Azerbaijan`s Parliament Strips Opposition Lawmaker Of Immunity
Voice of America
Moscow, October 17: Azerbaijan`s parliament has met in emergency session and voted to lift a colleague`s immunity, after prosecutors said they were investigating whether he and other opposition politicians incited this week`s post-election violence. Lawmakers voted unanimously to strip Igbal Agazade`s immunity from prosecution after being shown video footage of the opposition leader reportedly urging the crowds in central Baku Thursday to fight for victory. Mr. Agazade`s party had backed the man who came in a distant second to outgoing president Heidar Aliyev`s son, Ilham Aliyev, in a presidential election marred by fraud according to the opposition and several international rights groups. Azerbaijan`s government blames the opposition for the violence, and the former Soviet republic`s interior minister has said that those responsible for the unrest will have to answer before the law for their actions. Opposition party supporters Azerbaijan`s Prosecutor General`s office and the Interior Ministry said Friday that nearly 200 people had been arrested for involvement in the unrest, which broke out shortly after the polls closed Wednesday evening.
Azerbaijani Ruling Party Accuses Opposition Of Planning Coup
Radio Free Europe
Baku, October 17: Ali Akhmedov, who is executive secretary of the ruling Yeni Azerbaycan Party, told a press conference on the evening of 16 October that Musavat Party activists had tried to storm the Central Election Commission building in order to alter the results of the previous day`s presidential ballot, an action which, he claimed, was tantamount to seizing power by force, zerkalo.az reported on 17 October. Akhmedov claimed that Musavat Party Chairman Gambar urged his supporters to resort to violence. Akhmedov said the leaders not only of Musavat, but also of the other parties belonging to the Our Azerbaijan bloc that backed Gambar acted as `stooges of extremist forces` and thereby placed themselves outside the law, adding that Gambar and the leaders of the other parties should be brought to trial.
Dynastic Democracy Is Dead End - Editorial
The Moscow Times
Moscow, October 17: As Heidar Aliyev`s son and anointed heir, Azeri President-elect Ilham Aliyev has enjoyed a somewhat caricatured reputation in the media as he seeks to live down the playboy image of his earlier years. But being the president`s son has certainly had its advantages. After a privileged upbringing -- including the best Moscow education his father`s Politburo connections could secure -- Ilham landed a plum job as senior vice president of the Azeri state oil company, where he got to rub shoulders with BP`s Lord Browne and other top oil executives. From there, it was but a short step to president of the national Olympic committee, heading the Azeri delegation at the Council of Europe in Strasbourg and, more recently, standing in for his ailing father on state visits as the country`s prime minister. Now, thanks to Heidar`s sickbed blessing and a well-orchestrated election campaign, Ilham is in charge of the country. Azerbaijan will export at least 6 billion barrels of oil and a trillion cubic meters in natural gas over the next two decades, and probably much more. This cash cow is one that the Aliyev clan, which can count literally dozens of relatives and close associates in top government posts, is not keen to give up the milking rights to. So an Aliyev dynasty, where everything stays in the family, makes a lot of sense to Ilham and the family clan. Whether those Azeris who are fed up with the Aliyev clan outnumber those who believe or hope it can bring prosperity -- and the 600,000 new jobs Ilham promised in campaign speeches -- is not clear. Many obviously fear reprisals if they protest the reported widespread election violations, whether it be from baton-wielding riot police on the streets of Baku or from local government bigwigs in districts outside the capital. But what happens next in Baku, once opposition demonstrators go home to nurse their wounds, will be a bigger challenge for the inexperienced Ilham. Based on past form, after wringing their hands over what the OSCE has called `a missed opportunity` for free and fair elections, Western governments will get back to the business at hand of lobbying for what Washington euphemistically calls `energy security.` But meeting expectations in the country, which still has a tiny economy outside the oil business and hundreds of thousands of refugees from the Nagorny-Karabakh conflict, will be a lot tougher than stuffing ballot boxes. In his favor, it is generally recognized that Ilham has a more modern approach, speaks fluent English and has a better understanding of Western business practices than his KGB-trained father. But what is unclear is whether he has the desire or the stomach to ditch the worst of his father`s legacy: fierce clan-based political infighting and an endemic pyramid of corruption, reaching all the way from bribes to traffic cops and kindergarten teachers, to multi-million dollar kickbacks on government contracts. Even less clear is whether Aliyev Jr. has the political instincts necessary for survival, now that his father is gone or soon to be gone from the political scene. Powerful players, who either stayed in the shadows or pledged loyalty during his father`s rule, may well be tempted to come forward and challenge a son who many say is no match for his old man in terms of leadership skills -- not to mention experience. Azerbaijan could easily get caught in an extremely destructive struggle for power. Dynasties in the region have a long and not particularly happy history, from the Romanovs to the shahs of Iran. But as the first direct father-to-son transfer of power in the former Soviet Union, this is a development that will surely have aging leaders and their entourages in neighboring countries watching with keen interest, as they ponder how to ensure a smooth succession for themselves. If the Ilham experiment works out, we could well see the `Azeri model` being exported to other Central Asian and CIS countries. With no male heir to turn to, Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev is said to be grooming his eldest daughter, Dariga, (who recently founded a political party) as a potential successor. His youngest daughter has been married off to Aidar Akayev, the son of the president of next-door Kyrgyzstan (in a move seen as part diplomacy, part insurance policy). But however tempting it may be, `dynastic democracy` is not the way forward for Azerbaijan or any other CIS country. Apart from making a mockery of the whole democratic process, it is a recipe for entrenching corruption and cronyism, as well as for increased political instability. The Azeri nation is now guinea pig in an unenviable experiment. Let`s hope other CIS leaders have the good sense not to go down the same road.
ERK Party Supporters Picket Uzbek Prosecutor`s Office
Radio Free Europe
Tashkent, October 16: About 15 members and supporters of the unregistered Erk Democratic Party picketed the Uzbek Prosecutor-General`s Office in Tashkent on 15 October, Deutsche Welle reported on 16 October. This was reportedly the first time Erk members have undertaken such an action. The picketers demanded that party property they say was illegally confiscated be returned, that police harassment of party members be ended, and that the party be allowed to hold a congress it has scheduled for 22 October.
Parliament Considers Civil Society, Mass Media Issues
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, October 16: Sub-commission on issues of civil society institutes, mass media and protection of rights and freedom of citizens of the Commission of Oliy Majlis on strengthening democratic reforms held its regular session in Tashkent. The meeting was attended by representatives of NGOs and international organisations. The session participants considered the new edition of the bill `On social unions`. It was noted that the new bill would serve to increase the role and authority of social unions and turn them into a powerful institute of civil society.
Putin Congratulates Aliyev On Election Triumph
Interfax
Baku, October 16: Russian President Vladimir Putin has congratulated Ilham Aliyev on his victory in the Azerbaijani presidential election, an official in Putin`s press service told Interfax on Thursday. `Your convincing victory has shown that the Azerbaijani people support the balanced program of your country`s development,` reads the message. `I would like to emphasize the strategic similarity of the interests of our countries and the favorable potential for the consolidation of friendship and traditional partnership between Russia and Azerbaijan. These factors serve the interests of our nations and the security and development of the Caucasus region,` says Putin`s message.
Turkish PM Congratulates Aliyev On Election Victory
Interfax
Baku, October 16: Turkey`s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan congratulated Ilkham Aliyev on his victory in the Azerbaijani presidential elections during a telephone conversation on Thursday, the Turkish Embassy in Baku told Interfax. Erdogan and Aliyev also agreed to further advance contacts between their countries, and they exchanged views on issues of mutual interest.
Bulgarian Observers Report No Major Violations In Azerbaijani Election
Interfax
Baku, October 16: The president election in Azerbaijan was held in strict compliance with the Election Code, chief of the Bulgarian observer mission, Georgi Yurukov, told the press in Baku on Thursday. `Members of the monitoring group did not expose any flagrant violations in the voting,` he said. `The group was absolutely free to perform its mission and it did not experience any pressure,` Yurukov stressed. `I have monitored elections in various countries many times before, but I have seen plenty of new things in Azerbaijan. For instance, I have never seen ballots for the blind before,` he said. Azerbaijan held its presidential election on October 15. Preliminary information shows that 79.5 per cent of the voters who took part in the election (some 2,283,820 people) supported Prime Minister Ilkham Aliyev.
Kazakh President Withdraws Draft Law On NGOs
Radio Free Europe
Astana, October 15: Nursultan Nazarbaev told the Civic Forum in Astana on 15 October that a draft law on nongovernmental organizations has been discarded, Interfax-Kazakhstan reported. The Civic Forum, which ended on 15 October, was a meeting of NGO representatives and government officials that was intended to find ways for the government and civil society to work together (see `RFE/RL Newsline,` 15 October 2003). Nazarbaev told the forum that he knew the draft law was controversial, and he admitted that some of its provisions were not clear, a point that has been made publicly by a number of NGO activists. Nazarbaev indicated that NGO leaders said the same thing to him during the forum. He said that he has instructed the government to draft a new NGO bill and a draft law on state procurement orders.
