Saakashvili Signs Regulations For His Representatives
Itar-Tass
Tbilisi, April 2: Copies of the regulations are presented to Vasily Sanodze and David Akhalaya, who will represent the president in the port and the checkpoint. `The regulations specify activities of the presidential representatives in the strategic sites. Any attempts to hamper these activities will be punished by law,` Saakashvili said. `The country daily loses hundreds of thousands of lari [the current exchange rate is 2 lari to the dollar] because the autonomous republic has turned into a territory flooded with contraband goods. However the funds must be transferred to the Georgian state budget for the payment of salaries, pensions and allowances,` Saakashvili said. The agreement to appoint presidential representatives in the Batumi seaport and the Sarpi customs and border checkpoint was reached at a Batumi meeting between Aslan Abashidze and Mikhail Saakashvili on March 18. Sanodze and Alakhaya came to Adzharia two days later but could not start working because Adzharia wanted to draft the regulations first. Saakashvili said in Tbilisi on Friday that the Georgian central authorities were ready to start discussing the division of powers between the center and the Adzharian autonomous republic.
President Askar Akaev Signs Law Of The Kyrgyz Republic `On The State Language`
Kabar Agency
Bishkek, April 2: President of Kyrgyzstan Askar Akaev signed the Law of the Kyrgyz Republic `On the State Language` and a decree `On additional measures on setting up necessary conditions for functioning the state and official languages of Kyrgyzstan. Delivering a speech at the signing ceremony of documents, the head of the state announced that the Law `On the State Language` will influence on development of the Kyrgyz language in all spheres of life. Five years went for its preparation, said A. Akaev, which will become important factor of state formation and development of the language itself. `We do not forget the Kyrgyz language. 70 per cent of Kyrgyzstaniers speak on it. The Kyrgyz language is the symbol of Kyrgyz Statehood, said A. Akaev.
Tajik Opposition Party Requests Protest Permit
Radio Free Europe
Dushanbe, April 1: Tajikistan`s unregistered opposition Taraqqiyot (Progress) Party has filed a request to stage a protest in front of the opera house in Dushanbe, Asia Plus-Blitz reported on 1 April. The protest, which the party hopes will draw up to 5,000 participants, is intended to draw attention to Taraqqiyot`s struggle to obtain official registration. Rustam Fayziev, the party`s deputy chairman, told the news agency that the party has unsuccessfully filed similar requests in the past; according to Fayziev, the current application remedies some technical flaws in earlier applications. The party vows to continue pressing its case even if the authorities block the demonstration this time. Taraqqiyot has been trying to register since December, thus far without success.
One Of Opposition Leaders Disappears On Georgia
Itar-Tass
Tbilisi, April 1: A leader of the Tbilisi branch of Georgia`s opposition Labour Party, Vazha Shengelia, has disappeared in obscure circumstances. The chief of the party`s press service, Gela Danelia, told reporters on Friday that `Vazha Shengelia was kidnapped several days ago`. He said the Labour Party had sent to the president, the prime minister and the Prosecutor-General`s Office requests for the investigation of the disappearance of Shengelia, who is a retired justice general.
Abashidze Wants To Hold Referendum In Adjara
Civil Georgia
Tbilisi, March 31: Head of the Adjara Autonomous Republic Aslan Abashidze said on March 31 he will hold a referendum in Adjara to `help determine who the population of Adjara actually supported in the 28 March parliamentary elections.` Adjarian leader, whose party Revival Union failed to clear 7 per cent threshold, necessary for gaining seats in the Parliament, questioned fairness of the results and accused central authorities of manipulating elections results. Georgian Justice Minister Giorgi Papuashvili told reporters on March 31 that Georgia`s constitution does not considers holding of the referendum only in one particular region of the country and it would be illegal.
