Parliamentary Election Campaign In Georgia Entering Active Phase
Interfax
Tbilisi, September 18: The parliamentary election campaign in Georgia is entering the active phase. Election blocs and parties hoping to pass the 7 per cent margin and obtain parliament mandates are nearly formed. Georgia will hold parliamentary elections on November 2. Polls show that Parliament Speaker Nino Burdzhanadze`s opposition bloc Burdzhanadze-Democrats, the radical opposition bloc National Movement-Democratic Front, the pro-governmental bloc For New Georgia, the Labor and Industrial Parties, New Right and the Agordzineba Union of Adzharian leader Aslan Abashidze enjoy the most support. Georgian experts say that another 40 parties and public organizations have almost no chance of winning the election.
Tajik Islamic Party Chairman Denies Murder Allegations
Radio Free Europe
Dushanbe, September 17: Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan (IRPT) Chairman Said Abdullo Nuri has denied allegations posted on the official Khovar website [http://khovar.tojikiston.com] that he was involved in the murder of a party member who had been appointed a raion-administration head, Asia Plus-Blitz reported on 17 September. Nuri told journalists during a roundtable on the development of a multiparty system in Tajikistan that the article, which asserted that he had ordered the killing of Sobir Begjonov, head of Jaborrasulov Raion in northern Tajikistan, for `disobedience` was the handwork of the special services that are seeking to `discredit Tajik society.`
Kazakh President`s Daughter Considers Creating Her Own Political Party
Radio Free Europe
Astana, September 16: Dariga Nazarbaeva, head of the official Kazakh television system and eldest daughter of President Nursultan Nazarbaev, told journalists in Pavlodar on 16 September that she is considering turning the public association Asar into a political party, centrasia.ru reported today. She and nine other prominent figures founded Asar in May 2003 with the stated goal of providing help to less-well-off segments of the population and to young people. The name of the association means `mutual assistance.`
Kazakh Opposition Says Zhaqiyanov Film Was Faked
Radio Free Europe
Astana, September 16: Members of the political council of the opposition Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan (DVK) association Asylbek Kozhakhmetov and Petr Svoik told a news conference in Almaty on 16 September that a film shown the previous day by the National Security Committee of imprisoned DVK co-founder Ghalymzhan Zhaqiyanov was faked, Interfax-Kazakhstan and Deutsche Welle reported. The film was shown to journalists to back up the National Security Committee account of Zhaqiyanov`s request for a presidential pardon (see `RFE/RL Newsline,` 16 September 2003).
Imprisoned Kazakh Opposition Leader Asks Not To Be Prosecuted
Radio Free Europe
Astana, Septembr 15: Former governor of Pavlodar Oblast and co-founder of the opposition Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan (DVK) association Ghalymzhan Zhaqiyanov has requested that he not be prosecuted in additional criminal cases, and he has offered to abandon politics in exchange for a presidential pardon, Deputy Chairman of the National Security Committee (NSC) Kozy-Korpesh Karbuzov told a news conference in Astana on 15 September, khabar.kz and Interfax-Kazakhstan reported. According to Karbuzov, the NSC considers Zhaqiyanov`s request an attempt to avoid criminal responsibility. Zhaqiyanov was given a seven-year prison sentence in 2002 upon being convicted of abuse of
Two Azerbaijani Opposition Parties Agree On Single Presidential Candidate
Radio Free Europe
Baku, September 15: The Supreme Council of progressive wing of the divided Azerbaijan Popular Front Party (AHCP) decided on 14 September to support the candidacy of Azerbaijan National Independence Party (AMIP) Chairman Etibar Mamedov in the 15 October presidential election, Interfax and Turan reported on 14 and 15 September, respectively. AHCP (progressive wing) Chairman Ali Kerimli will therefore withdraw his candidacy, having offered earlier to do so in the event that his party, AMIP, the Democratic Party of Azerbaijan and the Musavat Party reached agreement on backing a single opposition candidate. The four party leaders narrowly failed to do so during talks in London last month.
Islamic Party Leader Satisfied With Situation For Political Parties In Tajikistan
Radio Free Europe
Dushanbe, September 15: Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan (IRPT) Chairman Said Abdullo Nuri told journalists after his re-election at a party congress on 13 September (see `RFE/RL Newsline,` 15 September 2003) that present conditions for the functioning of political parties, including religion-based ones, in Tajikistan can be considered satisfactory, Asia Plus-Blitz reported on 15 September.
Government Sponsored Media Council Set Up In Kyrgyzstan
Radio Free Europe
Bishkek, September 15: A national conference on the media and civil society organized by the presidential press service took place on Lake Issyk-Kul on 12-13 September and ended with the creation of a media council, RFE/RL`s Kyrgyz Service and akipress.org reported on 14 September and 15 September, respectively. The declared objective of the council is to settle conflicts arising from the professional work of journalists before they reach the courts. It comprises parliamentarian Zaynidin Kurmanov, television presenter Tamara Valieva, university professor Kadyr Omurkulov, BBC correspondent Tolkunbek Turdubaev, correspondents Yevgenii Denisenko of the pro-government daily `Vechernii Bishkek` and Vadim Nochevkin of the independent newspaper `Delo No,` `Osh Sadosi` Editor in Chief Abdugani Abdugafarov, independent Pyramid TV Vice President Murat Kaipov, and media producer Aktan Abdykalykov.
Ministry Of Culture And Information Split Into Two
Radio Free Europe
Astana, September 14: The day after Interior Minister Turisbekov`s appointment, President Nazarbaev signed a decree splitting the Ministry of Culture, Information, and Public Harmony into a Ministry of Culture and a Ministry of Information, Kazinform reported on 14 September. Dyusen Kaseinov, a professional musician, was appointed to take over the new Ministry of Culture, according to khabar.kz on 13 September. He has served as deputy minister of the old Ministry of Culture, Information, and Public Harmony, in which he headed the culture committee.
Kazakhstan Gets New Interior Minister
Interfax
Astana, September 14: Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev has signed a decree to appoint Zautbek Turisbekov Kazakhstan`s interior minister, the government`s press service told Interfax on Friday. Today`s appointment came as a follow-up to Nazarbayev`s suggestion, voiced on Wednesday, that law enforcement and security agencies, as well as special services, should be run by non-military officials. Turisbekov, 51, was recently head of the civil service agency. He is an engineer, political scientist and has a Ph.D. in economics.
Bribery Case Gives Hope To Azerbaijan Opposition
Kazakhstan News
Washington DC, September 14: A US bribery investigation that has implicated the leader of Azerbaijan is likely to intensify a succession drama in the Caspian republic that could have profound consequences for the West. A New York court last week unsealed an indictment against a Swiss banker who was accused of paying millions of dollars in bribes in the late 1990s to four senior Azeri officials in order to influence the planned privatisation of the country`s state-owned oil company (Socar). The Azeri embassy in Washington denied the officials in question included President Heydar Aliyev or his son, Ilham, the prime minister, saying any attempt to link the them to illegal activity was `groundless`, and part of a campaign to tarnish the country`s image. None of the Azeri officials was named. But one was referred to by prosecutors as `a senior Azeri official` who was `the ultimate decision maker with all respect to all significant aspects of privatisation`. Another was identified as a `senior Socar official`. Those figures were Mr Aliyev and his son, who was the former Socar head, according to several people familiar with the investigation. Their implication comes at a time of growing political uncertainty in Azerbaijan, a country that is crucial to the US and western oil companies because of its oil reserves and its position as a gateway to central Asian energy producers. President Aliyev, who has run the country for more than 30 years and guided it into a close strategic relationship with the US, is lying ill in a Cleveland hospital while presidential elections loom less than a month away.
