Fourth People`s Congress Of Kyrgyzstan Took Place In Bishkek
Kabar Agency
Bishkek, January 30: The Fourth Kurultai (Congress) of the People`s Assembly of Kyrgyzstan took place at the Toktogul Satylganov Philharmonic Society with participation of Kyrgyz President Askar Akaev. 755 delegates from all over regions, in particular, heads of state structures, representatives of political parties, religious confessions, international and non-governmental organizations, diplomatic corps are gathered in Bishkek to attend the jubilee forum of the People`s Assembly. President A. Akaev delivered a speech and noted priorities and results of ten years activity of the People`s Assembly of Kyrgyzstan. He stated with satisfaction the difficult state formation period, holding of economic reforms, transition to new market relations have left behind. During these years, the People`s Assembly of Kyrgyzstan in spite of difficult formation period has reached considerable results in development of economy, increasing prosperity of the nation. President A. Akaev congratulating the leadership of the People`s Assembly, its members said the ten years biography of the People`s Assembly of Kyrgyzstan confirms and makes important contribution in protection of national minorities in Kyrgyzstan, in strengthening and rallying national unity of all Kyrgyzstaniers. The head of the state supported the initiative of the People`s Assembly, which organized working groups on interethnic development jointly with the Ministry of Education and Culture. The President has reminded the necessity to pay attention to the Kyrgyz language.
Uzbek Opposition Party Makes Another Attempt To Register
Radio Free Europe
Tashkent, January 30: The Uzbek opposition party Birlik has submitted registration documentation to the Justice Ministry for the third time in two years, centrasia.ru reported on 30 January, quoting a 26 January party statement. The ministry turned down the two previous registration attempts on technicalities. Although Birlik members have said they are prepared to run as independent candidates in parliamentary elections to be held on 26 December, the party hopes to obtain registration at least six months before the election so it can participate as a genuine opposition party.
Uzbek President Names New Governor Of Tashkent OblastRadio Free EuropeTashkent, January 29: Islam Karimov signed a decree on 29 January naming First Deputy Prime Minister Kozim Tulyaganov, a former mayor of Tashkent, to the post of governor of Tashkent Oblast, uza.uz reported. Ummat Mirzakulov, Tulyaganov`s predecessor, retired recently. Speaking to a session of the oblast council, Karimov criticized Mirzakulov`s management of the oblast, particularly in the social sphere, education, and health.
Uzbek President Appoints New Vice Prime Minister
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, January 28: President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov appointed Svetlana Inamova as the Deputy Prime Minister and chairman of the Women`s Committee of Uzbekistan. The corresponding decree was signed on 28 January. Inamova replaced Dilbar Gulyamova on this post. Prior to appointment Svetalana Inamova worked as chairman of the Soglom Avlod Uchun (For Healthy Generation) foundation.
Party Of Kazakh President`s Daughter Forms Parliamentary Faction
Radio Free Europe
Astana, January 27: Asar party leader Darigha Nazarbaeva told a press conference in Astana on 27 January that the party has formed a parliamentary faction, gazeta.kz reported. The faction is made up of 10 parliamentarians, some of whom have also joined Asar itself. None of them were elected to parliament as members of Asar, which was registered only in December. Nazarbaeva said the Asar faction intends to play an active role in upcoming Senate discussions of the draft media law, because discussion of the media law in the lower house was inadequate. She said the party will also try to amend the draft law on elections now making its way through parliament by adding a provision that all registered political parties be represented on electoral commissions. She also told the news conference that four pro-presidential parties -- Otan, the Civic Party, the Agrarian Party, and Asar -- are discussing the creation of a unified election bloc for the parliamentary election later this year.
Oliy Majlis Council Discusses Local Election Results
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, January 27: The Council of Oliy Majlis (Parliament) of Uzbekistan held a session on 26 January to consider information on results of elections to citizens` self-governing bodies in November-December 2003. Head of the parliamentary committee on democratic institutes, NGOs and citizens` self-governing bodies Akmal Saidov delivered a report at the meeting. He noted that over 12 million citizens or 97 per cent of the adult population of Uzbekistan had participated in the elections. Over 8,360 aksakals (makhalla chairmen) and over 80,000 advisors were elected. Of them 75.7 per cent and 51.7 per cent respectively are people with higher education. 49.1 per cent of the elected are below the age of 50, including 10 per cent under 40. 8.7 per cent of the elected are women. Each fourth aksakal was elected for the first time. The council also considered the report on the activity of Oliy Majlis in 2003.
Azerbaijani Opposition Party Calls For Civil Accord
Radio Free Europe
Baku, January 27: The Central Council of the Azerbaijan National Independence Party (AMIP) has issued a statement urging a rapprochement between the authorities and the demoralized opposition in order to address more effectively the problems the country faces, in particular the unresolved Karabakh conflict, Turan reported on 26 January. The statement calls specifically for the adoption of a new national-security concept and military doctrine; the creation of new jobs; measures to improve the economic situation in rural areas; and structural reforms within the administration that would target corruption and red tape. Several prominent leading members have quit AMIP in recent months.
Parliament Approves Govt Draft Of Election - Law Amendments
Radio Free Europe
Astana, January 26: A joint session of both chambers of the Kazakh parliament approved government-drafted amendments to the country`s election law in their first reading on 26 January, somewhat to the surprise of political observers who had expected a stormy discussion, Kazinform reported. The swift approval was partially attributed to government flexibility. According to Justice Minister Onalsyn Zhumabekov, the government basically agreed to draft provisions along the lines of suggestions offered by parliamentarians. Prior to the second reading of the legislation in February, a parliamentary working group will work additional proposals from deputies into the government draft.
Turkmenistan Appoints Oil Minister
Interfax
Ashgabat, January 26: - Turkmenistani President Saparmurad Niyazov issued a decree on Friday appointing Amangeldy Pudakov, first deputy CEO of the state company Turkmenneft, as the republic`s minister for the oil and gas industry and natural resources. The president also released Pudakov from his duties at Turkmenneft. Pudakov was born in 1966 and graduated from the Turkmenistan Polytechnic Institute. He worked as chief engineer at Nebitdagnebit, Goturdepenebit and deputy CEO of Turkmenneft in 1996-2002 and was appointed as first deputy CEO of Turkmenneft in 2002. Former Oil Minister Tachberdy Tagiyev was released from his duties in October 2003 to become governor of Balkan region.
Kyrgyz President Promises Ethnic Uzbeks More Attention to Language, Culture
Radio Free Europe
Tashkent, January 26: Meeting with representatives of the ethnic Uzbek communities of southern Kyrgyzstan on 23 January, Askar Akaev promised that Uzbek language and culture will be given great significance in the future, as will the languages and cultures of all the country`s other nationalities, kabar.kg reported. Akaev was promoting the Assembly of the Peoples of Kyrgyzstan and touted the importance of interethnic harmony for the country`s economic development. In an apparent reference to frictions between Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan in 2003 over border issues, Akaev noted that one of the tasks of the current Year of Social Mobilization is to promote good relations with all neighboring countries through public diplomacy. On 26 January, Akaev met with representatives of the ethnic Tajiks of Batken Oblast to bring a similar message and to discuss the functioning of the Tajik cultural center, kabar.kg reported.