Kyrgyz President Calls For New Legislation
Radio Free Europe
Bishkek, March 31: Askar Akaev addressed a joint session of the Kyrgyz parliament on 31 March, asking legislators to make every effort to pass new legislation to bring Kyrgyzstan`s laws into line with the country`s constitution, akipress.org reported the same day. The president urged lawmakers to focus on laws that are crucial to the country`s economic development. Akaev singled out the following types of legislation: laws to ensure economic growth and strengthen the banking system; laws to foster sound management principles and foster the development of the political system; and laws to provide help and protection for underprivileged and vulnerable segments of the population.
Only Two Parties Proceed To Georgian Parliament
Interfax
Tbilisi, March 31: Only two Georgian political parties, the ruling party United National Movement-Democrats and the Right- Industrialists, have obtained enough votes to be represented in parliament, the Central Elections Commission (CEC) announced on Wednesday. The interim results of the vote counting shows that the United National Movement-Democrats received 67.2 per cent of the vote, the Right- Industrialists 7.6 per cent, Ajarian leader Aslan Abashidze`s party Democratic Revival Union 6.2 per cent and the Labor Party 5.8 per cent in the parliamentary elections last Sunday.
President A. Akaev Addresses To The Jogorku Kenesh Of The Kyrgyz Republic
Kabar Agency
Bishkek, March 31: Kyrgyz President Askar Akaev has addressed to the Jogorku Kenesh (Parliament) of Kyrgyzstan. In his speech, A. Akaev has noted primary tasks of lawmaking work of the Parliament. His address to the Parliament is explained by the correspondence of the legislative base with the new edition of the Constitution of the Kyrgyz Republic and demand of development of the economics and political system of the country. A. Akaev has noted that the inability of the Parliament to work on the flow of the bills. The offered 72 from 233 bills in 2002 have not been considered yet. In 2003, the situation got worse, 99 from 193 governmental projects have not considered too. Many bills are on the consideration losing its actuality need to change some part of it. The bills offered by the Kyrgyz President for the period since 2001 only 30 from 47 bills were adopted. The unconsidered 15 bills refers to the 2003. There are very old draft bills on 2001 `on ratification of conception on military security of the states-members of the CIS` and the bill `on struggle against political extremism` of 2002. The head of the state marked that in their last year`s work the Jogorku Kenesh must work actively and effectively. It is necessary to end up the mission on formation of legislative base adequately to the new edition of the Constitution of the Kyrgyz Republic, said Askar Akaev. Besdies, the members of the Government, confirmed in their position at the 19th session of the People`s Representative Assembly of the Jogorku Kenesh (Parliament) of Kyrgyzstan, took oaths.
New Media Bill Sent To Kazakh Constitutional Council
Interfax
Astana, March 31: Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev has sent a new media bill, which was recently passed by the country`s parliament, to the Constitutional Council. `Taking the importance of this bill into consideration, the president has decided to send it to the Constitution Council, which will have one month to check the bill for its constitutionality,` reads a presidential administration press release circulated on Wednesday. The media bill, which was passed by parliament on March 18, has to be signed by the president and published in newspapers before taking effect. The Constitutional Council issues its ruling a month following a request`s submission. This timeframe can be reduced to ten days in the event of an emergency. The Kazakh Information Ministry, which developed the bill, said earlier that this document offers a more effective mechanism for monitoring the media`s adherence to the country`s constitution.
Kazakh President Gets New Press Secretary
Interfax
Astana, March 31: Mukhtar Kul-Mukhammed has been appointed Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev`s press secretary. Kul-Mukhammed also became head of the press service for the presidential administration. Kul-Mukhammed, 43, has been a presidential adviser since September 2003. Before that, he had worked as minister of culture, information and public accord after being appointed to the position in May 2001. Kul-Mukhammed has replaced Zhanay Omarov, 48, who had been presidential press secretary since December 2001, and Yesetzhan Kosubayev, 48, who had been head of the presidential press service since August 2002. Omarov and Kosubayev have been offered positions in the presidential administration.