Baku Protests Iranian Channel`s Illegal Campaigning
Interfax
Baku, October 15: The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry on Wednesday issued a protest to Iran over illegal campaigning in favor of one of the country`s presidential candidates on Iranian television, Foreign Minister Vilayat Guliyev told Interfax. `On Wednesday morning, Iranian Ambassador to Azerbaijan Ahad Gazai was summoned to the Foreign Ministry where he received the note of protest,` Guliyev said. The Central Election Commission joined the protest. The Iranian television channel can be viewed in some areas in Azerbaijan. The channel broadcast a 90-minute program in support of one of the candidates at 9:00 p.m. Baku time on October 14.
Azerbaijan President`s Son Wins Election
The Washington Times
Baku, October 15: The son of Azerbaijan`s ailing president won an overwhelming victory in elections to choose his father`s successor, according to returns Thursday. But western observers and the opposition alleged massive voting irregularities. One observer said there were so many problems with Wednesday`s election - among them ballot-box stuffing and unmonitored voting - that he stopped trying to record them all. Violence flared during the vote, with police clashing with protesters twice during an hours-long standoff in the capital, Baku. With more than two-thirds of Azerbaijan`s 5,111 districts reporting, President Geidar Aliev`s son, Ilham Aliev, had nearly 80 percent of the votes, according to preliminary results posted by the Central Election Commission. His closest rival, Isa Gambar, had about 11 percent. As the count progressed, Aliev cleared a majority of the votes cast, meaning there would be no runoff with any of the other seven candidates, the commission said. Aliev stood for the ruling Yeni Azerbaijan party after his father - hospitalized in the United States - pulled out of the race less than two weeks ago. More than 71 percent of the former Soviet republic`s 4.4 million electorate voted, election commission chairman Mazahir Panahov said. Gambar, leader of the opposition party Musavat, or Equality, claimed that he won a majority, charging that there were irregularities that favored Aliev. Many in Baku complained that they were prevented from registering and that others cast multiple votes. Inside his party headquarters, Gambar waved a stack of ballots marked for Aliev that he claimed had been filled out before the election, and claimed he soundly beat the president`s son in districts monitored by international observers.
Kazakh Party Calls For New Election Procedures
Radio Free Europe
Astana, October 15: The co-chairmen of the Kazakh reformist Ak Zhol (Bright Path) Party told a news conference in Almaty on 15 October that the recent nationwide local-council elections showed that Kazakhstan needs to adopt new election laws and join the CIS Convention on Standards for Free and Fair Elections, Interfax-Kazakhstan reported. The elections were held on 20 September and 12 October. Ak Zhol co-Chairmen Alikhan Baimenov and Bulat Abilov noted that there have been numerous reports of election-law violations during the two rounds of campaigning, many of them involving interference by executive-branch organs in the election process. Abilov added that his party intends to file complaints with the courts in cases where alleged election violations might have affected Ak Zol members. About 140 Ak Zhol members were elected to local councils nationwide.
President Askar Akaev Addresses People And Parliament Of Kyrgyzstan
Kabar Agency
Bishkek, October 15: President Askar Akaev of the Kyrgyz Parliament addressed to people and parliament of Kyrgyzstan with a traditional message. In his message, the head of the state noted that the important phase of construction of the new state - the phase of political, social and economic self-determination is finished in fact after 12 years of revival of Kyrgyz Statehood. As the Second World Congress of Kyrgyzes has shown, took place on the eve of the Independence Year, it is time to make a next step - to pass on the phase of self-determination to the sustainable development of the country and community. In his words, the base for successful transition to the next stage of development will become the new edition of the Constitution of Kyrgyzstan that approved this year through the nation-wide voting. The Main Law of Kyrgyzstan fixed on base values and norms, on the basis the republic to advance moral and legal, social and personal basis of democratic foundations of society, stated in the Democratic Code. The strategic visions of development perspectives are the Comprehensive Development Frameworks and National Poverty Reduction Strategy, said the President of Kyrgyzstan.
Azeri Dynasty Stays In Power
BBC
Baku, October 15: Ilham Aliyev has been elected to succeed his father, Heydar, as president of Azerbaijan in Wednesday`s elections. Electoral officials said that, with most of the votes counted, Mr Aliyev, currently the prime minister, had polled 79.5 per cent of the votes - enough to secure his win in the first round. The election was marred by violence, as riot police clashed with opposition supporters who accused the government of rigging the election. President Heydar Aliyev is standing down after 30 years on and off in power - it is the first time power has been transferred from father to son in the former Soviet bloc.
Musavat Supporters Rally In Baku
Interfax
Baku, October 15: About 3,000 supporters of the Musavat opposition party are holding an unauthorized march in the center of Baku. Police have not tried to block their actions. The protesters gathered in front of the former Lenin Museum (currently the Carpet Museum), passed through a police cordon, and headed towards the Musavat headquarters. After that they moved towards the central square for a rally. The protesters smashed the windows of vehicles and shops on their way. They damaged a number of administrative buildings, including the edifices of the Azerbaijani Telecom Ministry and the Military Prosecutor`s Office, as well. Musavat supporters also battered an Azerbaijani serviceman, who happened to be passing by.
Azerbaijani Opposition Presidential Candidate Gambar Claims Victory
Interfax
Baku, October 15: Leader of the Azerbaijani opposition party Musavat and presidential candidate Isa Gambar has claimed that he has won the October 15 presidential elections. `We intend to protest against the authorities` attempts to falsify the outcome of the elections. I believe they will not have an easy time after the real results at each polling station have become known. But in any case, I believe I have won. I am not going to agree to be robbed of my victory,` Gambar said at a press conference on Wednesday night. `I am sure the voters will defend their choice, their votes, and their will. I have garnered at least 60 per cent of the vote in the presidential elections,` he said.
Shevardnadze Says Will Not Run In 2005 Elections
Interfax
Tbilisi, October 15: Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze has said he is not going to run in the 2005 presidential elections. `I will not run in those elections. There will be about 40 candidates, and there will be stiff competition among them,` Shevardnadze said at a government session on Wednesday. Leader of the Georgian Labor Party Shalva Natelashvili was first to announce on Tuesday that he intends to run and win in the 2005 presidential elections. Leader of the Ertoba (Unity) political organization Jumber Patiashvili told Interfax on Wednesday that `it is too early to talk about the upcoming presidential elections, but the outcomes of the November 2, 2003 parliamentary elections will determine a lot.`
Azerbaijan Elections Set For Wednesday
Voice of America
Baku, October 14: Campaigning has come to a close in Azerbaijan, where eight candidates are vying to succeed ailing president Heydar Aliyev, in elections set for Wednesday. Analysts say there is little doubt that his son will win. Their big question is whether the voting will be free and fair. Azerbaijan has a record of widespread fraud and abuse in past elections, and international observers say that this week`s election will be a critical test for democracy. The president`s son, Ilham Aliyev, who currently serves as Azerbaijan`s prime minister, faces little real opposition and is widely expected to win the election. Hundreds of international observers are in Baku to monitor the vote, including representatives of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, which called the 2000 parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan a crash course in methods of manipulation.
Kyrgyz Justice Ministry Admits Mistake In Demanding Re-registration Of Human Rights Committee
Radio Free Europe
Bishkek, October 14: Deputy Justice Minister Nurlan Alymbaev told a group of NGO representatives on 14 October that the ministry made a mistake when it told the Kyrgyz Committee for Human Rights (KCHR) that it had to re-register, RFE/RL`s Kyrgyz Service and akipress.org reported, quoting Tolekan Ismailova, head of the NGO Civil Society Against Corruption, who attended the meeting. The 13 August letter demanding that the KCHR re-register set off the series of events that resulted in two men claiming to head the KCHR (see `RFE/RL Newsline,` 26 and 28 August and 8, 17, and 29 September 2003). The incident became a major embarrassment for Kyrgyzstan in the international human rights community. Alymbaev also admitted the ministry made a mistake when it accused the KCHR of engaging in political activities prohibited to NGOs.
Azerbaijan`s October 15 Presidential Elections Will Be Democratic - PM
Interfax
Baku, October 13: Azerbaijani Prime Minister Ilham Aliyev, the front runner candidate in the October 15 presidential elections, believes the elections will be democratic. `I am confident that the elections will be democratic, transparent and free. They will be held in line with a new Election Code approved by international organizations,` he told a news conference in Baku on Monday. `The electoral race is nearing its close. Every candidate has had the opportunity to present his platform both on television and at rallies throughout the country,` Aliyev said.
Kazakhstan Holds Repeat Elections To Local Councils
Radio Free Europe
Astana, October 13: Repeat elections to local councils were held in Kazakhstan on 12 October to fill seats that were left vacant after the first round on 20 September, khabar.kz reported on 13 October. Voter turnout was down significantly, with only about 40 percent of the eligible voters casting ballots. Khabar.kz noted that a large number of independent election observers from various human rights organizations and NGOs were present at polling places.