Aliyev To Return
The Moscow Times
Ankara, September 13: President Heidar Aliyev is undergoing a course of rehabilitation and physical therapy in order to prepare for his return to Azerbaijan from the U.S. medical clinic where he has spent nearly six weeks, the state news agency Azertaj reported Saturday. The report came a week after an aide said the 80-year-old Aliyev was expected to return home before Azerbaijan`s Oct. 15 presidential election, in which he is running for a third term.
Tajik Islamic Party Reelects Chairman
Radio Free Europe
Dushanbe, September 13: Said Abdullo Nuri, who has headed the Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan (IRPT) since the start of the 1992-97 Tajik civil war, was re-elected to another four-year term at the party`s fourth congress on 13 September in Dushanbe, RIA-Novosti reported. As leader of the United Tajik Opposition, Nuri was one of the two Tajik signatories -- the other was President Imomali Rakhmonov -- of the peace accord that ended the civil war.
Chairman Of Kazakh Lower House Questions Use Of Arms By Uzbek Guards On Kazakh Border
Kazakhstanskaya Pravda
Astana, September 17: The chairman of the Mazhilis (lower house) of the Kazakh parliament, Zharmakhan Tuyakbai, told journalists on 17 September that he has asked Prime Minister Daniyal Akhmetov to clarify the situation along the Kazakh-Uzbek border, where there have been at least 16 cases of Uzbek border guards using weapons against Kazakh citizens since the common border was delimited, Interfax-Kazakhstan reported. The most recent incident was reported on 9 September (see `RFE/RL Newsline,` 10 September 2003). Tuyakbai asserted that such use of weapons by border guards is illegal.
Uzbek Cabinet Resolves On Autumn Military Call-up
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, September 17: Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan `On transfer of citizens having completed the established period of fixed-period military and alternative service and the next conscription` In accordance with the Law of the Republic of Uzbekistan `On general conscription and military service`, the Cabinet of Ministers resolves: 1. The citizens that have completed the established periods of service shall be transferred from the ranks of Armed Forces of the Republic of Uzbekistan to the reserve. - of fixed-period military service - to the reserve; - of alternative service - to the reserve. 2. Citizens of the Republic of Uzbekistan born in 1976-1985 and without the right for respite from conscription shall be called up in October-November 2003 for the fixed-period and alternative service. Persons suitable for the fixed-period service and without the right for respite and exemption from the service but who are not called up in the Armed Forces during the present conscription should be registered in the mobilisation draft reserve. 3. In order to provide quality recruitment of the Armed Forces with conscripts, the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Karakalpakstan, regional administrations and the Tashkent mayor´s office in conjunction with Defence Ministry of the Republic of Uzbekistan shall organise all-round maintenance and effective work of draft commissions at the local level. 4. Health Ministry (Feruz Nazirov) in conjunction with Defence Ministry (Kadyr Gulyamov) of the Republic of Uzbekistan shall provide draft points with necessary medical equipment and property, organise quality implementation of laboratory examination of conscripts and their all-round physical examination by highly skilled doctors of various specialisation, as well as organise objectivity of their physical examination, including through effective work of alternative medical commissions.
Important Agreements
Kazakhstanskaya Pravda
Astana, September 16: In USA a regular meeting of joint Kazakhstan - American Advisory Committee on defense and security issues was held. Kazakhstan military delegation was represented by Bulat Sembinov, Major General, Head of the Ministry of Defense Administration, recently appointed Deputy Minister of Defense; the American - by Mira Ricardell, Defense assistant. The five - year plan of bilateral defense departments` cooperation was signed. This is the first instrument of such kind that stipulates joint antiterrorist activities, peacekeeping forces and Kazakhstan airmobile army development, Caspian martial infrastructure improvement. The sides considered contacts maintenance within the Programme on Joint Measures aimed at non-proliferation of mass destruction weapons. The document provides for delivery of helicopters, aircrafts, vessels and `Hammers` - American high passability motor vehicles to Kazakhstan.
Putin Instructs Defense Ministry To Sign Airbase Agreement With Kyrgyzstan
Interfax
Moscow, September 16: Russian President Vladimir Putin has approved the government`s proposal on concluding an agreement with Kyrgyzstan on the status of a Russian airbase in that country and the conditions of its functioning. Putin`s ordinance, the text of which was posted on the Kremlin website on Tuesday, instructs the Russian Defense Ministry to sign the agreement on behalf of the Russian Federation. The president authorized the Defense Ministry, if need be, to make amendments to the agreement adopted by the Russian government as long as they do not radically change its essence.
Kyrgyz Opposition Party Files Suit Against National Guard Chief
Radio Free Europe
Bishkek, September 15: The Kyrgyz opposition Ar-Namys Party has carried out its threat, made in April, to file a libel suit against National Guard commander General Abdygul Chotbaev, gazeta.kg reported on 16 September. The party charges that it was slandered in an article by Chotbaev that appeared in `Argumenty i fakty Kyrgyzstana,` No. 17, on 23 April, in which he asserted that through its opposition activities Ar-Namys was `earning` the financial support of the United States. The party, and the U.S. Embassy in Bishkek, vehemently rejected Chotbaev`s assertion that the United States was supporting Ar-Namys.
Premier Says Kyrgyzstan Will Not Ask For Withdrawal Of Coalition Base
Radio Free Europe
Bishkek, September 15: Kyrgyz Prime Minister Nikolai Tanaev told a news conference on 15 September that Kyrgyzstan will not ask for the closure of the base being used by the international antiterrorism coalition to support its operations in Afghanistan, Interfax reported. Tanaev said he was reacting to a call by a number of parliamentarians for the annulment of the agreement on use of coalition air bases in Kyrgyzstan. That agreement, ratified by the Kyrgyz parliament in December 2001, can be annulled if either side informs the other of its intention to withdraw 180 days before the agreement expires.
Kazakhs Defence Minister Signs Bilateral Cooperation Plan With US Defence Department
Radio Free Europe
Astana, September 15: Kazakhstan`s Defense Ministry and the U.S. Defense Department have signed a five-year cooperation plan, ITAR-TASS reported on 15 September. The document, which was signed in Washington, was drafted by a joint consultative commission on defense and security. It includes the delivery to Kazakhstan of helicopters and other aircraft and of ships up to 1,000 tons. According to the report, Kazakhstan has already received Humvee military vehicles.
Uzbekistan Invited To Take Part In NATO Exercises In Romania
Radio Free Europe
Tashkent, September 15: Uzbekistan is the only Central Asian country that has been invited to participate in NATO exercises to be held in Romania in October, centran.ru reported on 15 September. Between 10 and 20 Uzbek service personnel are scheduled to participate in the exercises, which will focus on countering a terrorist attack using a `dirty` bomb, a conventional explosive used to scatter low-level radioactivity over a wide area.
US Launches Final Phase Of Training For Georgian Military
Radio Free Europe
Tbilisi, September 13: The fourth and final phase of the U.S.-funded `Train and Equip` program for the Georgian armed forces was inaugurated at the Krtsanisi training ground near Tbilisi on 13 September in the presence of President Eduard Shevardnadze, Defense Minister Lieutenant General Davit Tevzadze, and U.S. Ambassador Richard Miles, Caucasus Press reported. Caucasus Press on 12 September quoted Miles as saying a decision will be made next month on whether to prolong the two-year program, which expires next spring.
