Kyrgyz Opposition Official Denies Embezzlement Allegations
Radio Free Europe
Bishkek, July 24: Emil Aliev, senior leader of the opposition Ar-Namys Party while party Chairman Feliks Kulov remains in prison, told journalists on 24 July that the accusations made against him the previous day by presidential administrator Bolot Djanuzakov were false, RFE/RL`s Kyrgyz Service reported the same day. Djanuzakov, who heads the department of defense and security in the office of President Askar Akaev, told journalists that Aliev had embezzled $80,000 from farmers in Batken Oblast. Djanuzakov used Aliev to illustrate his point that a wide range of political figures had been able to take part in a government-organized roundtable on 19 July.
OSCE Baku Office Picketed
Interfax
Baku, July 23: About 50 members of the Organization for the Liberation of Karabakh staged an authorized picket near the Baku office of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in European (OSCE) on Wednesday. This action was dedicated to the tenth anniversary of Armenia`s seizure of the town of Agdam (280 kilometers southwest of Baku). An Interfax correspondent reported that the picket`s participants were holding posters with the slogans `Karabakh or Death`.`
Trial Of Independent Journalist Highlights Gay Rights Problem In Uzbekistan
MSNBC
Tashkent, July 23: An independent journalist charged with sodomy went on trial Wednesday in Uzbekistan, in a case highlighting concerns about media freedom and pressure against homosexuals in this tightly controlled Central Asian country. The arrest and closed trial of journalist Ruslan Sharipov, who is openly gay, has been criticized by international human rights and press groups. Imprisoned since his May 26 arrest, he also faces charges of having sex with minors and managing prostitutes. In an open letter from jail to President Bush, Sharipov said those charges were fabricated and that he was being threatened with torture to confess. Nazima Kamolova, one of Sharipov`s lawyers, said in an interview that the charges were `directly linked to his journalistic activities.`
Azerbaijan`s Opposition Party Musavat Rallies In Baku
Interfax
Baku, July 23: Azerbaijan`s opposition party Musavat on Wednesday protested against the recent detention of party leader Isa Gambar. The authorized rally was held outside the building of the Main Police Department. Azerbaijani authorities have turned the police into an instrument for putting political pressure on the opposition, said Musavat deputy head Ibragim Ibragimli.
Interview With Prominent Opposition Leader
Central Asia Daily
Dushanbe, July 23: Although the five-year civil war ended in 1997, Tajikistan still suffers the legacy of the conflict. The peace agreement between the government and the United Tajik Opposition (UTO) brought relative stability to the country, but the recent constitutional referendum aimed at strengthening the position of incumbent President Emomali Rahmonov has done little to foster reconciliation and accountability. In an interview with IRIN, Mahmadruzi Iskandarov, the leader of the opposition Democratic Party of Tajikistan, called for transparency in the allocation of international aid and warned that growing authoritarianism could destabilise the fragile peace process. QUESTION: What are the most pressing political issues in Tajikistan currently? ANSWER: On the political front we have a lot of demands. There are a lot of things hampering the work of the political parties. The law on mass media needs improvements so that freedom of expression is enhanced. The law on elections needs improvements as well. We have called for all local governments in the districts and villages to be elected and not nominated. The most important thing we are demanding is transparency in the budget and the distribution of resources, especially international aid - it should be spent in a transparent manner. Corruption is destroying our society so we are demanding strict mechanisms to fight corruption. We also feel that for a small and poor country like Tajikistan the law enforcement structures are too large. We need reforms in the security sector as well.
Kazakh Authorities Deny Pardon To Opposition Leader
Interfax
Almaty, July 23: Kazakh authorities have denied a pardon to the former chief of the Pavlodar regional administration Galymzhan Zhakiyanov, a leader of the Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan party, who is serving a prison term. On July 2, Zhakiyanov`s wife sent a letter to President Nursultan Nazarbayev requesting a pardon for her husband, given his deteriorating health and obvious signs of tuberculosis, the Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan said in a statement circulated on Wednesday. It said the letter was considered by the presidential legal department, a division of the presidential clemency commission. It turned the request down on the grounds that in accordance with the law, requests for pardon must be submitted to the president personally by the convicted person through the prison administration.
Rejected Azerbaijani Presidential Candidate Denied Second Attempt At Registration
Radio Free Europe
Baku, July 22: The initiative group that nominated former President Ayaz Mutalibov as a candidate for the 15 October presidential election has appealed to the Appeals Court the Central Election Commission`s refusal to register Mutalibov for the ballot, zerkalo.az reported on 23 July. On 22 July, Interfax quoted CEC secretary Inglab Nasimov as saying that those would-be candidates whose registration applications were rejected will not be permitted to seek registration a second time.
Kyrgyzstan: Concerns Over Press Freedom
Central Asia Daily
Ankara, July 22: Independent media representatives and international organisations have expressed concern over a decline in press freedom in Kyrgyzstan, once considered an island of democracy in the region, since its independence in 1991 after the collapse of the Soviet Union. `There is no press freedom in Kyrgyzstan,` Zamira Sydykova, the editor of the opposition Respublica newspaper told IRIN from the capital, Bishkek. `The judicial system, which is not independent, is responsible for the fact that most of the [independent] newspapers might be closed down in the near future,` she said, adding that there were many lawsuits initiated against each independent publication. `We cannot write about corruption and high-ranking officials, because they [state officials] use their power to bankrupt us,` she said. Kuban Mambetaliyev, head of a local NGO, Journalists, said that the two articles in the current criminal code on libel and defamation were being used by some elements of the government against the independent media.
Tajik Democratic Party Members Reject Opposition To Government
Radio Free Europe
Dushanbe, July 21: Lower-echelon members of the Democratic Party of Tajikistan voted at a party congress on 19 July for the party to cooperate with the government, rejecting the party leadership`s opposition stance, Asia Plus-Blitz and Deutsche Welle reported on 21 July. Opening the congress, party leader Mahmadruzi Iskandarov attacked the government of President Imomali Rakhmonov for failing to reduce poverty, to overcome the domination of Tajik politics by regional and clan interests, or to cope with the high unemployment rate. Iskandarov and other party leaders again criticized the recent referendum on constitutional changes, which the Democratic Party boycotted.
Some Kazakh Electoral Commissions Want Protection Against Slander
Radio Free Europe
Astana, July 21: Members of election commissions at the electoral district, raion, and polling-station level in Almaty have proposed that a draft law on elections include provisions to protect the honor and dignity of commission members against unfounded accusations, khabar.kz reported on 21 July. Commission members gathered that day to discuss and suggest alterations to a draft law on elections.
