Azerbaijani Presidential Candidate Withdraws From Race
Radio Free Europe
Baku, September 26: National Unity Party leader Yunus Aliyev announced in a televised address on 25 September that he is withdrawing his candidacy in the 15 October presidential election, Turan and zerkalo.az reported on 26 September. Aliyev called on his supporters to cast their ballots for Prime Minister Aliyev (no relation to Yunus Aliyev). Azerbaijan Popular Front Party (progressive wing) Chairman Ali Kerimli has announced that he will pull out of the race in favour of Azerbaijan National Independence Party Chairman Etibar Mamedov. Kerimli`s withdrawal will reduce to 10 the number of candidates in the race.
Azerbaijani PM Visits President In Cleveland
Interfax
Baku, September 26: Azerbaijani Prime Minister Ilham Aliyev has arrived in Cleveland, Ohio, in the U.S., where his father, Azerbaijani President Heidar Aliyev, has been undergoing treatment since August 6 for heart insufficiency and kidney dysfunction. Ilham Aliyev arrived in Cleveland from New York, where he had attended the UN General Assembly session.
Independent Kazakh Election Observers Report Many Violations In Local Elections
Radio Free Europe
Astana, September 24: Danila Bekturganov, the executive director of the Republican Network of Independent Observers, told a news conference in Almaty on 24 September, Interfax-Kazakhstan reported. Bekturganov said that despite the training conducted by the Central Election Commission for members of local election committees, members of his group found that commission members in more than half the electoral districts had little knowledge of the legislation, and their activities at the polling stations were not transparent. The observers also reported many violations of their right to observe, as well as instances of the authorities interfering in the election process.
Elections: Range Of Constituencies Central Election Committee Provisional Data
Kazakhstanskaya Pravda
Astana, September 24: Central Election Committee previewed Maslikhat elections, held on 20 September Saturday. Many observers noted people`s moderate participation. Almaty 243 nominees stood for Almaty Maslikhat. The city was divided into 37 constituencies and 434 polling stations. The vote was close - all officially registered political parties took part in it, said Daulet Baideldinov, Chairman of city Election Committee, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University Professor. During the campaign, such new election `strategies` as `Black PRs` discrediting leaflets were resorted to. The most reliable means is immediate, live dialogue with voters, but the majority of candidates turned to media instead. According to provisional data `Otan` Republic political party won landslide in Almaty oblast, Talgar region in nineteen constituencies. Elections in Boraldai, No 274 polling station were held in compliance with the law on elections and voters` active participation (75 per cent). Observers, representing their nominees monitored the procedure. No breaches occurred. Kokshetau Political parties` active participation is essential for elections of all levels, - Zh.Kasym, President of Kokshetau University says. - Quotas should be reserved for them, but at present, their role is downplayed and Central Election Committee`s activities are not clear-cut. We hope the situation will change with adoption of new Law on Elections. Atyrau 199 nominations were recorded in 134 districts of Atyrau oblast, mostly on non- alternative basis. The youngest voter of the district was Slukhia Azhenova only just 18.. - I chose the candidate, who pledged to fight unemployment, the young voter says. This year at No 29 and other polling stations the attendance was low, because elections were held on Saturday, many people`s working day, said A.Shakonova, Secretary of No 29 Election Committee. Aktobe Voting at đ 66 polling station was well organized. One nominee for oblast and 2 nominees for municipal maslikhats participated. The observers were present too. - In my opinion conditions are more favourable compared to 1999 elections, Yelena Bashkova, an observer from `Arda` public organization said. Uralsk On 20 September 547 polling stations worked. Polling station No 488 was in the centre of Uralsk. Kulyaisha Nugmanova, Head of the Polling Station and Director of Preschool Education centre said it was not umtil10 a.m. that voters began to stream. Accredited observers from public organizations monitored the procedure. The poll in West Kazakhstan oblast showed the voters` conscious choice of nominees and knowledge of their programs. Out of 30 constituencies 25 deputies were elected to oblast maslikhat, out of 20 municipal districts - 10, out of 150 regional ones - 147. In North Kazakhstan oblast municipal, oblast and regional elections are recognized valid. 801 oblast polling stations had the required facilities: telephone, electricity and security. Out of 360 candidates for regional, municipal and oblast maslikhats only 342 reached the `finishing line`. The self-nominees took no chances with such powerful parties as `Grazhdanskaya` and `Otan`. Victor Dudrin, Head of Election Oblast Committee, said the law on election needed elaboration. Elections in Pavlodar Priirtyshye were held in a usual working key without excesses. Attendance left much to be desired, though. How could we account for it? Insufficient election campaign? Trivial platforms? Decline of voters` political activity? Analysts and political scientists have to look into it. Karaganda Karaganda oblast registered only 48.9 per cent participation of the electoral roll. 2 942 observers from public organizations and political parties worked at 738 polling stations. They marked some minor breaches, which did not affect election results: 204 deputies were elected for 298 maslikhats of all levels. The re-voting will be held for 84 maslikhats, by-election for 10. Kostanai Observers from Communist Party had no objections to polling procedure at No 24 polling station. But the media reporters complained about legislative limits of election campaign, which made it less attractive and less spectacular. Ust-Kamenogorsk The attendance was high, 52.3 per cent, no breaches observed. Out of 50 polling stations 37 were recognized valid. Kyzylorda Unexpectedly nominees themselves not voters were active in the election campaign in Kyzylorda. 445 applied for 149 deputy mandates but only 414 nominees were registered. During the election campaign however the nominees activity was lukewarm so the electors` response was adequate.
Kazakh Local Elections Result Reported
Radio Free Europe
Astana, September 23: Kazakhstan`s Central Election Commission has announced the outcome of the 20 September local council elections by political parties, insofar as candidates specified their party affiliation, Interfax-Kazakhstan reported on 23 September. According to election commission figures, 1,696 candidates who specified their party affiliations were elected out of 2,852. The majority of candidates who declared their party affiliations were members of the pro-government Otan (Fatherland) Party -- 2,164 candidates, of whom 1,477 won council seats. Of the 257 candidates from the centrist Azamat Party, 87 won, as did 18 of the 42 Aul (Village) Party candidates, 109 of the Agrarian Party candidates, and five of the 48 candidates of the mildly opposition Ak Zhol party. The report noted that many candidates did not declare party affiliations.
Turkmen Mayor Fired, Told To Walk Home
Radio Free Europe
Ashgabat, September 23: At a cabinet meeting held in the Caspian port city of Turkmenbashi on 22 September, Turkmen President Saparmurat Niyazov fired the city`s mayor, Ashirberdy Cherkezov, and told him not to use his official car, but to walk home, nCa (www.newscentralasia.com) reported on 23 September. During the session, Prosecutor-General Kurbanbibi Atadjanova accused Cherkezov of a number of crimes, including embezzlement, theft, and nepotism.
Low Voter Turnout For Local Elections In Kazakhstan
Radio Free Europe
Astana, September 20: Elections to local maslikhats (councils) were held throughout Kazakhstan on 20 September, with only 56.4 percent of the eligible electorate having voted by poll-closing time, khabar.kz reported on 21 September, citing the Central Election Commission. Council members were elected in 2,062 electoral districts; a second round will be held in 433 districts and 59 will have to hold new elections.
Kyrgyz Opposition Coalition Assesses Draft Election Code
Radio Free Europe
Bishkek, September 20: The regional branches of the Kyrgyz opposition coalition `For Democracy and Civil Society` have assessed the country`s proposed new Election Code and found a number of flaws, coalition leader Edil Baisalov said on 20 September, RFE/RL`s Kyrgyz Service reported. In particular, the coalition is recommending that -- in the interest of reducing the possibility of administrative interference in the election process -- the number of government employees on election commissions be no more than a third of the commission membership.
Elections Held
Kazakhstanskaya Pravda
Astana, September 20: On 20 September President Nursultan Nazarbayev participated in Maslikhat Deputies Elections. Maslikhat Deputies Election is part and parcel of Kazakhstan democratic system. It`s Maslikhats that approve nominees for Parliament Senate, local budgets, settle region development issues.