Armenia`s Opposition Announces Plans To Overthrow President
Agence France-Presse
Yerevan, March 31: Armenian opposition deputies, who had boycotted parliament since February to protest against the rule of President Robert Kocharyan, returned there to announce that they intended to peacefully overthrow the head of state. `A few days ago, the leaders of the Justice opposition bloc and the National Unity party, Stepan Demirchyan and Artashes Geramyan, announced they had started a process to topple Kocharyan`s regime,` said Viktor Dallakyan, a deputy with the Justice opposition party. Advertisement `To that end, popular meetings will be organized. The opposition is beginning a democratic revolution,` Dallakyan added as he was addressing parliament. The opposition had boycotted sessions of the parliament after it failed to pass changes that would have allowed for a national vote of confidence in Kocharyan. Dallakyan said the opposition wanted to force Kocharyan to resign and then intended to organize a new presidential election. Armenia`s ruling coalition accused the opposition of trying to destabilize the country.
Armenian Opposition Alliance Rejects Coalition Offer Of Dialogue
Radio Free Europe
Yerevan, March 30: Representatives of the three parties aligned in the Armenian coalition government read out separate statements in parliament on 30 March proposing a dialogue with the opposition alignment Artarutiun, which plans to launch major protests next month in a bid to topple President Robert Kocharian, RFE/RL`s Armenian Service reported. `There is still time, and political forces must display the will to address the country`s problems through dialogue, through political mechanisms,` said Samvel Nikoyan, a senior lawmaker from Prime Minister Andranik Markarian`s Republican Party. `We are prepared to shoulder responsibility for organizing such a dialogue.` Artarutiun deputies, however, rejected the offer and reaffirmed their commitment to `restore constitutional order and form a legitimate government.`
Abashidze Accuses Authorities Of Ballot Fraud
Civil Georgia
Tbilisi, March 30: Adjarian leader Aslan Abashidze accused the central authorities of manipulation March 28 parliamentary election results. Aslan Abashidze issued a statement on March 30 claiming that his party Revival Union has cleared 7 per cent threshold necessary for securing seats in the Parliament. `We are sure that the Central Election Commission under the pretext of violations would annul results at those polling stations, where the ruling party failed to gain votes,` statement issued by Aslan Abashidze reads. According to the preliminary results of the Central Election Commission, the Revival Union received 6,13 per cent of votes. These data include the votes from the Adjara Autonomous Republic
Kyrgyz Cabinet Confirmed
Radio Free Europe
Bishkek, March 30: Legislators in Kyrgyzstan`s lower chamber of parliament voted on 30 March on a list of candidates for cabinet posts submitted by Prime Minister Nikolai Tanaev with the approval of President Akaev, akipress.org reported the same day. Deputies approved the candidacies of First Deputy Prime Minister Kubanychbek Jumaliev, Deputy Prime Minister Ularbek Mateev, Audit Chamber Chairman Damir Oskombaev, Education Minister Mustafa Kidibaev, and State Property Committee Chairman Ravshan Jeenbekov. Deputies rejected the candidacy of Amangeldy Muraliev for minister of economic development by a vote of 20 for and 22 against.
Turkmen President Halts Mosque Construction
Radio Free Europe
Ashgabat, March 30: Turkmen President Saparmurat Niyazov told a 29 March cabinet meeting that no more mosques should be built in the country, Turkmen Television reported on 30 March. `We signed a decree [on 11 March on religious freedom]. Religion is free,` Niyazov said. `I am transferring three mosques to [the Council of Religious Affairs`] balance sheet, but do not build any more mosques.` Niyazov also said that only approved mullahs should lead prayers and that mosques` finances should receive careful scrutiny.
More Armenian Opposition Activists Arrested
Radio Free Europe
Yerevan, March 29: Five more members of the opposition alliance Artarutiun were arrested early on 29 March in the wake of clashes the previous day at an opposition demonstration in Giumri between Artarutiun supporters and plainclothes police, RFE/RL`s Armenian Service reported (see `RFE/RL Newsline,` 29 March 2004). The regional prosecutor told RFE/RL that the five, together with four men detained on 28 March, will be charged with hooliganism.