Former President Refused Registration For Azerbaijani Presidential Election
Radio Free Europe
Baku, July 21: By a vote of 10 against and five in favor, the Central Election Commission (CEC) rejected on 21 July former President Ayaz Mutalibov`s application to register as a candidate in the 15 October presidential ballot, Turan and Interfax reported. Commission Secretary Inglab Nasirov said that Mutalibov`s supporting documentation contained errors and that Mutalibov is registered as resident in Russia.
Kyrgyz Parties Approve Creation Of Civic Council
Radio Free Europe
Bishkek, July 19: The day before the roundtable with the government, the centrist New Times Party organized a roundtable of leaders of 14 political parties, kabar.kg reported on 19 July. The purpose of the meeting, according to New Times leader Bolot Begaliev, was the presentation of his party`s proposal for creation of a Civic Council of Kyrgyzstan that would bring together not only political parties, but also NGOs and individuals for whom the council would function as an arena for constructive dialogue among all political forces in the country.
Kyrgyz President, Meets With Opponents, Insists He Won`t Run Again
MSNBC
Bishkek, July 19: President Askar Akayev reassured opposition and humanitarian groups Saturday that he won`t run for another term, dismissing allegations of serious setbacks in Kyrgyzstan`s democratic development. Akayev`s regime - once seen as the most progressive in former Soviet Central Asia - has drawn international criticism for a constitutional referendum that the opposition said strengthened the president`s power while reducing civil rights. At a meeting of representatives from the government, news media, political parties and non-governmental groups, Akayev said he won`t seek re-election when his term expires in two years. `New constitutional amendments don`t allow a new term for me,` he said. `The upcoming elections in 2005 will take place in full accordance with the constitution and democratic principles.` Akayev also rejected contentions that Kyrgyzstan - a country on the western border of China - is stumbling on the road to democracy.
US And Russia Reported To Be Discussing Joint Use Of Kyrgyz Air Space
Radio Free Europe
Bishkek, July 25: A Russian air base is scheduled to open in October in the Kyrgyz town of Kant, some 20 kilometers east of Bishkek. Among the final details that have to be worked out by the Russian military in discussions now under way with U.S. officials is joint use of Kyrgyz airspace by the Russian base at Kant and the U.S.-led coalition air base on the western edge of Bishkek, akipress.org reported on 25 July, quoting a statement made by CIS Collective Security Council Secretary-General Nikolai Bordyuzha in Moscow the previous day. The Russian base, officially described as part of the Collective Security Organization`s rapid reaction force for Central Asia, was originally scheduled to open in July.
Iran Supports Decrease Of Foreign Military Presence In Central Asia
Tehran Times
Moscow, July 25: Tehran advocates the `soonest consultations with Moscow on reduction of foreign military presence in Central Asia,` special envoy of Iran`s president Mahdi Safari said in an interview with Tass on Thursday. Safari is currently in Moscow to attend tenth meeting of the special working group of representative of the Caspian `group of five.` After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 the U.S. has deployed troops in some Central Asian countries which has caused concerns for Russian officials. He said, `Russia and Iran have practically got down to a development work of necessary details.` `Now the parties are to define terms and an agenda of the full scale consultations,` he said. He did not preclude that the consultations may start in Tehran in the near time.
Uzbekistan Foreign Ministry Demands Punishment Of Kyrgyz Border Crossers
Radio Free Europe
Tashkent, July 24: Uzbekistan`s Foreign Ministry has demanded that Kyrgyzstan punish the young men involved in the 16 July border incident in which one Kyrgyz was killed, Interfax reported on 24 July, quoting the Foreign Ministry`s press service. According to the Uzbek account of the incident, some 40 Kyrgyz attempted to cross the border illegally and threw stones and Molotov cocktails at Uzbek border guards who tried to stop them. The Uzbek guards fired into the air, but in the melee one Kyrgyz was shot. The latest version adds metal chains to the Kyrgyz arsenal and asserts that the Kyrgyz tried to disarm the Uzbek guards. The Kyrgyz side says that four men tried to cross the border stream on a makeshift bridge and became involved in a quarrel with border guards, one of whom produced a weapon and shot one of the Kyrgyz. Neither side shows any willingness to change its assessment of the event. The Uzbek Foreign Ministry insists that the border guards were doing their duty. The ministry statement also demands that Kyrgyzstan take steps to prevent the infiltration of Uzbek territory by Kyrgyz citizens.
International Military Exercises End In Kazakhstan
Radio Free Europe
Astana, July 24: Military exercises involving Kazakh, British, and U.S. troops ended in Almaty Oblast on 24 July, khabar.kz reported the same day. The exercises, known as `Steppe Eagle 2003,` began on 17 July. Five hundred Kazakh airborne troops and the Kazakh peacekeeping battalion Kazbat were joined by U.S. Special Forces and Scots Guards to practice repelling an incursion into Kazakh territory by armed groups. Kazakh First Deputy Defense Minister Bulat Darbekov was quoted by khabar.kz as noting that such international exercises are standard practice in coalitions. In August, Kazakhstan is scheduled to host large-scale exercises of troops from Shanghai Cooperation Organization member states. Assessing `Steppe Eagle 2003,` a British warrant officer noted to khabar.kz that Kazakh servicemen will be serving in Iraq along with British forces, so it was very important for the Kazakhs to have a chance to learn how to work with their future partners.
Uzbekistan Attends GUUAM Member States Military Exercises
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, July 23: Uzbekistan is taking part in command-staff exercises aimed at development of cooperation in the field of military-civil planning in emergency situations. Heads of emergency ministries of GUUAM member states are attending the exercises. US, Turkish and Bulgarian experts are participating as observers, Interfax reported.
Uzbek Air Defence Forces Take Part In CIS Military Exercises
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, July 23: Air Defence Forces of Uzbekistan are participating in joint manoeuvres of the CIS states `Military Commonwealth-2003`. The final stage of the manoeuvres will be held in late August-early September on Russian training ground Ashuluk, Astrakhan oblast. Commander-in-chief of Russian Air Forces, Vladimir Mikhailov, with a group of generals and officers of the General Air Staff Headquarters will check the readiness of the training ground for the event. According to Aviaport.ru, air defence and air force units of the Russian Baltic fleet and Belarus were involved in the first stage of manoeuvres held during 15 June-4 July. The second stage with participation of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan started on 5 July and will last until 20 August.