IMU Has No Future Says Arrested Ex-Islamic Militant
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, September 14: Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) has no future, that IMU members have made `fighting and killing` their profession, and that most members are `fed up with unfairness, servitude, inner conflict and favouritism` in the movement, Azizbek Karimov, a former Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) militant under arrest in Uzbekistan said. The following is the text of a report by Uzbek TV: A resident of Andijan region, Azizbek Karimov, is just 24-years-old. He has been on the wrong path for five years. He was just 19-years old when he found himself at a dead end after being deceived by false calls. `If I had had some things explained to me when I was 19, then perhaps I would have worked in different places and held different posts. But we were taught that we should follow this path, that there should be an Islamic state in Uzbekistan and that we should strive for it with weapons in our hands. So we were brainwashed,` Azizbek Karimov told journalists. `But, when you are 22 or 23 years old you become wiser. When you start to understand things, you have to ask about whether the course you are following is right. This is the first thing you have to decide for yourself. You are struggling and pursuing a certain path, but what for? Do you have any goal? What good things have those people done to me that I should have a nice memory of them?` `I joined them, and it does not matter how this happened - by deception or by exploiting certain opportunities provided by some people. But, have they taught me something which could help me to build my life in future, and to be of service to my people or any other person? Unfortunately, the answer is no,` Karimov noted. `I would like to be frank and say that the IMU has no future. The fate of lads there changes thought every person´s fate is in his own hands. No-one can force him. The current situation there is nothing but hardship, slander and slavery. And to be frank, you have to live there like a slave. I am honest, like a slave. Just imagine a person living like a slave. What can his fate be? Does he have a future at all?` Karimov said. According to Azizbek Karimov many people there are fed up with the unfairness, servitude, inner conflict and favouritism, and carrying weapons has become the only way to earn their daily bread. Azizbek Karimov said that they are doing this now because they have no choice, they are forced to do this to feed themselves. Carrying weapons, fighting and killing have become their profession. They get money for this. It is their profession. They earn their daily bread like this. They will live in hunger, if they fail do this. `I am telling the truth` he added. `Then everybody started fleeing. Even leaders who called themselves emir and commander fled, leaving their people to their own fate. That is, they did not care for them; everybody started fleeing in different directions. Seizing the opportunity, I left for Pakistan, from there I went to Iran, and from Iran to Kyrgyzstan. I came from Turkey to Iran,` Karimov said. `Unfortunately I have committed huge mistakes. I ask the Uzbek people to forgive their sons like me who have committed so many mistakes` he said. Azizbek Karimov was arrested in May this year during a joint operation by the Andijan regional department of the Uzbek National Security Service and police officers.
Kazakhstan Bans Fuel Oil Exports Until March 1
Interfax
Almaty, September 19: The Kazakh government has banned fuel oil exports until March 1 of next year, a government resolution published in the official press on Friday says. The resolution accounts the step `to the necessity to create sufficient stores of fuel oil for the needs of the national economy.` The Kazakh Customs Control Agency was instructed to take the necessary measures to carry out the resolution and the Foreign Ministry was instructed to notify the Integration Committee of the Eurasian Economic Community on the ban.
Kyrgyzstan`s GDP Expands 2.3 per cent In H1 2003
Interfax
Bishkek, September 18: Kyrgyzstan`s GDP expanded 2.3 per cent to an estimated 29.5447 billion som in the first half of 2003. Without companies developing the Kumtor gold deposit, real GDP grew 3.4 per cent. Gross value-added grew 20.2 per cent in extractive industries and 15.8 per cent in production and distributions of electricity, gas and water, but slumped 4.7 per cent in construction, 3.4 per cent in agriculture, 1.4 per cent in manufacturing.
Kyrgyzstan Begins To Supply Electricity To Russia
Kabar Agency
Bishkek, September 18: Kyrgyzstan begins to supply electricity to Russia from today. Deputy Director of Public Corporation `Electrostansii` Aidar Kaliev told it at a press conference at the `Kabar` Agency. In his words, the flow of Kyrgyz power to Russia has begun at 02.00 on a local time. According to the contract that concluded between of Public Corporation `Electrostansii` and sub-company of RAO UES closed Joint-Stock Company `Inter RAO UES`, Russia will receive 810 million kilowatt-hours till the end of the year. Whereupon, according to the contract which concluded on long-tern basis, 1,5 up to 2 billion kilowatt-hours would be supplied to Russia in a year. The contract was signed on September 12 and the power would be supplied through Kazakhstan`s energy grid.
Barmek Azerbaijan Invests Over $5.5 Million Into Energy System Of Baku
Baku Today
Baku, September 18: Barmek Azerbaijan has put into operation a new substation of 220 KV and 2.4 km electricity transmission line, linking the substation with central distribution point N-1. Huseyn Arabul, president of Barmek Azerbaijan has said to journalists this will improve quality of electricity supplies to Hirdalan settlement.
Uzbekistan Eyes To Harvest 190,000 Tonnes Of Rice
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, September 17: Farmers of Uzbekistan have started rice harvest. According to Agriculture and Water Management Ministry, in 2003 the country expects to harvest 190,000 tonnes of rice.
Kazakh PM Underlines Importance Of Kashagan Schedule
Interfax
Astana, September 17: Kazakh prime minister Danial Akhmetov has drawn the attention of Agip KCO to the importance of carrying out the Kashagan project on time. The prime minister made this announcement on Wednesday in Astana at a meeting with Agip KCO representatives. `In summing up Akhmetov focused the attention of the consortium on the importance of meeting deadlines for Kashagan project and confirmed the plans of the Kazakh side to observe agreements that were reached earlier,` said an announcement circulated by the prime minister`s press service after the meeting. Management at KazMunaiGaz announced earlier that oil production at the Kashagan field should begin at the end of 2006. However, the foreign partners, for a number of technical reasons, want to move back the start of the project to the end of 2007.
Kazakh Premier Discusses Projects With ChevronTexaco
Interfax
Almaty, September 16: Kazakh Prime Minister Danial Akhmetov met with ChevronTexaco Overseas Petroleum President George Kirkland in Astana on Tuesday to discuss projects to increase oil exports from the Tengiz field. The main topic discussed with the prime minister was progress in a project to build a second-generation plant at the Tengiz field, Kirkland told reporters after the meeting. The second generation oil processing plant will remove sulfur contaminants from oil produced at the field, which will make it possible to increase exports through the Caspian Pipeline System to the Russian port of Novorossiisk on the Black Sea. Kirkland emphasized the importance of this project. Thanks to this project we (the partners in Tengizchevroil and the Kazakh government) will be able to export an additional 200,000 barrels of oil per day, he explained. He also said that during the meeting the sides discussed joint work on Caspian projects. However, he did not mention which projects were discussed. Kirkland also refused to comment on reports about the sale of the ChevronTexaco shares in the North Buzachi field in western Kazakhstan to China National Petroleum Corporation.
Cabinet Refers 2004 Budget With Deficit Of 1.9 per cent To Kazakh Parliament
Interfax
Astana, September 16: Kazakhstan`s government has referred the draft 2004 central budget, with a deficit of 1.9 per cent of GDP, to the parliament. The draft, which projects GDP growth of 7 per cent to 4.877 trillion tenge (147.31 tenge/$1 on September 16) in 2004, contains revenues of 858.5 billion tenge, or 17.6 per cent of GDP and spending of 951.2 billion tenge, or 19.5 per cent of GDP. The deficit would be 92.7 billion tenge, a parliamentary press release says. The budget would receive 715.9 billion tenge (14.7 per cent of GDP) in tax revenues, 54.5 billion tenge (1.1 per cent) in non-tax revenues, 6.5 billion tenge (0.1 per cent) from capital transactions and 66.9 billion tenge (1.4 per cent) from transfers.