Georgia`s Saakashvili Sworn In As New PresidentPeople`s DailyBeijing, January 25: Mikhail Saakashvili, who won an overwhelming victory in the Jan. 4 Georgian presidential election,was officially sworn in on Sunday in the country`s parliament in the capital of Tbilisi, Russian news agencies reported. Saakashvili, a 36-year-old United States-educated lawyer, who led a mass protest that forced veteran President Eduard Shevardnadze to resign in late last November, became Georgia`s third president. He got more than 96 percent of the votes in the poll. Early Sunday, Saakashvili attended a military parade in the capital of Georgia`s semi-autonomous region of Adjara and met withits leader Aslan Abashidze. He also attended a parade in the western coastal town of Poti. US Secretary of State Colin Powell and Russian Foreign MinisterIgor Ivanov as well as other foreign officials attended the inauguration ceremony.
Georgian Government Resigns
Radio Free Europe
Tbilisi, January 25: Following the 25 January inauguration of the new Georgian president, government ministers have submitted their resignations in accordance with the Georgian Constitution, Caucasus Press and Interfax reported. Minister of State Zurab Zhvania said the same day that a new government will be named within one week, and the criteria for selecting new ministers will be `professionalism, [an unsullied] reputation, and patriotism,` Caucasus Press reported. Former parliamentary Economic Policy Committee Chairman Vano Merabishvili, for years a close associate of Saakashvili and a leading member of his National Movement, is to head the Georgian National Security Committee, according to the independent television station Rustavi-2.
Our Man In BakuThe Washington PostWashington DC, January 25: ILHAM ALIYEV was inaugurated as president of the oil-rich Muslim country of Azerbaijan three months ago after an election condemned by international observers as blatantly fraudulent. When members of the opposition tried to protest, they were brutally beaten by police. There followed a massive, nationwide crackdown in which more than 1,000 people were arrested, including opposition leaders, activists from nongovernmental organizations, journalists and election officials who objected to the fraud. More than 100 remain in prison, including most of the senior opposition activists. A new report by Human Rights Watch documents numerous cases of torture, including severe beatings, electric shock, and threats of rape against the opposition leaders. Mr. Aliyev, who succeeded his strongman father, meanwhile has been consolidating dictatorial powers: Most recently he was named director of Azerbaijani radio and television. Azerbaijan, in short, might look like a good place for President Bush to start implementing his frequently declared policy of `spreading freedom` to the world -- and in particular the greater Middle East. Instead he is doing the opposite. The president and his top aides have embraced Mr. Aliyev, excused his fraud and ignored his human rights violations -- not to mention reliable reports of his personal corruption. The administration waived congressional restrictions to grant Azerbaijan $3 million in military aid and is winding up to give still more. The Pentagon is talking with Azeri officials about the possible use of bases for U.S. operations. Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld visited Baku last month to confer with Mr. Aliyev. When asked about the electoral fraud, he replied: `The United States has a relationship with this country. We value it.` Said Mr. Aliyev proudly: `The United States is a strategic partner.` Pentagon officials argue that Azerbaijan is vital to the war on terrorism. Among other things, they contend Azerbaijani help is needed to stop terrorists from traveling across the Caspian Sea. But a more obvious source of President Bush`s policy is oil. Over the last decade Mr. Aliyev and his father granted billions in contracts to such companies as BP-Amoco, ChevronTexaco and ExxonMobil. He also has supported a $3 billion pipeline that is to carry oil from the Caspian to a port in Turkey. According to Mr. Aliyev, Mr. Bush once pronounced him an honorary citizen of Texas in appreciation of his support for American oil companies. When he was installed by his dying father as prime minister last August, the president quickly sent him a congratulatory letter. American diplomats and oil executives portray Mr. Aliyev as an urbane pro-Westerner and a secret moderate who plans to liberalize the police state he inherited from his dad. This account strikes Azerbaijanis as ludicrous. Only 42 years old, Mr. Aliyev is renowned in Baku as a playboy with a bad gambling habit. During his tenure at the state oil company, Azerbaijan was rated the sixth most corrupt nation in the world by Transparency International. An indictment unsealed in the Southern District of New York charges that millions of dollars in bribes were channeled to top Azeri officials in 1997 as part of a scheme to privatize the oil company, of which Mr. Aliyev was then vice president. Since his `election,` Mr. Aliyev has reappointed his father`s key ministers and promised to pursue the same policies -- including, apparently, ruthless suppression of the peaceful and pro-democracy opposition. It`s clearly expedient for Mr. Bush to back Mr. Aliyev, just as for decades U.S. governments found their interest in propping up dictators in the Persian Gulf. But Mr. Bush himself has said -- in one of his several major speeches about democracy -- that such policies were mistaken. `Sixty years of Western nations excusing and accommodating the lack of freedom in the Middle East did nothing to make us safe,` the president said two months ago. `In the long run stability cannot be purchased at the expense of liberty.` It may take the United States decades to overcome the legacy of embracing corrupt dictators in the Arab world. The least Mr. Bush can do is avoid repeating the mistake in the new oil states of the Caucuses and Central Asia -- beginning in Azerbaijan.
Dismissed Head Of Tajik Presidential Guard Turns Down New AppointmentRadio Free EuropeDushanbe, January 29: The former commander of Tajikistan`s Presidential Guard, Lieutenant General Gaffor Mirzoev, met with President Imomali Rakhmonov on 28 January and later told Deutsche Welle that he has turned down Rakhmonov`s offer of the chairmanship of the Tajik Athletic Committee. Rakhmonov dismissed Mirzoev on 26 January and reorganized the Presidential Guard into a National Guard, a move Mirzoev publicly protested (see `RFE/RL Newsline,` 29 January 2004). Mirzoev told Deutsche Welle that he blames his dismissal not on Rakhmonov, but on the president`s `incompetent` advisers. He also described as `provocations` articles in the media speculating that he was planning a military coup.
Another Tajik Citizen Killed By Uzbek LandmineRadio Free EuropeTashkent, January 27: Elmir Pardaev, an inhabitant of northern Tajikistan`s Asht Raion in Sughd Oblast, was killed on 22 January when he stepped on one of the land mines planted along the border in 2000 by the Uzbek military to prevent incursions into Uzbekistan by Islamist extremists, Asia Plus-Blitz reported on 27 January, citing Tajik Deputy Emergency Situations and Civil Defense Minister Makhmadullo Khalimov. According to the report, the latest fatality brings to 70 the number of Tajik citizens who have been killed by the Uzbek land mines. The article noted that many of those who have been killed or injured were firewood gatherers or shepherds living in areas where the Tajik-Uzbek border is inadequately marked.
U.S. Trains Azerbaijani Navy To Protect Oil WellsInterfaxBaku, January 27: The U.S. is training the Azerbaijani Navy to protect offshore oil infrastructure, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry press service said Monday. These training programs are part of the U.S.-Azerbaijani cooperation plan, one of the purposes of which is to train the Azerbaijani Navy to protect oil and gas platforms and floating drilling units, the press service said. The training will last until February 6. It involves 45 Azerbaijani naval officers and 18 U.S. servicemen. The first training exercises as part of the plan were conducted in Baku in August 2003.