Uzbekistan Conducts Military Exercises On Tajik And Afghan Border
Radio Free Europe
Tashkent, July 22: Uzbekistan is conducting major military exercises near its borders with Tajikistan and Afghanistan, Deutsche Welle reported on 22 July, quoting the head of the Uzbek Defense Ministry`s press service, Lieutenant Colonel Kamil Djabarov. The exercises reportedly involve several thousand soldiers, including regular army units, Interior Ministry troops, and border guards. The mountainous location was selected because it was the site of attempts by Muslim militants to penetrate into Uzbek territory in 2001, according to Djabarov. He said that the exercises are intended to provide practice in coordinating the command of the various security agencies. The special services of the Defense and Interior ministries have been assigned to carry out raids in the mountains in conditions of extreme heat and without external support. The exercises are also intended to generate updates of the maps of the mountains, since the old maps predate the collapse of the USSR.
OSCE To Discuss Georgian-Russian Border Monitoring Prospects In October
Interfax
Tbilisi, July 21: The OSCE leaders have decided to put prospects of Georgian-Russian border monitoring by military observers on the agenda of the OSCE Permanent Council in October. `Results of the monitoring have been quite good so far, as the presence of OSCE observers on the border has made it possible to decrease tensions on both sides. This will doubtlessly be taken into account during the discussion of Georgian-Russian border monitoring prospects that the OSCE Permanent Council will conduct in October,` Yaroslav Petrusevich, spokesman for the OSCE Conflict Prevention Center, told Interfax-Military News Agency on Monday.
Kyrgyzstan Formally Protests Border Shooting
Radio Free Europe
Bishkek, July 19: The Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry formally protested to Uzbekistan about the shooting of a Kyrgyz citizen by an Uzbek border guard on 16 July, Interfax reported on 18 July. On 19 July, the Uzbek Foreign Ministry announced that Kyrgyzstan was responsible for the incident, RIA-Novosti and ITAR-TASS reported on 19 July. According to the Uzbek version of the incident, some 40 Kyrgyz citizens attempted to cross the border illegally and threw stones and bottles containing flammable substances at Uzbek border guards who tried to stop them. The Uzbek side asserts that the border guards only fired into the air, and a number of the guards were injured by the aggressive actions of the Kyrgyz. According to the Kyrgyz version, four young men crossed the border to talk to Uzbek border guards about building a bridge across the stream that forms the border, a quarrel broke out, and one Kyrgyz citizen, Adil Urkinbaev, was killed. Along with the protest note about the killing of a Kyrgyz citizen, the Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry on 18 July sent its Uzbek counterpart another demand for maps of the minefields along the border between the two countries, akipress.org reported.
European Commission Commits Funds For Central Asian Border Management And Police Reform
Radio Free Europe
Tashkent, July 19: The European Commission has committed up to 2.5 million euros ($2.84 million) under its Rapid Reaction Mechanism for border-management and police-reform programs in Central Asia, uzreport.com reported on 19 July. The programs include intensive training programs and border-demarcation activities that will help the Central Asian states fight the trafficking of drugs, arms, and human beings. Of the total, 1 million euros have been earmarked for the OSCE police-training project in Kyrgyzstan. The rest will be used for the first phase of the border-management program, the total cost of which is projected to be 20 million euros. TACIS and several EU member states will finance the second phase of the border program.
Two Alleged Hizb Ut Tahrir Activists Arrested In Tajikistan
Radio Free Europe
Dushanbe, July 20: Two more alleged activists of the illegal Muslim extremist movement Hizb ut-Tahrir have been arrested in Tajikistan, ITAR-TASS reported on 20 July, citing the Tajik Interior Ministry. One of the detainees was reported to have been caught distributing leaflets in the town of Chkalovsk in northern Tajikistan, while the other was arrested in central Tajikistan`s Kofarnihon Raion. According to the ministry, the second detainee was allegedly the leader of a Hizb ut-Tahrir group in the raion. The two arrests bring the total of Hizb ut-Tahrir activists arrested in Tajikistan this year to 30. According to the Tajik security service, 12 of those arrested have been tried and convicted.
Caspian Row Halts $9Bln BP Project
The Moscow Times
Baku, July 25: BP`s $9 billion exploration project in the Caspian Sea has been indefinitely suspended by Iran and Azerbaijan because the two states cannot resolve a dispute over ownership of the field, which has enough crude to supply France for three years. Meanwhile in Moscow, wrapping up three days of meetings to discuss an international convention to define ownership rights for the sea, envoys of the five nations bordering the energy-rich Caspian said Thursday they had edged closer toward reaching an agreement on dividing its vast resources, but failed to offer any time frame for settling the disputed demarcation of territory. The Caspian is believed to contain the world`s third-largest energy reserves, but its legal status has been in limbo since the 1991 Soviet collapse. Russia shares the sea with Iran and the three former Soviet republics of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, and they have repeatedly failed to agree on how to divide it. The five nations` envoys said in a joint statement that they had made `certain progress` during their talks and moved closer to each other on some of the issues. Deputy Foreign Minister Viktor Kalyuzhny called the meeting `friendly and constructive,` but he and other envoys acknowledged that they have no immediate solution to the dispute.
Azerbaijan Socar`s Share Of Pipeline Finance $160 Million-$180 Million
Central Asia Daily
Baku, July 25: Azerbaijan`s state oil company Socar has interim financing obligations of $160 million-$180 million for its share of a Caspian oil pipeline, a company source told Dow Jones Newswires Friday.Socar holds 25 per cent in the BP PLC-led Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline. In the first half of July, Socar contributed its share of the pipeline operator`s charter capital totaling $234 million.
Tajikistan Hopes To Increase Wheat Harvest By 14 per cent In 2003
Interfax
Dushanbe, July 25: Tajikistan is expecting to harvest 640,000 tonnes of wheat and 610,000 tonnes of raw cotton this year, which is 14.1 per cent and 18.4 per cent, respectively, more than last year, Deputy Minister of Agriculture Ikhtiyer Ashurov told Interfax. `Some 800,000 tonnes of grain will be harvested this year, including 640,000 tonnes of wheat. We hope to harvest 610,000 tonnes of cotton as planned, though we had to resow cotton on 25 per cent of the areas planted,` Ashurov said.
Kazakhstan In Poverty Reduction Program With ADB
Kazakhstan News
Astana, July 25: The Government of Kazakhstan and the Asian Development Bank have signed a Poverty Partnership Agreement, that lays down their shared vision for reducing poverty in the country. Kazakhstan First Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Pavlov and Muhammad Tusneem, Director General of ADB`s East and Central Asia Department, signed the agreement yesterday. The joint strategy for poverty reduction starts with the recognition of the multi-dimensional features of poverty and an understanding of its root causes. Priorities in the short and medium term, to 2010, will include promoting economic diversification through private sector development, improving human development, and boosting governance in the public sector through technical assistance.
