Georgian Parliament Fails Again To Set Date For New Election
People`s Daily
Tbilisi, November 28: An extraordinary session of Georgia`s interim parliament has for the second time failed to decide on the date of new parliamentary elections since the Nov. 2 poll was invalidated recently on the grounds of fraud, Russian media reported Friday. The councilors did not reach a consensus Thursday on the date for the anticipated election that will produce a new parliament for the small ex-Soviet republic, which survived weeks of mass protests against the fraudulent election and the rule of the then President Eduard Shevardnadze. The Friday meeting succeeded in extending the registration period of presidential candidates for five days till Dec. 1. The pre-term presidential election in Georgia was set for Jan. 4 by the interim parliament three days earlier, which left only one day for the submission of documents to the Central Electoral Commission under the Georgian constitution. The parliamentarians decided Friday to suspend the commission`sduty of summing up ballot results, which shall be announced with due consideration of court rulings. Chairwoman of the commission Nana Devdariani, together with another five members of the organ, resigned on Friday. Acting president Nino Burdzhanadze said later that she preferred appointing lawyer David Usupashvili to fill the vacancy. Georgian Foreign Minister Irakly Menagarishvili also abdicated his post Friday amid a resignation wave by several ministers of deposed Shevardnadze`s regime. A couple of candidates are expected to take over the post.
Georgian Central Election Commission Chairman Resigns
Interfax
Tbilisi, November 28: Nana Devdariani, chairman of the Georgian Central Elections Commission, has resigned, a family member told Interfax on Friday. Devdariani was unwilling to make any comment on the matter. Meanwhile, acting president Nino Burjanadze told the press on Friday that she is thinking of appointing David Usupashvili, a member of the anti-corruption office under former President Eduard Shevardnadze, to chair the commission.
Georgian Parliament Approves Appointing Zhvania State Minister
Interfax
Tbilisi, November 27: The Georgian parliament, elected in 1999, unanimously approved the appointment of Zurab Zhvania as the country`s state minister on Thursday evening. The state minister is Georgia`s second highest ranking official. President Eduard Shevardnadze resigned on November 23 following several days of protests held by the Georgian opposition, which was dissatisfied with the November 2 parliamentary elections. Nino Burjanadze, speaker of the Georgian parliament that was elected in 1999, became the acting president.
Zurab Nogaideli Appointed Georgian Finance Minister
Interfax
Tbilisi, November 27: The former Georgian finance minister, Zurab Nogaideli, who held this post in 2000-2002, has been re-appointed to the post. At a special meeting of the Georgian parliament on Thursday, acting president Nino Burjanadze appointed Nogaideli finance minister for the transitional government. The minister said that `he will do everything possible to provide maximal financial and fiscal order in the country.` Nogaideli, who is 39, is not a member of any party. He graduated from the Physics Department of Moscow State University. In 1999-2000 he presided over the Georgian Parliament Tax and Income Committee. After the resignation of Eduard Shevardnadze, Nogaideli became financial advisor to the acting president.
Georgian Regional Bosses In Moscow
The Moscow Times
Moscow, November 27: Leaders of three independent-minded Georgian regions were to meet late Thursday to discuss what one of them described as `purely economic issues` but what in reality looked like a blunt warning to Tbilisi that any use of force against them could trigger the country`s disintegration. South Ossetia President Eduard Kokoity, Abkhaz Prime Minister Raul Khadzhimba and Adzharian leader Aslan Abashidze took turns holding talks with Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov behind closed doors. The trio were to sit down together later Thursday for a meeting expected to focus largely on the resignation of Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze, who stepped down Sunday under pressure from the opposition. `We will only discuss economic issues,` Kokoity told Interfax after meeting with Ivanov on Thursday afternoon. Khadzhimba chose not to make any public statements ahead of the tripartite meeting. Both Kokoity and Khadzhimba have repeatedly said that their provinces would like to join Russia as subjects of the Russian Federation. The wild card Thursday appeared to be Abashidze, who until recently has avoided any separatist rhetoric. But even he has started to question Georgia`s territorial integrity after last weekend`s events. `It is difficult to say where Georgia is and where it isn`t,` Abashidze said Wednesday. While Abkhazia and South Ossetia fought wars to break away from Georgia, Abashidze chose to incrementally distance his Black Sea region from Tbilisi`s control in the 1990s by capitalizing on the weakness of the government and the revenues from port and customs levies. Abashidze reportedly had been prepared to swap Adzharia`s semi-independence for the Georgian presidency, but Shevardnadze`s ouster, which brought radical nationalist Mikheil Saakashvili and moderate Nino Burdzhanadze to power, pushed him back into isolation.
Jailed Uzbek Journalist Gets Award
Daily Headlines
Tashkent, November 27: The Paris-based World Association of Newspapers has awarded jailed Uzbek journalist Ruslan Sharipov with the 2004 Golden Pen of Freedom and urged officials to release him. `The award...recognizes Mr. Sharipov`s outstanding defense and promotion of press freedom in the face of constant physical danger, prison, and censorship,` the group said in a statement released Tuesday. `His refusal to censor himself, even in the face of intimidation, prison, and torture, is a courageous act that is an inspiration to journalists and human rights everywhere.` Sharipov, 25, who is openly gay, is serving a four-year prison term for having homosexual sex--illegal in Uzbekistan under laws still on the books from Soviet times--and also of having sex with minors. He was sentenced in August. Sharipov leads an independent group that focuses on media freedom.
Burjanadze`s Supporters Reject Nomination Of Joint Presidential Candidate
Interfax
Tbilisi, November 27: The Union of Traditionalists of Georgia will not support Mikhail Saakashvili in the January 4 presidential election, its leader Akaky Asatiani told the press on Thursday. The Union of Traditionalists was a major component of the Burjanadze-Democrats electoral bloc that took power following a lengthy opposition protest in Tbilisi, which is now called the `Rose Revolution.` `We believe that as things stand today, it would be proper to nominate Nino Burjanadze the for presidency,` Asatiani said. `Saakashvili is a talented and vigorous man who could apply his energy elsewhere,` he said.
Kazakh Parliamentarians Call For New Election Law
Radio Free Europe
Astana, November 26: Members of the Kazakh Mazhilis (lower house) have called on Prime Minister Daniyal Akhmetov to submit speedily to parliament the government draft of a new law on elections, gazeta.kz reported on 26 November. The appeal, which noted that recent events in Georgia have shown how dangerous election manipulation can be, was submitted at a joint session of parliament the previous day. The parliamentarians offered their support to Akhmetov in launching genuine democratization, starting with a change in the leadership of the electoral commission and its local branches, as well as the adoption of an election law in accord with OSCE principles. They also called for ensuring the independence of the media; changes to the law on political parties; constitutional guarantees of citizens` rights; instituting the election, rather than the appointment, of all senators and local heads of administration; and with creation of a constitutional court.
Presidential Elections In Georgia Set For January 4, 2004
Pravda
Moscow, November 25: Early presidential elections in Georgia have been set for January 4, 2004. Such decision was taken on Tuesday at a session of the Georgian Parliament of the 1999 convocation. In line with the law on elections, presidential hopefuls should submit their documents to the Central Election Commission no later than forty days before the polling day. Thus, tomorrow, November 26, is the last day for joining the presidential race. On Thursday the parliament of Georgia will gather for its session again to pass amendments to the law on elections, which will make it possible to hold the presidential elections on January 4.
Kazakhstan Parliament Reviews 2004 Budget
Itar-Tass
Astana, November 25: Kazakhstan`s parliament began on Tuesday a first-reading review of the 2004 budget. The deputy minister of economics and budget planning, Kairat Kelimbetov, told members of the parliament that projected gross domestic product of the next year was above 32 billion dollars (one dollars rates 148 tenge), which would be seven percent growth from the 2003 figure. Revenues of the next year`s budget are projected at 862.2 billion tenge and spending at 954.8 billion tenge. The budget deficit is expected to be 1.9 percent of gross domestic product. The predicted inflation rate is 5.4 percent.
Presidential Elections In Georgia Set For January 4, 2004Georgia`s Minister Of State Resigns
Interfax
Tbilisi, November 25: Georgian Minister of State Avtandil Dzhobenadze has resigned. `I made this decision to alleviate tensions and avoid confrontation in society,` he told a news conference in Tbilisi on Tuesday. Acting president Nino Burdzhanadze said earlier in the day, `I hope that he will act reasonably and resign.`
Turkmen State And Opposition Mark Anniversary Of Purported Assassination Attempt
Radio Free Europe
Ashgabat, November 25: The state-controlled Turkmen media marked the first anniversary of an alleged assassination attempt against President Saparmurat Niyazov on 25 November 2002 by publishing a commentary distributed by the Turkmen State News Agency calling on the population to rally more closely behind the president, turkmenistan.ru reported. The same day, the Turkmen opposition website gundogar.org posted a report on a meeting of opposition figures in Vienna on 23-24 November to mark the anniversary and to discuss ways of promoting democratization in Turkmenistan and removing Niyazov. The meeting, which brought together leaders of various exile groups including the Republican Party of Turkmenistan, the People`s Democratic Movement, the Watan Social-Political Movement, and the United Democratic Opposition, was also attended by representatives of international human rights groups and the media.
Saakashvili, Burdzhanadze To Name Single Presidential Candidate
Interfax
Tbilisi, November 25: The Saakashvili-National Movement and Burdzhanadze-Democrats election blocs will announce a single candidate in Georgia`s upcoming early presidential elections within the next 24 hours. This statement was made by National Movement Leader Mikhail Saakashvili at a news conference on Tuesday. Candidates for other governing posts will be named as well. Under the Georgian constitution, presidential elections must be held within 45 days of the president`s resignation. Former Georgian president Eduard Shevardnadze stepped down on November 23.
Georgian Chief Backs New Election
MSNBC
Triest, November 24: Georgia`s interim leader pledged Monday to hold elections within 45 days, restored the old parliament and said she would repeal the state of emergency declared by longtime President Eduard Shevardnadze before he was swept from power.NINO BURDZHANADZE, a key opposition figure swept into power by huge street protests against the ousted president, appealed to Georgia`s people to cooperate with her government and reaffirmed her country`s pro-West stance. `Order must be restored immediately, not only in Tbilisi, but also in all the regions of the country,` she said in a nationally televised speech. She also said she would repeal the state of emergency Shevardnaze had declared two days earlier, saying there was no need for it. Interior Minister Koba Narchemashvili, who is in charge of police forces and who sided with Shevardnadze in calling the state of emergency, resigned Monday.