67 per cent Ready To Vote For Ilkham Aliyev In Azerbaijani Presidential Elections - Poll
Interfax
Baku, October 13: More than half of voters are ready to support Prime Minister Ilkham Aliyev in the upcoming Azerbaijani presidential elections on October 15, experts from the SEL Analytical Information and Poll Center said after questioning 5,005 Azerbaijani citizens in Baku, Sumgait and 50 districts. Of the respondents, 67.5 per cent said they would support Ilkham Aliyev. Etibar Mamedov from the National Independence Party was supported by 10.1 per cent, Isa Gambar of Musavat by 9.1 per cent, independent candidate Lala Shovket by 6.1 per cent, Sabir Rustamkhanly from the Civic Solidarity Party by 4.2 per cent, Ilyas Ismailov from the Justice Party by 1.8 per cent, Gudrat Gasanguliyev from the People`s Front Party - Unifiers by 1 per cent and Khafiz Gadzhiyev from the Muasir Musavat Party by 0.2 per cent. Interfax obtained the poll data from SEL on Monday.
Azerbaijani PM Doesn`t Expect Mass Disorder During Elections
Interfax
Baku, October 13: Azerbaijani Prime Minister Ilkham Aliyev has ruled out the possibility of there being any mass disorder in his country during or after the presidential elections. `This is impossible because the overwhelming majority have already made their choice,` Aliyev, who is also a presidential candidate, told the press Sunday evening. He said public confrontation is only possible when a nation is divided into several parts. In Azerbaijan `there is one big group of people and a small number of opponents to them,` he said. He was satisfied with his recent meetings with voters and their evaluation of his efforts.
Kazakh Opposition Leader Gets Suspended Sentence, Fine
Radio Free Europe
Astana, October 13: Former leader of the opposition Republican People`s Party Amirzhan Kosanov was sentenced on 13 October to one year of probation and a fine of about $225,000 for tax evasion, Interfax-Kazakhstan reported. The verdict was handed down by the Medeu Raion Court of Almaty, which found Kosanov guilty of failing to pay 3,253,375 tenges (about $22,000) in taxes on grants received by the Reform Center, a nongovernmental organization that he headed. Kosanov told journalists he is not guilty and that he intends to appeal.
US Interested In Democratic Elections In Georgia - President
Interfax
Tbilisi, October 13: There is close U.S. interest in fair parliamentary elections in Georgia because Tbilisi has reached the status of a strategic partner of Washington, Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze said in an interview on Monday with national radio commenting on intensified visits of prominent U.S. politicians to Tbilisi. He disagreed with the opinion that such heightened U.S. attention to the developments in Georgia constitutes interference in its internal affairs. `When it comes to democracy any support should be accepted with gratitude,` he said.
High Stakes In The Caucasus - Opinion - Paula R. Newberg
The Moscow Times
Moscow, October 13: Voters in Azerbaijan and Georgia are heading to the polls, but probably few believe that this year`s elections will free their countries from the stranglehold of authoritarianism. The politically fragile, oil-rich Caucasus region is beholden to competing foreign powers -- including the United States and Russia -- that are willing to sacrifice long-promised democracy and economic reform for the sake of a return on their energy investments. But Azeris and Georgians -- and even some investors -- are discovering that politics can`t serve the oil business unless it also protects democracy. Until recently, the region`s longtime leaders had disregarded democratic principles and sanctioned electoral interference to consolidate their power. Thus, Western powers found eager anti-terrorist allies in Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze and Azeri President Heidar Aliyev, whose responses to war and competing nationalisms have been to violate human rights in the name of stability. Yet, without electoral mandates, Armenia and Azerbaijan cannot resolve their border dispute in Nagorny-Karabakh. And the 10th anniversary last month of the secessionist war in Georgia`s Abkhazia reminded voters that Shevardnadze is prone to exploit their fears of more violence to mute criticism of his government`s harsh actions against reputed terrorist sympathizers and to influence the November parliamentary elections. But the region`s biggest political problem is turning out to be the West`s quest for energy security. The Caucasus is a magnet for outside powers whose eyes for profit color their every security and rights calculation. This is hardly a democracy-friendly environment. For Azerbaijan, home to powerful foreign oil investors and the origination point for a U.S.-backed pipeline, politics is a family affair that presents risks both for social cohesion and the oil economy. Aliyev, long hospitalized in the United States, withdrew from the ballot this month after conveniently altering the constitution to ensure that the prime minister -- his son, who calls himself the `architect of the country`s oil industry` -- could succeed him. Not surprisingly, a flawed referendum supported the president, the ever-obliging parliament agreed, and, for safety`s sake, the supreme court upheld the removal of some opposition leaders from the ballot. By treating the younger Aliyev as heir apparent, the United States has conferred legitimacy on the father`s dynastic ploy. But the restive Azeri opposition, suspicious of electoral fraud, is on a collision course with the government. In Georgia, major opposition groups have joined forces against Shevardnadze, touting their urban-rural, center-right coalition as `Revolutionary Change Without Revolution.` The betting in Tbilisi is that Shevardnadze`s increasingly right-wing, nationalist and notoriously corrupt supporters -- allied `For a New Georgia` -- are inciting street fights to discredit the opposition and retain power. When Shevardnadze`s poll-rigging tactics sparked a fight with parliament last summer, the Bush administration dispatched former Secretary of State James Baker to Tbilisi to broker an agreement to ensure fair parliamentary elections. Opposition leaders complain that the government has already violated the accord and that Georgia`s elections have become another opportunity for the government to arrest, beat, bribe or persecute dissenters. The United States and other donors have spent heavily to revamp Georgia`s electoral system, but chances are that by the time hundreds of international observers arrive there next month, Shevardnadze`s manipulations will have overwhelmed the reforms. Pipeline politics will fail amid such political disarray. Breakaway Abkhazia, restive South Ossetia and even the semi-autonomous Muslim border region of Adzharia further jeopardize U.S. plans for Georgia. Because Shevardnadze needs to counter growing Russian influence in Adzharia, he allows Adzharia`s leader remarkable political influence, hoping that this will keep secessionism at bay as well. But this is Russia`s backyard. Moscow is already a major financial power in Armenia`s energy sector, and Russian companies are big players in Georgia`s energy markets. Some observers speculate that the companies want to develop the untapped energy market in neighboring Turkey, long a U.S. ally and the destination for the Caspian pipeline. The Caucasus has thus become a zone of competition between Russia and the United States, but old-fashioned security thinking hurts both business and democracy. The region`s authoritarians alternately curry favor with the two rivals to win new investments. When they engage in corrupt practices to get their way, Washington slaps them on the wrist but resists advancing the fundamental political changes necessary to turn profit-seekers into honest political brokers. Weak states invite foreign meddling. If the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have taught us anything, it is that when money, energy, alliances and political systems are in jeopardy, the stakes are too high to leave things to tired authoritarians. Political and economic stagnation in the Caucasus, or worse, reversion to old conflicts, should be unacceptable. Just now, they are all too likely.
Uzbekistan´s National University Marks 85th Anniversary
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, October 12: Uzbek National University (the former Central Asian State University) celebrated its 85th anniversary of the foundation on 10 October. The university has tuition in the Uzbek and Russian languages, said the rector´s office of the university. The university maintains contacts with 27 higher educational establishments in Europe, the USA, Japan and China.
Azerbaijan: Election Run-up Not Free And Fair
Central Asia Daily
Baku, October 12: Azerbaijan`s presidential elections cannot be considered free and fair because of widespread abuse and bias favoring government candidates, Human Rights Watch said in a briefing paper released today.
Azerbaijan: Opposition Crowds Rally In Baku
Radio Free Europe
Baku, October 12: An estimated 50,000 opposition supporters rallied today in Azerbaijan`s capital Baku, ahead of presidential elections on 15 October. Opposition candidate Isa Gambar addressed the flag-waving crowd and said the time had come to turn away from what he called the corrupt path of President Heidar Aliyev. He called on his supporters to vote and remain at polling stations on voting day until ballots are counted in an effort to ensure a fair count.
Tajik Islamic Party Holds Conference In Antagonistic Town
Radio Free Europe
Dushanbe, October 11: The Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan (IRPT) held a conference in the town of Kulob on 11 October, Asia Plus-Blitz reported on 13 October. Kulob was one of the main centers of resistance to the Islamic side in the Tajik civil war of 1992-97. It is also the hometown of President Imomali Rakhmonov, and local authorities have sought to prevent the IRPT from establishing itself there. On this occasion, local authorities managed to force repeated postponements of the conference, which was originally scheduled for May 2001 and most recently for late September.
EU Commits 12 Million Euros To Tajik Landmine Removal
Radio Free Europe
Dushanbe, October 16: European Union Director for Central Asia and the Caucasus Per Brix Knudsen told journalists in Dushanbe on 16 October that the EU will commit 12 million euros ($13.9 million) over the next three years for Tajik land-mine removal along the Uzbek border, ITAR-TASS reported. Two-thirds of that amount has already been promised by individual EU states, he added, and the union is looking for ways to secure the rest. Tajikistan has already begun clearing land mines left over from the 1992-97 civil war, but has not started removing mines planted along the Uzbek-Tajik border by the Uzbek military in 2000 and 2001 to prevent incursions by Muslim militants.
Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry Rejects Uzbek Report On Border Firing
Radio Free Europe
Bishkek, October 16: The Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry has issued a statement rejecting the results of an Uzbek investigation into an incident on 16 July in which a Kyrgyz citizen was killed by Uzbek border guards (see `RFE/RL Newsline,` 21 July 2003), akipress.org and other Kyrgyz media reported on 16 October. The ministry statement said the Kyrgyz side is continuing to work with the Uzbek Foreign Ministry on the issue, but is `deeply concerned` that charges against the Uzbek border guards involved in the shooting were dropped and the Uzbek prosecutor-general has filed criminal cases against some Kyrgyz citizens who were allegedly involved the incident. The Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry also said it found the Uzbek attitude counterproductive.
Military Jeeps
Kazakhstanskaya Pravda
Astana, October 14: Nine off-road jeeps of USD 660 000 total value replenished Kazakhstani Armed Forces` motor park. The vehicles, provided within Kazakhstan - Turkey Agreement on military grant, were passed at the disposal of our armed forces at the ceremony attended by Mukhtar Altynbayev - Defense Minister, General, Chinar Aldemir - Ambassador of Turkey and military attache of Kazakhstan accredited diplomatic mission. Being invited by Chief of Turkish Army General Staff and with the view of bilateral military contacts expansion Mukhtar Altynbayev will pay an official visit to Turkey in late October.
Uzbekistan Gives Its Version Of Border Shooting Incident
Radio Free Europe
Tashkent, October 14: The Uzbek Foreign Ministry on 14 October gave its version of a 10 October border incident in which two Uzbek citizens were killed and one Uzbek and a Kyrgyz citizen were wounded (see `RFE/RL Newsline,` 14 October 2003), ITAR-TASS reported. According to the Foreign Ministry, seven Uzbek citizens who were trying to smuggle cotton into Kyrgyzstan ignored an order to stop from Uzbek border guards. The guards opened fire on the group after the smugglers tried to attack them. The Kyrgyz gardener was an innocent bystander, the ministry said.
Future NATO Secretary General To Visit Tbilisi
Interfax
Tbilisi, October 14: Dutch Foreign Minister Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, current OSCE chairman, is to visit South Caucasus states in late October, a source in the Georgian Foreign Ministry told Interfax-Military News Agency on Tuesday. `In the course of the visit the sides are expected to talk about OSCE`s role in settling local conflicts in South Ossetia and Nagorno- Karabakh, as well as presence of OSCE observers on northern parts of the Russian-Georgian border,` the source said. The source also said that Jaap de Hoop Scheffer was to become NATO secretary general in 2004.
Eduard Shevardnadze: Russia Is Threatening Georgia
Pravda
Moscow, October 14: We will assume that Russian politicians` comments about taking preventative military action against other countries were simply premature and rash, Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze announced in an interview with national radio yesterday. At a meeting in the Russian Defence Ministry on October 2 devoted to reforming and modernising the armed forces, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov said we can not `rule out the possibility of taking preventative military measures if it is in the interests of Russia or its allies.` In his turn, Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed that `if preventative strikes become the norm internationally then Russia reserves the right to take such steps itself.` These comments have upset Mr Shevardnadze.
Two Uzbek Citizens Reported Killed, One Kyrgyz Wounded By Uzbek Border Troops
Radio Free Europe
Tashkent, October 13: Two Uzbek citizens were killed, and a Kyrgyz citizen was severely wounded by Uzbek border troops on 10 October, KyrgyzInfo and RFE/RL`s Kyrgyz Service reported on 13 October. A third Uzbek citizen was also reportedly wounded in the incident. According to what KyrgyzInfo described as one version of the event, the border guards opened fire on a group of inhabitants of a village on the Uzbek side of the border who ignored an order. The Kyrgyz citizen, who works as a gardener on the Uzbek side, was among the Uzbek villagers, many of whom reportedly earn their living smuggling scrap metal and fertilizer into Kyrgyzstan. A Kyrgyz village official said the Uzbek guards apologized and offered to pay the medical expenses of the injured Kyrgyz. Kyrgyzstan has long protested the use of firearms by Uzbek border troops on the two countries` common border.
Hizb-ut-Tahrir Adherents Prosecuted In South Kazakhstan
Radio Free Europe
Astana, October 16: Three members of the Muslim extremist movement Hizb ut-Tahrir are being prosecuted in Shymkent, the administrative center of South Kazakhstan Oblast, for allegedly running a clandestine printing house that produced Hiz ut-Tahrir literature, KazInform reported on 16 October. The printing house, which was reportedly set up in a Shymkent apartment by three men from Kyzylorda Oblast, was discovered and shut down by security officials in August (see `RFE/RL Newsline,` 29 August 2003). The men are being prosecuted for producing and distributing material inciting interethnic and interconfessional hatred. Major Kanat Imanaliev, deputy head of the antiterrorism department of the Shymkent National Security Committee branch, complained that Hizb ut-Tahrir is not officially banned in Kazakhstan, making it more difficult for the authorities to deal with it.
Armenia To See 10 per cent Economic Growth In 2003
Interfax
Yerevan, October 17: The Armenian foreign ministry predicts economic growth of 10 per cent in 2003 and 7 per cent in 2004, Finance Minister Vardan Khachatrian told Interfax. Inflation is expected to reach 4 per cent, instead of the earlier forecast 3 per cent because of the higher than planned rise in bread prices in the summer.
Iranian Company Starts Construction Of Road Project In Turkmenistan
Kabar Agency
Ashgabat, October 17: Iranian construction company Dobral has started building 26 kilometers long Baherden-Archman highway. The company has also been granted additional contract for building Goekdepe-Baherden road link. Dobral, active in Turkmenistan for the last 10 years, has already built Ashgabat-Gowdan highway (nearest road connection for Ashgabat to Iran) and the southern city gate of Ashgabat. The most important project for Dobral, however, was Ashgabat-Goekdepe highway, a 50-kilometer stretch of first class road. This is an important segment of cross-country Turkmenabat-Ashgabat-Turkmenbashy motorway. The 1200 kilometers long Turkmenabat-Ashgabat-Turkmenbashy motorway will have six lanes of 12.25 meters width each. Road construction in Turkmenistan is proceeding at double-quick pace. Dozens of kilometers of compaction and carpeting work has been done on Ashgabat-Turkmenabat road link and the ambitious Ashgabat-Doshoguz highway has already planted its black footprint deep into the Karakum desert.
Georgia Raises Oil Production
Interfax
Tbilisi, October 17: Georgia raised oil production 67 per cent year-on-year to 93,900 tonnes in January-September. The total was 20 million tonnes higher than in the whole of 2002, the state oil company, Gruzneft, told Interfax. GBOC, which is owned by Canada`s Canargo, put two new horizontal wells at the Ninotsminda field on stream this year, raised oil production 97 per cent year-on-year to 60,000 tonnes.
Shevardnadze Vows Full Backing For Russian Investments
Pravda
Moscow, October 17: Eduard Shevardnadze will see to the carrying out of the work of the joint Georgian-Russian group of businessmen that is to shepherd the implementation of Russian investments in Georgia. This was announced at a press conference in the Georgian State Chancellory by Vakhtang Rcheulishvili, the Georgia deputy speaker, who is one of the organizers of the Georgia-Russia Business Forum, after Shevardnadze met with forum participants. This means, the deputy speaker said, that Shevardnadze himself will guarantee Russian investment projects in Georgia. At the present stage, Rcheulishvili stated, those investments amount to tens of millions of dollars but they soon will involve billions of dollars, he said.
Annual GDP Growth Must Be Brought To 7 per cent-8 per cent In 2004-05 - Kyrgyz President
Interfax
Bishkek, October 17: Kyrgyz President Askar Akayev has stated that the government should take measures to ensure GDP growth from the 4.1 per cent envisioned in the draft budget for 2004 to 7 per cent-8 per cent in 2004 and in 2005. Exports must grow by at least 10 per cent a year, which will help create new jobs and enhance citizens` living standards, Akayev said in his annual address to the public and parliament. Kyrgyzstan`s economic policy for the next two years has three main targets: economic deregulation, the creation of an incentive-based tax system and a strong export policy, said Akayev.
Tajikistan Expands Economy 7.9 per cent In Jan-Sept
Interfax
Dushanbe, October 17: Tajikistan saw its economy grow 7.9 per cent year-on-year in January-September 2003 to 3.17 billion somoni in current prices, the country`s state statistics committee told Interfax. Industrial production increased 8.4 per cent and reached 2.18 billion somoni. Retail trade grew 28.2 per cent to 1.05 billion somoni in constant prices.
Ferghana Emergency Preparedness Needs To Be Regional
Kazakhstan News
Andijan, October 16: Emergency preparedness and tackling natural disasters in the Ferghana Valley needs a regional approach, experts told IRIN on Thursday. `The problem of natural disasters is an issue for all the parts of the Ferghana Valley, because it is surrounded by the Tien-Shan and Pamir Mountains. There is a risk of landslides and earthquakes,` Nilufar Begibayeva, Mercy Corps`s natural disaster preparedness project instructor, said in Andijan, an Uzbek town on the eastern edge of the Ferghana Valley. `The situation on natural disasters is a little bit better this year compared to the previous one,` Vladimir Huraliev, Mercy Corps`s national project officer, told IRIN in Andijan, adding that in some cases there were incidences of rising ground waters. However, Begibayeva warned that there was no guarantee that destructive earthquakes like the one in 1966, which swept away the Uzbek capital, Tashkent, would not happen again. The project on local population empowerment for natural disaster preparedness in the Ferghana Valley is due to be finalised in June 2004. The project`s budget exceeds US $400,000 for the whole valley, of which some $120,000 will be allocated to the Uzbek part of valley, this comprising Andijan, Ferghana and Namangan provinces. More than 200,000 people living in 10 communities in the three provinces are expected to benefit.