Kazakhstan`s Population Grows In 2003
Interfax
Almaty, September 16: As of August 1, Kazakhstan`s population amounted to 14.91 million, 56.7 per cent (8.46 million) of it urban and 43.3 per cent (6.45 million) rural, tentative reports from the State Agency for Statistics indicate. `Compared to the beginning of the year, the population grew by 47,200 people,` Interfax was told at the agency.
Credit Agreement Between EBRD, IFC And Kyrgyzstan Is Signed In Bishkek
Kabar Agency
Bishkek, September 16: A credit agreement worth 3 million US Dollars between European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), International Finance Corporation (IFC), and Joint Stock Commercial Bank `Kyrgyzstan` is signed at the Hyatt Regency Bishkek. This time the republic receives large direct investments to develop small and medium business in the frame of micro and small enterprise finance facility in Kyrgyzstan. This is the second programme of EBRD on development of small entrepreneurship in the republic.
China Grants Agricultural Aid Package To Armenia
Radio Free Europe
Yerevan, September 15: An agreement was signed in Yerevan on 15 September under which Beijing will provide Armenia with agricultural aid worth $650,000 to alleviate the damage inflicted upon the country`s agricultural sector by the unusually severe winter of 2002-03, RFE/RL`s Yerevan bureau reported. A Chinese government delegation headed by Politburo member Luo Gan met with President Kocharian, Prime Minister Andranik Markarian, and Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian, all of whom stressed the importance that Yerevan attaches to relations with China.
Uzbekistan Stock Exchange Sums Up 8 Month Results
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, September 15: In January-August 2003 the volume of deals at Uzbekistan Stock Exchange (UZSE) comprised 3,639 transactions on 1,047 shares of 858 joint-stock companies. Total turnover in national currency made up 9.7 billion soums.
People Piping Fed Up From Baku To Ceyhan
The Moscow Times
Kizil Kilisa, September 15: Armen Kuchilgyan has lived in Kizil Kilisa, a tiny village of ethnic Armenians high in the Georgian mountains, all his life. He`s a teacher at the local school, a tumbledown building with a lopsided roof and cracked window panes. There`s no electricity in his village, and no gas. But for the last few months, a team of construction workers has been clearing the forest at the end of his vegetable patch to make way for a multibillion-dollar oil pipeline to transport oil from the Caspian Sea to the Mediterranean. `They said they would fix our road,` he said. `It`s only 2 kilometers long, but they didn`t bother.` From Baku in Azerbaijan to Ceyhan in Turkey, local residents have been complaining about the pipeline. They say they haven`t been given enough compensation for having their land plowed up and for the noise and dust clouds the heavy machinery makes from dawn till dusk. Environmental groups say the project will cause untold damage to the region`s fragile ecology, particularly in Georgia, where the pipeline will skirt the Borzhomi Valley, home to a mineral water reserve that is also the country`s most lucrative export. For the last few weeks, international lending organizations, including the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, have held a series of public meetings for local groups to air their grievances. I went to the one in Tbilisi last week. It was a wonderful PR job. There were information packs for all the participants and steaming plates of seafood pasta for lunch. Teams of bankers from London and New York pulled concerned faces at all the complaints and everyone got to have their say. But I suspect the decision to invest up to $600 million in the project was made long ago. To be fair to the oil companies building the pipeline, the damage they are causing is minimal. The pipe is to be buried underground, so once it is built locals won`t even know it is there. If Friends of the Earth campaigners sitting in London think this pipeline is bad, they should check out the rusting monsters left by the Soviets. Concerns have also been raised about the ethics of a pipeline that runs through countries as notoriously corrupt as Azerbaijan and Georgia. The EBRD hopes the revenues will be used by the governments to improve the lives of the poorest sections of society. Some chance. But Armen Kuchilgyan`s worries are less complex. The so-called East-West Energy Corridor will soon be pumping a million barrels of oil a day through his backyard, and he hasn`t had electricity for as long as he can remember. `Where`s the justice in that?` he asks.
Turkmenistan, Ukraine To Sign 25-year Gas Contract
Interfax
Ashgabat, September 15: Turkmenistan and Ukraine plan to sign a new 25-year agreement in October this year, to come into effect from 2007, for supplies of gas to Ukraine, a source in the Turkmenistani president`s office told Interfax. The source said that the two countries agreed on this during a meeting between Turkmenistani President Saparmurad Niyazov and Naftohaz Ukrayiny CEO Yuri Boiko in Ashgabat on Monday. A long-term agreement on cooperation in the gas sphere, which was previously planned to be signed during an upcoming CIS summit in Yalta, will be prepared for signing in time for an official visit to Turkmenistan by Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma, which is expected to take place in October.
CNPC-Aktobemunaigaz Launches Gas Plant In Kazakhstan
Interfax
Aktobe, September 15: CNPC-Aktobemunaigaz has launched Zhanazhol Gas Processing Plant, with a capacity of 1.4 billion cubic meters of gas per annum, in Kazakhstan`s Aktobe region. The official opening ceremony took place on Saturday, an Interfax correspondent reported. The Kazakh government said in a press release that Kazakh Prime Minister Danial Akhmetov met with CNPC Vice President and CNPC- Aktobemunaigaz Chairman of the Board Wu Yaowen last week, prior to the launch of the plant. The CNPC-Aktobemunaigaz chairman told Akhmetov about the company`s plans for the near future and expressed `readiness to complete joint projects on schedule.`
Kazakhstan Sustains Coal Production, Export Growth
Interfax
Almaty, September 14: Kazakhstan produced 49.686 million tonnes of bituminous coal in the first seven months of 2003, 20 per cent more than in the same period of last year. The country produced 2.348 million tonnes of lignite coal, the National Statistical Agency told Interfax. Kazakhstan exported 16.57 million tonnes of coal, 24 per cent more than in the first seven months of 2002. Exports in value for that period were up 61 per cent year-on-year to $152.1 million.
World Bank Projects For Georgia In Danger After IMF Program Suspension
Interfax
Tbilisi, September 14: The International Monetary Fund`s decision to suspend its program for Georgia endangers World Bank projects for the Caucasus country, a Georgian government source said on Saturday, citing a senior World Bank official from the day before. At a closed-door meeting with Georgian Minister of State Avtandil Jorbenadze and Georgian economics ministers, Donna Dowcett-Coirolo, World Bank director for south Caucasus, slammed Georgia`s fiscal policy. She complained that the country had failed to comply with IMF recommendations for three months, the source, who spoke for the State Chancellery, told Interfax. The source quoted Dowcett-Coirolo as saying there were no direct links between the IMF and World Bank but that the suspension of the IMF program would seriously impede World Bank projects.
Stock Market Of Azerbaijan Is Reviving
Baku Today
Baku, September 14: Auctions in the Baku Stock Exchange will be held according new rules. It was decided at the last session of the board of observers of the exchange held at the beginning of September. According to the resolution of the board value of little liquated stocks registered at the second quotation list will be established with new mechanism. New rules were sent to the Committee of Floaters for registration. According to new rules auctions in the exchange will be held in two stages. Quotation changes also will be limited. The Baku Stock Exchange also plans to establish a show room. So a businessman who doesn`t take direct part at exchange may watch it in the show room.
Germany Issues 15.2m Euros To Support Education, Tourism
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, September 14: Germany earmarks about 15.2 million euros for professional educational and tourism sphere of Uzbekistan. The delegation of Bundestag led by the chairman of Budget Committee Manfred Carstens, accompanied by German Ambassador to Uzbekistan Martin Hekker, will visit Bukhara on Sunday to familiarise with German projects in the city. The projects implemented in the city assists development of professional education, transfer of know-how to private companies and education for adults and unemployed. Assistance to primary professional education is the main part of German contribution, German Embassy in Tashkent told UzReport.com.