Georgia Events Inspire Kyrgyz Opposition
Radio Free Europe
Bishkek, November 24: This month`s bloodless transfer of power in Georgia has inspired the Kyrgyz opposition, RFE/RL`s Kyrgyz Service reported on 24 November. Six members of the For the Resignation of (President Askar) Akaev and For Reforms for the People movement sent a letter to acting Georgian President Burdjanadze stating that events in Georgia will influence democratic processes in other CIS states, RFE/RL reported. Prominent Kyrgyz politician and human rights activist Topchubek Turgunaliev sent a similar message to Georgian opposition leader Saakashvili, asserting that the transfer of power in Georgia serves as inspiration for Kyrgyzstan`s democrats. Kyrgyz opposition party Ar-Namys`s leader Emil Aliev announced that a situation similar to that in Georgia arose in Kyrgyzstan in 2000 when Feliks Kulov, the most credible opponent to President Akaev, was forced out of the presidential race. But, said Aliev, the opposition was unable to make use of the situation despite its success in parliamentary elections. Aliev praised the political maturity of the Georgian people and the far-sightedness of ousted President Shevardnadze that led to a peaceful resolution of the crisis in Georgia.
Shevardnadze To Stay In Georgia
BBC
Tbilisi, November 24: Former Georgian leader Eduard Shevardnadze says he plans to remain in the country despite being ousted from office. There was speculation he would leave Georgia following an invitation from the German Government to move there. But he said: `Although I love Germany very much, my homeland is Georgia and I owe it to her to stay here.` Nino Burjanadze has taken over from Mr Shevardnadze following a `velvet revolution` in Georgia. Ms Burjanadze, who took over when Mr Shevardnadze resigned, has promised to protect the former president if he stays. Return to normal She added that her country would maintain its pro-West stance, and aimed to join Nato and the EU as soon as possible. The country`s new leaders began stamping their authority on Monday, forcing the resignation of the interior minister. Koba Narchemashvili said he had made the decision to quit at the request of opposition leaders.
Turkmen Mosque Closed Down For Refusing To Place President`s Book Next To Qoran
Radio Free Europe
Ashgabat, November 24: A mosque in a Turkmen town outside Ashgabat has been closed down by authorities because its imam refused to display President Saparmurat Niyazov`s book on Turkmen history and traditions, the `Rukhnama,` beside the Koran, KyrgyzInfo reported on 24 November, quoting a report of the Norwegian-based Forum-18, a group that monitors religious freedom in the former Soviet Union. The town in which the incident took place was not identified, apparently out of fear of retaliation against the imam. Prior to the closure of the mosque by national security agents, a television crew had demanded to film the Koran lying next to the `Rukhnama` in order to show that Muslims honored both books equally. The imam refused on the grounds that such an act would violate a basic tenet of Islam.
Shevardnadze`s Whereabouts Uncertain
Interfax
Tbilisi, November 23: Eduard Shevardnadze, who resigned from the post of Georgian president earlier on Sunday, is currently at his home at the Krtsanisi government residence, a high-ranking Georgian security source told Interfax on Sunday. The source dismissed rumors spread by a number of media that Shevardnadze had flown in an unknown direction on Sunday evening. At the same time, acting Georgian President Nino Burjanadze said that, according to her information, Shevardnadze left the country. `I understand that he has left the country, but I don`t know where he is now,` Burjanadze said in an interview with CNN. However, another opposition leader, Mikhail Saakashvili, said speaking live on Rustavi-2 television that Shevardnadze did not leave the country and is currently in Georgia.
Tajik Library Holds Ancient Handwritten Shahnameh
Tehran Times
Tehran, November 23: One of the oldest handwritten Shahanamehs, Ferdowsi`s masterpiece, is kept at Tajikistan`s Ferdowsi Library in Dushanbe, said head of Handwritten Works Center of Tajikistan National Library on Saturday. `The Shahnameh has been written with penmanship of Nasta`liq and decorated with illuminations in the manuscript`s margins,` said Abdullah Yunusov. Dating back to about 494 years ago, it is probably the oldest handwritten Shahnameh available in the world, he added. He asked officials of world`s libraries to inform the library if they had a more ancient Shahnameh. According to Yunusov, there is no evidence about the name of the writer or the place it has been written. `The rich sources of Ferdowsi Library have propelled it into the limelight among Tajik and foreign scholars, researchers, and students,` Yunusov said. A total of 2200 manuscripts are kept at Ferdowsi Library established approximately 70 years ago. It is one of the richest libraries in Central Asia. The library holds the oldest handwritten versions of Sa`di`s Bustan and Gulistan, Tabari`s History, and Divan of Abd al-Rahman Jami. History, literature, and science are the general subjects of books kept in the library. It also contains several manuscripts in Azeri. The library also has 30,000 books on different subjects in Persian, Arabic, English, Russian, and Uzbek.
PACE Representatives Arrive In Georgia For Second Round Of Elections
Interfax
Tbilisi, November 23: A delegation of observers from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe monitoring committee and co-rapporteurs on monitoring in Georgia are arriving in Tbilisi to observe the second round of parliamentary elections. On Sunday, November 23, a second tour of parliamentary elections, for deputies being elected in majority districts, will take place in seven voting districts in Georgia. Three sectors of the Aspindsk region will hold repeat elections on party and majority lists. The PACE delegation will arrive in Georgia on Saturday and remain in the country until November 25. The co-rapporteurs on monitoring in Georgia, Matyas Eorsi, Yevgeny Kirilev, Andre Kvakkestad and Valerie Clamer, are part of the delegation, a Council of Europe representation in Georgia told Interfax.
Georgian Leader Threatens Force
BBC
Tbilisi, November 22: Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze has threatened to use the army to enforce a state of emergency. Mr Shevardnadze declared the emergency after opposition supporters stormed parliament and his office in a dispute over recent fraudulent elections. The US and the UN have urged the president to exercise restraint in resolving what he has called a `coup`. Russia quickly dispatched its foreign minister to mediate with the opposition which has declared a `bloodless revolution`. To surprise and wild applause, Igor Ivanov appeared at a celebratory rally of opposition supporters at 0200 Sunday (2300 GMT) near parliament. He told them he was there to help resolve the crisis. The outgoing opposition parliament speaker has said she has assumed the presidency for the interim. Adding to the political confusion, Nino Burjanadze said she had taken over until Mr Shevardnadze`s resignation - demanded by the opposition - was `resolved`. The Georgian president was believed to be staying at one of his country residences.
State Of Emergency In Georgia
MSNBC
Tbilisi, November 22: Opposition supporters broke into Georgia`s parliament Saturday and took it over, scuffling with lawmakers and forcing President Eduard Shevardnadze to flee as tens of thousands of protesters outside demanded his resignation.SHEVARDNADZE LATER announced a 30-day state of emergency in a speech on national television and said military and police would impose order. Standing beside him, the interior minister, who heads police and internal security, pledged his loyalty. `This is an attempt at a coup d`etat and an attempt to overthrow the president,` he told reporters. `I cannot do it any other way now. I`m declaring a state of emergency. This is a special order and the Defense Ministry as well as the Interior Ministry will be involved in it. And we will restore order.` The opposition claimed it was running the government after its supporters swarmed into parliament and, later, the president`s office. Opposition figure and parliament speaker Nino Burdzhanadze declared herself acting president, and the opposition said new elections would be held in 45 days. Opposition leader Mikhail Saakashvili urged troops not to intervene, and aides called on crowds of supporters to stay around the parliament and `defend` it in case security forces tried to move in. The takeover of parliament came after two weeks of daily street protests demanding Shevardnadze resign, The opposition and many international observers - including the United States - say Nov. 2 parliament elections were rigged. CALLS FOR CALM The turmoil was the worst political crisis in years in this ex-Soviet republic strategically located on the Black Sea, south of Russia and north of Turkey. The United States took a neutral stance, urging all sides to `refrain from the use of force or violence.`
Turkmen Justice Ministry Warns Unregistered NGOs
Radio Free Europe
Ashgabat, November 22: The Turkmen Justice Ministry held a meeting on 18 November for some 40 representatives of unregistered nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and warned them to cease their activities immediately, centrasia.ru reported on 22 November, quoting the Moscow-based human rights organization Memorial. The warning was connected with a presidential decree (see `RFE/RL Newsline,` 20 November 2003) that was signed into law on 21 November and went into force the same day. According to the law, unregistered NGOs are subject to confiscation of their property, and repeat offenses can be punished by up to one year in prison. Registered but independent NGOs have been summoned for court hearings on their dissolution. One of the affected groups is the Dashoguz Ecological Club, Turkmenistan`s oldest environmental NGO, registered in 1992. The only groups seemingly unaffected by the new law are the government-sponsored organizations (Women`s Union, Youth Association, Veterans` Association, state Trade Union Association, and the Democratic Party) that make up the Galkynysh (Revival) Movement, which exists primarily to promote the president`s policies.
US Official OK`s Georgian Ambition To Join NATO
Pravda
Moscow, November 28: Georgia now has good chances to join NATO, and this ambition is regarded positively, member of the US Committee on NATO Bruce Jackson, who is now in Tbilisi (Georgia), announced in an interview with local television. He praised the relatively peaceful change of political regime in Georgia and stressed the need for democratic reforms in the country. Jackson expressed hope that there would be no drastic changes in Georgia`s Western-oriented foreign policies however. The US official added that the Georgian defense minister would deliver a report at the NATO summit in Istanbul, Turkey, in 2004, and the report would receive serious consideration. According to earlier reports, in November NATO Secretary General George Robertson announced that Georgia`s willingness to join NATO was unfounded, and it had no chances to receive NATO membership in the near future.
Russian, Tajik Frontier Guards Can Safely Defend Border
Pravda
Dushanbe, November 27: Vladimir Pronichev, head of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) frontier service, will meet with President of Tajikistan Emomali Rakhmonov on Friday as part of his working visit to Tajikistan. Joint defense of the border will be in focus of their negotiations. `International terrorism is the main threat at the Tajik-Afghan border which Russia`s FSB frontier service units guard,` said Pronichev. On Thursday, Pronichev flew around the Pamir section of the Tajik-Afghan border. He visited the Khorog and Ishkashim frontier guard detachments, met with their personnel and inspected the border. `FSB frontier service personnel is completely ready to accomplish the tasks set,` said Pronichev. According to him, the situation at the Tajik-Afghan border needs to be assessed, and Russia and Tajikistan should map out ways to co-operate further with each other on confining the existing threats. `At present, earlier Tajik-Afghan border agreements need to be amended,` he said.