Kazakh Peacekeepers Defuse 30,000 Shells In Iraq
Interfax
Almaty, September 26: An engineering unit from the Kazakh peacekeeping force in Iraq has found and defused around 30,000 artillery shells. `Our peacekeepers are working at full capacity and are in good spirits,` General Mukhtar Altynbayev, Kazakhstan`s defense minister, told the press in Almaty on Friday. The peacekeepers are in Iraq `to help, not to fight,` he said. The Kazakh engineering unit has been based in an area not far from Baghdad and the Iranian border since late August.
Armenia Ratifies Agreement On Military Infrastructure With Russia
Interfax
Yerevan, September 25: The Armenian parliament on Wednesday ratified an agreement with Russia on the joint use of facilities of military infrastructure. Armenian Defense Minister Serzhik Sarkisyan presented the agreement and stressed the importance and expediency of its ratification. The agreement implies the joint use of facilities in the military infrastructure on Russian and Armenian territory and their joint upgrading. Sarkisian told Interfax that these facilities include airports, bridges and roads. `We did not make any specific list. The general principle is what is important to us,` he added.
NATO To Boost Cooperation With Uzbekistan - Secy Genl
Kazakhstan News
Tashkent, September 25: North Atlantic Treaty Organization Secretary- General George Robertson pledged Thursday to boost cooperation with Uzbekistan as the alliance takes over leadership of peacekeeping troops in neighbouring Afghanistan. `If there is failure in Afghanistan, then the region will be thrown into turmoil and the shockwaves will be felt at the edge of the Euro-Atlantic region, ` Robertson told journalists after meeting Uzbek President Islam Karimov. `We are committed to success, there is no other option.` To boost cooperation with this Central Asian nation, Robertson said NATO plans to open a training centre under its Partnership for Peace program that includes many former Communist bloc nations. He said Karimov had given his support to the idea during their talks. Uzbekistan is also to be home of `an anti-terrorism centre` under the Shanghai Cooperation Organization - an alliance led by Russia and China and including four former Soviet republics in Central Asia, formed to counterbalance U.S. domination of international diplomacy. Uzbek Foreign Minister Sadyk Safayev, speaking alongside Robertson, emphasized that the dialogue with NATO was `productive and open` and that the sides both hoped to boost cooperation.
Tajikistan To Reject Russia`s Help On Border
Pravda
Moscow, September 25: Until recently, the relations between Russia and Tajikistan have been almost perfect. Tajik President Emomali Rakhmonov has always been welcomed in Moscow (Western countries have not paid any attention to Tajikistan until 2001). The 201st military division was stationed in the republic - it was considered that border guards would provide a reliable protection to the Tajik ruling regime that was not confident in the loyalty of its own army. However, the situation is changing. Tajikistan started acting in a different way after American military men and their NATO allies appeared in Central Asia. Rakhmonov and his team suddenly realized that it was a lot better for the USA to deal with existing regimes than to try to build new ones. In addition, there is no need to destabilize the political situation in Central Asia taking into consideration the war with Talibs and al-Qaida. One may not say that the relations with Russia have considerably worsened. On the other hand, the treaty about the terms and the status of the Russian army base on the territory of the Tajikistan republic has not been approved yet (the base was formed on the ground of the above-mentioned 201st division). The treaty was concluded in 1999. In April of the current year, during Vladimir Putin`s visit to Tajikistan, the two sides agreed to settle all questions about the base by the end of May. It is the end of September now, but things are right where they started. The Nezavisimaya Gazeta newspaper wrote, deputy chairman of the national Committee for State Border Defense Nuralisho Nazarov said in an interview to Iranian journalists that Tajikistan intended to reject Russian border guards` help to defend its border alone.
Uzbek Security Officers Kidnap Kyrgyz Mullah
Radio Free Europe
Bishkek, September 24: Sadykjan Rakhmanov, a mullah in the town of Uzgen in southern Kyrgyzstan, was reportedly abducted from a bus station on 7 September, and local police are saying the evidence they have gathered indicates the kidnappers were security officers from the nearby Namangan Oblast of Uzbekistan, kyrgyzinfo.kg and akipress.com reported on 24 September. According to the Uzgen police, the car in which Rakhmanov was abducted was purchased six months ago by a Namangan security officer.
NATO Pledge To Tajiks
The Moscow Times
Dushanbe, September 24: NATO Secretary-General Lord Robertson pledged Wednesday to help Tajikistan modernize its armed forces as the security alliance aims to boost its presence in Central Asia, a region on the `front line` in the war on terror. `This country ... is on the front line in the region and has critical importance,` Robertson told journalists. Robertson met Tajik President Emomali Rakhmonov earlier in the day and said the war on terror had been at the top of their agenda.
NATO Secretary General To Visit Uzbekistan
Interfax
Tashkent, September 24: NATO Secretary General George Robertson will visit Tashkent on September 25, the Uzbek Foreign Ministry told Interfax on Tuesday. The agenda of Robertson`s visit includes meetings with Uzbek President Islam Karimov, Foreign and Defense Ministers Sadyk Safayev and Kadyr Gulyamov, and other officials. The visit is aimed at expanding cooperation between NATO and Uzbekistan and discussing security in the region and in neighbouring Afghanistan, the Foreign Ministry source said. Cooperation between NATO and Uzbekistan is developing actively under the Partnership For Peace program.
NATO Secretary-general Visits Tajikistan
Kabar Agency
Kabar Agency, September 23: NATO Secretary-General George Robertson has arrived on a one-day official visit to Tajikistan last night. He told Itar-Tass that the Central Asian region is on vanguard positions in the struggle against international terrorism. Robertson said Tajikistan `is a very valuable member of the international community as a whole and of the North Atlantic Partnership Council in particular`. He will meet Tajik President Emomali Rakhmonov and defence and foreign ministers. Robertson will speak in the National University.
Kyrgyz Opposition Leader Criticises Kant Air Base
Radio Free Europe
Bishkek, September 23: Imprisoned leader of the Kyrgyz opposition party Ar-Namys Feliks Kulov criticized the establishment of the Russian air base at Kant, calling it a political move by the Moscow leadership that has nothing to do with Kyrgyzstan`s security, akipress.org reported on 22 September, quoting an interview by Kulov the same day. In Kulov`s view, the base is intended to prove to the Russian government`s domestic critics that Russia has influence in Central Asia. Were the Russians really concerned about Kyrgyz security, they would have established the base in the southern part of the country, he added.
Russian Air Base To Open In Kyrgyzstan In October
The Moscow Times
Moscow, September 23: The Russian air base in Kant (Kyrgyzstan) will open in October 2003, Kyrgyzstani President Askar Akayev declared today. `The Kant air base is for rapid deployment forces formed within the Collective Security Treaty. We are following the line of turning the republic into a political base of Russia in the Central Asia and it shows what level we are ready to lift Kyrgyzstani-Russian relations to,` Akayev noted. The air base will be opened during Russian President Vladimir Putin`s working visit to Kyrgyzstan next month.
U.S. Donates Patrol Boat To Azerbaijan
Interfax
Baku, September 20: A patrol boat donated by the United States to Azerbaijan will reinforce security at Caspian oil sites, Border Guard Service head Elchin Guliyev said at the boat`s transfer ceremony on Saturday. U.S. Ambassador to Baku Reno Harnish noted that the U.S. Administration allocated $5.7 million between 1999 and 2002 towards reinforcing Azerbaijan`s borders. Around $12.5 million will be earmarked in the 2003 fiscal year. Washington will disburse another $1.7 million for improving the material and technical base of the border service. Most of the funds should be spent on training Azerbaijani border guards, Harnish said at a press conference.
Georgia Again Denies Presence Of Chechen Militants
Radio Free Europe
Tbilisi, September 24: Shalva Londaridze, who heads the press office of the Georgian State Frontier Protection Department, rejected on 24 September as untrue claims by the deputy director of Russia`s Federal Border Service, Lieutenant General Aleksandr Manilov, that a large group of Chechen fighters is currently on Georgian territory close to the border with Chechnya, Caucasus Press and Interfax reported. Manilov also claimed that Russian and Georgian border troops are preparing to launch a joint operation against the Chechens. Londaridze said, as have other senior Georgian security officials in recent months, that all Chechen fighters left Georgian territory during a much-publicized police operation one year ago.