Ukraine, Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan Sign Common Economic Space Agreement
Interfax
Yalta, September 19: The presidents of Ukraine, Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan have signed an agreement on the formation of a common economic space. The purpose of the agreement is `to create conditions for the stable and effective development of the economies of the sides and to raise living standards,` an Interfax correspondent reported. The preamble of the agreement stresses that the signatories `recognize the right of the sides to decide on their involvement in the process of forming the space depending on their countries` readiness for further integration processes.`
Uzbek Aid To Tajikistan Makes Up US$3.4m In Jan-Aug 2003
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, September 19: The share of Uzbekistan in the total volume of humanitarian aid received by Tajikistan during January-August 2003 made up 3.7 per cent. During this period Tajikistan received a total of 137,400 tonnes of humanitarian cargo from 35 countries worth US$91.1 million. The USA had the largest share among donor states - 54.6 per cent, RIA Novosti reported. A total of 57,900 tonnes of flour, 6,600 tonnes of vegetable oil and 4,000 tonnes of wheat, as well as footwear, clothes, tents, bedding, medical equipment and medicines were distributed among low-income parts of the population and in the regions that had suffered from natural disasters.
Uzbek Leader Slams Idea Of Supervisory Body Within CIS
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, September 19: Uzbek President Islam Karimov has criticised attempts to set up a supreme body supervising the CIS countries as an aspiration to build a system like the former Soviet Union. Speaking before his departure on 18 September for a CIS meeting in Ukraine, Karimov said that hundreds of documents signed among the CIS countries were not working in practice. The president also said that his country supported a proposal by Ukraine to set up a single economic zone on CIS territory.
Deputies Concerned About Russians In Turkmenistan
Pravda
Moscow, September 19: Nothing has been done recently to improve the situation State Duma deputies have recalled the Russian citizens living in Turkmenistan. The international affairs committee of the lower house of the Russian parliament is going to consider the issue of the Russian people residing in Turkmenistan. Spokespeople for the foreign ministry have been invited to participate in the discussion. Why did deputies become concerned about the violation of Russian people`s rights in Turkmenistan two months after the expiry of the Russian-Turkmen dual citizenship agreement? Elections are coming up. Russian deputies will harshly denounce the policy of the Turkmen president again. However, it will be probably the only thing that deputies will do, and Turkmen President Saparmurat Niyazov will continue doing strange things in his country. Nobody is going to stop him. The CIS summit is currently opening in the Russian resort city of Yalta. President Niyazov preferred to take a short vacation and rest peacefully on the shores of the Caspian Sea. Apparently, Niyazov could not care less about the summit.
Kazakhstan Is Russia`s Reliable Partner - Putin
Interfax
Yalta, September 18: Russian President Vladimir Putin has described Kazakhstan as one of Russia`s most reliable partners. `Kazakhstan is not only one of our nearest partners, but, given its stable economic development, is one of our most reliable partners,` Putin told Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev in Yalta on Thursday. He congratulated Nazarbayev on the high rate of economic growth observed in Kazakhstan and said the country has achieved impressive results. `We are closely following your economic development as well as decisions being made in your country,` Putin said.
Council Of CIS Foreign Ministers Opens Meeting In Crimea
Interfax
Yalta, September 18: The Council of Foreign Ministers of the CIS has opened a meeting at the Livadia Palace outside Yalta in the Crimea. Taking part in the session are the foreign ministers of Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Armenia, Georgia, Turkmenistan, Moldova, Kazakhstan, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan and other high-ranking diplomats. CIS Executive Secretary Yuri Yarov is also attending the session. The participants are expected to address over 20 subjects regarding the CIS`s activity and the establishment of a contract legal basis for cooperation.
Putin Supports Aliyev`s Heir
The Moscow Times
Yalta, September 18: President Vladimir Putin on Thursday told Azerbaijan`s prime minister -- the son of the country`s ailing president -- that he hopes Azerbaijan`s upcoming presidential election will not hinder the relationship between the two nations. Putin also said Prime Minister Ilham Aliyev appeared to be a `successful choice` for the country`s second-highest post -- a position that would propel him to power if his father, President Heidar Aliyev, dies or resigns. The remarks signaled Russian support for the Aliyevs in Azerbaijan`s Oct. 15 presidential election.
Islam Karimov Leaves For Yalta CIS Leaders´ Summit
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, September 18: President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov has left for the Ukrainian resort city of Yalta to attend a summit of CIS leaders on 18-19 September, Uzbek Radio reported on 18 September. According to RIA Novosti, during the summit the heads of CIS states will consider 17 issues. Among them are finalisation of the legal base for creation of the free trade zone and the economic cooperation plan for 2003-2010. The sides will also consider issues of payment of fees by member states to a single CIS budget and amendments and changes to the CIS Charter.
Tbilisi Wants Turkey, Ukraine To Join Mediators On Georgian-Abkhaz Conflict
Interfax
Tbilisi, September 17: Tbilisi has suggested including Turkey and Ukraine in the so-called Group of Friends of the UN secretary general on Georgia, a group which comprises the U.S., Britain, France, Russia, and Germany, Georgian Minister Without Portfolio Malkhaz Kakabadze told Interfax on Wednesday. Kakabadze said he had discussed Ankara`s more active role in settling conflicts in Georgia with Turkish Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, who visited Tbilisi Tuesday. `Turkey confirmed that it is willing to be involved in solving these problems in a most active way,` Kakabadze said.
China Hosts Summit To Form Central Asia Cooperative Security Group
Voice of America
Abidjan, September 17: China is preparing to host the prime ministers of six nations that are working to develop a cooperative security group in Central Asia. Chinese officials hope the grouping will highlight China`s emerging role as a Central Asia regional power. The group was born in 1996. It consisted of China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgstan, and Tajikistan, and was known as the Shanghai Five. Uzbekistan joined in 2001, and the group adopted its current name, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. It was originally founded to resolve China`s border disputes with nations of the former Soviet Union. Its purpose has evolved, and has focused more recently on battling terrorist threats.
Kazakh President Says Unified Economic Space Not An Alternative To CIS
Radio Free Europe
Astana, September 17: Nursultan Nazarbaev, on an official visit to Moldova, told journalists in Chisinau on 17 September that as far as he is concerned, the unified economic space being formed by Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan is not intended as an alternative to the CIS, nor is it intended to wreck the CIS as it presently exists, RIA-Novosti and khabar.kz reported. He was presumably responding to speculation in the Russian media that the association grouping the four strongest economies in the CIS would put an end to the commonwealth. Nazarbaev described the unified economic space as another attempt to create an association within the framework of the CIS to promote regional integration.
Kazakh Parliament Ratifies Uzbek-Kazakh Border Agreement
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, September 17: Plenary session of Majlis (Kazakh parliament) has approved ratification of the agreement between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan on check points through Kazakh-Uzbek border. According to Kazakhstan Today, the aim of the agreement is to create a legal basis of activity of check points along Kazakh-Uzbek border to suppress smuggling of weapons, ammunition, drugs and psychotropic substances, valuables and currency, as well as radioactive materials. The agreement also envisages that in extraordinary cases, on bilateral arrangement of border protection bodies of the two states, people and transport can pass through the border without checks.