Georgian Presidential Candidate Says Talks Needed On Russian Bases
Interfax
Moscow, November 27: Decisions on Russian military bases in Georgia must come from talks between Tbilisi and Moscow, Georgian presidential candidate Mikhail Saakashvili said in an interview in Izvestia published on Thursday. `The future of the bases must be decided in talks,` he said `First, I do not think this is a very urgent matter. Second, their legal status must be worked out, as there is much ambiguity about this now,` Saakashvili said. `Our first priority now is to find a common ground with Russia,` he said. `Our chief economic and political interests are related to Russia, while the United States is the chief guarantor of our security,` he said. `If Russia provides similar security guarantees, we will not drift away from Russia,` he said. `Incidentally, I want to say that Russia played a more substantial role than the United States or the West as a whole in having the recent crisis resolved peacefully,` he said. ` `I would like to have these relations expand. I am now planning a pre-election trip to Moscow where I intend to meet with fairly high- level officials.
Armenian Military Plans New Arms Purchases
Radio Free Europe
Yerevan, November 22: Addressing a 22 November parliament committee hearing on the draft budget for 2004, Defense Minister Serzh Sarkisian said the military hardware Armenia will acquire next year will not be paid for from the official defense budget, which is set at 49.6 billion drams ($87 million), a 12 percent increase over 2003, RFE/RL`s Yerevan bureau reported on 24 November (see `RFE/RL Newsline,` 13 November 2003). `To put it more simply, no arms purchases will affect soldiers` food rations, clothing and other things,` he explained. Sarkisian did not specify from what non-budgetary sources the planned new acquisitions will be financed, but stressed that the funds to be used are not illegal. Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov assured his visiting Azerbaijani counterpart, Vilayat Guliev, in Moscow on 24 November that Russian sales of arms to Armenia do and will not pose any danger to Azerbaijan`s security, Russian agencies reported. Ivanov offered to increase Russian sales of military hardware to Azerbaijan. On 18 November, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry issued a statement protesting Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov`s announcement while visiting Armenia several days earlier that Moscow plans to provide new armaments to the Russian military base in Armenia and to establish a joint military grouping with Armenia.
Azerbaijan, US Discuss Military Cooperation
Radio Free Europe
Baku, November 22: Visiting Baku on 20-21 November, General Charles Wald, who is deputy commander U.S. forces Europe, met with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Defense Minister Colonel General Safar Abiev to discuss the prospects for expanding bilateral military cooperation, Interfax and Turan reported. Wald said the United States plans to assist Azerbaijan in protecting its sector of the Caspian Sea and will launch a program for the Azerbaijani military analogous to the Train and Equip program in Georgia. He declined to answer questions about the possibility, currently under discussion, of locating a U.S. military base in Azerbaijan.
Uzbek Police Deny `bomb Plot`
BBC
Tashkent, November 28: Uzbekistan`s secret police have held a special briefing to rebut charges that they were complicit in a set of bomb explosions blamed on Islamists in 1999. The charges come from a prisoner convicted in the attacks, which killed 16 people in and near government offices in the capital Tashkent. The bombings were said to be an attempt on the life of President Islam Karimov. They projected the Central Asian leader to the forefront of what later became called the war on terror. Grave allegations It is most unusual for the shadowy secret police to step into the limelight by holding a briefing about themselves. The Uzbek regime has been accused of denying freedoms But the allegations against them are of the utmost gravity. They come from Zainuddin Askarov, who said that the secret police knew that the attacks of 1999 were planned but did nothing to stop them. He cited as evidence the fact that the man said to be behind the bombings, Bahram Abdullayev, had been imprisoned for months before they happened and that he claimed to have told his interrogators everything. How was it, Mr Askarov said, that the police got the photos of the wanted men out so quickly? Because they already knew them. Mr Askarov was speaking in a Tashkent jail to journalists invited in fact by the secret police, apparently to hear a reiteration of the received version after challenges to it surfaced on the internet. Mr Askarov, it seems, seized the chance to set the record straight. After four years, he said, he wanted to tell the truth. `Shadowy play` The secret police in their briefing rebutted every allegation. They knew nothing about the plot beforehand, they said, and could only suppose that Mr Askarov had been taken ill. It is not easy to interpret these events. There is endless shadow play in Uzbek politics and it is possible that Mr Askarov is being manipulated by some power, perhaps even within the secret police. It is also possible that he has unilaterally taken a huge personal risk. Either way, suspicions which most people dare not speak of even in their own homes have suddenly surfaced in public.
Russia Approves Agreement On SCO Antiterrorism Centre
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, November 27: The Russian government has adopted the agreement of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation member states on the Regional Antiterrorism Centre on 27 November. According to RIA Novosti citing the Department of government information, the corresponding agreement was signed by Russian Prime Minister Michael Kosyanenko. The report said the document would be passed to President Vladimir Putin to submission for ratification by the State Duma (Russian parliament). The agreement was signed on 7 June 2002 in St Petersburg, Russia. SCO consists of Russia, China, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
Kazakhstan Inquires About Its Citizens At Guantanamo
Radio Free Europe
Astana, November 25: Kazakh Foreign Minister Qasymzhomart Toqaev told Interfax-Kazakhstan on 25 November that his ministry is trying to determine whether any Kazakh citizens were among the prisoners released from the Guantanamo Bay detention facility on 17 November, the news agency reported. Toqaev said the Kazakh side has been discussing with its U.S. counterpart the return to Kazakhstan of the Kazakh citizens incarcerated at Guantanamo, but added that the situation is complicated by the admissions of some of the prisoners that they took part in military operations with the Taliban in Afghanistan. The Kazakh National Security Committee has reported that none of the Kazakh citizens held at Guantanamo admitted having fought for the Taliban. The committee claimed they had been employed as support personnel.
Foreign Ministry Condemns Terrorist Acts In Istanbul
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, November 22: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan on behalf of the government has strongly condemned the acts of terrorism in Istanbul, which have lead to numerous deaths. According to RIA Novosti, the letter of the Foreign Ministry says, `The people of Uzbekistan, like the whole civilised world, are shocked by the barbarous and inhuman acts against innocent people; the acts of terrorism cannot be justified by any ideas or aims. `The fact that appalling crimes have been committed during the Ramadan, a sacred month for all Muslims, arouses special indignation.`
Hizb-ut-Tahrir Members Active At End Of Ramadan In Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan
Radio Free Europe
Bishkek, November 22: Adherents of the radical Islamic party Hizb ut-Tahrir distributed literature in at least three Kyrgyz cities and the northern Kazakh town of Pavlodar at the end of Ramadan, according to local authorities. A Pavlodar resident from the Caucasus was arrested on the evening of 21 November for distributing Hizb ut-Tahrir literature at the oblast`s main mosque that called for acts of civil disobedience against the government of Uzbekistan, gazeta.kz reported the same day. It was not the first time that Hizb ut-Tahrir was found in Pavlodar, according to the website; the authorities believe the literature was brought from southern Kazakhstan, where three men were recently sentenced for running a Hizb ut-Tahrir print shop (see `RFE/RL Newsline,` 16 October 2003). Hizb ut-Tahrir leaflets also were distributed in Djalal-Abad, Osh, and Karakol in Kyrgyzstan, gazeta.kg reported on 21 November. Those in the latter two towns called on the Kyrgyz government to stop cooperating with Uzbek President Islam Karimov.
Most Tajik Prisoners At Guantanamo Not Involved In Terrorism, Says Deputy Prime Minister
Radio Free Europe
Dushanbe, November 22: Eight of the 11 Tajik citizens incarcerated in U.S. facilities at Guantanamo Bay have never been involved with terrorist organizations, Tajik Deputy Prime Minister Saidamir Zukhurov asserted on 22 November, according to Interfax two days later. Zukhurov said the eight were probably Tajik refugees who had not returned home from Afghanistan after the Tajik civil war and were arrested in areas controlled at the time by the Taliban and Al-Qaeda. He added that they were probably in the area by accident. Zukhurov said he based his conclusions on the findings of a team of Tajik law enforcement agents who interviewed detainees at Guantanamo in May and found that only three of the Tajik citizens could be connected with terrorist groups. Tajik Deputy Foreign Minister Salokhiddin Nasreddinov said his ministry has requested the extradition of those eight prisoners.
Iran To Help Complete Hydropower Plant In Tajikistan
IRNA
Dushanbe, November 28: Iran and Tajikistan will sign an agreement Friday on a joint project to complete the construction of the Sagtudinskaya hydropower plant in Tajikistan. The agreement will be signed in the framework of the visit of Iranian Economy and Finance Minister Tahmasb Mazaheri, Tajik Deputy Trade and Economy Minister Isroil Makhmudov told Tass. Iran reportedly plans to invest 150 million dollars into the project. The preparatory stage for the construction of the 670MWt hydropower plant on the Vakhsh River has been completed. 360.9 million dollars of investments are necessary to finish the construction of the plant, which will allow Tajikistan to resolve all domestic energy problems and to export electricity.
Transmeridian Nears Completion On Wells In Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan News
Astana, November 28: Transmeridian Exploration Inc., a Houston-based oil and gas exploration and production company, said that its nearing completion on two wells its drilling in the South Alibek in Kazakhstan. The South Alibek No. 2 and the South Alibek No. 4 are each currently drilling at approximately 12,000 feet. Both wells are targeted for total depths of around 13,800 feet. Transmeridian plans to evaluate deeper horizons in these wells than it reached in the South Alibek No. 1. The company expects to have both wells completed and placed on test production before year-end. Cumulative production from the SA-1 well has totaled over 80,000 barrels.