SCO Member States Agreed On Creation Of Anti-terror Centre
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, September 23: China, Russia and four central Asian nations meeting in Beijing have agreed to move ahead on plans to set up a regional anti-terror centre. At a summit in China on Tuesday the six-nation Shanghai Cooperation Organisation said they would open an anti-terrorism office in the Uzbek capital of Tashkent. The move came after prime ministers from China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan held talks at a summit of the 7-year-old Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.
More Than 200 Hizb-ut-Tahrir Activists Arrested In Tajikistan
Radio Free Europe
Dushanbe, September 22: Tajik Interior Minister Khumdin Sharipov told a news conference in Dushanbe on 22 September that more than 200 members of the banned extremist Muslim movement Hizb ut-Tahrir have been arrested in Tajikistan in the last two years, ITAR-TASS reported. Earlier, law enforcement agencies said that 30 Hizb ut-Tahrir activists have been arrested in Tajikistan in 2003. According to Sharipov, many detained activists have been charged not only with distributing seditious literature and seeking to overthrow the constitutional system, but also with more serious crimes including murder, kidnapping, and robbery. He also asserted that `tons` of Hizb ut-Tahrir literature was confiscated during the same two-year period.
Uzbekistan To Start Oil Imports Via Shimkent-Pakhta Pipeline
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, September 26: Uzbekneftegaz (Uzbek Oil and Gas) national holding company will start imports of crude oil from Kazakhstan via Shimket-Pakhta pipeline in November 2003, the chairman of Uzbekneftegaz Shavkat Madjidov said.
BP Hits Problem On Caspian Well
Central Asia Daily
Baku, September 26: Oil major BP has suspended the pre-drilling of production wells on its West Azeri oil field in the Caspian Sea after the wells became damaged, a company spokeswoman said on Friday. The company said it did not know how quickly the problem could be fixed but said it would not cause a major delay. The first oil from the field will still be produced on schedule next year, it said. Ten production wells are planned for the West Azeri field. But so far only one of them has been completed while the rest have only been partially drilled, the spokeswoman said. The contractor carrying out the pre-drilling when it hit problems was Caspian Drilling Company, a joint venture between Global Santa Fe and Azerbaijan`s state oil company, SOCAR. `During the course of the west Azeri pre-drilling programme we have encountered some damage to the wells and we have stopped drilling operations,` said the BP spokeswoman. Geo-technical boreholes will now be drilled on the field to help specialists identify the cause of the problem. `The geo-technical studies will take, I think, a couple of weeks, and then we will study these data. We cannot give an exact date when (pre-drilling work will resume).` `We do not think this is a major problem and we do not think it will take a very long time to identify the cause.... Overall, it will not impact our Azeri development schedule,` the spokeswoman said.
Astana, Peking Study Gas Pipeline Scenarios
Interfax
Beijing, September 26: Astana and Peking are going over three possibilities for the building of a gas pipeline running from Kazakhstan to Western China, Kazakh Prime Minister Danial Akhmetov told the press after a visit to China. `At my meeting in Peking with State Council Premier Wen Jiabao, we discussed three variants for building a gas pipeline from the republic to China`s west. All are still considered effective, but the most economically advantageous one has to be chosen,` Akhmetov said. The first scenario would make use of the already existing Tashkent- Almaty gas pipeline. The second envisions the building of a pipeline from Western Kazakhstan through Kyzylorda, Chimkent and Almaty, also using existing stretches of pipeline. The third would see the building of a completely new line running 2,000 kilometers along the Petropavlovsk-Astana-Karaganda-Balkhash route from Kazakhstan`s north through the country`s centre to the border with China. All three possibilities, Akhmetov said, envision joining the border between the two countries in the area of the international railway terminal at Dostyk-Alashankou. Experts from both sides are working on the three scenarios, work that will `be based on the observation of mutually advantageous interests.`
Turkmenistan To Refine 32 Mln Tonnes Of Oil A Year By 2020
Interfax
Ashgabat, September 26: Turkmenistan will refine 32 million tonnes of oil annually by 2020, Turkmenneftegaz State Trading Corporation President Ilyas Charyev has said. Charyev spoke at the 8th Oil and Gas of Turkmenistan international conference in Ashgabat on Thursday. He said that steps to upgrade the Turkmenbashi and Seidi plants, the country`s largest oil refineries, will help achieve this goal. In addition to this, Turkmenistan`s socioeconomic development strategy envisions the construction of another two oil refinery plants in the Akhal and Mary regions, which will produce 7 million tonnes of oil a year each.
Azerbaijan Plans 315 Bln Manat Deficit In 2004
Interfax
Baku, September 26: Azerbaijan`s draft budget for 2004 envisages a deficit of 315 billion manat, or 0.8 per cent of GDP, a source in government told Interfax. Revenue is put at 6.957 trillion manat, 14.2 per cent up on this year`s forecast figure, and spending is 7.272 trillion manat, up 13.2 per cent. GDP is forecast at 37.3 trillion manat. The presidential administration has received the draft from the government and further changes could be made, but these will probably be very slight, the source said.
Tajikistan Needs Investments - President
Interfax
Dushanbe, September 25: Tajik President Emomali Rakhmonov said the Tajik economy is in need of financial injections. The civil war of the 1990s inflicted serious damage on the economy, Rakhmonov told a conference of Tajikistan`s donors and members of the Islamic Development Bank in Dushanbe on Thursday. Investments should be directed first to the energy sector, mining and road construction, he said.
Turkmenistan Expect $63 Bln To Be Invested In Oil Industry Over 17 Years
Interfax
Ashgabat, September 25: A total of $63 billion will be invested in Turkmenistan`s oil industry over 17 years, Turkmen Oil and Gas Industry Minister Tachberdy Tagiyev said at the opening of an international conference Turkmenistan`s Oil and Gas in Ashgabat on Thursday. Of that amount, $25.6 billion will be invested directly under production sharing agreements, he said. Five such agreements are being implemented, with two on land and three in the Caspian Sea. They involve Petronas, Maersk Oil Turkmenistan b.v., Burren Energy Ltd., Dragon Oil (Turkmenistan) Ltd., and Maitro International Ltd. Since these projects were launched in 1996, over $800 million has been invested in the Turkmen oil industry; $180 million is expected to be invested in 2003. Turkmenistan is offering 32 licenses for developing promising areas on the Caspian seabed, he said. Experts estimate Turkmenistan`s hydrocarbon resources at 45.44 billion tonnes of oil. An oil industry development program provides for an output of 100 million tonnes of oil and 240 billion cubic meters of gas in 2020.
Kazakhstan, Tengizchevroil Sign Deal To Expand Tengiz Oil Project
Interfax
Almaty, September 25: Kazakhstan and Tengizchevroil signed on September 19 a $3.5 billion agreement to expand operations at the Tengiz oil field. The deal covers the second generation (SGP) and sour gas injection Projects (SGI). which will increase Tengizchevroil`s oil production capacity to 19 million tonnes per year from the current 13 million tonnes. The agreement formalizes earlier understandings between the parties and resolves the issue of the distribution of taxes, said Vladimir Shkolnik, Kazakhstan`s energy minister and one of the signatories. Shkolnik would not disclose any details about the agreement, saying written permission from all the parties involved was needed first. The desire to advance the project has helped us to find acceptable formulae, Shkolnik said, praising the professionalism of the lawyers who drew up the document.
IDB Keen To Invest In Tajikistan: Ali
Arab News
Dushanbe, September 25: The Islamic Development Bank (IDB) is interested in investing in the impoverished former Soviet republic of Tajikistan, President Ahmad Mohammad Ali said yesterday. Ali spoke at an IDB meeting in the capital of Tajikistan, the poorest of the former Soviet republics. Tajikistan joined the IDB in 1996 and has received $64 million worth of credits from the body. The Jeddah-based IDB aims to boost development in accordance with Islamic law.