Tajik President Reorganises Presidential Guard, Fires CommanderRadio Free EuropeDushanbe, January 26: Tajik President Imomali Rakhmonov on 26 January signed a decree transforming the Presidential Guard into a National Guard and dismissing its commander, Lieutenant General Gaffor Mirzoev, Interfax reported. Mirzoev was a prominent military figure on the government side during Tajikistan`s 1992-97 civil war who continues to enjoy considerable respect and influence in the Tajik military. Colonel Radzhab Rakhmonaliev, formerly head of Tajikistan`s airborne battalion, has been appointed to head the new National Guard.
Tajik Border Guard Sentenced To 20 Years On Charge Of Spying For UzbekistanRadio Free EuropeDushanbe, January 26: A lieutenant in Tajikistan`s border guards, Farmon Fozilov, was sentenced by the military court of the Dushanbe garrison on 23 January to 20 years in prison on charges of having spied for Uzbekistan, Asia Plus-Blitz reported on 26 January. Fozilov was also charged with deserting his post, treason, and several charges involving firearms. During the investigation, Fozilov admitted that he gave information to Uzbek border guards. Tajik legislation gives him the right to appeal his sentence to the Supreme Court.
Uzbekistan Airways Delivers French Army`s Cargo To AfghanistanUzbek ReportDushanbe, January 26: Uzbekistan Havo Yollari (Uzbekistan Airway), national air company of Uzbekistan, has started charter flights from France to Afghanistan and Tajikistan. The carrier is delivering cargoes of the French Defence Ministry to its contingent in the structure of the International Security Assistance Forces (ISAF) in Afghanistan and French military transport division in Tajikistan. An IL-76TD cargo plane has carried out the first flight from the airport of Chateauroux on 23 January. Representatives of general headquarters of armed forces and aviation services of France, staff of the Uzbek embassy in France and representatives of Uzbekistan Airways participated in the dispatching ceremony.
Georgia Ready To Cooperate With Russia Fight In On Terrorism - SaakashviliKabar AgencyStrasbourg, January 29: Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili said that his country is ready to join forces with Russia to ensure security and counter terrorism. Saakashvili told a news conference in Strasbourg on Wednesday that Georgia shares Russia`s concern over security on its southern borders and is ready to do everything in its power to help Russia make the area more secure. `We agree to carry out joint patrols. Russian military observers may come to Georgia. We are ready to share intelligence information on terrorism. And we are ready to take other steps as well,` he said. Commenting on Russia`s military bases in Georgia, the president said that `none of these bases has a military role. Rather, they have a political, symbolic meaning.`
Russian Duma To Ratify Protocol On Antiterrorist ActionsUzbek ReportMoscow, January 26: Committee on CIS affairs and relations with compatriots of the Russian State Duma (parliament) of the Federal Council has prepared the bill `On ratification of protocol on adoption of regulation on the order of organisation and carrying out of joint antiterrorism measures on the territory of CIS`, submitted by the Russian president. Representatives of Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Ukraine signed the protocol in Kishinev on 7 October 2002. The bill offers ratification of the protocol with clauses. In particular, legislation of the hosting country will not be valid for Russian representatives. Besides, special financial funds and materials for special antiterrorism formations of the Russian side are the property of Russia and cannot be kept by the host country. At the same time, the side requesting from Russia to conduct joint antiterrorism actions has to accept the abovementioned clauses to the protocol.
PetroKazakhstan 2003 Production Rose 11.4 per cent To 151,349 Barrels Per DayKazakhstan NewsCalgary, January 30: PetroKazakhstan Inc. said Friday that despite a series of problems its production in 2003 was up 11.4 per cent from the year before, to an average of 151,349 barrels per day. The Calgary-based company, all of whose operations are in the Central Asian country of Kazakhstan, said fourth-quarter production accelerated to average 164,559 barrels per day. The year`s output was held down by `a number of factors unrelated to the technical performance of the oilfields,` PetroKazakhstan said in a statement. These included weather problems in the Caspian and Black Sea, restrictions in the transportation system and a mid-year suspension of production at the Aryskum field. For 2004, `production increases will be managed to maximize the financial return on exports, which may result from time to time in operating at less than the full technical capability of the fields.` The company estimates this year`s production will average 160,000 to 175,000 barrels per day.
Uzbek Privatization Earnings Up 1.3 per cent In 2003InterfaxTashkent, January 30: Uzbekistan`s privatization campaign brought 56.06 billion sum to state coffers last year, or 1.3 per cent more than in 2002, the state committee for the management of state property and support of entrepreneurship told Interfax. Privatization earnings were originally expected to reach some 60 billion sum in 2003. Shares of 106 companies (58 companies in 2002) were sold to foreign investors for a total of $23.9 million and 9.6 billion sum, while additional investment raised $28.5 million and 1.7 billion sum. Today`s official exchange rate is 984.61 sum/$1.
Kazakhstan Won`t Sequester Budget If Oil Price FallsInterfaxAstana, January 30: Kazakhstan will not sequester the budget, even if world oil prices drop considerably, said First Deputy Prime Minister Grigory Marchenko. In the event of such an unfavorable development, the National Fund will perform its stabilizing function, Marchenko said, while speaking at a meeting of the Labor and Social Protection Ministry collegium on Friday. `Naturally, the level of social payments written in the budget will be ensured and the budget will not be sequestered, even if oil prices drop considerably. This is what the National Fund was created for,` Marchenko said. The National Fund of Kazakhstan accumulates extra payments made to the republic`s budget for major companies operating in the raw materials (oil and gas) sector. In addition, in the middle of last year, the fund began accumulating proceeds from the sale of state property, as well. The fund has savings and stabilizing functions. If there is a revenue shortage in the Kazakh budget, funds are taken from the National Fund. The fund`s reserves currently exceed $3.6 billion.
Bishkek Hopes For Successful Cooperation With IMFInterfaxBishkek, January 29: Kyrgyz Finance Minister Bolot Abildayev has lauded his nation`s cooperation with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). `Cooperation between Kyrgyzstan and the IMF and the three-year Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility Program [PRGF] have helped Kyrgyzstan make structural transformations, overcome the economic crisis, and improve the macroeconomic situation,` the minister told a Thursday press conference. `Rescheduling part of the foreign debt and a delay in some payments, which would have been impossible without cooperation with the IMF, were key positive moments,` the minister said.
Azerbaijan Seeks $14 Mln In Tacis FundingInterfaxBaku, January 28: Azerbaijan expects to receive $14 million in EU Tacis funding per year in 2004-2006 to support government and the private sector and speed up institutional construction, a Cabinet source told Interfax. The government and EU officials agreed upon an indicative Tacis package for the three years which would see Azerbaijan receive $14 million in 2004. `Annual aid is expected to be $14 million in the second and third years of cooperation also,` the source said. It is thought the parties will sign a draft document shortly.
Inflation In Kyrgyzstan Reaches 5.6 per cent In 2003InterfaxBishkek, January 28: Inflation in Kyrgyzstan reached 5.6 per cent in 2003, the National Statistics Committee told Interfax. In particular, food prices went up 5.2 per cent in 2003. In the Kyrgyz law on the state budget, inflation was projected at 5 per cent, and the Finance Ministry projected it at 4.1 per cent. In late December, Prime Minister Nikolai Tanayev said the annual inflation rate would reach 5.1 per cent.