Caspian Shelf: Hopes, Doubts, Gambles
Kazakhstanskaya Pravda
Astana, November 27: Within recent few weeks `Kashagan` oil project has turned into whirl of public judgments. Provisions of Agreement on produce division assign international `Adjip KKO` Consortium for the oilfield development. Today they are negotiating on 1,5 - 2 year delay of first oil extraction. Allegations that operations` suspension will entail USD 4 bln loss to national budget are current. Ministry of energy and mineral resources is concerned with the hoopla around Kashagan project. The Minister referred to assumptions that `budget will be short of USD 4bln `. Practically direct accusations of bribery are hurled at those who had drafted and signed corresponding contracts. In fact, Kazakhstan petroleum policy, pursued by President and Government in relations with most powerful foreign investors, is questioned. `We deal with either deliberate or thoughtless misinterpretation, agiotage redoubled around road-blocked and confidential negotiations on major international project; with purposeful misleading of Kazakhstan and world community, and investors` trust disruption`, Vladimir Shkolnik, Minister of energy and mineral resources said. The case in question is Agreement on production division on Kazakhstan Northern Caspian sector, signed November 1997 in Washington, with participation of US Department officials, Albert Gore, the then Vice President, and Kazakhstan authorities. Economic estimates as well as Kazakhstan expert`s data available, say the project deferment will on no accounts entail USD 4 bln loss to budget. However, current disagreements between Kazakhstan and contractor parties have become apparent. One should bear in mind that USD 2,2 bln has already been invested. In addition to ENI Company, Consortium involves Total, Exxon Mobil and ConocoPhillips, Royal Dutch/Shell and Inpex companies. Six test bore holes in total are ready, Uzakbai Karabalin, President of CJSC `National Company `KazMunaiGas` stated at Astana press-conference. A bunch of new oilfields, such as South - Western Kashagan, Aktoty and Kairat - 1, were discovered this year, which prove Kazakhstan Caspian shelf`s high potentials.
ChevronTexaco To Double Investment In Kazakhstan In 4-5 Years
Interfax
Almaty, November 27: U.S. ChevronTexaco plans to invest about $4 billion in the Kazakh oil and gas sector in the next four-five years. The company has already invested over $4 billion and has approved expansion projects for Tengizchevroil, the Caspian Pipeline Consortium and Karachaganak, Gil Ankerbauer, ChevronTexaco country manager, told reporters in Almaty on Wednesday. He said that in keeping with the projects the company plans to invest another $3-4 billion in the Kazakh economy in the next four-five years. He was not sure how the funds would be distributed between the projects.
Kyrgyzstan In Fuel Market Crisis
Interfax
Bishkek, November 27: Kyrgyzstan`s fuel market is suffering a crisis, President of the Association of Oil Traders Oleg Zobara said at a press conference. The problems were caused by the forced shutdown of PetroKazakhstan Oil Products, a subsidiary of Canada`s PetroKazakhstan, the official supplier of fuel and lubricants in Kyrgyzstan, and an increase in demand on the domestic market. Zobara said the shortage arose because the Kazakh company refused to meet its obligations. Kyrgyz company Munai Myrza Opt paid PetroKazakhstan Oil Products $3 million in early November for future shipments of 32,000 tonnes of fuel, which would have supplied the Kyrgyz market for six weeks. But the Kazakh company has not begun shipments, he said. Fuel prices at the pump in Kyrgyzstan grew 35 per cent from November 3 - 18 as a result, Prices for Ai-80 gasoline, which makes up 85 per cent of the market, grew 29.6 per cent from 14.2 som per liter to 18.4 som. Zobara said this was the first time prices had risen so much in the past 10 months.
US To Build Tajik-Afghan Bridge
BBC
Kabul, November 26: A team of American engineers have started initial work on a plan to build a bridge to Afghanistan from Central Asia. The bridge is to run between southern Tajikistan and northern Afghanistan, spanning the River Amu which divides the two countries. It is designed to carry both trade and humanitarian help, but there is also a political aspect as this is the first time the US has been involved in such a project, in what is traditionally regarded as Russia`s sphere of influence. The bridge is to run from the village of Panj-e Payan on the Tajik side, to Imam Saheb in Afghanistan, a distance of about 700 metres. It is to be a broad, all weather bridge built on arches standing in the Amu. It could change this corner of the world quite radically. It opens up trade and travel between Afghanistan and Tajikistan and could be a permanent conduit for aid. Up until now only decrepit ferry boats made the crossing, passing slowly from bank to bank. Investment The US has been taking a new interest in Tajikistan, because of its closeness to Afghanistan. Now it is connecting the two countries right in the heart of what Moscow sees as its territory, and traditional Russian policy is to keep Afghanistan and Central Asia apart. The bridge will cost about $12m, a small investment for the US, but a huge sum locally. It is the most important aid dividend Tajikistan has seen since 2001, when it agreed to allow a small number of US troops on its soil. At that time some Tajiks were so poor that they went to Afghan refugee camps in the border marshlands to buy food. The US engineers will be testing the banks and waters of the Amu until early December. The actual building will probably start next year.
Kazakh Parliament Passes Draft 2004 Budget At First Reading
Interfax
Astana, November 26: Kazakhstan`s parliament passed the draft 2004 central budget with a deficit of 92.7 billion tenge or 1.9 per cent of GDP at its first reading. Budget revenues are 858.5 billion tenge or 17.6 per cent of GDP and spending 951.2 billion tenge or 19.5 per cent of GDP. The budget projects GDP to grow 7 per cent to 4.877 trillion tenge in 2004. Annualized inflation will be 5 per cent-4 per cent and the average exchange rate 153.3 tenge/$1. The budget assumes that Brent crude will trade at $22 a barrel and Kazakh export oil at $16.5 a barrel. The budget`s second reading is scheduled for November 28. The 2003 budget targeted revenues of 710.2 billion tenge, spending 793 billion tenge and a deficit of 82.8 billion tenge or 1.9 per cent of GDP.
Uzbekistan To Improve Its Water Supply Systems
Interfax
Tashkent, November 26: The Uzbek government has approved a program for 2004-09 aimed at improving drinking water supplies to the Bukhara and Kashkadarya regions in the country`s southwest, a Cabinet source told Interfax. The overall cost of the program is estimated at $218.8 million. The five-year project involves repairing water intake facilities and pumping stations, as well as building new water purification facilities with a total capacity of 568,000 cubic meters a day. The program also envisions the construction of 258.8 kilometers of centralized water supply systems carrying water to 275 villages. A total of $184.5 million in foreign credits will be provided for the program, and another $34.3 million will be contributed by Uzbekistan.
UNDP Brings Solar Electricity To Isolated Uzbek Settlement
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, November 25: Villagers in the tiny community of Kostruba, 250 km northwest of Nukus, capital of the semi-autonomous Uzbek region of Karakalpakistan have something special to celebrate this Eid. For this forgotten, isolated settlement on the edge of the Qizilqum Desert has electricity for the first time, thanks to a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) solar-power initiative. `Even during Soviet times there was no power here; now at last our children can study at night and we can know what is going on in the world through radio and television,` Alautin Serkebaev, a local official from this largely ethnic Kazakh region, said. Without clean water, gas or electricity and subsisting on livestock farming, the residents of Kostruba have very little. In fact, the only resource in abundance is sunlight. `Thatīs why we picked this place: it receives around 260 sunny days per year,` Said Inogamov, a consultant with UNDPīs Clean Energy for Rural Communities in Karakalpakistan project, told IRIN.
Number Of NGOs In Uzbekistan Increases 66 per cent In 2002
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, November 25: The number of registered NGOs in Uzbekistan increased by 66 per cent in 2002, according to the Justice Ministry. Among them are public organisations, social foundations, consumer cooperatives, associations and self-governing bodies. At the same time, international experts note that the role of NGOs in the economic and social life of Uzbekistan is too low. This is due to insufficient legal base, weak self-financing of NGOs, as well as lack of knowledge among the population about the NGOs` role in development of democracy and social partnership. The main legal basis for NGOs` activity if the Law `On nongovernmental and noncommercial organisations` adopted in 1999. But in 2002, the Uzbek President noted that there is a necessity to create a new law on NGOs.
BP Confident Georgian Oil Pipeline Will Go Ahead
The New Zealand Herald
Tbilisi, November 25: Oil giant BP expects the revolution in Georgia to have no bearing on a planned US$3.6 billion oil pipeline that crosses the country, says chief executive Lord Browne. A BP-led group is building a one million barrel-a-day capacity pipeline from Baku, Azerbaijan, that will cross Georgia and Turkey, ending at Ceyhan, on the Mediterranean.
British Co. Aims To Mine 6 Tonnes Of Gold At Uzbek Field
Interfax
London, November 25: Oxus Mining Plc. plans to mine at least 190,000 Troy ounces or 6.1 tonnes of gold at the Amantaytau field in Uzbekistan in 2004, the company said in a press release. Oxus started to mine the deposit in August 2003 and expects to recover its first gold from ore at the end of December. It is thought the gold will not cost more than $106 an ounce to produce.
Kazakhstan Seeks Compensation For Oil Field Delay
Radio Free Europe
Astana, November 24: Kazakh energy officials are conducting talks with an international consortium headed by Italy`s Agip to determine the amount of compensation the consortium should pay because production at the giant Kashagan oil field will begin as much as two years behind schedule, Kazakh Energy Minister Vladimir Shkolnik told a press conference in Astana on 24 November, khabar.kz and gazeta.kz reported the same day. The Kashagan field on the Caspian is one of the main elements of a Kazakh government program to develop the country`s oil industry; a delay of the magnitude that Agip KCO says is unavoidable represents a major setback for the program.
Eni, Kazakhstan Fail To Resolve Kashagan Delay Dispute
Kazakhstan News
Almaty, November 24: Kazakhstan and Italian oil company Eni SpA ( E) haven`t reach an agreement over the amount of fines to be levied on delays developing a multibillion-dollar project. An agreement on the sum was expected to be reached after the latest round of negotiations in London that ended Friday, but another round has been already scheduled to take place in the Kazakh capital, said Vladimir Shkolnik, Kazakhstan`s minister of energy and natural resources, said Monday. An Eni-led consortium is developing the Kashagan oil field, considered the world`s biggest find in the past 30 years. Earlier, Eni acknowledged that the project is at least a year behind the original plan to see the first oil in 2005, and Kazakhstan has demanded $800 million in fines.