Fifth Central Asian Conference `Mass Media In Multicultural And Multilingual Societies` Begins In Bishkek
Kabar Agency
Bishkek, September 17: The fifth Central Asian conference that organized by OSCE, representatives of this international organization on freedom of the media and CIMERA has begun its work in Bishkek. The current conference holds under the motto `Mass media in multicultural and multilingual societies`. As it was noted at the opening ceremony, Central Asian States have chosen the democratic development way. The freedom of speech in these countries was accompanied by various difficulties. Freimut Duve, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media pointed out that in leading democratic western countries the conquest of freedom of speech not always went off smoothly. One of the latest dramatic moments is the matter of `Shpigel`, when in October 1962 publisher `Shpigel` and a number of journalist sentenced for divulging the state secrets. But, after the protests of democrats and civil citizens, journalists were released.
Turkmen President Will Not Attend CIS Summit In Yalta
Interfax
Ashgabat, September 17: Turkmen President Saparmurat Niyazov will not be attending the CIS summit in Yalta on September 18- 19, a source with the presidential secretariat told Interfax on Wednesday. The Turkmen president has taken a brief vacation which he will spend at his residence on the Caspian coast. Instead of Niyazov, Turkmenistan will be represented at the summit by Rejep Saparov, the chief administrator of the presidential secretariat and deputy chairman of the supreme governing body, the People`s Council.
Russia Offers To Be Guarantor Of Azerbaijan-Armenia Peace
Interfax
Baku, September 16: Russia has offered to continue seeking a solution to the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the Armenian-speaking enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh. `Russia is ready to help look for agreements and act as one of the guarantors of such agreements. It is not part of Russia`s plans to pressure anyone or force the point of view of one party on the other. It is important that both parties should come to a mutual agreement,` Kremlin chief of staff Alexander Voloshin told a news conference in Baku.
Prime Minister Of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev Received New Us Ambassador To Azerbaijan
Baku Today
Baku, September 16: On September 16, Prime Minister of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev received a newly appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to Azerbaijan Renault Harnish. Having warmly greeted the Ambassador, Ilham Aliyev congratulated him on the appointment. He pointed out that beginning of the activities of a new head of the US diplomatic mission is very important for Azerbaijan.
Russian President, Azerbaijani PM To Meet In Yalta
Interfax
Baku, September 16: Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet with Azerbaijani Prime Minister Ilkham Aliyev at September`s CIS summit in Yalta, Russian presidential chief-of-staff Alexander Voloshin told a news conference in Baku on Tuesday. `The meeting`s agenda will include a wide range of aspects of bilateral cooperation. The two men will also reach an agreement on further contacts. My visit to Azerbaijan is aimed at laying the groundwork for this meeting,` he said.
Uzbek Head To Participate In CIS Leaders` Yalta Summit
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, September 16: President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov will attend a summit of the Commonwealth Independent States (CIS) leaders to be held in Yalta (Ukraine) on 18-19 September 2003. During the visit, it is expected to discus the state and prospects for the development of relations within the framework of the CIS, as well as international issues of mutual interest. It is planned to sign several documents.
Bundestag Delegation Meets Senior Uzbek Officials
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, September 15: Bundestag delegation led by head of Budget Committee Manfred Carstens met chairman of Oliy Majlis (Uzbek parliament) Erkin Khalilov and Foreign Minister Sadyk Safaev on 15 September. According to UzA, the sides exchanged opinions on further development of interparliament cooperation between Uzbekistan and Germany, bilateral ties, regional security and situation in Afghanistan. The parliamentarian delegation, accompanied by German Ambassador to Uzbekistan Martin Hekker, visited Bukhara on 14 September to familiarise with German projects in the city, the German Embassy in Tashkent told UzReport.com.
Putin, Nazarbayev Discuss Yalta Summit, Plans To Create Single Economic Area
Interfax
Sochi, September 15: Russian President Vladimir Putin has held a telephone conversation with Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev, deputy presidential chief of staff Sergei Prikhodko has told the press. He said the two leaders discussed preparations for the Yalta summit and the drafting of an agreement on the creation of a single economic area for Russia, Belarus, Ukraine and Kazakhstan.
Uzbek-Kyrgyz Trade Potential Not Used Fully - Kyrgyz Envoy
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, September 15: The potential of trade-economic relations between Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan is not used to its full, ambassador of Kyrgyzstan to Uzbekistan Ulugbek Chinaliev told journalists in Tashkent. Last year trade turnover between the two states made up US$215 million. Kyrgyzstan supplies to Uzbekistan power, slate, cement and other goods, while Uzbekistan exports gas, mineral fertilisers and construction materials. Annually Kyrgyzstan receives about 1 billion cubic metres of Uzbek gas, with 45 per cent of gas paid for by material-technical resources and 55 per cent by currency. `Our relations with Uzbekistan are developing dynamically,` Chinaliev said. `To date more than 100 treaties and agreements have been signed in economic, political and social spheres.
Georgia Lacks Money To Finance Diplomatic Missions Abroad
Interfax
Tbilisi, September 14: The Georgian diplomatic corps abroad may be reduced due to insufficient financing, Georgian Deputy Foreign Minister Shota Dogonadze has said. `Officials from the Georgian diplomatic corps abroad are experiencing certain financial difficulties,` Dogonadze said in a Sunday interview with Interfax. `With the budget reductions to financing the Foreign Ministry, the issue of cutting diplomatic missions abroad could be brought up, which is quite a complicated and costly process that will affect the fulfillment of the Foreign Ministry`s contract obligations to its diplomats,` he said.
Armenian, Karabakh Parliaments To Broaden Contacts
Interfax
Stepanakert, September 14: Armenian parliamentary speaker Artur Bagdasarian has highly appraised the results of his three-day visit to Nagorno Karabakh. He said at a joint press conference with speaker of the Nagorno Karabakh parliament Oleg Yesaian in Stepanakert on Sunday, that his first official visit to the republic had helped him get a clearer picture of the situation in and around Nagorno Karabakh. This, he said, will `allow the Armenian parliament to put correct accents in its political and legislative work.` Yesaian said in turn that `a new and broader agreement between the Armenian and Nagorno Karabakh parliaments will be drafted.` Bagdasarian said in answer to an Interfax question that the Armenian parliament will intensify its diplomatic efforts to settle the Karabakh problem and broaden its contacts with the parliaments of other countries in doing so.`
US Welcomes International Students
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, September 14: International students are welcome to study in the United States of America, a US official wrote, saying that new visa policies are designed to maximise security of the United States. The following is an article of Maura Harty, US Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs, entitled `International students are welcome to study in the US`: International students have always been - and still are - welcome to study in the United States.
Kyrgyz Official Concerned About Illegal Immigration
Radio Free Europe
Bishkek, September 13: Officials and migration experts in southern Kyrgyzstan are concerned over the growing numbers of illegal immigrants into that part of the country, akipress.org reported on 13 September, quoting the UN news agency IRIN. The officials warned that the immigrants, who come primarily from Uzbekistan and Tajikistan in search of work, are causing reductions in local wage rates and worsening the socioeconomic situation, which could result in destabilization.
UN Official Calls On CIS States To Step Up War On Drugs
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, Septmber 18: Warning that drug trafficking bankrolls global terrorism, the head of the United Nations anti-narcotics agency on 18 September called on the newly independent states of the former Soviet Union to step up the war on illicit drugs, especially in view of large-scale opium production in nearby Afghanistan. `On the one hand, the trafficking in Afghan opium in the territories of Commonwealth of Independent States has a negative effect on the health of the population, like the current catastrophic scale of HIV/AIDS in the region,` Antonio Maria Costa, Executive Director of the UN Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC), told a CIS foreign ministers´ meeting in Yalta, Ukraine.