Tajikistan Trade Surplus Soars In 9 Mths
Interfax
Dushanbe, October 16: Tajikistan`s foreign trade surplus soared from $5.4 million in January-September last year to $72.8 million in the first nine months of 2003. Foreign trade turnover grew 5.3 per cent to $1.132 billion as exports fell 1 per cent to $529.6 million and imports grew 11.5 per cent to $602.3 million, the State Statistics Committee said. Trade with the CIS was down 5.9 per cent to $524.8 million and trade with the rest of the world up 17.3 per cent to $607.1 million. There was a deficit of $322.7 million in trade with the CIS and a surplus of $249.9 million in trade with the rest of the world.
Key Directions Of Central Asian Development Discussed
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, October 15: International workshop `Japan and Germany: cooperation with Central Asian countries and Afghanistan, priority directions and main difficulties of economic development of Central Asian countries and Afghanistan. Revival of the Silk Road` was held in Tashkent last week. The event was initiated by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation and organised by the Japanese Institute on Research Assistance (NIRA) and Japan-German Centre of Berlin (JDZB) with information support of the International Centre on Re-training Journalists (Tashkent). Representatives of Germany, Japan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan participated in the workshop. Afghanistan was represented by its ambassador to Uzbekistan Abdul Samad. The forum discussed economic development and interaction within the region and the states´ integration in the world community, information technologies, transport and communications, management of crisis situations, free movement of people, goods and services, harmonisation of legal and administrative systems and development of tourism.
CNPC Putting More Emphasis On Kazakhstan Pipeline
Interfax
Shanghai, October 15: The CNPC (China National Petroleum Corporation) representative in Kazakhstan told Interfax that the company had organized a special committee for the `phase by phase` study of the Sino-Kazkhstan oil pipeline, and is now giving it more attention than the pipeline originating from Siberia. Zhang Boming, the official from CNPC`s Kazakhstan Office, also noted that the previous concerns that the central Asian country might not be able to meet the pipeline`s proposed transmission capacity of 20 mln tons a year have now been allayed, since `[the pipeline] will be connected with the Caspian Sea later.` CNPC and the Kazakh company KazMunaiGaz jointly constructed the western extension of the Sino-Kazakhstan Pipeline from Kenkiyak to the Caspian Sea city of Atyrau and began the operation of the pipeline in March this year. According to a subsequent agreement signed in June, the two countries will construct the 1,200-km eastern extension line from Kazakhstan`s Atasu to China`s Allah Mountain Pass on the borderline first, and then build a pipeline connecting Atasu with Kenkiyak, enabling oil to be delivered all the way from the Caspian Sea to China. `If the Russian pipeline meets any problems, China should switch to the Kazakhstan pipeline project as a primary alternative,` said Zhao Huasheng, director of the Russia-Central Asia Division of the Shanghai Institute of International Studies, in an interview with Interfax.
Afghanistan To Buy More Electricity From Turkmenistan
Kabar Agency
Ashgabat, October 15: The Turkmen Ministry of Energy and Industry will sign an additional electricity export agreement with the Afghan Ministry of Water Resources and Energy. The Turkmen ministry told Interfax that 165 million kWt/h of electricity a year will be exported from Turkmenistan`s Imamnazar to Andkhvoy in Afghanistan and another 160 million kWt/h a year from Serkhetabat in Turkmenistan to Afghanistan`s Turgundi and Herat. Taking into account the financial situation in Afghanistan, Turkmenistan will charge $.02 per 1 kWt/h of electricity. The total cost of annual contracts will reach $6.5 million. To implement joint Turkmen-Afghan power projects, the Turkmen ministry will open a representation office in Kabul.
Kyrgyz President Sets Increasing Incomes As Top Priority
Interfax
Bishkek, October 15: All branches of power in Kyrgyzstan must concentrate on increasing the people`s incomes and overcoming poverty as top priorities for 2004, President Askar Akayev said in an annual address to the nation and parliament on Wednesday. `We need to lay a foundation in 2004 for attaining our main goals, which are at least halving poverty by 2010 and doubling the population`s real incomes within the next 10 years. The upcoming year should become a year of social mobilization and conscientious management,` the president said.
Caspian Sea Projects Most Promising For LUKoil
Pravda
Moscow, October 15: LUKoil will begin developing the Dostyk block oil deposits on the Kazakh shelf of the Caspian Sea. The company`s press service reported that LUKoil President Vagit Alekperov announced plans to begin prospecting and developing the Dostyk block. LUKoil will likely invest around USD three billion on the project. Analysts say that the oil company`s projects in Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan will be the most successful over the middle-term. Investment company Troika Dialog calls Kazakhstan the most promising region of business activity for LUKoil over the middle-term. Aton company says the Caspian Sea project promises profits because of the large unexplored oil reserves and low cost of excavating. LUKoil is the largest Russian investor in Kazakhstan.
ADB To Allocate $150 Mln A Year To Uzbekistan In 2004-2006
Interfax
Tashkent, October 15: The Asian Development Bank board on Tuesday approved a new loan program for Uzbekistan in 2004-2006 that would see loans of from $100 million to $150 million a year, ADB said in a press release. The financing program is especially aimed at stimulating economic growth in the country by increasing productivity in agriculture, and at state management reforms and business support.
Pipeline From Kazakhstan To China Will Not Threaten Angarsk-Daqing Pipe
Interfax
Moscow, October 14: The construction of an oil pipeline from Kazakhstan to China will not threaten a project to build a pipeline from Russian oilfields in Eastern Siberia to the Chinese city of Daqing, a source in the Russian government told Interfax. A representative from the Kazakh company KazMunaiGaz was reported in the press as saying that China is ready to finance the construction of a 1,000-km pipeline from Kazakhstan to China starting in 2004. The pipeline will have a capacity of 20 million tonnes of oil per annum. `China`s oil requirements are so large and the economic expedience of supplying oil from Eastern Siberia to China are so obvious that the question of building a pipeline from Russia to China is not being taken off the agenda,` the government source told Interfax. He noted that the Kazakh project, like any other, has a right to be implemented `however, its economic expedience has not been calculated in detail.
New Projects Ready In Turkmenistan To Mark Independence Day
Kabar Agency
Ashgabat, October 14: Among the projects that would be ready before the independence day celebrations this year - 27 October - are 125 megawatt gas turbine at Abadan grid station, textile complex at Baherden, gas turbine station at south kamishlija oil and gas field and Ahakteke horse complex and racecourse in Ashgabat. As part of annual celebrations, Turkmen Humanitarian association would host a conference of Turkmens from around the world.
ADB Grant For Irrigation Development
Central Asia Daily
Islamabad, October 14: A technical assistance (TA) grant of US $600,000 is being prepared by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to develop and repair irrigation facilities in order to help poor farmers in Tajikistan, according to an official. `The TA amount is just to prepare the project for ADB`s pipeline for next year,` Emile Gozali, a project economist in the Agriculture, Environment and Natural Resources Division at ADB headquarters, told IRIN from the Philippines capital, Manila on Tuesday. A loan of about $20 million would cover between 60,000 and 80,000 ha, or about 10 percent of the country`s irrigation command area, he said, adding that twofold project goals envisaged the prevention of operational failures of key irrigation facilities, as well as capacity-building for local government and farmers to run the water systems on a sustainable basis.
Uzbekistan Formally Introduces Convertibility
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, October 14: Starting from 15 October 2003, the Uzbek national currency - soum - becomes convertible on current transactions. On this day Uzbekistan officially joins Article VIII of IMF Agreement, which stipulates undertaking obligations on ensuring convertibility of the national currency on current international transactions. To date, 150 countries of the 200 IMF member states signed Article VIII.
Kazakh Energy Minister Clarifies Position On Future Caspian Oil Fields
Kazakhstan News
Astana, October 13: Kazakhstan sees no problem at all in foreign oil companies` criticism of a proposal that Kazakhstan`s national oil giant, KazMunaiGaz, should have at least a 50-percent share in all future offshore oil projects in the Kazakh sector of the Caspian Sea, the country`s Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Vladimir Shkolnik has said. Asked if this proposal would have a negative impact on Kazakhstan`s investment attractiveness, Shkolnik said: `I believe this will by no means have an impact. Moreover, because of my job, I often, every day, meet one investor or another and I have not received any complaints on this issue.` The Kazakh minister told the Khabar TV channel in an interview that he did not see any problem in this proposal and that no-one was forcing anyone to agree with it. `I can comment on this: first, if one does not like it - let them not take part [in these projects]. No-one was forcing anyone to join them,` he said. He also noted that the country`s program to develop its sector of the Caspian shelf, which would be carried out until 2015, envisaged different conditions for different petroliferous structures. He also explained the government`s position on KazMunaiGaz holding a 50-percent share in projects and said that this position was in line with Kazakh legislation. `The program to develop the Caspian shelf has been drafted in such a way that structures [oil fields] are grouped by their parameters such as the depth at which oil is located. They are also grouped to make these structures` reserves of hydrocarbons contain more or less the same [each group containing a similar amount of reserves], as far as we know now. Infrastructure should be developed to catch up with the pace of development of these structures. The service sector and accompanying industries should also be developed,` he said.