Kyrgyzstan Reports Budget Surplus Of 1.3 per cent
Interfax
Bishkek, November 24: Kyrgyzstan had a state budget surplus of 737.1 million som or 1.3 per cent of GDP in January-September. The national statistics committee said budget revenues grew 13.7 per cent year-on-year to 11.399 billion som, or 19.2 per cent of GDP. Budget spending was up 8.1 per cent to 10.662 billion som, or 17.9 per cent of GDP. The budget targets revenues of 13.844 billion som, spending of 13.968 billion som and a deficit of 124 million som, or 0.15 per cent of GDP. The exchange rate was 43.0349 som/$1 on November 21.
Exxonmobil Kazakhstan Subsidiary Participates In Two North Caspian Discoveries
Kazakhstan News
Irving, Texas, November 24: Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) today announced that its subsidiary, ExxonMobil Kazakhstan Inc., has participated in two discoveries in new prospects on the North Caspian Production Sharing Agreement (NCPSA) contract area. The first exploration wells on each of the Aktote and Kashagan Southwest prospects were completed successfully and encountered hydrocarbon-bearing intervals. Additional evaluation will be required to determine if the hydrocarbon accumulations are commercially viable. Aktote-1 and Kashagan Southwest-1 are the third and fourth discoveries on the NCPSA following Kashagan and Kalamkas. The world-class Kashagan discovery was announced in 2000 and declared commercial in June 2002 with estimated resources of more than nine billion barrels of oil.
Eni Finds Oil In Kazakhstan Sector Of Nth Caspian Sea
Dow Jones Newswires
Rome, November 24: Italian oil-and-gas company Eni SpA (E) Monday said it had found oil in two wells in the Kazakhstan sector of the North Caspian sea, where the giant offshore field of Kashagan is also located. Preliminary tests over a reduced interval from the drillings in Aktote and Kashagan Southwest, gave a combined output of 3,750 barrels of oil a day, the company said in a statement. Aktote, where oil was found at 3,760 meters, was tested over a reduced interval with a rate of 1,550 daily barrels of oil on a 28/64 choke. Kashagan Southwest, where oil was found at 4,849 meters, yielded 2,200 barrels on a 32/64 choke. The two wells are located in the same area as the Kashagan oil field - considered the world`s biggest find in the past 30 years - which is being developed by an Eni-led consortium.
BTC Pipeline Unaffected By Events In Georgia
Interfax
Baku, November 24: The events in Georgia have not affected work on the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) oil pipeline, Tamam Bayatly, spokeswoman for BP-Azerbaijan, told Interfax. `All work on the Georgian section of the BTC pipeline is going to schedule and our offices have been open and are open as usual,` Bayatly said. BP is confident work on the BTC pipeline can continue as normal. `The project investors have signed a deal on the project with the Georgian government, and we are certain the deal will be honored,` she said. The future pipeline will stretch 1,767 kilometers (443 km through Azerbaijan, 248 km through Georgia and 1,076 km through Turkey) and will have a capacity of 50 million tonnes of oil per annum and will require 1.5 million tonnes of oil to fill it. It is planned to complete construction work in the fourth quarter 2004 and to start exporting Azerbaijani oil from the port of Ceyhan in the second quarter 2005.
Uzbekistan Misses Annual Cotton Goal
Radio Free Europe
Tashkent, November 23: Bad weather has put an end to Uzbekistan`s annual cotton harvest and, according to preliminary data from the country`s Agriculture Ministry, only 2.856 million tons of cotton was gathered this year. The independent news agency zamon.info reported on 23 November that this is the poorest harvest in many years. The government planned a harvest of 3.6 million tons and took extraordinary measures to prevent cotton harvested in Uzbekistan from being smuggled by Uzbek pickers into Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, where prices being paid for raw cotton were much higher (see `RFE/RL Newsline,` 17 October 2003). Cotton specialists at the Uzbek Academy of Sciences attributed the 2003 cotton shortfall to spring rains that necessitated the replanting of one-third of the land sown to cotton and delayed the harvest by three weeks.
ExxonMobil, SOCAR Officially Shut Down Oguz Project
Kazakhstan News
Baku, November 23: ExxonMobil and the State Oil Company of the Azerbaijani Republic (SOCAR) have agreed to officially discontinue the Oguz hydrocarbons project in view of the fact exploration did not reveal evidence of commercial reserves. The official exploration deadline lapsed on October 21 and SOCAR acknowledged than ExxonMobil had honored all its contractual obligations, the U.S. oil major`s Baku office said. Oguz, discovered in 1977, is 110 km east of Baku, close to the Neft Dashlary and Gunashli fields. SOCAR drilled two exploration wells, Oguz-1 and Oguz-2, to depths of 4,899 and 4,616 meters in the late 1970s, but found nothing of value.
Kazakh Parliament Approves New Tax On Oil Investors
Tehran Times
Almaty, November 22: Kazakhstan`s lower house of parliament has approved new oil export taxes likely to be seen as an extra squeeze on foreign investors considering new projects in the country, media in the ex-Soviet republic said on Saturday. The legislation establishes a flexible export taxation system pegged to oil prices and is intended to `perfect the extraction of excess profits from oil companies,` Kairat Kelimbetov, minister of budgeting and economics, was quoted by the Kazakhstan Today news agency as saying. Prime Minister Danial Akhmetov has repeatedly warned of the danger he sees of giving too much away to Western investors who have a large role in the exploitation of the country`s on and off-shore Caspian Shelf oil and gas fields. The new taxation would apply to future contracts rather than existing ones, officials have said. The proposals have still to get approval from the upper house, but this is likely by the end of this year.
Azerbaijani-Russian Business Commission Sign Documents
Interfax
Baku, November 28: Co-chairmen of the Azerbaijani-Russian business cooperation commission Abbas Abbasov and Viktor Khristenko signed three documents during their working meeting in Baku on Friday. An Interfax correspondent reports that the documents include a protocol on opening and using letters of credit and refunding the costs accumulated during the use of the Daryal informational and analytical center in 1997-2001. There is also a memorandum of intent on joint space programs, as well as a protocol on today`s meeting.
Russia And Kazakhstan To Discuss Electricity Debts
Interfax
Astana, November 28: Kazakhstan and Russia will discuss ways for Kazakhstan to pay its debt to Russia for electricity supplies, Russian Economic Development Minister German Gref told the press in Astana on Friday. He was speaking during a break in intergovernmental consultations on reforming the Kazakh and Russian economies. `We will discuss by all means certain problems whose solution has been stalled for quite a long time, in particular the settlement of the Kazakh debt to Russia for power supply,` he said. Gref deplored the fact that despite an understanding reached by the two countries` presidents, the matter is lingering at the implementation level, `probably because contacts between us are too few and far between.` The debt reaches about $300 million.
Armenian President To Visit Russia At Putin`s Invitation
Interfax
Moscow, November 28: Armenian President Robert Kocharian is coming to Russia for a working visit at the invitation of President Vladimir Putin. Putin`s press service announced on Friday that the two leaders will hold talks in St. Petersburg on Sunday.
Russian Committee On UNESCO Programme To Visit Uzbekistan
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, November 27: The delegation of the Russian committee on UNESCO Programme `Information for all` will visit Uzbekistan on 11-15 December. The aim of the visit is to establish business contacts on explanation of the UNESCO Programme `Information for all`, creation of conditions for its implementation, discussion of `Recommendations on development and use of multilingual and common access to cyberspace` and `Charter on saving digital heritage`, adopted by the 32nd session of UNESCOīs General Assembly. According to the press service of the Russian committee of UNESCO Programme `Information for all`, the delegation will meet representatives of the government, educational and cultural establishments, experts in formation of information resources and access to them, as well as journalists.
OSCE To Pay Special Attention To Central Asian States
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, November 27: The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe will pay serious attention to Central Asian states, OSCE chairman-in-office (CiO) and Dutch Foreign Minister Jap de Hoop Scheffer told journalists in Hague. He noted that such attention is necessary considering the human rights situation in the region. If the OSCE is not engaged in this, the problem will become more and more complicated, he said. According to RIA Novosti, Scheffer named Turkmenistan as the country of the greatest concern, adding that the Red Cross representatives were not allowed to visit jails in this country. Jap de Hoop Scheffer said he was planning to meet representatives of Central Asian states during the 11th OSCE Ministerial Council, which will be held on 1-2 December in Maastricht, the Netherlands.
Russia Hails UN Resolution On Human Rights In Turkmenistan
Interfax
Moscow, November 27: Russia on Thursday hailed a recent UN resolution on the human rights situation in Turkmenistan. The resolution, proposed by the European Union, was passed at the 58th session of the UN General Assembly. `It appears that putting into practice the provisions of the resolution that has been passed can contribute to positive dynamics in asserting generally accepted international human rights standards in Turkmenistan, including as regards defending minorities,` the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a release. `Developments in Turkmenistan, including in the defense of rights, are being closely followed in Moscow, and this subject is on the agenda of our bilateral contacts at various levels. `The Russian Federation attaches great significance to the development of friendly relations with Turkmenistan, which is one of the most important Russian partners in the Central Asian region. We are convinced that openness and readiness to respect each other`s interests and concerns is a guarantee for the development of such relations.`
Uzbekistan Plans To Open Diplomatic Mission In Sofia
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, November 27: Uzbekistan plans to open a diplomatic mission in Sofia, the Bulgarian Foreign Minister Solomon Passy said. A consular convention between Uzbekistan and Bulgaria was signed late on Tuesday night. The convention is seen as a document laying the foundation of relations between the two countries. Karimov arrived on a three-day official visit in Sofia at the invitation of his Bulgarian counterpart Georgi Parvanov on November 24. The aim of the visit of Uzbekistanīs president is boosting the business and political cooperation between the two countries.
Iran, Azerbaijan Discuss Mutual Ties
IRNA
Baku, November 27: Iran`s Ambassador to Azerbaijan Ahad Qazaie and Azeri President Ilham Aliyev in a meeting here on Thursday, discussed bilateral relations. In the meeting, President Aliyev, referring to the bolstering of bilateral ties during his father Heydar Aliyev`s presidential term, underlined continuing the previous policy of giving special attention to expansion of ties with Iran. Turning to the implementation of joint economic projects as indispensable, he reiterated that the cooperation trend in the field is quite satisfactory. The future visit of the Azeri president to Iran was also discussed in the meeting.