Tajik Opposition Party`s Registration Rejected
Radio Free Europe
Dushanbe, March 29: Tajikistan`s Justice Ministry turned down the opposition Taraqqiyot Party`s application for registration on 29 March, RIA-Novosti reported the same day. According to the Justice Ministry, 11 of the 1,173 people listed as party supporters have denied involvement with the party. Taraqqiyot Chairman Sulton Quvvatov told the Avesta website on 29 March that party members were `illegally detained and even tortured` to force them to renounce their party affiliation. Quvvotav vowed to file an appeal with Tajikistan`s Supreme Court. If that is unsuccessful, he said, Taraqqiyot will take its case to the International Court of Justice in The Hague.
Saakashvili Backers Win Georgia Parliament
Associated Press
Tbilisi, March 29: Supporters of President Mikhail Saakashvili swept to victory in Georgia`s parliamentary election, according to early results Monday, giving him crucial backing as he tries to crack down on corruption and rein in one of the country`s restive provinces. The voting Sunday marked the last stage of the country`s transition out of the era of Eduard Shevardnadze, who was driven from office by public protests that Saakashvili spearheaded. The protests were touched off by widespread fraud in Nov. 2 parliamentary elections, and Sunday`s vote replaced that annulled ballot. With about 20 percent of ballots counted, the Central Elections Commission gave Saakashvili`s National Movement-Democrat party 74.9 percent, and no other party had the 7 percent minimum necessary to gain seats in the legislature. The moderate opposition Right Opposition-Industrialists party was closest, with 6.4 percent. An exit poll conducted by several non-governmental organizations showed Saakashvili`s party winning 78.6 percent of the vote. `We did everything to make these elections fair,` Saakashvili said late Sunday. `This was the first election campaign in Georgia`s modern history in which, outside Adzharia, not a single instance of violence against opposition parties was recorded.` A group of foreign observers, including monitors from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, said the elections `demonstrated commendable progress.` `This poll was better organized and more democratic than previous ones,` said Matyas Eorsi, head of the Parliamentary Assembly delegation. The voting commission said intimidation marred balloting in Adzharia, the restive province whose leader, Aslan Abashidze, has challenged Saakashvili`s authority. But it wasn`t enough to invalidate all results from the region. Abashidze`s Renaissance party won the most votes in the region, said Zaza Daraseliya, a spokesman for the Foundation for Free Elections. Monitors for the non-governmental organization counted about 48 percent of votes going to Abashidze`s party, as opposed to 44 percent going to Saakashvili`s. Daraseliya said Abashidze`s Renaissance party had 6.6 percent of the nationwide vote. The electoral commission had given Renaissance just 0.6 percent.
