deepening cooperation with the Alliance, Robertson particularly thanked President Nazarbayev and the Kazakh parliament for deciding to offer a small number of troops in support of post-war reconstruction in Iraq.
To read more, click on the link:
http://www.cacianalyst.org/view_article.php?articleid=1570
Light At The End Of Baku - Asghabat Tunnel?
Late in June, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Vilayat Quliyev stated that his government would welcome the resumption of the activities of the Turkmen embassy in Baku. He insisted that the embassy could resume its operation `at any moment`, while referring to the Azerbaijani embassy`s operation in Ashgabat as `quite normal`. The Turkmen government, which closed its embassy`s in Baku about two years ago over disputes with Azerbaijan, has recently sought to improve ties with its neighbours as reflected in its interest in normalizing relations with Uzbekistan. Azerbaijan seems to have appreciated this new conciliatory mood in Ashgabat, which they want to explore to end the current unfriendly relations with their Caspian neighbour.
To read more, click on the link:
http://www.cacianalyst.org/view_article.php?articleid=1571
Political Institutions Fragile As Georgia Heads Into Elections
As the election campaign intensifies before the parliamentary elections scheduled for 2 November 2003, the unwillingness of President Eduard Shevardnadze to seek compromise with the strong opposition over key issues of the election code prompted former U.S. State Secretary James Baker to suggest election guidelines during his July 5-6 visit in Georgia.
To read more, click on the link:
http://www.cacianalyst.org/view_article.php?articleid=1572
US Pressure Helps Achieve Breakthrough In Georgian Domestic Political Dispute
Building domestic pressure in Georgia has eased following the acceptance by political leaders of US proposals designed to ensure fair parliamentary elections later this year. Georgia continues to be buffeted by political turbulence, however, with the recent flare-up of Russian-Georgian tension over potential American surveillance flights.
To read more, click on the link:
http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav071903.shtml
Report Dated 18 July 2003