Uzbek President Ends State Visit To Bulgaria
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, November 27: The President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov has finished his state visit to Bulgaria on 26 November. During the negotiations Uzbek and Bulgarian presidents considered a wide range of issues of bilateral relations. 14 documents were signed during the visit. While underlining successful develoment of cooperation, the presidents noted that the level of development of Uzbek-Bulgarian trade and economic ties was unsatisfactory. Presidents Islam Karimov and Georgi Parvanov said the main barrier to increasing trade turnover was an insufficiently developed legal base. The sides also considered results of the session of Uzbek-Bulgarian intergovernmental commission on trade and economic, scientific and technical cooperation, which was held one day before the visit. A special attention was paid to collaboration in the field of transport communications and tourism. Uzbek and Bulgarian governments signed the Agreement on avoiding double taxation of incomes and on prevention of evasion of payment of income and property taxes, the Veterinary and Sanitary Convention, the Agreement on cooperation in the field of railway transport, the Agreement on international combined goods transportations, the Agreement on back receiving of illegally staying persons and others.
Largest US Embassy In World Is Being Built In Armenia
Pravda
Moscow, November 27: The US embassy in Armenia will be the largest in the world. As a Rosbalt correspondent reports, this was announced yesterday by US Ambassador to Armenia John Ordway. He said the US embassy, which is currently under construction in the suburbs of Yerevan, will take up 9 hectares of land. The embassy will also have its own energy and water supply. The ambassador explained that there are many people working on various projects in Armenia and this is the reason for building such a large embassy.
Lower House Holds Hearing On Rights Of Russians In Turkmenistan
ITAR TASS
Moscow, November 27: The State Duma, the Russian parliament`s lower house, on Thursday held a hearing on human rights in Turkmenistan, where the conditions of Russians have been complicated this year by President Saparmurat Niyazov`s abandoning an accord on double citizenship with Russia. Representatives of the Foreign Ministry, experts and political scientists took part in the hearing. Deputy Foreign Minister Alexei Fedotov, who co-chairs the Russian part the Russian-Turkmen commission on double citizenship, said talks of the two countries` president and the commission`s meeting in Ashkhabad this summer had significantly stabilized the situation. The Turkmen side officially stated that rights of Russian citizens were not and would not be infringed. `At present, there are no agiotage emigration moods among Russian citizens in Turkmenistan,` Fedotov said. He admitted, however, that the Russian embassy in Ashkhabad `is working in very complex conditions`. Thus 200 notes sent to the Foreign Ministry of Turkmenistan remained unanswered, including those concerning rights of Russian-speakers, logistic supply of the embassy and the signing of an accord on cultural cooperation.
Uzbekistan, Bulgaria Pledge To Develop Transport Infrastructure
Interfax
Tashkent, November 27: Development of the transportation infrastructure is a prime area of cooperation between Uzbekistan and Bulgaria, Presidents Islam Karimov and Georgi Purvanov said while meeting in Sofia. Karimov ended a state visit to Bulgaria and returned to Tashkent on Wednesday evening, sources in the presidential press service told Interfax on Thursday. Karimov and Purvanov discussed cooperation, bilateral agreements, and regional and international problems. Bilateral trade is less than $10 million, Karimov said. `This shows we have not used many possibilities,` he said. Fourteen documents were signed on the results of the visit, among them an agreement against double taxation of revenues and property, accords on transport and tourism, and a cooperation agreement between the Uzbek Chamber of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs and the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Kyrgyz Leader To Mull Economic Matters In Norway, U.S.
Interfax
Bishkek, November 26: During his first official visit to Norway Kyrgyz President Askar Akayev will discuss prospects for political, economic, cultural and humanitarian relations, Interfax was told at the Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry press service on Wednesday. Akayev will visit Norway from Wednesday through Saturday. He will hold talks with King Harald V, the prime minister and the defense minister. In Oslo he is expected to meet Norwegian businessmen an d industrialists representing the hydro power engineering, telecommunications, tourism, mining and forestry sectors. The main purpose of the meeting is to attract Norwegian investment in the Kyrgyz economy. Later the Kyrgyz delegation will go on a working visit to the United States. In New York Akayev will attend an event dedicated to World Bank President James Wolfensohn.
Uzbekistan Plans To Open Diplomatic Mission In Sofia
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, November 26: Uzbekistan plans to open a diplomatic mission in Sofia, the Bulgarian Foreign Minister Solomon Passy said. A consular convention between Uzbekistan and Bulgaria was signed late on Tuesday night. The convention is seen as a document laying the foundation of relations between the two countries. Karimov arrived on a three-day official visit in Sofia at the invitation of his Bulgarian counterpart Georgi Parvanov on November 24.
Astana Expects Explanations On Cancellation Of Tax Breaks By Moscow
Interfax
Almaty, November 25: Kazakhstan has turned for explanations to the CIS Economic Court about Russia`s cancellation of tax breaks that were effective at the Baikonur space center in 1995- 2001. `As far as I know, Kazakh Prime Minister Daniyal Akhmetov has made an inquiry with the CIS Economic Court on how justified Russia`s actions to cancel the tax breaks in Baikonur were,` Kazakh presidential envoy to Baikonur Yergazy Nurgaliyev told Interfax. He said that tax payments in Baikonur are regulated by an international agreement `On the status of the city of Baikonur and the forming procedure and status of its executive bodies` signed by the presidents of Russia and Kazakhstan on December 23, 1995. Under the agreement, the Baikonur administration chief can offer tax breaks to Russian and Kazakh companies involved in operations at the space center and in bringing supplies to the city. Nurgaliyev went on to say that in 2001, then administration chief Gennady Dmitriyenko exercised this right and exempted several companies registered in the city from all taxes, including federal taxes. One of the conditions of the understandings between Dmitriyenko and the companies was that they pay no less than 3 per cent of the sum to be paid to the state budget to Baikonur city coffers. However, later the Russian government issued a resolution barring the city administration from offering such tax breaks because the Russian federal budget was missing out on `significant sums.` Nurgaliyev said that at the request of the Kazakh government, the CIS Economic Court will have to determine whether the Russian side had the right to unilaterally ban individual articles in the international agreement between the two countries.
Foreign Leaders Congratulate Uzbekistan With Eid Al-Fitr
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, November 25: Uzbek President Islam Karimov received gratings from his foreign counterparts on the occasion of the Eid al-Fitr. The messages were received from the US President George Bush, Iranian President Seyyed Mohammad Khatami, Malaysian King Yang Di-Pertuan Agong Syed Sirajuddin, President of Maldives Maumoon Abdul Gayoom and President of Bangladesh Riazuddin Ahmed. UzReport.com team takes this opportunity and congratulates all Muslims on this blessed occasion, and wishes them prosperity and peace.
Karimov Proposes Treaties To Ease Transport Links With Bulgaria
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, November 25: Uzbek President Islam Karimov suggested Tuesday that Uzbekistan and Bulgaria sign a set of treaties that will ease trade, transport and customs procedures. Karimov suggested that other countries like Georgia, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan could also join such treaties. He made his remarks in this Bulgarian Black Sea port that he travelled to on the second day of a visit to this Balkan country, Bulgarian News Network reported.
CAC Parliamentarian Forum Postponed
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, November 25: Second parliamentarian forum of the Central Asian Cooperation Organisation (CAC) has been postponed for an unknown term, Kazakhstan Today reported quoting the press services of Kazakh parliament. The press services noted that the forum would not be organised this year, adding that it was cancelled according to the mutual consent of the sides. Earlier it was planned that the forum would be held in late November in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
Kazakh President Lauds Peace Settlement In Georgia
Interfax
Astana, November 25: Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev welcomes the peaceful settlement of the political crisis in Georgia. `We are satisfied with the wise stand of the Georgian people, who have made a peaceful settlement,` the presidential press service cited Nazarbayev as saying on Monday. `The civil responsibility of Eduard Shevardnadze, who has saved Georgia from bloodshed and disturbances,` also contributed to the peaceful settlement of the situation, Nazarbayev said.
Amb. Hoagland: U.S. Will Work With Tajikistan On Variety Of Issues
Kazakhstan News
Washington DC, November 24: Nov. 24 press roundtable with Amb. Richard Hoagland The new U.S. Ambassador to Tajikistan, Richard Hoagland, told reporters in Dushanbe November 24 that he had held a complete and full conversation with President Emomali Rahmonov after presenting his credentials. `We talked about absolutely everything: regional cooperation, the war against terrorism, Tajikistan`s good reputation on human rights and democracy,` Hoagland said during a press roundtable. He added that he had `proposed a few new ideas where we can work together in the area of human rights and democracy.` Hoagland also said the United States would be moving from providing `purely humanitarian support to development assistance` for Tajikistan, and that this development was `very important for the future of Tajikistan and the Tajik people.` The ambassador also answered questions about progress on the U.S.-funded bridge at Nizhniy Pyanj and about Tajik detainees at the U.S. military facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
President Talks To Russian President
Kazakhstanskaya Pravda
Astana, November 24: 24 November President N.Nazarbayev had phone talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, presidential administration`s press service informs. The covered topics were completion of the Year of Kazakhstan in Russia, CES of Kazakhstan, Belarus, Russia and Ukraine, prospective meeting of CIS Foreign Ministers in Kiev, political situation in Georgia. 24 November N. Nazarbayev held talks with PM and his deputies who made a statement on governmental activities aimed at powers distribution among center, oblasts and regions, salaries of state and budget sphere employees, education and science management. Kazakhstan President received Gabidulla Abdrakhimov, a new head of Agency for State service, 28-year-old Gabidulla Abdrakhimov is presidential `Bolashak` program graduate from German High School of Public Administration. In the last four years he worked in State Service Agency.
Invitation For Azerbaijani President To Visit Russia Confirmed
Interfax
Baku, November 24: Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov confirmed an invitation for Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to visit Russia during a meeting with his Azerbaijani counterpart Vilayat Guliyev. `Russian Foreign Minister Ivanov confirmed Russian President [Vladimir] Putin`s invitation, which was conveyed to Azerbaijani President Aliyev earlier, to visit Russia in the near future,` reads a Russian Foreign Ministry report obtained by Interfax on Monday. The exact date for the visit will be set by the countries` diplomats. During their talks in Moscow on Monday, Ivanov and Guliyev agreed to hold a meeting of the foreign ministers of the five Caspian nations (Russia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan) in the near future.