Tajik Officials Say Most Drugs Being Trafficked Through Areas Guarded By Russians
Radio Free Europe
Dushanbe, September 15: Rustam Nazarov, director of Tajikistan`s Drug Control Agency, told a news conference on 15 September that up to 90 percent of the contraband drugs being trafficked into Tajikistan from Afghanistan are being brought in through areas guarded by Russian border troops, RIA-Novosti reported. Nazarov attributed this to the successful blocking of the highway to Osh in neighboring Kyrgyzstan as a drug-transit route. He quoted international estimates that 70 percent of Afghanistan`s drug output is exported through Iran and Pakistan, with 30 percent passing through Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan.
Large Amount Of Heroin Confiscated In Tajikistan
Interfax
Dushanbe, September 15: Around 24 kilograms of heroin have been seized by Tajik anti-drug agency officials. The agency`s chief Faizullo Gadoyev told Interfax on Monday that the drugs were discovered during a search of a Toyota Land Cruiser car which was stopped by police on the Dushanbe-Khudzhand highway in northern Tajikistan. The car`s driver was detained. A criminal case has been opened against him. More than 6.3 tonnes of drugs, including about 4.5. tonnes of heroin, were confiscated by Tajik law enforcement agencies and Russian border guards between January-August 2003.
Management Of Armenian Nuclear Power Stations Transferred To Russia
Radio Free Europe
Yerevan, September 17: The Armenian government formally approved on 17 September the transfer for a five-year period of management of the Medzamor nuclear-power station to the Russian state electricity monopoly Unified Energy Systems (EES), ITAR-TASS and RFE/RL`s Yerevan bureau reported. A spokeswoman for Armenia`s Energy Ministry explained that under the relevant agreement signed earlier this year (see `RFE/RL Newsline,` 7 May 2003), Armenia will retain ownership of Medzamor and responsibility for its safety and technical condition.
World Bank To Allot Kyrgyzstan $5 Million For Uranium Storage Rehabilitation
Interfax
Bishkek, September 16: The World Bank will allot $5 million to Kyrgyzstan to finance a project on rehabilitating storage facilities for uranium wastes, the Kyrgyz government press service told Interfax on Tuesday. `The money will be directed primarily to the rehabilitation of storage facilities near the town of Maili-Suu in the Jalal-Abad region in southern Kyrgyzstan,` the press service said. The country will also soon be granted $370,000 to carry out a feasibility study on the Maili-Suu storage facilities, the press service said. The same amount of money will be allocated for conducting a feasibility study on rehabilitation of the Kajisai storage facilities in the Issyk-Kul region in northern Kyrgyzstan.
Kazatomprom Ranks Fourth Among World Uranium Producers
Interfax
Almaty, September 16: Kazakhstan`s national nuclear company Kazatomprom accounted for 8 per cent of the world`s uranium production in 2002, rising from fifth place in 2001 to fourth place in 2002, the company`s press service said, citing the World Nuclear Association. The WNA said that the French Cogema (19 per cent), the Canadian Cameco (17 per cent) and the Australian ERA (11 per cent) remain the world`s top three uranium producers. Kazatomprom`s press-release says that the increase in uranium production was due to the changeover from depleted deposits to new ones: South Karamurun and South Moinkum.
Uzbekistan Making Some Progress On Rights Says US Envoy
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, September 19: The US Ambassador to the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Stephan Minikies said on 19 September that Uzbekistan is making progress on human rights but not as quickly as Washington would like. `It is an area where progress is being made but it is for us never fast enough,` Stephan Minikies told journalists in Tashkent during a two-day visit to Uzbekistan. The Ambassador met with the deputy foreign minister and other Uzbek officials during his visit. Minikies said he was urging the government to fulfil its obligations as a member of the OSCE, such as providing for freedom of the press and religion and developing a market economy.
Three Human Rights Activists Detained In Uzbekistan
Radio Free Europe
Tashkent, September 18: Three members of the unregistered Human Rights Society of Uzbekistan were briefly detained in Tashkent by police on 17 September after they had visited the Tashkent office of the U.S. nongovernmental organization Freedom House, centrasia.ru reported on 18 September, citing information from the Human Rights Society. The three -- Muimidinjon Kurbanov, Egamnazar Shaimanov, and Alikul Sarimsakov -- are from Dzhizak Oblast. Kurbanov was released almost immediately and informed Freedom House of the detentions. Representatives of Freedom House and the Tashkent office of Human Rights Watch, accompanied by the head of the Tashkent branch of the Human Rights Society, demanded that the police explain the detentions and were shown an article critical of Interior Minister Zokirjon Almatov that had allegedly been found in the possession of one of the detainees.
Amnesty Calls For Stronger International Pressure On Ashgabat
Central Asia Daily
Ankara, September 16: Amnesty International (AI) has called for stronger international pressure on Turkmenistan to improve what it describes as an appalling human rights record. `The international community must take a greater role,` Sergei Nikitin, the head of Amnesty`s Moscow branch told IRIN on Tuesday from the Russian capital. `People must remember what the situation is and not forget.` His comments came just days after activists from the watchdog group gathered outside the Turkmen embassy in Moscow on Friday, marking the second anniversary of the publication of Turkmen President Sapurmurat Niyazov`s `Rukhnama`. Amnesty sees the book as a core element of the President`s personality cult. The domination by President Niyazov of all aspects of life and the personality cult that he has surrounded himself with, are key to the failure to address impunity or counter widespread abuse of human rights, the group claimed. Such sentiments were echoed by Erika Dailey, director of the Turkmen Project of the Soros-funded Open Society Institute in Budapest. `We agree entirely,` Dailey told IRIN, citing a growing international coalition concerned about the situation in Turkmenistan.
Foreign NGOs Call For Protection Of Kyrgyz Human Rights Committee
Radio Free Europe
Bishkek, September 15: Representatives of foreign nongovernmental organizations working in Kyrgyzstan distributed a statement on 15 September calling for protection of the Kyrgyz Human Rights Committee (KCHR), RFE/RL`s Kyrgyz Service reported. Deputy Justice Minister Nurlan Alymbaev on 15 September told journalists that neither side in the dispute over the leadership of the KCHR has applied to re-register the organization. Long-time Chairman Ramazan Dyryldaev was voted out of office during a special meeting of people who, according to the KCHR board, had no right to remove him (see `RFE/RL Newsline,` 26 and 28 August 2003).