American-Uzbek Commercial Chamber Meets In Tashkent
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, September 25: Eighth annual meeting of American-Uzbek commercial chamber (AUCC) was held at International Business Centre on 24 September. The AUCC was founded in 1993 with aim to develop trade and investment activity between the USA and Uzbekistan. The founders of the chamber are 20 large US companies and banks, as well as about 20 state departments, associations, organisations and industrial enterprises. Today AUCC unites 70 US firms and organisations and about 30 Uzbek organisations, AUCC president James Cornell said. The meeting was slpit into sections, which considered issues of privatisation, evelopment of small and medium enterprises, as well as investment opportunities for foreign partners.
Regional Seminar Discusses Water Use In Uzbekistan
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, September 25: On the initiative of Uzbekistanīs Oliy Majlis (Uzbek parliament), a regional seminar has been held in cooperation with the Karakalpak parliamentīs agrarian, water and food committee and committee on democratic institutions, NGOs and citizensī self-government bodies. Experts from the northwestern Autonomous Republic of Karakalpakstan, Khorezm and Bukhara regions in southwestern and central Uzbekistan, respectively were invited to the seminar on efficient use of water resources and protection of these resources. The country consumes 70 billion cubic metres of water annually. It spends 92 per cent of the amount on agriculture and the rest is used for public needs. According to statistics, our countryīs population will reach 31m and water reserves will be reduced by 15-20 per cent by 2020. The amount of water spent on one ha of land in the Karakalpak republic and Khorezm region is 25,000-30,000 cubic metres, while the figure is about 11,000 cubic metres in the rest of Uzbekistan. The supply of water via the main networks is being developed to satisfy public needs for drinking water.
Lukoil May Invest US$1bn In Uzbek Gas Projects
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, September 24: Russian Lukoil Overseas Holding Ltd held a presentation of the investment project on complex exploration of Hauzak, Shady and Kandym deposits in Uzbekistan.
Oil Export From Karachaganak Field Via CPC Delayed
Interfax
Almaty, September 24: The beginning of oil exports from Kazakhstan`s Karachaganak oil and gas condensate field via the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) has been postponed to the fourth quarter of 2003, BG Group said in a press statement. The reason for the delay is contamination of oil by caustic soda while it was being delivered to the CPC system, the statement reads. The delay will not affect the overall implementation of the project.
Kazakh Oil From Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Pipeline To Be Shipped From Aktau
Interfax
Baku, September 23: Kazakhstan plans to initially use the port of Aktau to transport oil to Baku to be supplied into the Baku- Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, Kazakh Deputy Energy Minister Lyazzat Kiinov told journalists in Baku. `In the future it is planned to build a new terminal, either in the port of Kurik (76 km southeast of Aktau) or further to the south, close to the border with Turkmenistan,` Kiinov said. He noted that at the moment the issue of building an underwater pipeline between Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan is not being discussed. `Calculations have shown that transportation of up to 20 million tonnes of oil per annum is profitable by tanker,` the deputy minister said, adding that a pipeline could be discussed for larger volumes.
Conference On Regional Energy Coperation Ends In Tashkent
Kabar Agency
Tashkent, September 23: International conference on Regional Energy Cooperation in Central Asia and Importance of Energy Charter completed its work on 23 September in Tashkent. The conference was organised by the Secretariat for Energetic Charter and the Government of Uzbekistan. Members states of the charter, as well as all countries of Central Asia, Russia, China, Mongolia, South Korea, Japan, Turkey and Iran took part in the forum.
CNPC-Aktobe Starts Up Zhanazhol Gas Processing Plant
Interfax
Shanghai, September 23: CNPC-Aktobemunaigaz., a joint-venture between CNPC and the Kazakhstan government, has recently begun processing natural gas at the Zhanazhol Oilfield in northwest Kazakhstan, according to the Chinese Embassy in Kazakhstan, citing local media. The Zhanazhol oil/gas processing plant has an annual refining capacity of 2 mln tons of crude oil and 1.4 bln cu m of natural gas. CNPC Vice President and Chairman of CNPC-Aktobe, Wu Yaowen, said at the opening ceremony that another gas processing plant is planned to be set up in the oilfield in two years` time in order to make full use of local gas resources and guarantee supplies to households in nearby cities.
Aurado Begins Drilling East Tegen-5 In Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan News
Astana, September 23: Aurado Energy has commenced drilling the East Tegen-5 well which is the third well drilled by the Company on its 90 per cent-owned Liman Block in western Kazakhstan. The East Tegen-5 well is designed to further delineate and develop the East Tegen Field; the well is located due north of the East Tegen-2 well, which was recently drilled and completed for production testing. The East Tegen-2 well encountered oil over the same zone as East Tegen-1 and is expected to produce at similar rates.
Uzbeks Positive About Globalisation - Poll
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, September 23: 97 per cent of Uzbek citizens believe development of international trade has a positive influence on the country, according to a poll by Pew Research Centre for People and Press (PRCPP). 78 per cent of those polled in the USA said they were positive about globalisation, as well as 91 per cent in Germany, 88 per cent in France, 93 per cent in Ukraine, 88 per cent in Russia, 91 per cent in China, 72 per cent in Japan, 89 per cent in Bulgaria and 78 per cent in Poland. PRCPP questioned 16,000 people in 20 countries, Business News Agency reported.
Kazakhstan, Tengizchevroil Sign Deal To Expand Tengiz Oil Project
Interfax
Almaty, September 21: Kazakhstan and partners of the Tengizchevroil oil producing joint venture have signed a key agreement to expand operations at the Tengiz oil field at a cost of approximately $3.5 billion. The parties signed the deal on the Second Generation (SGP) and Sour Gas Injection Projects (SGI) on September 19. These two projects will increase Tengizchevroil`s oil production capacity from the current rate of around 13 million tonnes per year to 19 million tonnes, providing significant benefits to the Republic of Kazakhstan during project execution and after their completion. `The agreement formalizes earlier understandings between the parties and resolves the issue of the distribution of taxes,` Vladimir Shkolnik, Kazakhstan`s energy minister, who was one of the signatories, said. Shkolnik stopped short of disclosing any details about the agreement, though, saying this could only be done with written permission from all the parties involved. Shkolnik did say, though, that lawyers of the highest order worked on the document.
BP Ready To Credit Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Construction
Interfax
Baku, September 21: British Petroleum is ready to provide a credit of $500 million to the consortium BTC Co. to build the Baku- Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, BP-Azerbaijan President David Woodward told Interfax. BP is the largest participant in the BTC Co. pipeline consortium. These funds may be provided in addition to the financing of our shares in the project, Woodward said. The cost of the Baku-Ceyhan project is $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. Initially it was planned to receive credits in May-June 2003, however delays with the project pushed the receipt of credits back to November. The companies decided to continue financing the project from their own funds, which required up to $800 million.
IMF Mission To Visit Uzbekistan In Late September
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, September 20: An International Monetary Fund mission will visit Uzbekistan from 30 September to 8 October 2003 to monitor the pace of economic reforms and assess whether the country is ready to introduce currency convertibility this year. The mission will be led by Erik De Vrajer from the fundīs Europe II Department. The key subject of the discussion will be measures to be taken to lift remaining curbs on convertibility. Uzbekistan vowed to achieve convertibility of its currency on current transactions by the end of this year in line with Article VIII of the IMFīs Agreement.
Uzbek Leader Meets Visiting Russian Deputy Prime Minister
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, September 26: Uzbek President Islam Karimov received the deputy prime minister of the Russian Federation, Boris Aleshin, at his presidential residence Oq Saroy on 26 September. Welcoming guest, Uzbek leader Islam Karimov said that a critical assessment of trade and economic cooperation between Uzbekistan and Russia had led to a reshuffle of the joint intergovernmental commission, since the commission plays an important role in developing bilateral relations. Islam Karimov expressed his hope that the commissionīs new composition would give renewed impetus to bilateral relations.