Georgian PM Says Elections Valid, Abashidze Calls Them Unfair
Interfax
Tbilisi, March 29: The elections in Ajaria can be considered valid `despite certain violations,` Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania said on Monday. Stability and fair parliamentary elections in Ajaria were guaranteed by Georgian government officials and the Ajarian administration, Zhvania said. Abashidze, in turn, told reporters after meeting with Zhvania that `the elections not only in Ajaria, but also throughout all of Georgia were unfair because the media and non- governmental organizations put pressure on the voters promoting the ruling party.` Abashidze believes Zhvania`s presence in Ajaria during the elections `was a kind of election canvassing in favor of the Georgian administration.`
Saakashvili`s Party Heads For Clean Sweep In Georgia Vote
Agence France-Presse
Tbilisi, March 28: The party of Georgia`s reformist President Mikhail Saakashvili swept a parliamentary election in the former Soviet republic, taking all 150 seats up for grabs, according to an exit poll released after polling stations shut. The vote sets the seal on last November`s `rose revolution` when Saakashvili, a 36-year-old US-educated lawyer, led a popular uprising to topple the regime of Georgia`s former president Eduard Shevardnadze. But it also left the self-proclaimed champion of multi-party democracy in the awkward position of controlling what looked set to be almost a one-party parliament. At a press briefing late Sunday, Saakashvili said: `I think the people have given their verdict.` `I am not pleased that there is not more opposition representation, because that would have helped my party too to consolidate. But that is the reality, the post-revolutionary reality.`
Samarkand Institute Of Economics And Service Created
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, March 27: The Cabinet of Ministers of Uzbekistan issued a resolution `On creation of Samarkand Institute of Economics and Service` on 26 March 2004. The document is aimed at training high-skilled specialists, meeting modern requirements of market economy and strengthening personnel potential in management, marketing, tourism and services spheres. According to the document, Samarkand Cooperative Institute will be reorganised into the Samarkand Institute of Economics and Service. The newly created institute will prepare specialists in economy with specialisation in management and marketing, international tourism, tourism management, tourism operator services, economy and organisation of services, as well as organisation and management in finance, banking and insurance services.
Dispute-hit Georgia Goes To Polls
BBC
Tbilisi, March 27: Georgians are voting in an election overshadowed by a fierce dispute between the president and the leader of a semi-autonomous region. The party of the President, Mikhail Saakashvili, is widely expected to win the vast majority of seats. But there are fears that the leader of the fiercely independent Ajaria region on the Black Sea coast may try to rig the vote in favour of his own party. Aslan Abashidze has refused to accept authority from Tbilisi. Mikhail Saakashvili and his National Party are hoping to cruise through the polls on Sunday on the back of their anti-corruption programme.
Ammunition Depot Found On Tajikistan`s Border With Afghanistan
RIA Novosti
Moscow, April 2: The Russian border guards, serving on the Tajik-Afghani border, discovered a large arms-cache. As Russia`s FSB officials said on Friday, the cache contained 15 mines, 107 grenades of different types, 65 rounds for an underbarrel grenade-launcher, and 27 shells for an antiaircraft system. The cache was found in the zone of responsibility of the Russian border-guard detachment headquartered at Khorog town. The munitions were taken to the detachment`s headquarters and destroyed there.
Tajik Draftees Will Not Serve In Russian Border Guard
RIA Novosti
Dushanbe, April 2: Tajik young men will not be drafted in spring 2004 into Russian border troops deployed in the republic due to the lack of a corresponding request by the Frontier Department of the Russian FSB in Tajikistan. The Russian border group press service said no application for the spring draft of Tajikistan`s citizens into Russian border troops deployed in the republic was submitted due to the planned stage-by-stage transfer of some sections of the Tajik-Afghan border to the committee for state border protection of Tajikistan. During the fall 2003 draft, about 1,000 Tajik nationals were recruited into Russian border troops. The transfer of the Khorog and Kalaikhum border detachments to Tajik border guards is scheduled for the end of 2004. Servicemen from these detachments who have not served their full term will instead replace the demobilized border-guards-.
UN Assisting Uzbek-Afghan Border Modernization
Interfax
Tashkent, April 1: The UN is providing assistance in the technical modernization of the Khairaton checkpoint on the Uzbek- Afghan border. The Uzbek State Customs Committee told Interfax on Wednesday that the UN Office on Drugs and Crime gave special equipment to the Customs and Border Guard Committees for this purpose. The equipment includes x-ray devices to examine passengers and cargo passing through the checkpoint, power generators to provide uninterrupted equipment operation and computers. The assistance is being provided under a two-year project, whose general budget is over $2 million.