Turkmenistan: Human Rights - The Missing Chapter In President Niyazov`s `holy` Book
Central Asia Daily
Ashgabat, September 14: The human rights situation in Turkmenistan has been appalling for years. It has deteriorated even further following the November 2002 alleged assassination attempt on President Saparmurat Niyazov, Amnesty International said today as it launched a series of actions addressing the appalling abuses in Turkmenistan. `Sadly, although the new wave of repression is extraordinary, it nevertheless reflects the harsh practices that human rights groups have documented throughout recent years.` A climate of extreme intolerance of dissent, restriction of political and civil liberties, recurring imprisonment of conscientious objectors, persecution of religious minorities, and tight control of the media and curtailment of freedom of expression was prevalent
n the country even before the November events. Since then, scores of men, women and children have faced detention, harassment, house eviction, and confiscation of property. Many of them were reportedly targeted solely because of their family relations with the regime`s opponents. There have been credible reports of torture and ill-treatment in detention, and dozens have been sentenced to long prison terms, including life imprisonment after grossly unfair trials in which they were convicted of involvement in the alleged attack. `For too long Turkmenistan has been largely forgotten by the international community -- and through its restrictive visa requirements and strict control inside the country the authorities do their best to ensure that no critical media is present in the country ,` Amnesty International said. `Away from international public scrutiny President Niyazov freely pursues his personality cult. Today is Rukhnama day in Turkmenistan, a public holiday celebrating the President`s `holy` book Rukhnama (Book of the Soul) -- which he compares to the Bible and the Koran; he claims that the book `was born in (his) heart through the will of the Almighty` and that Turkmen people should live their lives according to this book.` Everyone has to know parts of the Rukhnama by heart. Pupils, students, teachers and prisoners have to recite paragraphs of the book on many occasions. In order to pass the entry exams for universities, students have to answer questions about the Rukhnama. Prisoners have been denied release because they refused to swear the oath of allegiance to the President on the Rukhnama. The domination by President Niyazov of all aspects of life and the personality cult he has surrounded himself with, are key to the failure to address impunity or counter widespread abuse of human rights. Silencing political dissent The authorities of Turkmenistan have conducted several waves of repression against political opponents since the country became independent in 1991. Many have been forced into exile; many have faced detention, imprisonment following unfair trials, house arrests, and torture and ill-treatment. Several of those that were later released had to publicly repent on television, promising not to engage in political activities and in many cases had to swear an oath of loyalty to the President. Several waves of politically motivated purges lead to the demotion, dismissal or imprisonment of numerous senior officials in recent years. The November 2002 events triggered another large-scale clampdown on political dissent. According to the authorities, on 25 November 2002 opposition supporters attacked the President`s motorcade in Ashgabat in an attempt to assassinate him and to overthrow the constitutional order. The President remained unharmed. The investigation into the alleged attack and the subsequent trials have been marred by serious human rights violations, including credible reports of torture and ill-treatment. As a result, the full truth about the 25 November events has not yet come to light. At least 59 people have been convicted in closed trials by the Supreme Court and Ashgabat City Court, which lack judicial independence. Eight were given sentences of life imprisonment -- three were sentenced in their absence -- and 51 were given sentences ranging from five to 25 years` imprisonment. The defendants were not represented by independent lawyers and some lawyers reportedly began their plea with the words `I am ashamed to defend a person like you...` International trial observers were not given access to any of the court hearings. Many of the defendants were reportedly tortured and ill-treated to force them to `confess` or to incriminate others. Many relatives of those convicted in connection with the November 2002 events do not know where the prisoners are kept. Relatives of the prisoners and representatives of independent bodies have to date been denied permission to visit them. The lack of transparency heightens Amnesty International`s concern that the prisoners continue to be at risk of torture and ill-treatment. There have been unconfirmed reports that some of the prisoners died in custody as a result of torture. Many relatives of those convicted and imprisoned reported that they have been refused permission to pass on food parcels and medicine to their relatives. Clampdown on religious dissent The authorities of Turkmenistan are also extremely intolerant of religious dissent. Under the Law on Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organizations, religious congregations are required to register with the government, and since re-registration of religious organizations was made compulsory in early 1997 only two groups -- the Russian Orthodox Church and Sunni Muslims -- have obtained registration. The Russian Orthodox Church and the Sunni Muslim community are under strict state control and members of registered religious groups have been targeted and punished when daring to express any kind of dissent. Those belonging to religious groups that are not officially sanctioned, such as the Armenian Apostolic Church, Baha`i, Buddhists, Hare Krishna devotees, Jehovah`s Witnesses, and Jews, have been denied any public religious activities and have faced imprisonment, deportation, internal exile, house eviction and harassment for years. Many have been harassed by the authorities also for religious activities carried out in private, for example, when holding services in private homes. Amnesty International has documented many cases in which members of religious minorities were tortured or ill--treated by law enforcement officers. Many foreign missionaries have been deported from Turkmenistan in recent years and several ethnic Turkmen followers who advocated a religious belief other than those officially sanctioned have been forced into exile or have been forcibly resettled inside the countr Civil society The authorities of Turkmenistan have severely controlled the activities of civil society activists and have dramatically narrowed the space in which civil society groups can operate. The civil society community is relatively small, not least because its activists have had to take great personal risks in order to carry out their activities. Civil society activists have been frequent targets of imprisonment, detention, persecution and harassment, including routine summoning to the Security Service. The authorities have in many instances prevented civil society activists, journalists, opposition supporters and others from meeting representatives of foreign governments and international organizations, including the UN and the OSCE on their visits to Turkmenistan. Punishing the relatives The authorities of Turkmenistan have frequently targeted persons because of the known or perceived political or religious activities of their relatives. They have faced torture and ill-treatment, detention, harassment, eviction from their homes, demolition of their houses, and dismissals from their jobs. Many of those living in exile refrain from openly criticizing the authorities of Turkmenistan so as not to put their relatives who remain in the country at risk. Recommendations * Amnesty International urges the authorities of Turkmenistan to promptly introduce fundamental reforms of domestic law and institutions in line with the country`s obligations under international human rights law and to significantly improve its human rights record. * The organization urges the international community to build on their efforts to address human rights violations in Turkmenistan and to commit themselves to long-term engagement with a view to improving the human rights situation in Turkmenistan.
Special Focus
Azerbaijan: Baku Under Fire In Run Up To First Elections Since Joining Council Of Europe The European delegation, comprising members of each of PACE`s political groups, is expected to meet Azerbaijan`s main presidential contenders, election officials and representatives of the judiciary. Its agenda also includes talks with journalists and nongovernmental organizations.
To read more, click on the link:
http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav091303.shtml Electoral Politics In Azerbaijan Could Complicate Pipeline Loans Investors in the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline are watching Azerbaijan`s presidential campaign warily. Lenders worry that electoral politics connected with the October 15 election could prompt fresh delays in arranging financing for pipeline construction.
To read more, click on the link:
http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/business/articles/eav091603.shtml Wheels Set In Motion For Dynastic Transition In Kazakhstan The eldest daughter of Kazakhstani President Nursultan Nazarbayev is assuming a higher political profile. Observers widely believe that Nazarbayev is preparing the ground for a dynastic transition of power.
To read more, click on the link:
http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav091603.shtml Environmental Activists Not Reassured By Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Pipeline Hearings International financial institutions, along with entities involved in the construction of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, helped organize public hearings that aimed to assuage environmental worries about the project. Following the last meeting in the series, however, regional activists remain concerned that the pipeline poses a considerable ecological threat.
To read more, click on the link:
http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/environment/articles/eav091703.shtml Safe H(e)aven For Uzbek Strongman`s Daughter The Russian Foreign Ministry has accredited Uzbek President Islam Karimov`s daughter as a counselor at the Uzbek embassy in Moscow in a move that could be interpreted as a new sign of Uzbekistan`s political drift towards Moscow. However, Russian media outlets, notably Nezavisimaya Gazeta daily, speculate that Gulnara accepted the post simply to obtain diplomatic immunity.
To read more, click on the link:
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Central_Asia/EI18Ag01.html
Corruption Cases Sharpens US Policy Conundrum Towards Azerbaijan A US corruption case that has implicated top Azerbaijani officials is not expected to substantively alter Bush administration policy towards Baku, experts in Washington believe. At the same time, the case stands to deepen Washington`s conundrum over its short- and longer-term interests in resource-rich Azerbaijan.
To read more, click on the link:
http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav091803a.shtml
Caucasus: New EU Envoy Predicts Only Tentative Engagement The `bottom line` for Heikki Talvitie is clear. His appointment as the European Union`s first special representative for the South Caucasus should be seen as a sign of continuing EU engagement with Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Georgia.
To read more, click on the link:
http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav091803.shtml
Report Dated 19 September 2003