BTC Co. Gives SOCAR $200 Mln To Finance Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Pipeline
Interfax
Baku, July 25: An agreement between the State Oil Company of the Azerbaijani Republic (SOCAR) and other shareholders in BTC Co. (the operator for the construction of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline) for a credit to finance the SOCAR share of the project will be signed within a week, BTC Co. President Michael Townsend said. `We have achieved major success in the negotiation process to grant a credit to SOCAR. Within a week we will complete all negotiations and a financing agreement will be signed,` he said. He did not reveal the conditions for the credit and noted that at the moment the agreement and its conditions are being discussed. SOCAR will receive a credit of about $200 million. SOCAR President Natik Aliyev also confirmed this information. The cost of the Baku-Ceyhan project is estimated at $2.95 billion. According to the concept for the financing of the project, the participating companies will cover 30 per cent of the cost, and 70 per cent will be borrowed. The International Finance Corporation and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development are currently considering granting credits of $150 million each.
Investment In Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli, Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan $5.5 Bln - Aliyev
Interfax
Baku, July 24: Over $5.5 billion has been invested in the Azerbaijani economy as part of the development of the Azeri-Chirag- Gunashli fields and the construction of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, Natik Aliyev, president of the State Oil Company of the Azerbaijani Republic (SOCAR), said at the opening of the new Lider semi- submersible rig in Baku on Thursday. `Since November 1997, when oil production under this contract began, until the present day the Chirag field alone has produced over 28 million tonnes of oil and Azerbaijan has received 5.8 bcm of free gas. In addition, the republic`s Oil Fund has received over $800 million from the sale of profitable oil,` Aliyev said. He noted that total investment in the development of these large fields with reserves of about 5.4 billion barrels of oil, will amount to about $12 billion. Aliyev said that at the moment work is underway to build three production rigs for the Azeri field. `Production will begin from a rig in the central part of the Azeri field in January 2005, in April 2006 - in the western part and in February 2007 - in the eastern part.
Turkmenistan Produced 30.7 BCM Of Gas In First Half Of The Year
Turkmenistan.RU
Ashgabat, July 23: As the correspondent of Turkmenistan.ru reports from Ashgabat referring to information of the National Institute of Statistics and Information, the output of gas in Turkmenistan in first half of the year has reached 30.7 bcm, which is up 10 per cent of the same period of last year amount. More than 19 bcm of the produced gas were delivered to the Ukrainian consumers, up 16 per cent of the last year delivery. 3.1 bcm of the Turkmen gas were delivered to the Northern regions of Iran through Korpeje - Kurt-Kuyi pipeline, an increase by 10 per cent as compared to the last year delivery.
Protocol On East-West Energy Corridor`s Security Signed
Interfax
Baku, July 23: The governments of Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey signed a protocol outlining security measures for the East-West energy corridor in Baku on Wednesday. This document is based on an agreement regarding the fight against terrorism, organized crime and serious offences signed by the three nations in Turkey in April 2002. The newly-signed security protocol will apply to the Baku- Tbilisi- Ceyhan and Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum pipelines, Azerbaijani Deputy Prime Minister Abid Sharifov said at the signing ceremony. `The protocol provides a legal framework and establishes a system of cooperation between the three countries` appropriate agencies for ensuring the pipelines` security,` he said.
Kazakhstan Ispat Karmet To Build $65 Million Pipe Plant By 2005
Central Asia Daily
Almaty, July 22: Kazakhstan`s steel giant Ispat Karmet plans to build a $65 million factory by 2005 to produce steel pipes for oil and gas pipelines, an official with the Economy and Trade Ministry said Tuesday.Ispat Karmet, a unit of Ispat International NV , decided to invest in a new factory, rather than reconstructing an old one, because of the booming oil and gas industry in Kazakhstan, the official said. `The oil and gas industry in Kazakhstan is growing so fast that it allows the company to estimate that all of the factory`s future production will be fully absorbed by the domestic market,` he said. The factory, based in the Kazakh city of Karaganda, will produce 60,000 metric tons of 400-millimeter diameter steel pipes a year. Capacity could be increased to 1 million tons a year by 2010.
Cost Of Phase-3 Of Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli To Be 20 per cent-30 per cent Higher Than Phase-1
Interfax
Baku, July 22: The cost of implementing Phase-3 of the development of the Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli fields, which involves the development of the deep-water section of the Gunyashli field, will be 20 per cent-30 per cent more than the cost of Phase-1, which involves the development of the central part of the Azeri field, Azerbaijan International Operating Company President David Woodward told journalists.
KazMunaiGaz, SOCAR To Hold Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Talks In Fall
Interfax
Baku, July 22: The next round of talks between the State Oil Company of the Azerbaijani Republic (SOCAR) and Kazakh national oil company KazMunaiGaz on the transportation of Kazakh oil through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline will take place in September- October, BTC Co. President Mike Townsend told journalists. `The last meeting took place in March in Kazakhstan. Since then the companies have considered various options for transporting oil from Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan,` Townsend said. He stressed that the Kazakh side has already announced the priority nature of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan for the transportation of its oil to the world market. `During the last talks in March, the Kazakh side signed a document confirming the priority nature of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan,` Townsend said. He also noted that a lot of issues remain to be agreed and that this will take a long period of time. It was planned to hold the next round of talks in Baku in July. But due to the summer holidays and a number of other technical reasons, the meeting was postponed. During the talks in Baku, the sides will discuss a draft intergovernmental agreement between Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan and a transit agreement that will set down the commercial conditions for transporting Kazakh oil through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline. It is expected that the intergovernmental agreement will be signed at the end of this year. After this a special transport company will be set up to be responsible for transporting crude from Aktau to the Sangachaly terminal, where it will be pumped into the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline.
Kazakhstan Interested In Singapore`s Participation In Caspian Development
Interfax
Astana, July 21: The Kazakh government is interested in participation by Singaporean companies in the development of oil and gas fields in the Kazakh sector of the Caspian Sea, Singaporean Minister for Industry and Trade George Yeo told journalists on Monday after a meeting with Kazakh Prime Minister Danial Akhmetov.