Georgian Army Must Prevent Separatism - President
Interfax
Tbilisi, April 1: Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has ordered the national army to prevent any signs of separatism. `The army must be ready to land in any area of Georgia where separatist tendencies appear,` the president said during a exhibition training and celebrations of the 12th anniversary of the 11th rapid reaction brigade at the Vaziani base on Thursday. `Georgia no longer has a government that steals money from soldiers. This government will do its best to strengthen and develop the army,` the president said. He said the army will receive a new helicopter and warships several days from now. `Twenty tanks will be repaired and given to the 11th brigade,` he said. Saakashvili promised better salaries and new uniforms for servicemen.
Strengthening Of Kazakhstani-Uzbek Border
Kabar Agency
Shymkent, March 31: In response to recent terrorist acts, Tashkent has increased security at the Zhybek-Zholy border crossing between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Only Kazakhstani citizens are permitted to leave Uzbekistan. And only those who have an Uzbek passport will be allowed to enter Uzbekistan. But the local residents say that there ways to pass the border illegally. Horse can be hired for 10 dollars in order to carry the baggage. There are two additional border posts on the Shymkent-Tashkent highwaywhere immigration officers are working. There has yet to be any suspicious activity at the crossing. Drivers and passengers are a little worried, but they understand that these measures are necessary. The border should be under permanent control to avoid similar events like those that rocked Uzbekistan.
Neighbours Shore Up Borders In Wake Of Attacks In Uzbekistan
Radio Free Europe
Astana, March 29: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan all heightened border security after a series of attacks and bomb blasts in Uzbekistan on 28 and 29 March left 19 people dead (see Uzbek items below), regional media reported. Interfax-Kazakhstan quoted a source in Kazakhstan`s border patrol as saying on 29 March that the Kazakh-Uzbek border was `effectively sealed off.` Jusupbek Sharipov, governor of Kyrgyzstan`s southwestern Jalalabad Province, met with law enforcement officials to coordinate a tighter security policy along the Kyrgyz-Uzbek border, akipress.org reported on 29 March. Meanwhile, the deputy commander of the Tajik border troops, Major General Nuralisho Nazarov, told ITAR-TASS on 29 March that all Tajik border attachments had received `appropriate instructions,... and particularly the ones that are deployed in the northern Soghd Region, which is linked by transit roads with virtually all of Uzbekistan`s regions.`
Georgian Defence Minister Coming To Russia
Itar-Tass
Moscow, March 29: Russian Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov and his Georgian counterpart Gela Bezhuashvili are expected to sign on Wednesday a plan of cooperation between the defence ministries of the two countries for the current year on the results of his talks on Moscow, a representative of the Russian Defence Ministry said. `Georgia did not express the desire to take part in the drafting of the document, a basic one for cooperation of the two defence ministries. This is why it was drafted by Russian military experts. If Georgian officials make any changes or amendments to it at the talks, they could be discussed right away,` the Defence Ministry official said. The officials of the two countries will discuss at the talks time limits for the deployment of Russian military basis in Batumi and Akhalkalaki, free supply of cargoes to the bases and the rotation of their personnel, a passage of Russian warplanes across the air space of Georgia, the training of the Georgian military personnel in Russia and the continuation by Russia of its peacekeeping activities in Georgia. Russia stated on more than one occasion that the time limits for the deployment of its bases in Georgia were not connected in any way with the commitments assumed under the Istanbul Agreement on the adaptation of the Conventional Force in Europe (CFE) Treaty.
Turkmen President Wants Greater Cooperation With NATO
Interfax
Ashgabat, March 29: The Turkmen leadership is in favor of intensifying cooperation with NATO. `From now on, we will begin close cooperation with NATO,` Turkmen President Saparmurat Niyazov said at the ceremony for the signing of a resolution on an individual partnership program for 2004-2005 in the framework of the NATO Partnership for Peace program. Sources in the Tajik defense agencies told Interfax that the priorities of the cooperation program are personnel training, the upgrading of the armed forces, budget planning and dealing with emergencies. The sources said that participation in the program does not impose strict obligations on Turkmenistan but implies government guarantees to such affairs like fighting terrorism, settling conflicts by peaceful means, observing human rights and advancing democracy.