Kazakhstan To Wind Up Kashagan Talks With Agip KCO In FebruaryInterfaxAstana, January 27: Talks between the Kazakh government and the international consortium Agip KCO over the start date for industrial production at the Kashagan oilfield in the Caspian will end in February with the drawing up of documents, Kazakh Prime Minister Danial Akhmetov said at a meeting with French Ambassador to Kazakhstan Gerard Perrolet. `We are monitoring the situation at Kashagan very carefully and we think that all major issues have been resolved. I think that in February the drawing up of the main legal documents, which will make it possible to regulate the process and bring things to a legal conclusion, will be completed, the Kazakh government`s press service quoted the prime minister as saying. In line with the PSA the consortium should begin developing the Kashagan field in 2005 but management is negotiating with the Kazakh side to have the start date put back by up to one and a half or two years. The consortium is ready to pay compensation for this and the amount of this compensation is currently being negotiated. The press release said that the participants in the meeting said that they are satisfied with efforts by Kazakhstan and France to increase their partnership. The activities in Kazakhstan of French oil company Total, which is participating in the development of the Kashagan field, is `a positive example of successful economic partnership` between the two countries, the press release said.
Kyrgyzstan Forecasts 9 per cent Rise In Foreign TradeInterfaxBishkek, January 27: Kyrgyzstan will increase its foreign trade turnover 8 per cent-9 per cent in 2004 to $1.32 billion, Foreign Trade and Industry Minister Sadriddin Dzhienbekov said at a ministry meeting on Tuesday. Production conditions at home and the situation on the foreign market will especially enable increased exports of nonferrous metals, electricity, cotton, tobacco, and other agriculture products, he said. Exports are predicted to increase by 10 per cent to $594 million, he said. Talks should be completed this year on Kyrgyzstan joining the agreement on government procurement within the framework of the World Trade Organization, he said. First Deputy Foreign Trade and Industry Minister Mukhtar Zhumaliev told Interfax that foreign trade is expected to be up 12.8 per cent in 2003 to $1.21 billion, with exports up 11.2 per cent to $540 million and imports up 14.2 per cent to $670 million.
Azerbaijan Open To French InvestmentsInterfaxBaku, January 26: Azerbaijani President Ilkham Aliyev told French President Jacques Chirac that his country is interested in a greater influx of French capital into its economy. The two leaders met during Aliyev`s first official foreign visit to Paris on Thursday and Friday. `It would be interesting if French companies increased their investments,` he told Azerbaijani ANS TV by telephone on Friday. `They have invested $300 in Azerbaijan. This is a large figure, of course, but the potential is even greater,` he said. Aliyev said Azerbaijan should create favorable conditions for potential investors. `Azerbaijan`s economic potential is growing, which improves conditions for would-be investors,` he said.
KazMunaiGaz To Wind Up Kurmangazy Talks With Total In 2004InterfaxAktau, January 26: Kazakh national oil and gas company KazMunaiGaz plans to complete negotiations with France`s Total in 2004 regarding its participation in the development of the Kurmangazy field in the Caspian, KazMunaiGaz President Uzakbai Karabalin told Interfax. He said that the timeframe for signing an agreement will depend on when approval for this will be received from the Kazakh government. Karabalin said, `the future of our company will largely depend on offshore operations in the Caspian.` Kazakhstan and Russia agreed to jointly develop the Kurmangazy field in spring 2002. In line with a protocol from May 13, 2002 to an agreement between Kazakhstan and Russia on the division of the Caspian Sea, KazMunaiGaz will have a 50 per cent share in the project, and Russia`s Rosneft - 25 per cent. Russia`s Zarubezhneft has an option for 25 per cent in the project. The Kazakh side is currently holding talks to possibly hand over part, or according to some reports up to 50 per cent, of its share to France`s Total.
UzDaewooAvto To Export 1,000 Cars To AfghanistanInterfaxTashkent, January 26: Uzbek-South Korean car manufacturer UzDaewooAvto will export 1,000 cars to Afghanistan this year under an agreement signed this week, the company`s foreign trade manager Ravshan Kambarov told Interfax. UzDaewooAvto, which is based in Uzbekistan and manufactures five car models, will provide Afghanistan with 400 Nexia, 400 Damas and 200 Matiz cars in 2004. The company supplied Afghanistan with its first 10 cars in 2002, providing them free of charge, Kambarov said. Sales began in 2003, and 22 cars went to Afghanistan in November. UzDaewooAvto plans total exports this year to reach about 27,000 cars, compared to 17,002 in 2003. The company exports to Russia and plans deliveries to Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Tajikistan and Moldova.
EBRD Board Delegation To Visit Uzbekistan SoonUzbek ReportTashkent, January 30: A delegation of the EBRD Board of Directors arrives in Tashkent on 2 February for a five-day monitoring mission which will include meetings with government officials and representatives of the business and diplomatic communities, as well as NGOs. Secretary General Johnny Akerholm will accompany the delegation. The visit comes towards the end of a yearlong period during which the Bank has undertaken extensive fact finding and policy dialogue with the Uzbek government. In March 2003 the Bank published its strategy for Uzbekistan, which set forth how the EBRD might remain a key investor in Uzbekistan´s private and public sectors. The Bank committed itself to monitor progress on - and review within a year - seven benchmarks that would accelerate Uzbekistan`s political and economic reform. In the political sphere, the Directors will examine the openness of Uzbekistan`s political system and the freedom of media; the extent to which independent local NGOs may register and function freely; and the country`s human rights record. In the economic sphere, they will study the convertibility of local currency; the state of foreign trade, property rights and privatisation; the pace of banking sector reform; and progress in adjusting public utility tariffs. The delegation will report back to the full Board of Directors, which will within a few weeks consider the future course of the Bank`s relationship with Uzbekistan.
European Union To Assist Uzbekistan In WTO AccessionUzbek ReportTashkent, January 30: The EU-Uzbekistan Cooperation Council held its fifth meeting on Tuesday 27 January 2004, under the chairmanship of Mr Dick Roche, President-in-office of the EU Council, Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach and Minister of State for European Affairs of Ireland. Mr Sadyk Safaev, Minister of Foreign Affairs, headed the delegation of the Republic of Uzbekistan. The European Commission was represented by Mr Chris Patten, Commissioner, and by Mr Eneko Landaburu, Director General for External Relations. Uzbekistan and the EU noted the dynamic development of their dialogue under the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA). On 1 July 2004 the PCA will reach the half-way stage of its initial ten year term, so the Cooperation Council agreed to take stock of progress in implementation of the PCA by the time of its next meeting. In order to play a more active political role in the Central Asia, the EU will continue to provide assistance to help Uzbekistan its transition towards market economy and democracy. Uzbekistan welcomed the imminent enlargement of the EU. Both sides believe that this historic event will bring greater stability and prosperity not only to the peoples of Europe but to other partner countries. An enlargement protocol will be signed with Uzbekistan providing the necessary adaptation of the PCA that arises from the accession of the 10 new EU Member States.