Gazprom Expands In Kazakhstan
The Moscow Times
Astana, July 21: Gazprom, the world`s biggest natural-gas producer, agreed to raise its stake in a venture with Kazakhstan`s state oil and gas company to help boost shipments of Central Asian gas for marketing in Europe. Gazprom will increase its holding in KazRosGaz to 50 percent by purchasing a 20 percent stake set aside for Russian oil producer Rosneft when the venture was created last year. Kazakhstan`s KazMunaiGaz holds the rest. The venture last year exported 1.6 billion cubic meters of gas from a BG Group PLC-led project that pumps oil and gas in northern Kazakhstan. `This venture has good prospects and thus we decided to raise our stake,` Gazprom spokesman Sergei Kupriyanov said. Gazprom, which supplies a quarter of the gas consumed in Western Europe, needs more gas to meet demand from customers as it forecasts exports will rise by a third to about 180 billion cubic meters in 2008. The Russian company and Kazakhstan plan to start building a $700 million gas pipeline next year to link Central Asian states with Russia and boost supplies to Europe.
Uzbekistan Agrees To Open Consulate In Osh
Radio Free Europe
Tashkent, July 25: Despite current strains on the relationship between Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, an Uzbek consulate is being opened in the southern Kyrgyz city of Osh, the Asrushon-Asia news service reported on 25 July, quoting Bektur Adanov, the Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry`s representative in Osh. Kyrgyz Prime Minister Nikolai Tanaev reportedly has instructed the authorities in Osh to find an appropriate building for the Uzbek consulate. At the same time, Kyrgyzstan is making preparations to open a consulate in the Uzbek city of Andijan. The consulate in Osh will enable citizens of southern Kyrgyzstan to obtain an Uzbek visa without having to travel to Bishkek.
Niyazov And Miller Discuss Gas Contract Issues
Turkmenistan.RU
Ashgabat, July 25: As the correspondent of Turkmenistan.Ru reports, Saparmurat Niyazov received today Alexei Miller, the Russian `Gazprom` CEO, who had arrived in Ashgabat on a working visit. During the meeting they discussed issues regarding the realization of the Turkmen-Russian agreement on cooperation in the gas sector till 2028. This document was signed by the presidents of two countries in Moscow in April this year. According to the document, Russia will purchase Turkmen natural gas during 25 years starting from 5 bcm to 80 bcm. In the course of the talks, the sides reconfirmed their contractual obligations for 2004. As Alexei Miller said, `Gazprom` was ready to buy 5-6 bcm of Turkmen gas on the already agreed terms.
Afghanistan, Tajikistan To Discuss Broadening Cooperation
Interfax
Dushanbe, July 23: Afghan Defense Minister Muhammad Fahim will arrive in Dushanbe on a working visit on Thursday, Afghan Ambassador to Tajikistan Muhammad Daoud Panjsheri told Interfax on Wednesday. He said Fahim is expected to meet with Tajik President Emomali Rakhmonov and discuss ways of broadening cooperation with Tajik law- enforcement agencies. No documents will be signed during the visit, the Afghan ambassador said.
Iran, Azerbaijan Keen To Boost Ties
IRNA
Tehran, July 23: Iran and Azerbaijan on Wednesday expressed interest in broadening the bilateral relations in all cultural, political, economic and trade areas. Iran`s ambassador to Baku Ahad Qazaei in a meeting with Azeri Minister of national security Namic Abbasov discussed ways and means to strengthen the all-out mutual ties. Abbasov called for efforts by the Iranian and Azeri officials to adopt measures for further developing the cooperation on the region and international issues. He invited the Iranian intelligence minister Ali Younesi to pay a visit to Azerbaijan.
New South Korean Ambassador Accredited To Ashgabat
Turkmekmenistan.RU
Ashgabat, July 23: Mr.Chon Te-ik, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Korea, presented yesterday his letters of credence to Mr. Orazgeldi Ataev, Chairman of the Mejlis (Parliament) of Turkmenistan. As the correspondent of Turkmenistan.Ru reports from Ashgabat with reference to the State News Agency, in the course of the meeting it was stressed that since the establishment of diplomatic relations between two states in February 1992 the constant trend to broaden the productive dialogue and mutually beneficial cooperation had been observed.
Georgia Will Integrate Into Euro-Atlantic Institutions - Minister
Interfax
Moscow, July 23: Georgian Foreign Minister Irakly Menagarishvili has confirmed Tbilisi`s intentions to integrate into Euro-Atlantic structures. `In Prague, President Eduard Shevardnadze made an official announcement on joining NATO. So Georgia has made it choice and will follow it,` Menagarishvili said in an interview with Moscow`s Nezavisimaya Gazeta, published on Wednesday.
Uzbek President Receives Gazprom Head Alexey Miller
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, July 23: Uzbekistan`s President Islam Karimov received head of Russian oil and gas company Gazprom Alexey Miller at his presidential Oq Saroy residence on 22 July. The sides considered current state of cooperation between Uzbekistan and Gazprom and development of bilateral projects. Islam Karimov noted that the agreement `On strategic cooperation in gas sector`, signed between Uzbekneftegaz (Uzbek Oil and Gas) and Gazprom in December 2002, was a step to a new level of cooperation. The agreement envisages export of natural gas starting from May 2003 and increasing their volume to 5 billion cubic metres in 12 months.
Caspian Littoral States Keen To Finalize Legal Regime
IRNA
Moscow, July 23: Iran`s Special Envoy for Caspian Affairs Mehdi Safari here on Wednesday declared the interest of the Caspian Sea littoral states in finalizing the legal regime for the Caspian Sea as soon as possible. Speaking on the sidelines of the second day of the tenth meeting of the Caspian Sea working group of five littoral states (Russia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan), he told IRNA that the trend of ongoing negotiations is positive. Turning to earlier sessions of the Caspian working group and the issues already examined, he hoped that the parties attending the Moscow meeting as well as the future Ashkhabad seminar will achieve fruitful results. `During the meetings held on Tuesday and Wednesday, the envoys of the five littoral states submitted their proposals on the Caspian Sea Legal Regime`s Convention, which were discussed,` he added.
EBRD Delegation Led By Secretary General Visits Uzbekistan
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, July 23: The delegation of European Bank for Reconstruction and Development led by its Secretary General Johnny Åkerholm is visiting Uzbekistan this week as part of the Bank`s commitment to monitor developments in the country. The visit is the first since the Bank`s Annual Meeting in Tashkent in May, and the first of a series being made in the context of the Bank`s strategy for Uzbekistan, which was released in March. The strategy sets forth how the EBRD may remain a key investor in Uzbekistanīs private and public sectors.