Central Asian States Agree On Greater Ties With Afghanistan
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, September 26: Pakistan, Iran, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, China, Turkmenistan and the United States have agreed for greater economic ties with Afghanistan by supporting its national development framework, encourage chambers of commerce and to enhance cooperation by national regulators of telecommunication, energy and transport and to increase air links and share economic reforms.
Parliamentarians From Russia, Azerbaijan Discuss Two Countries` Relations
Pravda
Moscow, September 26: Murtuz Aleskerov, speaker for Azerbaijan`s Milli Mejlis, met with a Russian parliamentary delegation Thursday to discuss relations between the two countries. The Russian delegation visiting Baku is made up of members of the two houses of the Russian parliament and headed by Konstantin Markelov, 1st Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council`s Committee on CIS Affairs. The parties said they were satisfied with the current level of political, economic and cultural links between Azerbaijan and Russia, as well as with the level of cooperation between the legislative bodies of the two countries. Aleskerov said, for instance, that relations between the two countries had the character of a strategic cooperation. He also said last year`s volume of commercial operations between Russia and Azerbaijan was 60 per cent - or 400 million US dollars - higher than the figures of 2001.
Ilham Aliyev: Azerbaijan Not To Concede Its Territory
Baku Today
Baku, September 25: World community stayed indifferent to Azerbaijan`s appeal to unite efforts to combat terrorism. Azerbaijan supports proposals of UN General Secretary to make organizational reforms in UN, increase number of UN SC members and revise mechanism of Security Council operation, Azeri Premier Ilham Aliyev, who is currently on leave, said in his speech at the 58th session of UN General Assembly. He stated that events in Iraq have revealed vulnerable spots in international security and this is not the first time when UN SC failed to realize its resolutions and adequately react to situation, due to disagreements between its members. Having mentioned the act of terrorism against UN mission in Baghdad, Ilham Aliyev emphasized necessity of uncompromising struggle against all those applying to terror, regardless of their purposes. `Double standards are inadmissible in this struggle,` said Ilham Aliyev. He added that Azerbaijan suffered from Armenian aggression has been struggling against terrorism for many years. World community stayed indifferent to Azerbaijan`s appeal to unite efforts to combat terrorism. Ilham Aliyev said it will be difficult to eradicate this evil, until roots of terrorism and factors favoring its spread are revealed. Ilham Aliyev drew attention of the session participants to the fact that as a rule, terrorist groups are created and trained at the areas seized as a result of foreign aggression and separatism. Nagorno Karabakh and other occupied Azerbaijani lands are among these territories. Ilham Aliyev also spoke about UN position to the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict. He regretfully stated that four UN SC resolutions on unconditional withdrawal of Armenian occupational troops from Azerbaijani lands were adopted ten years ago, but Armenia still ignores them.
Bulgarian President Visits Kazakhstan, Promises To Expand Cooperation
Radio Free Europe
Astana, September 25: During a visit by Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov to Astana on 25 September, three Kazakh-Bulgarian intergovernmental agreements were signed, khabar.kz and Interfax-Kazakhstan reported. One of these agreements covers the struggle against terrorism, drug trafficking, and organized crime. A second deals with cooperation in health care and medicine, and the third pledges closer cooperation between the justice ministries of the two countries. Extensive discussions between Parvanov and Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev covered Afghanistan, Iraq, and the Balkans, in addition to the issues dealt with in the cooperation agreements. The presidents pledged to expand trade and business ties between the two countries.
Polish Parliamentary Delegation Visits Uzbek Ombudsman
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, September 25: A delegation led by the chairwoman of the Polish-Uzbek parliamentary group in the Polish parliament, Elzbieta Radziszewska, is visiting Uzbekistan. It met the Uzbek parliamentary commissioner for human rights (Ombudsman). During the meeting, the Uzbek and Polish colleagues noted the need to deepen interparliamentary relations between the two countries. The process of building a democratic state and a civil society is fast in both Uzbekistan and Poland. In particular, human rights protection is considered to be one of the main state policy directions.
Uzbek President To Visit Georgia In October
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, September 24: Uzbek President Islam Karimov will pay an official visit to Georgia in the first half of October, a source in the Georgian State Chancellery told Prime-News. The visit will be devoted to a broad range of issues of bilateral relations and international processes.
Azerbaijan, Iran To Discuss Caspian Division
Interfax
Baku, September 24: Azerbaijan is preparing for the next round of consultations with Iran on the division of the Caspian Sea, Deputy Foreign Minister Khalaf Khalafov told journalists on Tuesday. `The meeting is expected to take place in Baku within the next month,` Khalafov said. The deputy foreign minister noted that five-way negotiations involving all Caspian littoral nations have been successful. `The draft convention has a number of outstanding issues and we hope to resolve them at our next session,` he noted. Khalafov is Azerbaijan`s co-chairman of the special group working on the legal status of the Caspian Sea.
60 Uzbek Religious And Social Figures To Visit US
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, September 24: Sixty religious and social figures of Uzbekistan will visit US by the end of 2003 for association and cooperation with American colleagues on issues of religious freedom and relations between state and religion, an official of IREX regional representative office reported to Turkiston Press. It will be possible owing to the Cultural and Religious Pluralism program, financed by the Bureau on Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) of US State Department. The project aims to support opinion exchange among representatives of Uzbekistan and US on cultural and religious variety in informal and complicated society.
US Supports Kazakhstan`s Request To Chair OSCE In 2009
Radio Free Europe
Astana, September 23: U.S. Ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Stephen Minikes told journalists in Almaty on 23 September that the United States supports Kazakhstan`s request to assume the post of annual OSCE chairman-in-office in 2009, but said the country needs to demonstrate its adherence to the organization`s principles in the implementation of human rights standards, civil-society development, and the transition to a market economy, Interfax-Kazakhstan reported.
Kazakh President Meets With Senior Iranian Official
Kabar Agency
Astana, September 23: Iran has pledged full assistance to Kazakhstan in its bid to make the activities of its global religious forum operate on a permanent basis. This statement was made by Mehdi Hadavi Moghaddam, head of the delegation of the Iranian Culture and Islamic Communications Organization, at a meeting with Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev in Astana on Tuesday. `[Iranian] President Khatami once suggested establishing dialogue between civilizations. We view this conference as a follow-up to this initiative. That is why Iran is ready to do everything in its power to help Kazakhstan promote this dialogue,` the Iranian official said. He is currently taking part in Kazakhstan`s global religious congress. Nazarbayev has asked Iran to support the forum`s initiative to hold a meeting of heads of various religions once every three years and an annual lower-level meeting of religious leaders.
Tajik Prime Minister Leaves Beijing
Kabar Agency
Beijing, September 23: Prime Minister of Tajikistan Akil Akilov, left Beijing Wednesday morning, after attending the consultation of prime ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) members. Kazakh Prime Minister Daniyal Akhmetov, Kyrgyz Prime Minister Nikolai Tanayev and Uzbek Prime Minister Utkur Sultanov will leaveBeijing later Wednesday respectively. Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov started his official visit to China Wednesday.
Kazakh Foreign Minister Puzzled At Uzbek Bias Charge
Radio Free Europe
Astana, September 23: Kazakhstan`s Foreign Ministry has issued a press statement expressing `puzzlement` at an assertion by the Uzbek ambassador in Almaty that the Kazakh media is inflaming tensions between the two countries through biased reporting of incidents on the Kazakh-Uzbek border (see `RFE/RL Newsline,` 23 September 2003), centrasia.ru reported on 23 September. The Foreign Ministry`s statement describes as `unfounded` Uzbek charges that the Kazakh government and public figures are using the border incidents, particularly the shooting of a Kazakh citizen by Uzbek border guards on 4 September, to provoke anti-Uzbek feelings among the population and to create tensions in bilateral relations. It describes the Uzbek ambassador`s assertions as `irresponsible,` a violation of normal diplomatic practices, and interference in the internal affairs of Kazakhstan.