Tajik Government Seeks To Strengthen Cross Border Trade
Radio Free Europe
Dushanbe, October 13: The Tajik government has adopted a resolution intended to boost trade with Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, Asia Plus-Blitz reported on 13 October, quoting the presidential press service. The resolution instructs raion and town officials in border areas to construct markets catering to cross-border trade. Relevant ministries and the Border Protection Committee are charged with simplifying border-crossing and customs procedures for citizens of Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan who want to sell foodstuffs and consumer goods in Tajikistan.
Kazakhstan, Russia Plan To Restore Old Pipeline, Export Oil To Iran
Tehran Times
Almaty, October 13: Kazakhstan and Russia are negotiating the possibility of restoring the Omsk-Turkmenabad (former Chardzhou) pipeline and export oil to Iran. `Certain progress has been made in this area,` Kairgeldy Kabyldin, a senior manager at Kazakhstan`s KazMunaiGaz national oil company, told the press in Almaty on Thursday. Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan have recently signed an agreement to study this project, he said. Uzbekistan is still to decide on it, he added.
Up To $3 Billion Needed For Dostyk Field - Alekperov
Interfax
Astana, October 13: The development of the Dostyk field in the Kazakh sector of the Caspian Sea shelf will require up to $3 billion in investments, Lukoil President Vagit Alekperov has said. `We estimate the investments at up to approximately $3 billion,` he told the press in Astana after a Monday meeting with Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev. He said the field was being developed on parity terms with KazMunaiGaz, the national oil and gas company of Kazakhstan. The companies will finance the project if the field proves to have reserves on the industrial scale, Alekperov said. The partners will draft a contract for the appraisal and development of the Dostyk field two to two and a half months from now, Alekperov said. `If everything is all right, we could sign the contract in the first quarter of 2004. With a unique drilling rig, we could start direct investments and geological surveys already next year and prepare for drilling the first well. This is our priority,` Alekperov said. It has been reported that Lukoil and KazMunaiGaz signed a memorandum for the project in February, an agreement on project terms in June and option accords in September 2003.
Foreign Investors Partly To Blame For Corruption In Kyrgyzstan
Radio Free Europe
Bishkek, October 13: Large foreign firms that invest in Kyrgyzstan bear some of the blame for corruption in the country, the international NGO Transparency International announced in Bishkek on 11 October, kabar.kg reported. Transparency International monitors corruption in 133 countries, including Kyrgyzstan, where it works with the local NGO A Future Without Corruption. According to Transparency International, foreign investors conclude contracts with the Kyrgyz government that are not open to public monitoring, thus creating opportunities for bribery and abuse of office.
Kazakhstan Planning To Join WTO In Two Years
Kabar Agency
Astana, October 13: Kazakhstan may join the World Trade Organization within the next two years, Minister of Industry and Trade Adilbek Dzhaksybekov said at the Kazakh parliament on Monday. The government`s task is to join the WTO `within the next two years, before the year of 2005,`he said. A working group on Kazakhstan`s entry in the WTO has been formed. It includes representatives of 66 out of 150 WTO member-countries.
Kazakh PM, Lukoil Chief Discuss Karachaganak Cooperation
Interfax
Astana, October 13: Kazakh Prime Minister Danial Akhmetov and Lukoil President Vagit Alekperov discussed gas cooperation as part of the Karachaganak project, at a meeting in Astana on Monday. During the meeting Akhmetov noted that Kazakhstan is interested in participation by Russian companies, and particularly Lukoil, in this project, the Kazakh government`s press service said in a statement. In turn, Alekperov said that he is ready to consider the possibility of Lukoil`s participation in the project, and stressed that company experts are ready to join a working group studying the technical, financial and commercial conditions of this project. The gas project involves the construction of a gas processing plant and a gas pipeline to transport the gas to the consumer. It is planned that the future plant will have a capacity of 5 billion cubic meters per annum, to be subsequently expanded to 10 bcm. The cost of the project is estimated at not less than $1 billion-$1.2 billion depending on what gas processing technology is used. Initially it was planned to start the gas project not sooner than 2005.
Kyrgyzstan`s GDP Up 5.1 per cent In January-Septemebr
Interfax
Bishkek, October 13: Kyrgyzstan`s GDP grew 5.1 per cent in January- September 2003 aganst the same period in 2002, reaching 59.43 billion som, the Kyrgyz National Statistics Committee told Interfax. Kyrgyzstan is expecting a 5.2 per cent GDP increase in 2003. In 2002, Kyrgyzstan`s GDP went down 0.5 per cent. The official exchange rate for October 13 is 41.9666 som to the dollar.
Turkmen Exports Jan-Aug 03 Up 21.4 per cent
Kabar Agency
Ashgabat, October 13: Exports from Turkmenistan during the period January-August 2003 amounted to US $ 2.3234 billion, indicating a rise of 21.4 per cent over the same period of last year. Natural gas exports went up by 10 per cent in terms of volume and 14 per cent in terms of revenue. More than 72 per cent of exported volumes were pumped to Ukraine. Iran and Itera were other major buyers. Natural gas continued to be the main revenue earner for Turkmenistan. Petroleum products exports registered a gain of 40 per cent in terms of volume and 35 per cent in terms of revenue. About 70 per cent of petroleum and petroleum products were exported to Italy. Overall export of electricity went down because of shutting down supplies to Tajikistan but Iran and Afghanistan began buying more electric-energy from Turkmenistan. Exports to Iran increased 11 times and to Afghanistan 60 per cent.
China Wants Kazakhstani Oil
Kabar Agency
Astana, October 13: China is ready to finance the construction of an oil pipeline from Kazakhstan with an initial capacity of up to 20m tons of oil per year. According to KazMunayGas Managing Director Kairgeldy Kabyldin, who is in charge of the company`s transportation infrastructure and servicing projects, the laying of the pipeline will start in the middle of 2004. `A joint decision with the Chinese National Petroleum Corporation on constructing the oil pipeline in the middle of 2004 has been adopted. It is aimed at delivering 20m tons of oil to China and up to 50m tons in the future. The Chinese side will provide all necessary financing,` Kabyldin said. The pipeline is 1,000 kilometers long and the cost of its construction is $800m. The oil pipeline might become the first pipeline that will join former Soviet republics with China`s rapidly growing northwestern provinces. The Russia oil company YUKOS is also planning to lay a pipeline from its fields in Western and Eastern Siberia to Chinese provinces.
Newmont, Oxus Bid To Explore Uzbekistan`s Dzhamansay
Interfax
Tashkent, October 13: Two companies, Newmont Mining of the United States and Britain`s Oxus Mining, have submitted bids for the rights to explore the Dzhamansay lode gold property in Uzbekistan, which has forecast resources of 50 tonnes of gold, a government source told Interfax. Uzbekistan has closed bidding in the tender, which was called by the government`s foreign economic relations and foreign investment department. The results of the tender will be announced by the end of October, the source said. In 2002, Newmont signed a letter of intent with Uzbekistan`s geology and mineral resources committee to invest $5 million over five years in geological exploration at two prospective properties in Karakalpakstan, including Dzhamansay. However, a final agreement was never sealed and this year Uzbekistan decided to call a tender for the property.
Kazakhstan Receives $350 In EBRD Small Business Loans In 5 Years
Interfax
Astana, October 12: The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has allocated $350 million to 60,000 borrowers over five years as part of a small business financing program in Kazakhstan, EBRD Deputy Vice President David Hexter said. The EBRD is financing the program through seven banks, he said in Almaty at a conference marking the program`s fifth anniversary in Kazakhstan. The loans have helped create about 50,000 jobs. The program will expand with the Kazakh banks planning to disburse up to $200 million in 2004, compared with up to $150 million in 2003. The EBRD plans to bring its loan portfolio in Kazakhstan to $1.5 billion this year, allocating $450 million in 2003.
Uzbek Leader Awards Japanese Professor With Dostlik Order
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, October 17: Uzbek President Islam Karimov issued a decree awarding pro-rector of Banking and Financial Academy, professor of Waseda University Toshihara Kitamura with Dostlik (Friendship) order on 14 October. The order was awarded for Kitamura`s contribution to strengthening friendship and cooperation between Uzbekistan and Japan, as well as for preparation of high-skilled cadres for banking and financial system of Uzbekistan.
Erdogan To Visit Kyrgyzistan, Tajikistan
Turkish Daily News
Ankara, October 17: Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will pay official visits to Kyrgyzistan and Tajikistan on Oct. 21-21, accompanied by five Cabinet ministers. According to a press statement released by the Prime Ministry, Erdogan will visit Bishkek on Oct. 21 and will meet with Kyrgyz Prime Minister Nikolai Tanaev. Erdogan will also have a working breakfast with Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Askar Aytmatov on the morning of Oct. 22. After seeing Parliamentary Speaker Abdigani Erkebaev and leader of deputies Altay Borubaev, Erdogan will be received by Kyrgyz President Askar Akaev, who is hosting a luncheon in his honor. After meeting with business groups and Turkish groups in Kyrgyzstan, Erdogan will travel to Tajikistan on Oct. 23, where he will meet with Tajik Prime Minister Akil Akilov and Tajik President Imamali Rahmanov.