Azerbaijan, Turkey, Georgia To Sign Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Safety Protocol
Interfax
Baku, July 22: The governments of Azerbaijan, Turkey and Georgia are to sign a protocol ensuring the security of the Baku- Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, Natik Aliyev, president of the State Oil Company of the Azerbaijani Republic (SOCAR), said on Tuesday. `The protocol will show that we do not violate the rights of any peoples on this route, which are protected by international conventions. On the contrary, we are again declaring the protection of the rights of the local population,` he said. Aliyev stressed `the signing of this protocol is aimed at putting an end to campaigns by international non-profit organizations against the pipeline.` He also noted that at the moment the document has been submitted to the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
US Expresses Concern Over Upcoming Azerbaijan Presidential Election
Voice of America
Washington DC, July 22: The United States is expressing concern about what it says are candidate-registration problems and harassment of opposition politicians in the run-up to the October presidential elections in Azerbaijan. The State Department is stressing that the United States does not take a position on, or support, any particular candidate in the October 15 Azerbaijani election. But it says U.S. officials are `troubled` by recent events in the campaign in the central Asian state, including the denial of candidate registrations, and the arrest of supporters of some candidates. A State Department spokeswoman, Joanne Prokopowicz, expressed concern about what she said was the harassment of opposition party leaders, including the arrest of associates of Isa Gambar, the presidential candidate of the conservative Musavat Party, and of Ali Karimli of the Peoples Front of Azerbaijan Party or PFAP. She urged authorities in Baku to cease the harassment, which she said is in keeping with neither Azerbaijani law or the country`s international commitments. She also said the United States has `serious concerns` about the use of violence by authorities in breaking up unsanctioned public demonstrations, and appealed to the government to use restraint and to allow the peaceful public expression of political views.
Delegation Of Chinese Communists Visit Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan.RU
Ashgabat, July 22: The delegation of the Chinese Communist Party headed by Mr. Tian Yongxiang, the deputy chief of the Department for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, visited Turkmenistan. As the correspondent of Turkmenistan.Ru reports from Ashgabat, the Chinese communists arrived in the republic on the invitation of the Political Council of Turkmenistan Democratic Party. DPT and CPC have established inter-party ties and have been conducting the dialog on foreign and internal policy issues as well as the visits exchange. The Chinese Communist Party delegation visited the Council for Religious Affairs under the President of Turkmenistan, the Ministry of Oil and Gas Industry and Mineral Resources, the Turkmen National Institute for Democracy and Human Rights under the President of Turkmenistan, and a number of enterprises.
Georgia Refuses To Join CIS Economic Development Charter
IRNA
Tbilisi, July 22: Georgia will not join the Economic Development Charter, which implies common economic space in the CIS. Georgia cannot accept the majority of rules, including the priority of trade inside the CIS, sources in the Georgian Ministry of Economy, Industry and Trade told Itar-Tass on Tuesday. Georgia already has free economic zone agreements with CIS countries, the sources said.
Kazakhstan Reports To EU On Democratisation Progress
Radio Free Europe
Astana, July 22: The Commission for Cooperation Between the European Union and Kazakhstan met in Brussels on 22 July to discuss Kazakhstan`s progress in democratization, the rule of law, and the implementation of international human rights standards, RIA-Novosti reported. Human Rights Watch (HRW) had appealed to the EU on 21 July to insist that Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, which reported the same day, be pressured to accelerate their progress in these areas. The commission issued a communique stating that Kazakhstan, which aspires to the OSCE chairmanship in 2009, needs to put greater effort into the process of democratization, particularly in ensuring free and fair elections, freedom of the media and public organizations, and the independence of the judiciary. The EU also urged Kazakhstan to ratify the International Covenants on Civil and Political Rights and Economic and Social Rights and to institute a moratorium on application of the death penalty.
Caspian Littoral States To Discuss Status Issues
IRNA
Moscow, July 22: Prospects for settling the legal status of the Caspian sea will be the key subject of talks here on Tuesday between the five Caspian littoral states at the level of deputy foreign ministers. The working group of the Caspian `five` (Russia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan) is holding its tenth meeting. Deputy Foreign Minister Viktor Kalyuzhny expressed hope in an interview with Itar-Tass that `headway would be made in settling Caspian problems.`
EU Satisfied With Kyrgyz Progress On Democratisation
Radio Free Europe
Bishkek, July 22: The European Union Commission for Cooperation Between Kyrgyzstan and the EU met on 22 July to hear a Kyrgyz report on the progress of democratization, Deutsche Welle reported. The 1999 EU-Kyrgyz cooperation agreement placed particular emphasis on democratization, human rights, and freedom of expression. A special group set up by the EU reported to the commission on improvements in the situation of nongovernmental and public organizations in Kyrgyzstan. At the end of the meeting, an EU representative told journalists that the commission is satisfied with Kyrgyzstan`s human rights record, RFE/RL`s Kyrgyz Service reported.
U.S. Recognizes Kazakhstan As Country Meeting Congress Requirements On Human Rights
Interfax
Almaty, July 22: The U.S. has recognized Kazakhstan as a country meeting the requirements of the U.S. Congress in the area of democratization and human rights, the Kazakh Foreign Ministry reported on Tuesday. Earlier this summer, the U.S. administration announced its intention to suspend financial assistance to those countries where human rights and liberties were violated, a release issued by the Kazakh Foreign Ministry says. According to the ministry, the U.S. had developed criteria for recipients of U.S. aid and gave these recipients until July 15 to improve the human rights situation.
EU, Kazakhstan Cooperation Council Meets In Brussels
IRNA
Brussels, July 22: The Cooperation Council between the European Union and Kazakhstan held its fifth meeting in Brussels Tuesday. The Cooperation Council noted with satisfaction the intensification of EU-Kazakhstan dialogue on Justice and Home Affairs as well as their ongoing cooperation in the fight against terrorism, drugs and organised crime, said a joint communique issued after the meeting . The Cooperation Council welcomed the establishment of the Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman) in Kazakhstan. The EU wants the Commissioner`s mandate to be substantially widened to cover the full range of issues concerning rule of law, democracy and human rights in Kazakhstan.
Number Of Tajik Migrant Workers Dying In Russia Reported To Be Rising
Radio Free Europe
Dushanbe, July 21: Tajik prosecutor Kurbonali Mukhabatov said on 21 July that the number of Tajik migrant workers who die in Russia is rising, centran.ru reported. In 2002, Mukhabatov said, Russian authorities returned to Tajikistan 328 bodies of migrant workers. Seventy-eight of them had been killed, 118 died of illnesses, and the cause of death was unknown in 125 cases. In the first half of this year, 211 bodies of Tajik migrant workers have been returned to their homeland. According to information from the Society of Tajiks in Moscow, more than 40,000 Tajik citizens are in prison in Russia, hundreds of whom die there each year. In recent weeks, Russian media have been giving considerable attention to the plight of Tajik migrants in Russia, who are often deceived by labor-placement officials and employers, forced to live in substandard conditions, and are paid little, if at all.