Uzbekistan, Bulgaria To Fight Terrorism Jointly
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, November 24: Uzbekistanīs President Islam Karimov arrived on a three-day state visit in Sofia at the invitation of his Bulgarian counterpart Georgi Purvanov. The top guest was welcomed in Bulgaria at a special ceremony at Sofiaīs St. Alexander Nevski Square. Right after the welcoming ceremony, the two heads of state headed for their one-to-one session. According to Bulgarian News Network, the presidents of Bulgaria and Uzbekistan on Monday pledged to improve their countries economic ties and to join efforts against terrorism and illegal traffic of arms and drugs. `We`ll interact to counter the new wave terrorism that is emerging,` Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov said after talks with his Uzbek colleague Islam Karimov.
Putin Urges Georgia To Restore Traditional Relations With Russia
People`s Daily
Moscow, November 24: Russian President Vladimir Putin urged Monday the future Georgian leadership to restore the country`s traditional relations with Russia. Russia calls on `the future legitimately elected Georgian administration to do everything possible to revive the traditions of friendship between our countries,` Putin told a cabinet meeting,the footage of which was aired by the state television channel `Rossia`. Russia has traditionally enjoyed many centuries of brotherly relations with Georgia, Putin said.
FM Spokesman: Iran Keeps An Eye On Georgia`s Developments
IRNA
Tehran, November 24: Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid-Reza Asefi here on Monday said that in view of Georgia`s sensitive location in the Caucasus area, Iran is constantly observing developments in that country. A report released by the Foreign Ministry media department quoted Asefi as saying that Iran supports the Georgians in the democratic trend of their country and believes that no country should meddle in its internal affairs. Asefi expressed hope that the current developments in the country will lead to consolidation of peace and stability.
FM Spokesman: Georgia`s Situation Internal Affairs
Kabar Agency
Beijing, November 24: Recent changes in Georgia are its internal affairs and China respects the choice of the Georgian people, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao here Monday. According to the official website of the ministry, Liu told thepress in response to a question that China has noted the recent changes in Georgia and considered it to be Georgia`s internal affairs. The Chinese side respects the choice made by the Georgian people and will, as always, attach importance to the development of the friendly and cooperative relations with Georgia, the spokesman said.
Cooperation Of Emergency Services Discussed In Osh
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, November 23: The first regional conference of representatives of state structures and rescue services of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan on interaction in emergency situations has finished in Osh, Kyrgyzstan. The meeting participants discussed issues of cooperation during rescue actions and strengthening multilateral partnership, RIA Novosti reported quoting the Kyrgyz Ministry of Ecology and Emergency Situations. It was decided to organise, in 30 settlements of three countries in Ferghana Valley, special groups of prompt response that could swiftly act in case of natural disasters. It is planned that such groups will consist of specially trained local residents.
Uzbek President Starts His Three-day Visit To Bulgaria
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, November 23: Uzbek President Islam Karimov starts an official visit to Bulgaria on 24 November at the invitation of Bulgarian President Parvanov. It is expected that the Uzbek leader will meet President Parvanov, Prime Minister Simeon Saxe-Coburg and Parliamentary Speaker Ognyan Gerdzhikov. It is planned that the sides will consider current state and perspectives of bilateral cooperation between Uzbekistan and Bulgaria, international issues of mutual interest. The sides will sign several documents on the result of the visit. Presidents Karimov and Parvanov will also participate at business forum. The visit will end on 26 November.
Kazakhstan Arrests Uzbek Women Illegally Crossing Border
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, November 23: On 21 November officers of the department of the national security committee (DNSC) of Southern Kazakhstan handed over 21 women from Uzbekistan, which had illegally crossed the state border, DNSC press secretary Nurlan Taskimbaev told Kazakhstan Today. 22 women were arrested by DNSC officers at Shimket airport on 17 November. They were flying to the United Arab Emirates. The investigation has shown that 21 citizens of Uzbekistan and 1 citizen of Kyrgyzstan were planning to go abroad for prostitution. The citizen of Kyrgyzstan has a forged passport and a criminal case has been launched against her. The other women were handed over to Uzbek law enforcement bodies.
Uzbek-Kyrgyz Commission On Border Delimitation Meets
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, November 23: The Uzbek-Kyrgyz commission on delimitation of state borders held a meeting. At the session, the intergovernmental commission signed a protocol, where Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan agreed not to carry out any construction works and provide lands to citizens along the border areas. According to RIA Novosti, the press secretary of the Foreign Ministry Ilkhom Zakirov said the length of the border between the two states is 1,295 km, of which 330 km has not yet been delaminated. Speaking about gas supplies to Kyrgyzstan, Zakirov said Uzbekistan had not stopped delivery of gas to its neighbour despite the Kyrgyz side`s debt of US$12 million.
Georgia: Russia, EU, U.S. Support Opposition Following Shevardnadze Resignation
Radio Free Europe
Moscow, November 23: Russia, the United States, and the European Union are voicing support for Georgia, following the resignation of President Eduard Shevardnadze (pictured) after weeks of street protests. Russian Federation Council Chairman Sergei Mironov today praised the fact that the resignation occurred without bloodshed and in accordance with the constitution. Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov -- who had met with Shevardnadze and other Georgian leaders during the crisis -- said he accepts any decision made by Georgia`s politicians. In a statement, the European Commission today welcomed the peaceful end to the crisis, and said it is now `essential` that Georgia hold democratic elections in line with international norms.
Azerbaijani, Georgian Presidents Hold Telephone Conversation
Interfax
Baku, November 23: The Azerbaijani and Georgian presidents held a telephone conversation on Saturday evening, the Azerbaijani presidential administration`s press service told Interfax on Sunday. The telephone conversation was held at Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev`s request. Azerbaijani citizens are deeply concerned about what is currently happening in Georgia, Aliyev said. `Azerbaijan is supporting and will continue to support the legitimately elected head of the friendly and fraternal state of Georgia,` he said.
Powell Backs New Georgia Leaders
BBC
Washington DC, November 23: According to the US State Department, the Secretary of State, Colin Powell, has telephoned the new interim president in Georgia to offer support. He also encouraged her and her colleagues to proceed in a manner consistent with Georgia`s constitution. The US statement paid a warm tribute to the departed President Eduard Shevardnadze. It called him a towering figure in Georgian history and a close friend of the United States. Aid and soldiers But it is also clear that Washington sees it as time to move, albeit with a word of warning that the way ahead much be in accordance with Georgia`s constitution.
First Uzbek-Russian, Russian-Uzbek Dictionary To Be Issued
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, November 22: The Institute of Language and Literature named after Alisher Navoi of the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan is preparing the first Uzbek-Russian and Russian-Uzbek dictionary since the country had proclaimed independence. `During the preparation of the dictionary we tried to show the realties of Uzbek and Russian ways of life through language aphorisms and folklore illustrations,` Maksut Abdurahimov, project manager, candidate of philological sciences, told RIA Novosti.
Russia Envoy Confers With Shevardnadze, Rules Out Military Aid
Pravda
Moscow, November 22: Russian Ambassador Vladimir Chkhikvishvili met today with Eduard Shevardnadze. After the meeting, the envoy to Georgia told journalists that he considers the current situation in Georgia a very difficult one. At the same time, the ambassador ruled out the possibility that Russia would aid Georgia militarily. Chkhikvishvili also commented on information being distributed by Georgia`s National Security Council that terrorist acts, similar to those that took place in Istanbul, are planned for Georgia. He called the information serious and said foreign embassies had been put on alert. T
Cooperation With Japan
Kazakhstanskaya Pravda
Astana, November 22: On 22 November Kasymzhomart Tokayev, KZ Foreign Minister, held negotiations with Ichiro Fudzisaki, Japanese Foreign Vice Minister. K.Tokayev thanked him for political and economic support to our country as well as financial and technical assistance in major joint projects implementation. The sides are interested in partnership promotion.
Freedom House Staff `harassed And Intimidated`
IRIN News
Ankara, November 25: The international human rights NGO Freedom House (FH) has expressed concern on Tuesday over harassment of its staff by the Uzbek authorities, urging them to desist. `We are entitled to deal exactly with the type of training that we had planned. We have done it before, and it wasn`t deemed illegal, so it wasn`t illegal at this time,` Michael Goldfarb, an FH senior press officer, told IRIN from New York, adding that FH was fully registered with the foreign ministry to operate in the country. He said during the difficulties encountered recently, the NGO`s staff members had shown their registration papers issued by the ministry to the local authorities, which ignored them. His comments came after the alleged harassment and intimidation of staff from the Washington-based rights watchdog group. On 21 November, staff members said, authorities under the direction of Rustam Ismatullaev, a local government official, had prevented them from holding a training session for human rights activists in the eastern city of Namangan in the Ferghana Valley. An aggressive crowd had surrounded the FH staff members, verbally abusing them and threatening violence, the NGO said in a statement on Monday. `The Uzbek government must immediately call on its local authorities to desist from this campaign of intimidation of both Freedom House and the Uzbek human rights community,` Jennifer Windsor, the FH executive director, said in a statement on Monday.
Kazakh Human Rights Activists Say Prison Conditions Have Deteriorated, Torture Continues
Radio Free Europe
Astana, November 24: Yevgenii Zhovtis, head of the Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights and the Rule of Law, one of Kazakhstan`s most influential human rights NGOs, told a news conference in Almaty on 24 November that prison conditions in the country have deteriorated despite recent reforms of the penal system, Interfax-Kazakhstan reported the same day. Earlier this year, administration of the penal system was transferred from the Interior Ministry to the Justice Ministry as part of sweeping reforms ostensibly aimed at bringing the system in line with international standards. According to Zhovtis, there is credible evidence that convicts continue to be tortured.
Kyrgyz Justice Ministry Warned Over Human Rights Group
Radio Free Europe
Bishkek, November 24: The Vienna-based International Helsinki Federation (IHF) has sent a letter to Kyrgyz First Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Minister Kurmanbek Osmonov warning that the IHF recognizes only the Kyrgyz Committee for Human Rights (KCHR) under the leadership of Ramazan Dyryldaev, adding that the creation of another group with the same name is illegal, `Obshchestvennyi reiting` reported on 24 November, quoting RFE/RL`s Kyrgyz Service. The IHF letter called for a final resolution of the question of who heads the human rights group, Dyryldaev or Bolot Tynaliev, a former KCHR member who arranged for his election as chairman at a meeting that violated the KCHR charter.