Iran: Trilateral Agreement On Division Of Caspian Sea Is Illegitimate
Pravda
Moscow, October 16: Iran believes a trilateral agreement to divide the Caspian Sea is illegitimate. According to IRNA news agency, a spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry has said the trilateral agreement to divide the Caspian Sea between Russia, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan, which was signed on October 4, is against the principles of unanimity and illegitimate. According to the press department of the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Hamid Reza Asefi said `any steps to change the legal status of the Caspian Sea must be agreed upon with all countries located on the Caspian. This agreement, however, is not unanimous and will only complicate the whole issue further. Iran considers this agreement to be illegitimate.`
US Diplomatic Mission Opened In Astana
Kazakhstanskaya Pravda
Astana, October 16: US Government opened its Embassy Mission - first permanent American diplomatic office in Astana, headed by James Kenny, former Director of Almaty Information Center. Its personnel in Astana includes 4 American diplomats and 35 Kazakhstani nationals. They don`t grant visas nor render consular services. These are the functions of Almaty-based US Embassy Consular Service.
2nd Iranian Cultural Exhibition Opens In Kyrgyzstan
Tehran Times
Tehran, October 15: The 2nd Iranian Cultural Exhibition was inaugurated on Wednesday at Central Museum of Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan. The exhibition is held on the occasion of Iran`s Cultural Week. Sponsored by the Iranian Embassy in Bishkek and the Kyrgyz Ministry of Culture and Education, the exhibition has put on display Iranian traditional and local costumes, carpets, potteries, and the other handicraft in several pavilions. The Organizers also plan to hold several painting workshops for children during the week to familiarize the Kyrgyz people with art and culture of Iranians. The first exhibition was held in 1998.
Ambassador Of Azerbaijan Denounced For Interference With Georgian Internal Affairs
Kazakhstan News
Baku, October 15: Kemal Muratkhanov, a representative of the opposition election block `Saakashvili-national movement`, denounced Gadjan Gajiyev, the Ambassador of Azerbaijan, for interfering with Georgia`s internal affairs. According to Mr. Muratkhanov, last week the Ambassador visited Azerbaijani villages in the region of Kvemo Kaartli and said that `leaders of `National Movement` and its parliamentary candidates are Armenians and interact with Dashnaks`.
Central Asian Women NGOs To Meet In Bishkek
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, October 14: Kyrgyz Forum of women NGOs will organise a session of leaders of Central Asian women NGOs in Bishkek on 14-16 October. The meeting will be held as part of consolidation of women`s movements in Central Asia. It is expected that heads of NGOs from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan will attend the session. The aim of the event is to discuss implementation of the programme of achievement of gender equality in Central Asia. Planning and preparation to the 10th anniversary of Beijing Action Platform (BAP) are also on the agenda, AKIpress reported.
31 Uzbek Students To Study In Indian Universities
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, October 14: 31 Uzbek students will study in Indian universities in the academic year 2003/04 within the framework of the state programme managed by the Indian Council for Cultural Affairs, head of Indian Cultural Centre in Tashkent Joseph Wisent Lobo told journalists. Originally, 18 stipends were issued, including 5 on cultural exchange. Later, on the initiative of the Indian Embassy in Tashkent and the Indian Cultural Centre, the number of grants was increased to 31. Thus, Uzbekistan entered the list of top seven countries on the number of students sent to India this year. Each year Indian Council for cultural affairs issues 1,100 stipends to citizens of over 100 countries to continue their education in India`s universities.
Kazakh Security Chief Visits US
Radio Free Europe
Astana, October 13: The head of Kazakhstan`s National Security Committee, Nartai Dutbaev, met with the heads of U.S. security agencies during a visit to Washington and received their thanks for the Kazakh contribution to the international struggle against terrorism, khabar.kz reported on 13 October. The visit was assessed by the official news agency as opening a new chapter in the relations between the security agencies of the two countries. During his stay in Washington, Dutbaev also handed over a collection of archive documents to the Holocaust Museum.
Almaty Hosts EurAsEC Integration Committee Sitting
Interfax
Almaty, October 12: Participants of the sitting of the Integration Committee of the Eurasian Economic Community on Friday in Almaty have adopted the priority guidelines of the organization`s development till the year 2006, informed chair of the EurAsEC executive committee, Vice Premier of Kazakhstan Sauat Mynbayev at a press conference after the sitting. Mynbayev also said, the adopted project of measures for the development of the Community will be signed at the sitting of EurAsEC leaders on October 28 in Moscow. Russian Vice Premier Victor Khristenko informed, at the sitting the participants discussed the problems of creating common competitive conditions on EurAsEC markets and access to natural monopolies on the territory of the Community.
Uzbek Presidents Ends Visit To Georgia
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, October 12: President Islam Karimov has completed his two-day visit to Georgia on 10 October. During the visit Uzbek and Georgian delegations signed several documents, including joint statement on cooperation, consular conventions, as well as agreements on joint fight with drug trafficking, mutual visits of citizens, and cooperation in exchange and circulation of periodicals and books. At the meeting in presidential residence Krtsanis, presidents of Uzbekistan and Georgia discussed bilateral relations and international issues, as well as cooperation in strengthening security on the international and regional levels. The expanded meeting of Uzbek and Georgian officials, that took place on the second day of the visit, considered the same issues on a larger scale. At the final press conference, the presidents expressed satisfaction with the current state of relations and contacts on various levels. Georgian President Edward Shevardnadze underlined that the two countries had similar views based on the interests of both sides. He said negotiations with Islam Karimov were very fruitful.
Eurasia Foundation Grants US$198,000 In Ferghana Valley
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, October 12: With funding from the US Agency for International Development and the British Government, the Eurasia Foundation awarded more than US$198,000 in grants for four cross-border projects that promote the development of private enterprise and civil society in Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and the Kyrgyz Republic. The four projects are part of the Eurasia Foundation`s Ferghana Valley Initiative, which works to facilitate conditions for the mitigation and prevention of conflict in the Ferghana Valley through joint programming. Adam Noble, the Charge d´Affaires of the British Embassy in Uzbekistan, commented, `The British government is pleased to be cooperating with the United States in funding this important initiative by the Eurasia Foundation. This project will help to improve communication and understanding among those living in the Ferghana Valley. We very much hope that it will contribute to developing a climate of trust and provide the impetus at the grass roots level for the growth of economic and civic life in this important and vibrant region.`
Uzbek Police Seize 2 Kg Of Heroin In South
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, October 17: Uzbek police have detained a man with more than five grams of opium and 2 kg of heroin in southern Kashkadarya region, the Uzbek newspaper Na Postu reported. The suspect, a resident of Surkhandarya region, had hidden the drugs in his car. Criminal proceedings have been launched, the report said.
Over One Tonne Of Drugs Confiscated In Tajikistan
Interfax
Dushanbe, October 16: A cache containing more than one tonne of drugs has been discovered by Russian border guards in Tajikistan. The haul chiefly consists of raw opium (911 kilograms) and heroin (200 kilograms). Smaller amounts of hashish and marijuana were confiscated, as well. `This is the largest haul ever confiscated by border guards. It has been destroyed,` Col. Alexei Shabas, commander of the Moscow border guard unit stationed in Tajikistan, told Interfax on Thursday. `Our border guards spotted about 40 armed smugglers trying to cross the border and started chasing them. An armed clash ensued, killing one gunman. The cache containing the drugs was discovered when the border guards were inspecting the area,` Shabas said.
Drugs Found On Tajik-Afghan Border
Interfax
Moscow, October 12: Russian border guards have found four bags with over 87 kilograms of drugs on the Tajik-Afghan border. There were more than 78 kilograms of heroin as well as marijuana and raw opium in the bags, the press center of the Russian Federal Security Service`s Border Service told Interfax on Monday. `Russian border guards have confiscated about 4.7 tonnes of drugs on the Tajik-Afghan border in 2003. More than half has been heroin. In 2002, 4,022 kilograms were confiscated,` the press center said. `If the amount of confiscated drugs continues to go up in 2003, Russian border guards in Tajikistan may beat the 2001 record, when they confiscated 5,452 kilograms of drugs,` the press service said.
Kazakh President Says Death Penalty Will Go
Radio Free Europe
Astana, October 15: Nursultan Nazarbaev, speaking to the Civic Forum on 15 October, said he is convinced that Kazakhstan will drop the death penalty, but it will be done gradually because of popular opinion, gazeta.kz reported. The Civic Forum, a gathering of government officials and more than 200 representatives of nongovernmental organizations, opened on 14 October in Astana. Its official objective is to create a social partnership to seek solutions to Kazakhstan`s problems, according to a 14 October khabar.kz report, which noted that more than 300,000 Kazakh citizens are members of the country`s 4,500 NGOs. At the forum`s first session, Kazakh Human Rights Ombudsman Bolat Baykadamov told participants that the resolution of the country`s human rights problems depends on greater cooperation between the government and NGOs, particularly in educating citizens about their rights. Kazakh Information Minister Sautbek Abdrakhmanov told the Civic Forum on 14 October that the number of registered media outlets in Kazakhstan is rising, and currently 80 percent of them are privately owned, Interfax-Kazakhstan reported. Abdrakhmanov said there are 1,237 newspapers, 503 magazines, 162 television and radio broadcasting companies, and 13 news agencies operating in the country.