Polish Parliamentarian Delegation Visits Uzbekistan
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, September 23: A delegation from the Polish parliament, Sejm, is visiting Uzbekistan. The delegation led by Elzbieta Radziszewska visited the Uzbek Foreign Ministry where they met the first Uzbek deputy foreign minister, Vladimir Norov. During the meeting the sides discussed the state of relations between the two countries and plans for the future. Following the talks, the delegation members visited the Uzbek parliament. During talks held with the chairman of the parliamentary committee for international affairs and interparliamentary relations, Erkin Vohidov, the sides dwelt on further expanding interparliamentary relations and exchanging experience. `
Tashkent To Host Next SCO Summit In Late May-June 2004
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, September 23: Tashkent is to host a regular summit involving the leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisationīs countries in late May-June 2004. This regional organization comprises Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzistan, China, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The decision to hold the summit was adopted 23 September by the Council of Heads of Government of the Organisationīs member-countries, Vitaly Vorobiev, who serves as the Russian Presidentīs special envoy, told correspondents. The Shanghai Cooperation Organisationīs Prime Ministers are to meet once again in Bishkek next fall, Vorobiev added. We have signed a number of documents today, thus turning the Organization into a full-fledged structure; we must now move to implement practical actions, Vorobiev stressed.
Uzbek Embassy Accuses Kazakh Media Of Bias In Reporting Border Incidents
Radio Free Europe
Tashkent, September 22: The Uzbek Embassy in Almaty has issued a statement accusing the Kazakh media of biased reporting about recent incidents along the two countries` border, Interfax-Kazakhstan reported on 22 September. The embassy asserted that the Kazakh media have been carrying reports that reflect negatively the state of Kazakh-Uzbek relations, and that `certain people` in Kazakhstan are trying to use the border incidents for `populist or other narrow political ends,` thereby creating tensions and provoking anti-Uzbek sentiments. The embassy warned that irresponsible statements by Kazakh officials could combine with media bias to worsen relations and, possibly, to inflame tensions in border areas.
Credentials Presented
Kazakhstanskaya Pravda
Astana, September 22: On 22 September, Monday Chzhou Siaopei Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of China to Kazakhstan handed his credentials to Nursultan Nazarbayev. During the ceremony Ch. Siaopei stated that bilateral Kazakhstan-China relations have always been friendly. Our states have signed a treaty of friendship neighborliness and cooperation. Kazakhstan-China legal base has 105 bilateral treaties and agreements.
Russian - Kyrgyz Agreement On Labour Migration Signed
Radio Free Europe
Bishkek, September 22: During Kyrgyz President Askar Akaev`s visit to Moscow for the opening of Kyrgyz Culture Days and the signing of the Russian-Kyrgyz agreement on Russia`s use of the Kant air base (see `RFE/RL Newsline,` 23 September 2003), an bilateral agreement on labor migration was also signed, according to kabar.kg on 22 September. The agreement, according to Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Askar Aitmatov, obliges the Russian side to provide benefits to Kyrgyz citizens who take jobs in the Russian Federation and allows Kyrgyz workers to stay in Russia indefinitely. Aitmatov noted that the exact number of Kyrgyz citizens now working in Russia is not known, but Kyrgyz migration services have estimated that it is between 300,000 and 500,000 people.
Azerbaijani PM Flies To New York For UN General Assembly Session
Interfax
Baku, September 21: Azerbaijani Prime Minister Ilham Aliyev has flown to the United States on Monday, where he will attend the 58th session of the UN General Assembly in New York on September 29 and 30. Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Vilayat Guliyev will also attend the session. Aliyev will address the session and hold numerous bilateral talks in New York. He is also expected to visit his father, Azerbaijani President Heidar Aliyev, at a hospital in Cleveland, Ohio.
SCO PMs To Gather In Beijing For Second Consultation
People`s Daily
Beijing, September 21: Prime Ministers of Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Russia will arrive in Beijing respectively on Monday and Tuesday to attend the second consultation of prime ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) members.Prime Ministers of Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Russia will arrive in Beijing respectively on Monday and Tuesday to attend the second consultation of prime ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) members.
Eighteen Delegations To Attend Inter-religious Congress In Kazakhstan
Interfax
Astana, September 21: Eighteen delegations representing different religions, including Islam, Christianity and Buddhism, will attend the congress of world and traditional national religions in Kazakhstan on September 23-24, the congress` organizers have told Interfax. Delegations from Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan will represent Islam. Christian groups will be represented by the Roman Catholic, Anglican, Russian Orthodox, and Constantinople Orthodox churches as well as the Lutheran world federation and a delegation from the Vatican. Chinese, Mongolian, and South Korean Buddhists will also attend the congress.
Kazakh President Hopes For Early Ratification Of Common Economic Space Agreement
Interfax
Yalta, September 21: Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev hopes the agreement on the creation of a common economic space with Russia, Belarus and Ukraine will be ratified by the end of the year. In Yalta on Friday, Nazarbayev said the four nations are also expected to unify their laws on the single economic space next year. `The `quartet` members will tackle these issues rapidly to open their common economic space as soon as possible,` he said. The president noted that the common economic space agreement `is a very serious step toward actual integration.`
Day Of Culture Of Kyrgyzstan In Russia Begins
Kabar Agency
Bishkek, September 21: Delegation of more than 200 representatives of culture headed by Kyrgyz President Askar Akaev take part in the official opening of Days of culture of Kyrgyzstan in the Russian Federation. Days of culture of Kyrgyzstan in Russia started at the press conference in news agency ITAR - TASS with participation of art workers of Kyrgyzstan and Russia. Then in smart lobby room of the Armory Museum of the Moscow Kremlin the exhibition ` the Antiquity of Kyrgyzstan ` on which unique exhibits - curiosities from funds of the Kyrgyz state historical museum will open.
Tbilisi To Follow Formation Of Union Among Four CIS States
Interfax
Tbilisi, September 20: Georgia will closely follow the formation process of the new union of four countries, Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan, whose heads of state signed a joint agreement in Yalta last week, Georgian Foreign Minister Irakly Menagarishvili told journalists on Saturday. `This union may prove viable and attractive for Georgia in the future. However, the final agreement and the concept for setting up the unified economic zone contains provisions that are seriously connected to countries` sovereignty and independence,` Menagarishvili pointed out. Integration envisions concessions involving the country`s sovereignty, but `these concessions should be worth it,` he said. Georgia is clearly pursuing a course for integration into European structures, he said.
Tajik President Calls On CIS To Set Up Anti-drug Coalition
Interfax
Dushanbe, September 22: Tajik President Emomali Rakhmonov has called on the CIS to support Dushanbe`s initiative on setting up an anti-drug coalition. `Everybody is fighting this evil on their own now, while crime has no national borders,` Rakhmonov told a meeting the CIS Interior Ministers Council on Monday. Presidential press secretary Zafar Saidov quoted Rakhmonov as saying that he supports new, coordinated forms of assistance in fighting drug trafficking in the CIS. The council members also discussed news coverage of drug-fighting efforts, Saidov said. The delegates were presented with strong evidence that reports about a so-called `Tajik trail` in most drug-related crimes distort the real picture and disagree with official statistics, he said. Rakhmonov earlier voiced concerns over an increasing number of deaths of Tajik citizens in Russia. He brought up this issue while meeting with Russian Deputy Interior Minister Vladimir Vasilyev and other members of the CIS Interior Ministers Council. According to Russian Interior Ministry information, there have been 12 cases of violent deaths among Tajik citizens in Russia, but Rakhmonov has different information, citing a hundred deaths, Vasilyev said.
Questions Remain About Waste Dumps In Mangistau
Kazakhstan News
Ankara, September 26: Waste dumps near the western Kazakh town of Aktau remain a source of environmental concern for local ecology officials and scientists. Hundreds of mt of various radioactive and toxic waste have been discharged into the `Koshkar-Ata` repository since 1965, impacting the adjacent area and the health of local inhabitants. `The fine dust from the bare spots of the tailing are blown towards Aktau due to rising winds,` Sarkyt Kudaibergenov, the deputy director of the Kaztransoil science-technology centre, told IRIN from the Kazakh commercial capital, Almaty, describing the situation as serious. `You can imagine the implications when the local people breathe this fine [radioactive] dust from the tailing, where there is the whole periodic table of elements, including uranium and other radioactive elements.` But not everybody agreed. `There had been a risk of [radioactive] dust due to the uncovering of some parts of the [lake`s] bank. The chemical plant discharged phosphoric gypsum [to the dump] from 1994 to 1996 when they stopped processing radioactive ore,` Marat Orynbasarov, the deputy head of the provincial environment protection department told IRIN from Aktau, where some 185,000 people live.