Kyrgyzstan: New Law Criminalises Torture
Central Asia Daily
Ankara, November 24: Torture has become a crime in Kyrgyzstan under a new law that took effect on 21 November with a possible three to five years of imprisonment for those convicted of breaking it. `This is a very timely law, but there needs to be a political will [on the part of the government] for its implementation,` Emil Aliev, the deputy chairman of the opposition Ar-Namys party, told IRIN from the capital, Bishkek, on Monday, adding that this law existed only on paper. `We have a lot of laws - the law on protection of human rights and the constitution - but they are broken everywhere,` he asserted, noting that many ordinary people did not even know about the new law. Joldoshbek Buzurmankulov, the interior ministry`s press secretary, strongly denied that there had been any cases of torture in the country. `There is not and hasn`t been torture,` he told IRIN from Bishkek, adding that the government expected this law to contribute to regulating relations between law-enforcement bodies and the civil population.
Uzbekistan: No Progress On EBRD Benchmarks
Central Asia Daily
New York, November 24: Uzbekistan has made no real progress toward meeting the human rights benchmarks set by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development in its current country strategy for Uzbekistan, Human Rights Watch said today. Tomorrow the EBRD`s board of directors will discuss Uzbekistan, following a visit to Tashkent last week by the bank`s secretary general.
UNODC Presents Computers To Uzbek Drug Fighting Bodies
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, November 23: Regional office of the UN Office on Drug and Crime (UNODC) for Central Asia hosted a meeting dedicated to transfer of computer equipment and software worth US$170,000 to Uzbek national services dealing with fighting drug trafficking. Representatives of the Internal Affairs Ministry, National Security Service, Committee on Protection of State Borders, State Tax Committee and National Centre on Drug Control participated in the event. The equipment was transferred within the framework of the regional project of UNODC. According to head of the project, UNODC`s regional advisor on law enforcement issues Tofik Musrshudlu, the equipment is aimed at creation of a standard system on collection, analysis and exchange of information by law enforcement bodies. In the future, it is planned to unite these systems to a single national network, which will raise information processing on drug trafficking to a new level.
Russia Space Centre, Astana In Talks On Kazakh Com Satellite
ITAR TASS
Moscow, November 28: Officials from Russia` s Khrunichev Space Centre are engaged in negotiations with Astana on the construction and launch of a first Kazakh communications satellite, the deputy general director of the space centre told Itar-Tass on Friday. According to the official, Denis Pivnuyk, the Kazakh government lays down certain conditions for the implementation of the project. This includes the training of personnel at the design and testing stage as well as the launch of the satellite. Kazakh partners would also want to get access to new space technologies and get guarantees that new ground mission control complexes will be built in Kazakhstan. The Kazakh authorities would also like to get a pledge of technical support of the Khrunichev centre in the updating of the telecommunications infrastructure of the country. Astana expects to introduce new technologies in the sphere of space telecommunications and communications systems. It wants to use a new space vehicle to study the zone of the Caspian Sea and bordering territories, as well as insure information security of the republic.
World Bank To Assess Condition Of Kyrgyz Uranium Waste Storage Facilities
Interfax
Bishkek, November 24: The World Bank will work on better uranium waste storage in South Kyrgyzstan, World Bank representative Joop Stoutjesdijk said at a briefing on Monday. The measures aim to improve the ecological situation in Maili-Suu, South Kyrgyzstan, where 23 uranium waste storage facilities are located, he said. The radioactive waste is buried low on the mountains above the Maili-Suu River and poses an environmental threat to Kyrgyzstan and the entire Fergana Valley. The risk of avalanche on the slopes is high, and the waste may be washed down into the river, Stoutjesdijk said. The measures include rehabilitation projects, changing the location of uranium waste storage facilities and avalanche stabilization projects, he said. Each of the possible variants will be discussed by international and Kyrgyz specialists. The best variant will be presented to the World Bank Board for approval, he said. Kyrgyz and foreign specialists on radioactive waste are doing research work in Maili-Suu under a World Bank grant project. The World Bank is planning to assign $5 million to Kyrgyzstan for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of storage facilities in the south. A final document on environmental protection in South Kyrgyzstan will be presented to the World Bank Board in June 2004. Kyrgyzstan has 44 uranium waste storage facilities and 28 dumps left from uranium mining and processing. The World Bank believes Kyrgyzstan needs over $20 million for the rehabilitation and reclamation of its waste storage facilities and dumps.
Kazakh Security Service Foils Sale Of Radioactive Materials
Radio Free Europe
Astana, November 22: Kazakhstan`s National Security Committee (KNB) has announced that a man from Shymkent was given a three-year suspended sentence for attempting to sell small quantities of highly radioactive curium-243 and -245 and cesium-137 that had apparently been stolen from industrial enterprises, khabar.kz reported on 22 November.(The report specified neither the date of the arrest nor the court that convicted and sentenced the man.) The head of the KNB department that deals with illegal sales of radioactive materials, Kuanysh Isaev, said the isotopes, which the man had been hiding in his apartment, were extremely dangerous but would almost never be used in nuclear bombs. They could, however, be used in making a so-called dirty bomb. The security service is particularly interested in finding out who wanted to buy the isotopes and why.
New Legal Encyclopaedia Published
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, November 26: An `Encyclopaedic dictionary of legal terms` was presented in Tashkent. The new Uzbek-language dictionary has been prepared by the Institute of Philosophy and Law and Tashkent State Law Institute. It contains about 3,500 terms, UzA reported.
Special Focus
Georgia Hovers On The Brink Of Violence
The dispute over Georgia`s parliamentary election results seems ready to take a violent turn. Opposition loyalists, saying they were intent on carrying out a `velvet revolution,` seized parliament on November 22 and announced they no longer recognized President Eduard Shevardnadze`s authority. Shevardnadze denounced the action as an attempted coup and declared a state of emergency.
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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav112203.shtmlGeorgia: President Shevardnadze Resigns
Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze announced his resignation on November 23, after weeks of opposition protests demanding that he step down over disputed parliamentary elections earlier this month.
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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/pp112303.shtmlDaunting Challenges Await Georgia`s New Leaders
Georgian President Eduard Shevarnadze`s resignation has averted the immediate threat of violence in Georgia. Yet the possibility of confrontation and disorder over the medium term remains significant. Georgia`s stabilization hopes now depend on the ability of an inexperienced leadership team to negotiate a wide variety of economic and political challenges in the coming weeks.
To read more, click on the link:
http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav112403.shtmlPeaceful Jihad
A constant smirk is imprinted on his face. In his black-padded traditional Uzbek cloak, black boots, white skullcap and sporting an incipient beard, Alisher (not his real name), a young man in his mid-20s, is either despondent, extremely self-assured, or both.
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http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Central_Asia/EK25Ag01.htmlTbilisi Revels After Shevardnadze`s Resignation
From the streets of Tbilisi during the evening of November 23 one could see the lights of a plane heading west. At that time, only one aircraft had clearance above the capital. It carried Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov and, according to some reports, former Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze, to Batumi, the Ajarian capital. Shevardnadze had resigned only a few minutes earlier - an event that prompted euphoria in Tbilisi.
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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/112403a.shtmlProvisional Authorities In Georgia Grapple With Centrifugal Political Forces
As Georgia`s provisional leaders strive to establish firm control over the country`s government, the country again finds itself buffeted by centrifugal forces that raise fears about fresh separatist conflict. The tension between Tbilisi and the country`s autonomous republics stands to complicate already harried efforts to organize new presidential and parliamentary elections.
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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav112503.shtmlCIS States View Events In Georgia With Caution
CIS states are warily monitoring developments in Tbilisi, evidently worried that the popular protests that forced Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze from power could have adverse repercussions for incumbent leaders across the region. An emergency meeting of CIS foreign ministers on November 25 expressed concern that recent events in Tbilisi could `jeopardize stability not only in Georgia, but in the region in general.`
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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav112503a.shtmlAssassination Attempt One Year Ago Altered International Perception Of Turkmenistan
On Monday, November 25, 2002, the president of Turkmenistan, Saparmurat Niyazov, announced on evening television that assailants had fired on his motorcade that morning in an attempt to overthrow him. Whether or not that is true, the reported gunshots shattered the image of this impoverished but gas-rich Central Asian autocracy as `stable` and helped bring this closed Turkmenistan out of its obscurity into open notoriety.
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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/rights/articles/eav112503a.shtmlA Watershed Event For Turkmenistan`s Political Opposition
The events of November 25, 2002, were a turning point in the history of post-Soviet Turkmenistan. This date marked the end of the `soft dictatorship of Turkmenbashi` and the beginning of the mass repression of dissidents. The law, which was adopted last year and according to which any person criticizing the policy of the President-for-life can be accused of treason, has created a fundamentally new internal political situation and placed Turkmenistan in the ranks of states with the most odious totalitarian dictatorships.
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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/rights/articles/eav112503.shtmlCivil Society Reels After Blow Against Niyazov
In the months after the alleged coup against Saparmurat Niyazov, Turkmenistan`s authoritarian president, agents of the country`s fragile civil society have divided into two opposing camps. Most became recruits of the authorities, assigned to lend legitimacy to reprisals against those who actively worked to depose Niyazov.To read more, click on the link:
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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/rights/articles/eav112403.shtmlRussia Wary Of Georgia`s Regime Change
Georgia`s interim authorities promised on November 26 to elect a successor on January 4 to Eduard Shevardnadze, who resigned on November 23. For Russia, whose foreign minister tried strenuously to mediate between Shevardnadze and the politicians who defeated him, Georgia`s next chapter looks uncharted and potentially dangerous.
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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav112603.shtmlAn Official Russian View On Georgia`s Political Past And Future
Few people expected such a dramatic denouement to Georgia`s political crisis. Eduard Shevardnadze`s resignation must have come as a surprise even to the longtime president himself. Only a day before he made his final decision, yielding to pressure from the opposition, Shevardnadze said publicly that he would not step down. But the threat of the standoff ending in bloodshed eventually made the 75-year-old veteran politician change his mind and leave the political arena, most probably for good.
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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/pp112603.shtmlWhere Georgians See Roses, Regional Leaders May Set Thorns
The peaceful uprising in Georgia is being called the `Revolution of Roses` by the Georgian opposition, whose demonstrations against disputed parliamentary elections led to the resignation of President Eduard Shevardnadze on November 23.
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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/rights/articles/pp112803.shtml
Report Dated 28 November 2003