WMD Non-proliferation Briefing Held In Tashkent
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, October 13: Uzbek parliamentarians and representatives of departments and ministries participated in the international briefing on export control and non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in Tashkent. The event was organised in cooperation with the Institute of Strategic and Interregional Studies under the President of Uzbekistan and the Georgia University`s Centre on International Trade and Security with assistance of the US State Department. Representatives of the US Congress, US Energy Department and US Embassy in Uzbekistan delivered reports on issues of WMD non-proliferation, national legislation on export control, licensing and transit.
Round Table In Uzbek Capital Discusses Human Trafficking
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, October 17: A round table called `On the path of cooperation` was held at the National News Centre in Tashkent. Uzbekistan is paying serious attention to the prevention of human trafficking in the country at the moment. There are many nongovernmental, noncommercial organisations, which are actively working in this field. In particular, the Istiqbolli avlod (Hopeful Generation) organisation is one of them. The prevention of human trafficking and solving questions linked to this problem was discussed at the National News Centre, Uzbek Radio reported. Representatives of the Foundation for Women from Thailand took part in this gathering.
Riot In Kyrgyz Reportedly Put Down By Force
Radio Free Europe
Bishkek, October 16: An inmate riot in a prison in southern Kyrgyzstan`s Djalal-Abad Oblast on 15 October was put down by force, Interfax, RIA-Novosti, and Kyrgyz media reported on 16 October. According to the reports, one inmate was killed and at least one was wounded when Interior Ministry troops guarding the facility opened fire on rioters who had begun throwing stones at them after guards refused to give the inmates a bag or bags that had been thrown into the prison yard. Several dozen inmates reportedly attempted to disarm the guards. The head of the Interior Ministry`s Corrections Department, Vladimir Nosov, and ministry investigators are attempting to establish the reasons for the riot, according to akipress.org.
Ashgabat Hosts Forum On Conflict Prevention And Sustainable Development
Kabar Agency
Ashgabat, October 16: Turkmen government will host 17-18 October Ashgabat, a forum jointly organized by the UN, OSCE, and the New York based Conflict Prevention and Peace Forum (CPPF). Theme of the forum is `Conflict Prevention and Sustainable Development for Central Asia.` The meeting of the Forum in Ashgabad is the first in a series of informal policy dialogues between the countries of the region and their international partners. It follows a successful preparatory meeting held in Berlin in December 2002. The Ashgabat round would focus on how the states in the region can best balance requirements for border security and customs procedures with improved co-operation on trade as part of efforts to support economic development. Dr. Elizabeth Cousens, Director of CPPF, welcomed the seriousness and commitment among the countries of the region, expressed through their delegations` active participation in the Forum, to deepen dialogue and co-operation on critical development and security issues.
Evidence Of Forced Displacement, Says Report
IRIN News
Ankara, October 13: The Geneva-based Global Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Project (GIDPP), initiated by the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) at the request of the United Nations, has cited two Central Asian countries as part of its global report on IDPs. `Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan are two examples of arbitrary forced displacement in Central Asia today,` Christophe Beau, a senior information officer with the Norwegian Refugee Council`s GIDPP, told IRIN on Monday, noting, however, there had been a lack of information on both countries. According to the report, released on Friday at the annual human rights conference of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Warsaw, 13 of the 55 OSCE member states - covering Europe, North America and Central Asia - were impacted by internal displacement. The 13, comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia, Croatia, Cyprus, Georgia, Macedonia, Moldavia, Russia, Serbia and Montenegro, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, currently accounted for 12 percent of the world`s 25 million IDPs.
Russia To Launch U.S., Spanish Astronauts
Kazakhstan News
Baikonur, October 17: The countdown began Friday to the launch of a Soyuz capsule carrying a Russian and American team to the international space station (news - web sites), a mission that underscores Russia`s crucial role in space flight. AP Photo AP Photo Slideshow: International Space Station The launch early Saturday comes three days after China became the world`s third spacefaring nation by sending its first astronaut into orbit. In contrast to the excitement surrounding the Chinese launch, the crew at Baikonur seemed relaxed about the prospect of bolting into space at nearly 20,000 feet per second in stride. Russia`s state space commission declared all systems ready and gave the formal go-ahead for Saturday`s blastoff, a decision conveyed immediately to launch-pad technicians who began preparing the Soyuz rocket for fueling. Both NASA (news - web sites) and the European Space Agency are counting on the launch, which is now their only means into space as a result of the Columbia space shuttle disaster.
Special Focus
Som Day Has Arrived, As Currency Convertibility Is AnnouncedAt a press conference on 8 October, Uzbek Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Rustam Azimov told journalists that Uzbekistan has fulfilled its currency-convertibility obligations to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). `This letter means that we irrevocably accept the obligation that starting 15 October, all currency regulations in Uzbekistan will be made in accordance with Article 8 of the IMF,` Azimov said.
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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/business/articles/eav101203.shtmlAzerbaijan: An Opposition Without A Voice
The presidential election campaign has reached its final stages. The parties are rounding off their town-hall meetings with voters, and the eight candidates are making their last remarks to the nation. In less than a week`s time, Azeris will go to the polls.
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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/rights/articles/pp101103.shtmlOpposition Candidate Warns Of Corrupt Vote
Waving flags and raising their fists in the air, thousands of opposition protesters packed a square in the Azerbaijani capital, Baku, in one of their largest demonstrations in the last decade, hoping to prevent President Geidar Aliev`s son from succeeding his father in this week`s elections.
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http://www.iht.com/articles/113346.htmlNGOs Raise Concern About Administration Of Azerbaijan`s ElectionThe central question surrounding Azerbaijan`s October 15 presidential election is whether they will be free and fair. Opposition activists contend the government is preparing to falsify vote totals.
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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav101403a.shtml Opposition Disunity Damages Chances In Azerbaijan`s Presidential ElectionDuring Azerbaijan`s presidential election campaign, opposition candidates have had to contend with numerous obstacles thrown up by the government, including media manipulation and police harassment. Now, many opposition supporters are bracing for the possibility of ballot fraud in the October 15 vote. Yet, opposition leaders have only themselves to blame for erecting perhaps the single largest barrier blocking the path to electoral competitiveness - namely a lack of unity.
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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav101403.shtmlThe Failing States Of The CaucasusAs the deadline for new elections in Azerbaijan and Georgia approaches, there are increasingly visible reasons to fear for the stability of both of these countries. And should either of them descend into conditions of state failure, that process would constitute a major setback to both regional security in the Caucasus and the global `war on terror`.
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http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Central_Asia/EJ16Ag01.html Azerbaijan Calm During Presidential Vote, Reports Of Irregularities In ProvincesRelative calm prevailed as Azerbaijan held its presidential election October 15. However, opposition discontent appeared to be brewing amid charges of voting irregularities, particularly in areas outside of the capital Baku.
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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav101503a.shtmlThe Geopolitical Stakes Are High As Azerbaijan Holds Presidential Election
The geopolitical stakes in today`s presidential election in Azerbaijan are high. Both Russia and the United States have gone to great lengths to curry favor with the ruling party candidate, Ilham Aliyev, and have tacitly endorsed the notion of a dynastic succession in Baku. So far, it appears that Russia is winning the competition for influence in Azerbaijan.
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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav101503.shtmlUnrest Rocks Baku As Opposition Protests Azerbaijani Election Results
Violence erupted in Baku on October 16, as opposition supporters protested Azerbaijan`s presidential election results, which showed the ruling party candidate, Ilham Aliyev, winning in a landslide. Opposition leaders and international observers said the election was marred by numerous irregularities.
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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav101603.shtmlRussia, Turkey Quick To Congratulate Ilham Aliyev Over Controversial Election Win
The leaders of some of Azerbaijan`s closest strategic allies have offered congratulations to Ilham Aliyev, who has been declared the winner of Azerbaijan`s hotly disputed presidential election. International observers say the vote `fell short of international standards.`
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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav101603a.shtmlUS Restraint On Azerbaijan`s Election Encourages Instability
In adopting a restrained stance towards electoral fraud, the United States, the world`s leading democracy, has tacitly endorsed Ilham Aliyev`s presidential victory in Azerbaijan, thus effectively confirming the first dynastic transfer of power in the former Soviet Union. Such a stance establishes a dangerous precedent in the Caucasus and Central Asia, potentially accelerating an authoritarian trend that only serves to encourage radicalism and instability.
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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav101703a.shtmlAuthorities Crack Down In Azerbaijan
Authorities are clamping down in Baku to prevent further opposition protests over Azerbaijan`s controversial presidential election. Security forces are targeting activists of the opposition Musavat Party, whom officials blame for fomenting post-vote unrest. Opposition leaders are vowing to continue what they call a peaceful struggle to prevent president-elect Ilham Aliyev`s `usurpation` of power. David Trilling Damage at the Musavat party headquarters in Baku.
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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav101703.shtml
Report Dated 17 October 2003