Uzbekistan Recognizes New U.S. AmbassadorLas Vegas SunTashkent, January 30: The new U.S. ambassador to Uzbekistan presented his credentials to the president Wednesday, and the government of this former Soviet republic said it had `regular contacts` with Washington concerning human rights. Jon Robert Purnell presented his credentials to President Islam Karimov, who has ruled this Central Asia nation since the 1991 Soviet collapse. Uzbekistan became the United States` main regional partner in the war on terror after the Sept. 11 attacks. Hundreds of U.S. soldiers are deployed at a southern Uzbekistan air base near the Afghan border. Earlier relations were complicated by Uzbekistan`s internationally criticized record on human rights. `We have no problems,` Uzbek Foreign Ministry spokesman Ilkhom Zakirov said Wednesday. `We have regular contacts with our American counterparts where we openly discuss all sorts of issues such as human rights or reforms.`
Russia Not Planning To Revise Debt Deal With ArmeniaRadio Free EuropeYerevan, January 29: Arriving in Yerevan on 29 January for a two-day official visit, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Boris Aleshin rejected media reports that the purpose of his visit is to renegotiate the enterprises-for-debt deal sealed between the two countries in November 2002, RFE/RL`s Yerevan bureau reported (see `RFE/RL Newsline,` 6 November 2002). He added, however, that Moscow hopes to `complement [the deal] so that the two sides find it comfortable to operate within the framework of that program.` Armenian officials note that Russia has not yet made good on its commitment to invest in modernizing the five enterprises that Armenia ceded in payment of its $100 million debt.
Uzbek, Iranian Parliamentarians Meet In TashkentUzbek ReportTashkent, January 29: Special representative of Majlis (Iranian parliament) speaker Kazem Jalali met deputy speaker of Oliy Majlis (Uzbek parliament) Boris Bugrov in Tashkent on 29 January. Jalali handed over the message of Iranian parliamentary speaker Mehdi Karubi. Jalali noted that the Iranian parliament was interested in establishing ties with the Oliy Majlis of Uzbekistan. He also called on Uzbekistan to join the Interparliamentary Association of the Economic Cooperation Organisation, underlining Uzbekistan´s importance in the region. Jalali also met the head of the Committee on Iranian-Uzbek parliamentary cooperation Erkin Vohidov and noted good relations between Tehran and Tahkent. He also underlined the importance of Uzbek parliament´s interaction with ECO Interparliamentary Association.
UNICEF Concerned About Needs Of Caucasus ChildrenVoice of AmericaGeneva, January 29: U.N. Children`s Fund officials responsible for Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia are attending a special meeting in Geneva to review assistance programs for the region. The UNICEF officials say children, in particular, will remain in need for years to come after a decade of armed conflict and deteriorating social services, and amid continuing poverty. The UNICEF officials say the needs of Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan are too great for it to handle alone. The officials, who are stationed in the three countries, came to Geneva to work with representatives from other agencies to set the humanitarian agenda for the Caucuses for the next five years. They say they are already working closely with the U.S. Agency for International Development and similar agencies of the European Union. The officials say they are fighting an uphill battle. They note that poverty in the Caucuses is very severe, with at least half the people in the three countries living on less than two dollars a day, and they say this is taking a terrible toll on the children. The UNICEF representative in Azerbaijan, Akif Saatcioglu, says the country has the image of being oil-rich. But, he says the reality is quite different. Mr. Saatcioglu says infant mortality is high, life expectancy is declining, and many of the country`s three million children are so malnourished that their growth has been stunted. And he says the conditions contribute to another problem. `HIV/AIDS is another problem,` he explained. `It is a kind of hidden problem because the number of cases are low, while the mode of transmission is intravenous drug users. But, so is the awareness on HIV/AIDS.` Mr. Saatcioglu warns Azerbaijan could be facing an AIDS epidemic in coming years if it does not take preventive measures now. UNICEF Representative in Georgia, Ould Cheikh Ahmed Ismail, says the recent political changes in the country have created high expectations of a better life ahead. But, he says the problems facing the new government will be difficult to overcome.
Signing Of Turkmenistani-Ukrainian Gas Agreement Postponed Until AprilInterfaxAshgabat, January 29: A visit by Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma to Turkmenistan and the signing of a bilateral Turkmenistani-Ukrainian agreement on gas supplies until 2032 has been postponed from February until April 2004, a source in the Turkmenistani president`s press service told Interfax. The press service said that the presidents of both countries have discussed the signing of a long-term gas agreement during telephone conversations. It was decided to postpone the signing of this agreement because Turkmenistani and Ukrainian experts did not manage to consider all options for transporting gas to Ukraine. `This work is continuing and the corresponding proposals are being prepared including participation in future projects by Russia and Kazakhstan, with whom special consultations will be held,` the press service said.
Tajikistan To Be Admitted To Interpol Without FeeRadio Free EuropeDushanbe, January 29: Tajikistan is being admitted to the International Criminal Police Organization, Interpol, without having the pay the standard fee of 50,000 euros ($62,000), Tajik Interior Minister Khumdin Sharipov told journalists in Dushanbe on 29 January, Asia Plus-Blitz reported. The organization has also promised to provide the Tajik Interior Ministry with a special communications system for receiving and transmitting confidential information.
Kyrgyz, Uzbek Govts Asked To Jointly Solve Shardarya ProblemUzbek ReportTashkent, January 29: The parliament of Kazakhstan has called on the governments of Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan to cooperate in solving the problem of overfill of the Shardarya reservoir, KZ-today reported. The Agrarian Party of Kazakhstan put forward the statement at the parliament session. `For several years, the governments of our countries cannot come up with a solution for the issue of joint, rational and effective use of water of the Syrdarya river,` deputy Nurbaha Rustemov told the parliament. Currently, 30 settlements in Kyzylorda and South-Kazakh regions of Kazakhstan are under threat of flood, which is caused by `excessive amount of water coming to Shardara reservoir through the Syrdarya riverbed`, he added. The deputy reminded that trilateral negotiations among Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan took place early this year. According to the agreements signed after negotiations, Kazakhstan took an obligation to supply fuel to Kyrgyzstan, while the latter agreed to decrease the amount of discharge water released from the cascade of Naryn hydropower plant. Uzbekistan was engaged with establishing an additional diversion flow for water flushing of its fields and ensure draining of excessive water into Arnasay trough. However, `not all parties and not in full capacity are fulfilling their obligations`, which still keeps the threat of breaking of the dam and flooding the settlements, the deputy emphasised. Majilis (Kazakh parliament) resolved to send the statement to heads of states and parliaments of Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan though diplomatic channels. A working group for writing up the statement was made up of five people, including the deputies of the Agrarian Party and the committee for socioeconomic development. The chairman of the committee for international cooperation, defence and security, Sharip Omarov, was appointed to head the working group.
Kuchma Postpones Visit To TurkmenistanInterfaxAshgabat, January 28: Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma has postponed a visit to Turkmenistan set for early February to April 2004, the Turkmen presidential press service announced on Wednesday. Talking on the phone on Wednesday, Kuchma and Turkmen President Saparmurat Niyazov agreed that experts have not yet worked out all options for setting up a gas transportation system for supplying Turkmen gas to Ukraine. Therefore, they agreed that experts should be given until April to draft a long-term interstate agreement on Turkmen gas supplies to Ukraine valid to 2032, the press service said.
Uzbek President Receives Credentials From New US EnvoyUzbek ReportTashkent, January 28: The new US Ambassador to Uzbekistan Jon Robert Purnell presented credentials to President Islam Karimov on 28 January. Receiving the ambassador, the President of Uzbekistan expressed his thoughts on Uzbek-American relations and international problems. He also pointed to the need of further widening cooperation between the two countries and wished success to Purnell on the new post. Jon Robert Purnell was nominated to the post of the ambassador to Uzbekistan on 6 October 2003 by George Bush and confirmed by the US Senate on 9 December. Earlier, Purnell served as minister counsellor for political affairs at the US embassy in Moscow. He also served as senior inspector with the office of the inspector general for the State Department. Before that, Purnell was deputy chief of mission at the US embassy in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Purnell earned his bachelor`s degree from Brown University and his master`s degree from Harvard University. Former US Ambassador to Uzbekistan John Herbst of Virginia was appointed as ambassador to Ukraine in the middle of 2003. He led the US diplomatic mission in Uzbekistan for two years, starting from 28 October 2000.