Uzbekistan, EU To Cooperate In Nuclear Energy Sector
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, September 25: The Council decided without debate to permit the European Commission to conclude an agreement in the nuclear energy sector with Uzbekistan. This agreement, the object of which is the use of nuclear energy for peaceful means, will encourage cooperation between the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) and Uzbekistan in fields such as nuclear safety, research and development of the nuclear sector and trade in nuclear matter. According to Agence Europe, this cooperation will mostly take the form of exchanges of information and of personnel.
Inter RAO UES, Armenia Ink Deal For Rights To Armenian Nuclear Station
Interfax
Yerevan, September 20: Inter RAO UES, a subsidiary of Unified Energy System of Russia (UES), signed a deal with Armenia on Thursday concerning the transfer into trust of the management rights to 100 per cent of the stock in Armenian Atomic Power Station. UES reported that the deal was signed by Armenian Energy Minister Armen Movsesyan, UES senior executive Andrei Rappoport and Inter RAO UES general direst Yevgeny Dod. UES was careful to state that `the sole owner of the Armenian nuclear power plant remains the republic of Armenia.` `Having received shareholder rights in Armenian Atomic Power Station, Inter RAO UES takes under its management the financial-economic activities of the electric power station, Armenian Atomic Power Station will, as before, carry out the operating functions,` UES said.
Lighter Jail Regimes For First-time Convicts - Decree
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, September 26: Uzbekistan`s President Islam Karimov ordered the transfer of first-time offenders serving prison sentences to jails with less harsh regimes. The decree said the move is in an effort `to deepen judicial and legal reforms, facilitate the prison conditions of first-time convicts, improve work aimed to reform these...` The document applies to two categories of first-time convicts: Those imprisoned for non-serious crimes and those in jail for particularly grave crimes. The Interior Ministry, the Prosecutor-Generalīs Office and the Justice Ministry are given until 1 February 2004 to implement the instruction.
Kyrgyz Parliament Adopts Revised Amnesty Law
Radio Free Europe
Bishkek, September 25: Both houses of the Kyrgyz parliament on 25 September adopted a revised amnesty law that had been previously vetoed by President Askar Akaev, who demanded changes to the law, `Obshchestvennyi reiting` reported on the newspaper`s website (http://www.pr.kg). The amnesty, intended to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Kyrgyzstan`s Constitution and the 2,200th anniversary of Kyrgyz statehood, was approved by the lower house in April 2003. Akaev demanded that the law be revised to include the requirement that people convicted of economics crime would be eligible for amnesty only if they reimburse the state for at least one-third of the damage they were convicted of causing. The Kyrgyz opposition asserts that the change is intended to ensure that former Vice President Feliks Kulov, who is serving a 10-year sentence for purported economic and other crimes, could not qualify for amnesty.
Press Freedom Declines In Central Asia, Italy, Says OSCE
Voice of America
Vienna, September 25: The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe says press freedom is declining in central Asian countries, where journalists are subject censure and harassment. But freedom of the press is also said to be declining in Italy, which currently holds the presidency of the European Union. The OSCE`s media watchdog, Freimut Duve, told delegates Thursday that journalists in central Asia live in fear of harassment and brutal torture by the authorities. Mr. Duve has just returned from a visit to the region made up of Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. He described the government of Turkmenistan as fascist and racist, and said it was not fit to be in the OSCE . Freimut Duve Mr. Duve says he knows of journalists in Uzbekistan who have been accused of invented crimes and tortured to make confessions. Cases of journalist intimidation, he says, are common in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.
Senior Policemen Of CIS Meet In Dushanbe
Uzbek Report
Dushanbe, September 25: Delegation of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Uzbekistan headed by minister Zokirjon Almatov participated in the conference of CIS internal affairs ministries during 22-23 September in Dushanbe. The ministers discussed establishment of the CIS centre for fighting drug dealing and kidnapping. Officials of interior ministries of Russia, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Byelorussia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova and Ukraine also participated in the conference. Several documents were signed as a result of the conference, Turkiston-press reported.
Ombudsman Reviews Rights Situation In Eastern Region
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, September 24: The monitoring group of the Uzbek parliamentary commissioner for human rights (Ombudsman) has visited Andijan region. The monitoring group visited the town and regional administrations and health care establishments, and familiarised itself with how patientsī rights were being respected. Meetings were held with personnel at the regional law-enforcement agencies. The commissioner for human rights, Sayyora Rashidova, told them in detail about the activities of the ombudsman.
Turkmen Authorities To Declare Amnesty
Interfax
Ashgabat, September 23: The Turkmen Prosecutor General`s Office has proposed amnestying 6,135 people, among them 181 foreign citizens, who committed minor offences. Turkmen President Saparmurat Niyazov has stated, however, that the number of people to be amnestied should be increased further to cover those `who have been at fault more than once, but repent there actions.` A law on yearly amnesty and pardon for people who have committed minor offences, honoring the end of the Holy Month of Ramadan, was adopted in Turkmenistan on December 29, 1999. People who are amnestied swear on the Koran and bread, and, since last year, on the book `Rukhname,` written by the Turkmen president, that they will not commit any more crimes.
HRW Says Neighbourhood Committees Violate Rights
IRIN News
Ankara, September 23: Uzbekistan`s neighbourhood committees or mahallas - local government authorities with the power to administer a range of activities - are being used to violate fundamental human rights, bringing the repressive policies of President Islam Karimov to a local level, a report by Human Rights Watch (HRW) issued on Tuesday said. `Taken over by the authorities, the mahalla system is now being used to increase the government`s control over the population, thereby resulting in greater rights abuses,` Matilda Bogner, the office director for the watchdog group, told IRIN from the Uzbek capital, Tashkent. The 38-page report, `From House to House: Abuses by Mahalla Committees` documents the role neighbourhood, or mahalla, committees have played in three critical areas of government abuse: the government`s six-year campaign against so-called Islamic fundamentalists, those people practicing outside the state approved framework for Islam; its response to domestic violence; and the 2000-2001 forced resettlement in southern Uzbekistan.
Majority Of Amnestied Uzbek Convicts Find Employment - TV
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, September 23: A total of 90 per cent of former convicts who have been released from penitentiaries under presidential amnesty decrees have found employment, Uzbek TVīs `Tahlilnoma` weekly analytical programme reported on 21 September. Former convicts, the report said, are helped by local constables and administrations to find jobs. `Amnesty decrees are issued by the president. In January 2003 it emerged that the latest amnesty decree (issued in December 2002) applied to 48,000 convicts. The sentences of 19,000 prisoners have been significantly reduced. A total of 5,200 convicts have been set free, including 920 former members of extremist groupings who committed crimes aimed at overthrowing the constitutional system of the country,` the TV said.
Govt Takes Steps To Prevent Human Trafficking
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, September 22: The government intends to step up activity on preventing human trafficking, Deputy Foreign Minister Vladimir Norov told the seminar on preventing human trafficking held in Tashkent. The seminar was organised by NGO Istiqboli Avlod (Future of Generation) and the Foreign Ministry and supported by the US Agency for International Development (USAID). Norov said the government puts crimes related to human trafficking in the same line with terrorism, drug trafficking and spread of weapons of mass destruction. `Falling under the influence of doubtful people and firms, many people go abroad without knowing the real employment situation there,` he said. The deputy minister stressed that the government had prepared a complex plan of actions, which included an analysis of the situation and determined various traffic schemes.