5th Session Of Kyrgyzstan-EU Cooperation Council To Be Held In Brussels
Interfax
Bishkek, July 21: The fifth session of the Kyrgyzstan- EU Cooperation Council will be held in Brussels on July 22. The Kyrgyz delegation will be headed by Kyrgyz Deputy Prime Minister Kurmanbek Osmonov. The session will touch upon the development of bilateral relations, which are governed by the EU-Kyrgyzstan Partnership and Cooperation agreement and entered into force in July 1999, the press service for the Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry told Interfax on Monday.
Vladimir Kotenev Called For Objective Assessment Of The Situation Around Dual Citizenship
Turkmenistan.RU
Ashgabat, July 21: Director of the Russian Foreign Ministry Consular Service Vladimir Kotenev appreciated the results of the Russian-Turkmen commission first round of negotiations on dual citizenship issues. In an interview to `Komsomolskaya Pravda` newspaper published July 19, the high-ranking diplomat said that `there naturally remained some problems` but `we saw real changes in the Turkmen side stance`. In opinion of Vladimir Kotenev it was very important that official Ashgabat stated in the signed Protocol that the rights and interests of Russian citizens residing in Turkmenistan would be fully observed. The head of Consular Service of the Russian Foreign Ministry expressed confidence that the next round of negotiations to be held this autumn in Moscow would allow both sides to make a new step towards achieving mutually acceptable results.
Prospects For Cooperation
Kazakhstanskaya Pravda
Astana, July 21: Monday in Astana Prime Minister Akhmetov received Minister of Trade and Industry of Republic of Singapore Mr. George Eo. The sides discussed the ways to develop economic cooperation between the two countries. RK Prime Minister appreciated activities of Singapore companies in the domestic petroleum sector, both in the sphere of production and processing, and in developing the infrastructure.
Georgia Slams Russia
The Moscow Times
Tbilisi, July 21: Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze on Monday assailed Russia for having unilateral contacts with Georgia`s separatist region of Abkhazia -- a statement that highlighted new tension in long-strained relations. Shevardnadze, speaking on national radio, said he had sent President Vladimir Putin a letter protesting Russian policy. `I consider the double standards of the Russian leadership categorically unacceptable,` he said. He added that Moscow`s action violated the decision of a 1996 summit of an alliance of leaders of former Soviet republics, which called for ending unilateral contacts with the Abkhaz separatists.
US State Department To Finance Training Of Uzbek Entrepreneurs
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, July 21: US State Department and IREX are inviting Tashkent businesspeople and entrepreneurs to participate in the programme `Public Relations: business in Tashkent`. The finalists of the programme will have a chance to undergo training in USA. The programme is fully financed by the US State Department. The only requirements are fluency in English and to have business in Tashkent, Uzbek capital.
Uzbek Exile Arrested In Moscow
Radio Free Europe
Tashkent, July 20: Uzbek political exile Bakhrom Khamroev was arrested in Moscow by Russian special-services officers on 20 July, the human rights organization Memorial reported. Khamroev has been living in Russia since 1992. According to Khamroev`s wife, he was seized by men in masks who beat him and then `found` a packet of narcotics in his pocket. Memorial reported that in recent months the Khamroev family has been harassed by Russian security officers, who have accused Khamroev of Muslim extremism.
Iran To Holds Exhibition In Tashkent`
IRNA
Tehran, July 20: Iran will hold a specialize fair in the Uzbek capital city of Tashkent on August 3rd. Managing Director of Khorassan province International Exhibition Company, Alireza Houshangnejad told IRNA that according to the agreement signed by Iranian commerce minister and Uzbek deputy prime minister during the 5th meeting of Iran-Uzbekistan Economic Commission in late spring, the exhibition was initially slated for July 20. The exhibition, to be held on a 1,200 square meter plot of land, will be attended by 50 Iranian companies and will cost dlrs 200,000. He explained that the two-week delay was requested by the Uzbek state officials through a letter.
Export Fund To Guarantee Financing For Astara-Baku Road Project`
IRNA
Tehran, July 20: The cabinet, in a directive here Saturday, required the Iran Exports Guarantee Fund (IEGF) to guarantee the risk of non-payment for the `Astara-Saliyan` section of the Astara-Baku road project for up to dlrs 40 million. The Management and Plan Organization`s public relations department reported that the implementation of directive is conditional on the Azerbaijan Republic`s also extending guarantees to banks and credible insurance companies. The reports also said that Export Development Bank of Iran (EDBI) is to finance the project from the hard currency surplus fund with a repayment terms of 12 years and a rate of fifty basis point above the LIBOR.
President`s Audience.
Kazakhstanskaya Pravda
Astana, July 19: Last Saturday President Nazarbayev, being on a short holiday, received at his Almaty residence the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Islamic Republic of Iran Mr. Murtaza Safari. The sides discussed issues of the Caspian states cooperation, and also the upcoming official visit of President Nazarbayev to Iran.
Tajik Anti-drug Drive Successful
Interfax
Dushanbe, July 21: A total of 510 kilograms of narcotics, including 453 kilograms of heroin, were confiscated by Tajik law enforcement agencies during the first phase of an annual anti-drug operation. An Interior Ministry official told Interfax on Friday that this effort involves 313 search groups and 1,521 law enforcement officials. The operation has discovered 30 land plots of a total area of 6.88 hectares used to for cultivating drugs and destroyed 165,000 poppy and hashish plants. Twenty-five people are now facing criminal cases on charges of cultivation and possession of drug-containing plants. In addition, the drug control agency and law enforcement officials conducted 14 joint operations in CIS countries in the first half of this year. Some 244 kilograms of drugs, including 137 kilograms of heroin, were confiscated.
Iran, Turkmenistan To Cooperate In Drug-trafficking Campaign
IRNA
Tehran, July 21: In a meeting here Monday between Turkmenistan Deputy Head of Customs Organization Aliyev with Iran`s Presidential Advisor and Head of Drug Control Headquarters Ali Hashemi, the two countries agreed on closer cooperation in anti-narcotics campaign. The two officials also touched on the structure and nature of their country`s anti-drug campaign and expressed preparedness to exchange experiences and information on all-drug related issues `notably, in the domain of demand reduction`. The Turkmen delegation is in Tehran to participate in the first joint commission meeting of experts as envisaged in the bilateral memorandum of understanding on drug campaign signed in 1999. Meanwhile, an official with the Islamic Republic Guard Corps (IRGC) said here in July that Iran`s borders with Turkmenistan and Afghanistan are now completely secure.