Kyrgyz, Uzbek Govts Asked To Jointly Solve Shardarya ProblemUzbek ReportTashkent, January 28: The parliament of Kazakhstan has called on the governments of Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan to cooperate in solving the problem of overfill of the Shardarya reservoir, KZ-today reported. The Agrarian Party of Kazakhstan put forward the statement at the parliament session. `For several years, the governments of our countries cannot come up with a solution for the issue of joint, rational and effective use of water of the Syrdarya river,` deputy Nurbaha Rustemov told the parliament. Currently, 30 settlements in Kyzylorda and South-Kazakh regions of Kazakhstan are under threat of flood, which is caused by `excessive amount of water coming to Shardara reservoir through the Syrdarya riverbed`, he added. The deputy reminded that trilateral negotiations among Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan took place early this year.
Iran Insists On Fair Share Of Caspian Sea ReservesIRNARasht, January 28: Iran`s Special Representative on Caspian Sea Affairs Mehdi Safari said here on Wednesday that Iran will pursue its rights to achieve a fair share of the Caspian Sea wealth -- something in which all the littoral states are interested. Safari said at a seminar on prospect of trade in the Caspian Sea that Iran gives priority to fair division of the sea`s resources for geographical and historical reasons. He said Iran favors having at least a 20 percent share of the total reserves. He added that Iran`s share has been specified based on technical and legal formulas per international regulations and other countries` experience. Iran, he said, is opposed to the division of the sea on the basis of bilateral or quadrilateral agreements and believes in a consensus among all littoral states. The official added that Iran`s shipping right in the Sea stood at two to three percent in the past but it has now reached 18 percent and will rise to 20 to 40 percent in line with the growth in its shipping fleet. As for Iran`s share in Caspian Sea oil reserves, Safari said Iran had not the least share in the block over the past two years but now 1.5 million barrels of the oil is stored in the northern city of Neka and 120,000 barrels of oil are transited via Iran daily. He said the figure will rise to 370,000 barrels a day in near future. Safari said Iran provides the most economical, safest and best route for transfer of Caspian oil and gas. Elsewhere in his address, Safari said Iran has launched successful operations on the Caspian Sea onshore to recover oil but the project needs support by high technology given the depth of water in the area. 216/AH/210 End
Azerbaijan, Iran Discuss Protection Of Joint BorderRadio Free EuropeBaku, January 27: Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev met in Baku on 27 January with visiting Iranian Border Troops commander Behman Shariatifar, Turan and ITAR-TASS reported. The two discussed ways of increasing the effectiveness of cooperation in protecting the 700-kilometer Azerbaijani-Iranian border and the threats posed by illegal migration, drug trafficking, and terrorism.
EU Expresses Interest In Stronger Ties With Uzbekistan
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, January 27: The European Union and Uzbekistan affirmed the need for stronger relations in view of the EU?s enlargement in May 2004. Eneko Landaburu, the European Commission`s Director general responsible for enlargement, met Uzbek Foreign Minister Sadyk Safaev in Brussels on 27 January. `I would like to say that the enlargement of the European Union to the east brings us somewhat closer to Central Asia. For that reason, and taking account of the political reality in that region, the Commission has a particular interest in developing within the framework of the cooperation treaty strong relations with Central Asia in general and with Uzbekistan in particular,` Landaburu said. The EU said that it will continue providing assistance to help Uzbekistan`s transition toward democracy and a market economy in parallel with seeking a more active political role in Uzbekistan. The EU has for some time recognised Uzbekistan as the only country in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), other than Russia, with ambitions of becoming a serious regional power. In his turn, Uzbek Foreign Minister Safaev welcomed the EU enlargement and the bloc?s increasing interest in Central Asia. `Uzbekistan from the beginning has supported the expansion of the EU,` he said.
Iranian Envoy, Samarkand Regional Governor Discuss TiesUzbek ReportTashkent, January 27: Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran Mohammad Fatkhali met Samarkand region`s governor Rustam Holmuradov on Tuesday. The sides discussed development of tourism between the two countries, including attraction of investments in Samarkand`s tourist infrastructure. Holmuradov said, `We welcome investments in Samarkand`s tourism sphere and are ready for any cooperation in this branch.` Acknowledging Iran`s achievements in industry and agriculture, Muratov said Samarkand was one of the main agricultural regions of Uzbekistan. The region is developing its industry sector as well, and this is a good opportunity for Iranian investors, he said. Holmuradov expressed hope that Iranian businesses would be active in the region and contribute to the development of the ancient city. The Iranian envoy noted that strengthening relations with Uzbekistan was one of the main directions of Iran`s foreign policy. Fathali called on the Uzbek authorities to link Samarkand region with one of the four Iranian provinces - Khorasan, Isfahan, Semnan and Hamadan.
Uzbek, Kygyz, Tajik NGOs Unite To Develop Ferghana Valley
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, January 26: A press conference with participation of Raya Kadyrova, president of `For international tolerance` foundation, Zulfia Akunova, director of Ishonch, a nongovernmental organisation, and Shana Yensen, programme coordinator of Danish Refugees Council (DRC), was held in Osh (Kyrgyzstan) on 22 January. Consolidation of public structures of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan is taking place in Ferghana Valley. According to AKIpress, the new network of nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) will promote sustainable development of the local potential for regional cooperation and development of Ferghana Valley. The network will work simultaneously in Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. A day earlier, the NGO network organised the first meeting for representatives of civil sector of the three countries. The purpose of creation of the Network Partnership is solution of concrete problems existing today on the territory of Ferghana Valley. Akunova says one of the network`s tasks is not only to improve socio-economic state of the people. The main problems are still poverty and low legal knowledge of the population, political instability, deficit of natural resources, boundary and territorial disputes, and distrust of people in their authorities. The network`s tasks also include development of strong regional potential in order to influence national and international politicians. Yensen said the project, initiated by Ferghana NGOs, would be financed until the end of 2004 and support may be provided further. The next NGO network meeting will be held in April 2004.
EU-Turkmenistan Committee Convenes In Brussels
Interfax
Ashgabat, January 26: The European Union-Turkmenistan committee held a meeting in Brussels on Friday to discuss cooperation issues, said the Turkmen Foreign Ministry. Turkmenistan`s delegation and representatives of the European Commission and EU member-nations attended the event. The meeting came as part of a new phase in cooperation between Turkmenistan and the EU, which began when Turkmen President Saparmurat Niyazov in November 2003 sent a letter to Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and European Commission President Romano Prodi confirming his country`s readiness for a constructive dialogue. The Foreign Ministry said `the session addressed key areas of their bilateral partnership. The parties were particularly interested in investment policy issues and ways of intensifying trade and business ties.` The session`s agenda also included contacts in energy, transport, communications, agriculture, environmental protection, education, healthcare, the fight against international terrorism, and joint humanitarian projects.