Kazakhstan President Signs Amendments To Corruption Control Laws
Radio Free Europe
Astana, September 25: President Nazarbaev has signed a number of amendments to laws on combating corruption, KazInform and Interfax-Kazakhstan reported on 25 September. According to deputy presidential administration head Igor Rogov, the amendments correct weaknesses in the laws that emerged as they were put into practice. The amendments include a more specific definition of corruption that covers gifts or property received indirectly, an extensive list of actions that are defined as corruption, and a prohibition on government employment for eight years after a person has served a sentence for corruption. Rogov told journalists at a news conference in Astana that a permanent prohibition on government service for such persons would violate their human rights as set out in Kazakhstan`s Constitution.
Cabinet Reviews Juvenile Issues In Three Regions
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, September 22: The Cabinet of Ministersī Commission on Juvenile Issues has held a regular meeting at the Prosecutor-Generalīs Office of Uzbekistan. The session looked at the progress of work to support minors needing social protection and how to attract children to pre-school and out-of-school establishments and activities in Jizzakh, Surkhandarya and Kashkadarya regions. It was noted that that certain work had been done in the regions. In particular, in Jizzakh region, with efforts of regional public education department and the prosecutorīs office, a methodological office has been set up as a move to improve legal education and spread advanced expertise.
Anthrax Outbreak Could Have Been Avoided
IRIN News
Osh, September 22: Eight people in the southern Kyrgyz provinces of Osh and Batken have been hospitalised under suspicion of having contracted anthrax. `Their health condition is satisfactory, the patients are recovering,` medical personnel told IRIN at the Kyzyl-Kiya and Nookat hospitals in the south. According to the epidemiological department at the Kyrgyz health ministry, all those suspected of contracting anthrax took part in slaughtering a cow with the disease. Part of the meat was divided among themselves, while the remaining 120 kg was sold to the residents of Toolos village in the Nookat district of Osh province. Some 65 people, who consumed the infected meat, were put under observation. The skin and the head of the slaughtered cow had been given to some local people and had not been located. Meanwhile, preventive measures are being taken in districts on the border of Osh and Batken provinces.
Special Focus
Little To Loose: Opposition In AzerbaijanIntroduction Azerbaijani domestic politics are characterized by increasingly limited pluralism, as President Heidar Aliyev`s administration exerts a dominating influence over both mass media and grassroots activity. In addition, opposition parties are hampered by their own limitations.
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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/rights/articles/eav020303.shtml Georgia`s Mounting Opposition
A struggle between three political forces - pro-government factions, the moderate opposition and its more uncompromising counterpart - will largely determine Georgia`s political future. President Eduard Shevardnadze is expected to step down once his term expires in 2005. The first major battle in the building political succession struggle will be the parliamentary elections set for November 2003.
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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/rights/articles/eav012103.shtml Azerbaijan: Planned British War Memorial Raises HacklesOverlooking the Caspian Sea from the heights of Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, there is a cemetery devoted to the memory of those men and women who died defending the sovereignty of their native land.
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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/culture/articles/pp092003.shtml Uzbekistan Needs British Style Democracy, Says PresidentIf Uzbekistan`s president succeeds in turning his vision into reality, Uzbeks could eventually see public figures be given the type of grilling that British Prime Minister Tony Blair received at the inquiry into the apparent suicide of leading UN weapons inspector David Kelly.
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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/pp092103.shtml Creation Of CIS Economic Elite Fuels Political Tension In Some Member States
The creation of an economic elite within the Commonwealth of Independent States is designed to promote integration over the long term. But in the immediate future, it seems destined to become a source of domestic political tension in some CIS states.
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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/business/articles/eav092203.shtml Azerbaijan: Moscow Seeks Official Status For Russian Language, But Will Baku Agree?Government officials in Moscow say that, after years of decline due to the large emigration of ethnic Slavs following the breakup of the Soviet Union, the Russian language is making a comeback throughout the CIS.
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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav092203a.shtml The Shadows Over Central Asia
Two years ago, on September 22, the first contingent of American forces landed at the Khanabad military base in Uzbekistan. In the period since then, lines have appeared on the face of the `newly independent states` of Central Asia, which might seem from a distance as lines of disquiet and anxiety, but, on closer look, they indicate signs of a new maturity, of quick learning and adaptive skills that are requisites for surviving in a difficult world.
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http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Central_Asia/EI24Ag02.html Moscow Marches Into Kyrgyzstan
Following countless delays, Russia and Kyrgyzstan have finally clinched an unprecedented airbase deal. Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Kyrgyz counterpart Askar Akayev witnessed their respective defense ministers, Sergei Ivanov and Esen Topoyev, signing the agreement on Kant base on Monday in Moscow. The Russian air force can now move into the military airfield in Kant, about 20 kilometers east of the capital Bishkek. The deployment, say commentators, comes as the most significant outside Russia`s borders since the Soviet collapse in 1991.
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http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Central_Asia/EI24Ag01.html US Focus On Interdiction In Central Asia Is Inadequate To Meet Drug Trafficking Challenge: Experts
In striving to contain drug trafficking in Central Asia, the United States is focusing on interdiction. Policy experts contend that both the scope and the level of US current anti-trafficking efforts is inadequate to achieve the desired policy goals.
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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav092303a.shtml Azerbaijani Election Campaign Adopts Some Confrontational Tone
Election rallies in Azerbaijan`s provinces have drawn surprisingly large crowds, invigorating opposition efforts to unseat the Aliyev administration in the October 15 presidential poll. Observers say that as a result of President Heidar Aliyev`s lingering illness, many Azerbaijanis are less fearful about publicly expressing support for opposition candidates.
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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav092303.shtml Trial Deepens Mystery Over Murder Of Armenian State TV Chief
Political intrigue surrounds the trial of those accused in the killing last December of Tigran Naghdalian, head of Armenia`s state-run television and radio. Nearly two months after its start, the trial of 13 individuals charged in the murder has yet to fully explain the circumstances of the crime.
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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav092403.shtml The IMU: Alive And Kicking?
A number of violent events in Central Asia in the last few month points to strong signs of a resurgence of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan and the possibility of renewed violent attacks against civilians in various parts of Central Asia. The deterioration of the security situation in Afghanistan, the sighting of IMU militants in Kashmir and Tajikistan, and two possibly related explosions in Kyrgyzstan indicate that the IMU managed to regroup and may be planning strikes in the near future.
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http://www.cacianalyst.org/view_article.php?articleid=1761 Kyrgyzstan: The Political Succession Game
In Summer 2003, President Askar Akayev confirmed that he would not run for reelection in 2005 after completing his constitutionally granted term. There is a broad consensus that he will probably step down from the presidency, as his reputation has been severely tarnished in recent years. During recent months, general discussion about the succession has shifted to the issue of a likely successor.
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http://www.cacianalyst.org/view_article.php?articleid=1760 Corruption Scandals Dogs Central Asian Leaders
In recent months, an increasing flow of specific corruption allegations, mostly backed by evidence in U.S. court cases, have begun to appear involving Central Asian and Caucasian leaders.
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http://www.cacianalyst.org/view_article.php?articleid=1762 The Popularity Of An Opposition Moderate Coalition Surges In Georgia
An electoral alliance of moderate opposition leaders has taken over the front-runner spot as the Georgian parliamentary election campaign enters the final phase. A crowded political field, however, all but ensures that no single political force will be able to capture control of parliament in the November 2 elections.
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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav092503a.shtml Russian Moves In Caucasus Energy And Power Sectors Could Have Geopolitical Impact
An acquisition binge has put a Russian company in position to dominate potential Caucasus power exports. At the same time, the business moves can enhance the Kremlin`s ability to project its political power in the region.
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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/business/articles/eav092503.shtml Georgia Backs Away From Signing Treaty With The Vatican
Against the background of a contentious parliamentary campaign in Georgia, the government recently backed away from signing an agreement with the Vatican that would legally establish the Roman Catholic Church in the country. Political analysts suggest a major factor in the decision was the government`s desire to avoid alienating the country`s nationalist constituency - a potentially influential voting bloc in the November 2 parliamentary election.
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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav092603.shtml
Report Dated 19 September 2003