Number Of Drug Addicts In Uzbekistan Continues To Rise
Radio Free Europe
Tashkent, July 20: The number of registered drug addicts in Uzbekistan rose to 19,000 in 2002, First Deputy Health Minister Damin Asadov said on 20 July, uzreport.com reported. Asadov was speaking at a seminar on drug addiction organized by the parliamentary Commission on Women and Family Affairs. He noted that drug addiction was a serious problem in Uzbekistan 20 years ago. In 1981, official statistics indicated there were some 2,450 drug addicts in the republic. By 1995, there were reportedly 6,000. By 1996, official concern over the rising rate of drug addiction caused President Islam Karimov to warn that drugs posed a threat to Uzbek society and culture. Asadov explained that one of the main reasons for official concern is the demographic structure of the Uzbek population: Two-thirds of the country`s inhabitants are under 30, and more than 80 percent of addicts are in this age group. The regions with the highest incidence of addiction, according to Asadov, are the city of Tashkent and Samarkand and Surkhandarya oblasts, with problem areas in Khorezm and Ferghana oblasts.
Uzbek Scientists To Develop Radiation Injury Treatment
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, July 25: A. Brady (D., PA), a member of the House Armed Services and House Administration Committees, in conjunction with the US Civilian Research and Development Foundation, announced a cooperative anti-terrorism research grant of US$ 68,000 to a team of University of Pennsylvania and Russian scientists who will be working on treatments for radiation injuries and the management of blood diseases. The grant comes from the US Civilian Research and Development Foundation (CRDF). Congressman Brady said the grant supports innovative and cooperative research that is critical in the global fight against terrorism. `These times demand scientific innovation to counter the complexity of the dangers the world faces because of the spread of weapons of mass destruction.` The joint US-Russian team is headed by Martin Carroll, MD, member of the Abramson Cancer Centre of the University of Pennsylvania and assistant professor at Pennīs School of Medicine, and Rustam Usmanov of the Institute of Biochemistry in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
Armenia To Transfer Razdan Plant To Russia In September
Interfax
Yerevan, July 21: Armenia plans to transfer the property complex of Razdan Thermal Power Plant to Russia in September this year as payment for state debt, Albert Bagdasaryan told Interfax. He said that at the first stage the station will be transferred to the Russian Property Ministry and then to a management company. Minster for Industry, Science and Technology Ilya Klebanov announced in Yerevan earlier that it is planned to transfer Razdan Thermal Power Plant to Unified Energy Systems of Russia. Due to current high gas prices, the thermal plant - which is the largest consumer of natural gas in the republic, produces the most expensive electricity. Bagdasaryan noted that Armenian Nuclear Power Plant sells Armenergo electricity at 11 drams per 1 kWh, while Razdan Thermal Power Plant sells electricity at 15.5 drams per kWh. The transfer of the thermal power plant to Russian ownership may create the possibility for a reduction in price for natural gas supplied from Russia and, as a result, a reduction in the cost of the electricity produced, the general director said.
U.N. Rights Chief Blasts Uzbeks Over Executions
MSNBC
Tashkent, July 25: The United Nations human rights chief has accused Uzbekistan, a U.S. ally in the `war on terror,` of violating a global pact by executing six men while their cases were under review, his office said on Friday. A panel of human rights experts in Geneva had been investigating complaints smuggled out of the tightly-controlled former Soviet republic that the mens` trials had been unfair. In a letter to Uzbekistan`s government, Acting High Commissioner for Human Rights Bertrand Ramcharan said the executions were a `grave breach` of its obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
Kazakhstan And Kyrgyzstan Ignore Human Rights Standards, Charges Rights Group
Voice of America
Bishkek, July 21: An international rights monitoring group says Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan have consistently ignored human rights standards contained in their partnership and cooperation agreements with the European Union. Human Rights Watch is urging the EU to press for real improvements in human rights in the Central Asian nations when EU foreign ministers meet with Kazakh and Kyrgyz officials later this week. Human Rights Watch says both Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan have repressed political opposition, silenced independent media and resisted international efforts to promote reform.
Uzbek President Calls For Administrative Reforms
Radio Free Europe
Tashkent, July 21: Describing Uzbekistan`s system of state management as a major brake on reform, President Karimov told a session of the cabinet on 18 July that administrative reform and improving economic management are two of the major tasks facing the government, Interfax reported on 21 July. He said the country`s GDP rose by 3.8 percent in the first half of this year, a statement that was greeted with skepticism by international economic experts, according to Deutsche Welle on 20 July. The experts also questioned Karimov`s figures on the inflation rate.
Special Focus
Kyrgyzstan: President Hints At Retirement - But Sceptics Remain Wary The recent adoption of a law in Kyrgyzstan that gives lifelong privileges to former presidents -- including immunity from prosecution -- has raised speculation about incumbent President Askar Akaev`s possible desire to step down.
To read more, click on the link:
http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav071903.shtmlHuman Rights Groups Urge EU To Exert Pressure On Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan
Human rights experts are calling on the European Union to use its growing political clout to press for improvements in the human rights climate in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.
To read more, click on the link:
http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/rights/articles/eav072203a.shtmlAzerbaijan Prepares For Political Transition As President Aliyev`s Condition Reportedly Deteriorates
President Heidar Aliyev`s health has reportedly experienced a serious decline in recent days, prompting renewed concern about Azerbaijan`s political future. Various foreign and domestic opposition-oriented media outlets claim that the Azerbaijani leader is near death - reports that government officials have denied. At the same time, amid the speculation on Aliyev`s health status, incumbent authorities appear to be putting a succession plan into place.
To read more, click on the link:
http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav072303.shtmlEnvironmental NGOs In Kazakhstan Wield Increasing Influence Over Policy In Kazakhstan
President Nursultan Nazarbayev has shown little tolerance for political opposition in Kazakhstan. Yet, the Nazarbayev administration is paying increasing attention to the concerns of environmental activists.
To read more, click on the link: http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/environment/articles/eav072503.shtml
Ex-Soviet States Reject All Things RussianThe new republics formed after the breakup of the Soviet Union are following up their fight against Russian dominance with new resistance to the Russian language.
To read more, click on the link:
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Central_Asia/EG24Ag01.html
Report Dated 25 July 2003