Some Uzbeks In Ferghana Valley Want Their Villages Transferred To Kyrgystan
Radio Free Europe
Tashkent, January 26 Residents of some Uzbek villages near the Uzbek-Kyrgyz border in the Ferghana Valley would like their villages to be transferred to Kyrgyzstan, even though they are ethnic Uzbeks, akipress.org reported on 26 January. One village in Namagan Oblast has held a public meeting to discuss the issue. The villagers` desire for the transfer reportedly is motivated by the fact that more than 10,000 Uzbeks migrate to Kyrgyzstan annually to work, primarily in the cotton fields. Uzbek villagers in border areas are having problems obtaining pasturage and water for their livestock on the Uzbek side, and have to buy basic foodstuffs across the border.
Korean Fund Grants Stipends To Uzbek Students
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, January 26: Korean World Assistance Fund issued special stipends to a group of students of the Uzbek State World Languages University and 80 students of the city of Angren (Tashkent region). State advisor of Korean president and chairman of the fund Chang Kee Chun said the project was implemented for the first time with the university. According to UzA, within the project`s framework over 40 students will be awarded annually, with the most distinguished ones sent to study to South Korea.
Japan Issues Educational Grants To Uzbekistan
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, January 26: The government of Japan has earmarked a grant worth US$230,000 to Samarkand State Foreign Languages Institute. The grant will be used to equip the institute with language laboratories. Uzbek Prime Minister, chairman of the Agency for Foreign Economic Relations Elyor Ganiyev and the Ambassador of Japan to Uzbekistan Akio Kawato signed the memorandum on allocation of the no-string aid. A grant was also issued for the first stage of the educational project, which envisages training teachers of specialised secondary and professional education. The project stipulates creation of centres for re-training teachers in 16 disciplines on the basis of professional colleges in the cities of Asaka, Beshekent, Bukhara, Namangan, Nukus, Tashkent, Urgench, Urgut and Qodand, as well as improvement of the methodological and technical base of the Institute for Development of Specialised Secondary and Professional Education. The Japanese government issued US$6.4 million for implementation of this project, UzA reported.
Governments To Consider Situation With Shardarya Reservoir
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, January 26: An intergovernmental working group on Shardarya reservoir will meet in Tashkent on 26 January, deputy chairman of the water management committee of Kazakhstan Amirhan Kenshimov told Kazakhstan Today. The session will consider situation with the reservoir, analyse actions of state bodies of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, as well as proposals on reduction of tension at Shardarya.
Turkmenistan Signs Cooperation Agreement With WHO
Radio Free Europe
Ashgabat, January 25: The Turkmen government has signed an agreement with the European Bureau of the World Health Organization (WHO) on cooperation in 2004-05, RIA-Novosti reported on 25 January. According to the Turkmen Health Ministry, the agreement focuses on maternal and children`s health, reproductive health, monitoring infectious diseases such as tuberculosis and malaria, the manufacture of pharmaceuticals, financing of health systems, and environmental influences on health. The project budget is set at $190,000. Turkmenistan is in the process of dismissing some 15,000 health-care professionals, mostly lower-level health workers who provide most basic health services throughout the country.
Georgia`s New President To Visit USPeople`s DailyBeijing, January 25: Georgia`s newly elected president Mikhail Saakashvili will pay an official visit to the United States on February 25 at the invitation of the Bush administration,US Secretary of State Colin Powell said in Georgia`s capital of Tbilisi, Russian news agencies reported.Georgia`s newly elected president Mikhail Saakashvili will pay an official visit to the United States on February 25 at the invitation of the Bush administration,US Secretary of State Colin Powell said in Georgia`s capital of Tbilisi, Russian news agencies reported. Powell, who arrived in Tbilisi to attend Saakashvili`s inauguration, told a press conference following one-on-one talks with Saaksshvili that the United States will continue to provide Georgia with aid.
Kazakh Police Search Editorial Office Of Local NewspaperRadio Free EuropeAstana, January 29: The editorial offices of the Aktyubinsk Oblast newspaper `Diapazon` were searched by police for several hours on 26 January and some documents, including lists of the newspaper`s employees, were removed, khabar.kz reported on 29 January. The police action was reportedly undertaken in connection with a dispute between Aktyubrentgen, one of the city`s major firms, and the publishing house that prints `Diapazon` over removal of a wall. The editorial staff denies that police had any legal grounds for the search, because publishing-house employees had already answered questions relevant to the dispute.
New Registration Procedure For International NGOsIRIN NewsAnkara, January 29: All foreign NGOs operating in Uzbekistan are supposed to register with the justice ministry by 1 March, according to an existing law on foreign NGOs, a government official told IRIN on Thursday. `In 1999 our parliament adopted a law and according to this, international non-governmental, non-commercial organisations, their representative offices and branches operating in the republic of Uzbekistan should be registered with the justice ministry,` Ilkhom Zakirov, the foreign minister`s press-secretary, told IRIN from the Uzbek capital, Tashkent. He added that the law had existed for five years and the decision to transfer the registration of foreign NGOs to the justice ministry was based on that. `The only thing is that we should have done it before,` he maintained, noting that until now, foreign NGOs had only registered with the foreign ministry. According to the ministry, the number of such organisations in the former Soviet republic had increased 13 times since 2002, to over 100. Because of this growing number, it was decided to enforce the law and start registering the NGOs with the justice ministry. His comments came a week after reports that a number of international NGOs in the country, including those involved in promoting human rights, democracy and good governance, could face difficulties with re-registration in Uzbekistan.
Imprisoned Kazakh Journalist Denies He Was ReleasedRadio Free EuropeAstana, January 29: Sergei Duvanov, who was sentenced to 3 1/2 years` imprisonment early last year after being convicted on a rape charge that he and his supporters say was fabricated, told Deutsche Welle on 29 January that his recent transfer from prison to a minimum-security facility does not mean that he has been released. Some foreign journalists and human rights activists who have been calling for Duvanov`s release have insisted that he was freed. Duvanov said he is still under observation by law enforcement officials, he must report regularly to the facility, and he may not attend public events. However, he is allowed to live at home. He added that he still insists on full exoneration.
Uzbek Government Re- Registering International, Domestic NGOsRadio Free EuropeTashkent, January 27: Uzbekistan`s Justice Ministry notified international and domestic nongovernmental organizations on 27 January that they must register with the ministry by 1 March, centrasia.ru reported on 27 January. In the future, only diplomatic representations and international governmental organizations such as UN agencies can be registered with the Foreign Ministry. According to Foreign Ministry spokesman Ilkhom Zakirov, the number of representations and branches of foreign NGOs working in Uzbekistan increased by a factor of 12 in 1999-2004. `Nezavisimaya gazeta` noted on 27 January that among the international NGOs that must register with the Justice Ministry are the Open Society Institute, the National Democratic Institute, the International Republican Institute, and various U.S.-sponsored human rights groups.
4 Georgian Policemen Killed In Georgian-Abkhaz Conflict ZoneInterfaxZugdidi, January 27: Four Georgian policemen died in an exchange of fire with unidentified gunmen Monday night in the Zugdidi district bordering on the self-proclaimed republic of Abkhazia. `A group of gunmen attacked two police posts in the Georgian- Abkhaz conflict zone in the Zugdidi district killing four police officers,` district police chief Kakha Rapala told reporters on Tuesday. He said the personnel of the posts operated in the 12-kilometer security zone that has separated the Georgian and Abkhaz sides after the armed conflict of 1992-1993. Rapala said that the exchange of fire stropped only after an armored personnel carrier with Russian peacekeepers arrived at the clash site.
Uzbekistan Permits More Foreigners To Visit PrisonsRadio Free EuropeTashkent, January 26: In 2003, the Uzbek government allowed delegations from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to make 30 visits to penal establishments in the country, in some cases visiting the same facility more than once, tribune.uz.info reported on 26 January. In 2002, the ICRC was allowed five prison visits, and in 2001 four. In the late 1990s the Uzbek authorities rejected all requests for prison visits. The report further noted that in 2003 the European Union`s Cooperation Commission with Uzbekistan was allowed to visit a prison in Tashkent Oblast, and a number of European Union ambassadors in Tashkent were allowed in October to visit Jaslyk Prison, which is notorious for the high number of deaths among inmates.
International Migration Policy Conference Kicks Off In BishkekKabar AgencyBishkek, January 26: The fourth session of the International Migration Policy Conference for Central Asia and the Caucasus has begun its work at the `Pinara` Hotel in Bishkek. First Deputy Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan Kurmanbek Osmonov has opened the forum and welcomed its participants - over 100 representatives from foreign countries. According to him, the conference is being held jointly with the International Organization for Migration, International Organization for Labor, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Kyrgyzstan. He wished fruitful wok in discussion of reports of international organizations on implementation of conclusions and recommendations, adopted during the previous meetings in the frame of the Issykkul Dialog. The major topics for discussion will include struggle against trafficking in humans, the coordination of migration policies, the securing of labour migrants` rights and freedoms as well as the problem of granting them an opportunity to freely dispatch their earnings back home. The conference that will last until January 29 will discuss prospects for working out a single approach to defending the rights of refugees and migrants.
Georgian President Starts With Releasing Political PrisonersKabar AgencyTbilisi, January 26: On the first day of his presidency Georgian leader Mikhail Saakashvili ordered the release of thirty political prisoners who fell victim of the Georgian civil war of 1991 to 1992. The convicts will be released in accordance with the declaration of national accord to be soon signed by the president, Georgian Deputy Minister of State Guram Apsandze reported. According to the official, the declaration will be signed in a church where the first shot at the building of the Georgian parliament was fired from.
Group Formed In Kazakhstan To Defend Prosecuted JournalistRadio Free EuropeAstana, January 25: A group of prominent defenders of journalists` rights has been formed in Kazakhstan to defend Gennadii Benditskiy, a correspondent for the weekly `Vremya,` who is being sued for criminal libel in connection with his investigation into the alleged disappearance of $1.5 million that had been earmarked by the Kazakh Defense Ministry for the purchase of military equipment from Russian and Ukrainian factories, centrasia.ru reported on 25 January, citing `Vremya,` No. 3. The centrist Ak Zhol party provided the initiative for the committee, citing the necessity to defend freedom of speech and democratic values, as well as to support the struggle against corruption. Among the committee members are National Library Director Murat Auezov, Journalists in Need Foundation head Rozlana Taukina, International Bureau for Human Rights Director Yevgenii Zhovtis, parliamentarians, and journalists. The committee is calling on parliament remove libel from the Criminal Code. Ak Zhol co-Chairman Bulat Abilov announced that two prominent Kazakh lawyers have been hired to defend Benditskiy.
Independent Experts To Study Kyrgyz Parliamentary- Bugging AffairRadio Free EuropeBishkek, January 25: Kyrgyzstan`s prosecutor-general has agreed to hand over alleged listening devices found in the offices of opposition parliamentarians to independent experts, RFE/RL`s Kyrgyz Service reported on 25 January, quoting parliamentarian Alisher Abdimomunov. Abdimomunov is a member of a parliamentary commission set up to investigate the bugging affair, which erupted earlier this month (see `RFE/RL Newsline,` 15 and 16 January 2004). According to Abdimomunov, the commission has informed the National Security Service and the Interior Ministry that it intends to examine secret documents given by the two agencies to the government and president`s office.
Uzbek Woman With 917 G Of Heroin Detained In RussiaUzbek ReportMoscow, January 27: An Uzbek citizen was detained with a large consignment of heroin at the passenger train Astrakhan-Moscow. Internal Affairs Department of Privolzhye detained the Uzbek woman, 31, with 917 grams of heroin. The drug was packed in small parties and hidden in her luggage. The criminal case has been launched. The woman may get 7 to 15 years of imprisonment.
New Kazakh Central Bank Chief AppointedKazakhstan NewsAstana, January 26: The Kazakh parliament on Monday approved the appointment of a new head for the former Soviet republic`s central bank. Anvar Saidenov, 43, a British-trained economist, had been nominated to the post by President Nursultan Nazarbayev, the parliament`s press service said. He had been deputy head of the bank since 2002. Previously, Saidenov headed a state investment agency and was also deputy finance minister from 1999 to 2000. He replaces Grigorii Marchenko, who was earlier this month named first deputy prime minister.
Special Focus
Opposition In Kyrgyzstan Seeks To Revive Its Political Fortunes
Critics of Kyrgyz President Askar Akayev are renewing calls for the release of jailed political leader Feliks Kulov, hoping to utilize the issue to rejuvenate the opposition`s political fortunes. Amendments to Kyrgyzstan`s election code, approved earlier in January, establish that formal campaigning for the parliamentary vote can start only 25 days before the actual election date.
To read more, click on the link:
http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav013004.shtmlKazakhstan Has High Hopes For Agricultural Reform
With an eye on accession to the World Trade Organization, officials in Kazakhstan are implementing an ambitious rural reform program in 2004. Although touted by President Nursultan Nazarbayev as the largest investment infusion ever made in the country`s agricultural sector, some analysts wonder whether the initiative will be able to reverse years of rural decline.
To read more, click on the link:
http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/business/articles/eav012904.shtmlTurkmenistan`s Military Investments: The Start Of An Arms Race?
During the Remembrance Day ceremony on January 12, President Saparmurat Niyazov committed himself to "further strengthen" Turkmenistan`s defense by keeping its military "highly trained and equipped." This reflected his government`s efforts to boost its military power, as evident in its last year`s "investing" of about $200 million to maintain the Turkmen armed forces` "tactical efficiency".
To read more, click on the link:
http://www.cacianalyst.org/view_article.php?articleid=2064The "Uzbek Model" Of Development: Slow, Stable And Showing Success
President Islam Karimov’s regime has been alternately derided and praised for the pace (slow) and scope (modest) of its economic and political liberalization policies. Yet Uzbekistan has done considerably better than simply weathering the storm of “triple transition” challenges facing the post-Soviet successor states: consolidation of national and state identity, democratization of the political system and reorganization of the economic system.
To read more, click on the link:
http://www.cacianalyst.org/view_article.php?articleid=2065Kazakhstan`s Peacekeeping Support in Iraq
Kazakhstan’s President Nursultan Nazarbayev’s May 2003 decision to send peacekeepers to Iraq, enabling their participation in the post-war reconstruction of the country, was indeed a bold step: for the first time in the short history of the former Soviet Republic, a peacekeeping unit was being deployed beyond the region in support of on-going stabilization and humanitarian operations.
To read more, click on the link:
http://www.cacianalyst.org/view_article.php?articleid=2067
Report Dated 30 January 2004