Mine Explosion On Tajik - Uzbek Border Kills 3 Teenagers
RIA Novosti
Dushanbe, March 28: Three Tajik teenagers were killed having tripped a mine on the Tajik-Uzbek border on Friday, Tajikistan`s state border guard committee told RIA Novosti. According to the source, three teenagers aged 13-14 were grazing cows near the Khanabad village in Tajikistan`s northeast, 420 kilometers from Dushanbe. On their way home the teenagers entered a minefield and touched off a mine. Two teenagers died on the spot and the third one died in hospital later.
Russian Carrier Rocket With Military Purpose Satellite Starts From Baikonur
Pravda
Moscow, March 27: The Proton-K carrier rocket with the Cosmos military purpose satellite was launched at 6:30 a.m. Moscow time from the Russian Baikonur space center. The launch was made in the interests of Russia`s defense ministry, Alexei Kuznetsov, Russian Space Troops spokesman, told RIA Novosti Saturday. He said Lt.-Gen. Oleg Gromov, Deputy Commander of the Space Troops for Armament, highly assessed the skill and coordination of actions of combat crews and thanked them for professionalism. He said the Cosmos series satellite launch is aimed at reinforcing the Russian military purpose orbital group. The spacecraft will be orbited with the help of the Russian DM acceleration unit at 1:06 Moscow time. The Russian Proton-K rocket is a heavy class carrier. It is used both in a three-stage variant to put into low orbit (up to 200 km) space modules weighing less than 21 tons and in a four-stage variant with the DM or Briz-M type acceleration unit to put into geostationary orbit (35,900 km) satellites weighing up to 4.5 tons. The previous launch of a spacecraft in the interests of the Russian defense ministry was made from Russia`s northern space center near Plesetsk on February 18; a Molniya-M type rocket was used then. That launch was made in the framework of Russian Armed Forces command and staff exercises. Vladimir Putin observed the exercises and highly assessed Plesetsk military experts` work. On the same day, a successful training launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile from the Baikonur space center (Kazakhstan) was made. In accordance with the schedule for 2003-2006, 11 Protons are to be launched. The heavy class carrier rocket Proton-K is one of the most reliable in the world. The rocket was designed by the Salyut R&D Bureau and produced by the Khrunichev Center. The rocket was added to the state`s armory in 1976. This type of carrier was successfully launched in 96 per cent of cases.
Uzbek Security Forces Search For More Terror Suspects
Voice of America
Tashkent, April 2: Security forces in Uzbekistan are searching for more terror suspects responsible for a series of attacks and explosions this week that killed at least 47 people. Prosecutor General Rashid Kadyrov told journalists in Tashkent Friday that 19 people have been detained so far, and others are being sought. Mr. Kadyrov said the dead include 33 he described as terrorists, 10 policemen and four civilians, three of them children. The official said the terrorists behind the country`s first ever suicide bombings were trained outside Uzbekistan, and the attacks were masterminded by international terrorist organizations. Prosecutors displayed an array of evidence collected during the investigation, including home-made explosives, bomb-making equipment, rifles and forged passports.
Uzbekistan: Human Rights Group Warns Of Crackdown
Radio Free Europe
Prague, April 2: Police and security forces in Uzbekistan are continuing to round up suspects following a series of bombings and violent clashes that have left some 45 people dead this week. The government blames Islamic militants for the violence. Human rights groups say they fear the violence could serve as a pretext for a further crackdown on nonviolent Muslims in Uzbekistan. They estimate that Uzbek authorities have jailed thousands of nonviolent Muslim dissidents over the past few years. Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a statement today that at least 11 people -- most of them former religious prisoners -- and their relatives have been arrested and are being held in isolation. Acacia Shields is the senior researcher on Central Asia for HRW. She told RFE/RL from Tashkent that Uzbek police initiated a campaign of so-called preventive measures immediately after the first incidents of violence on 28 March. `What the police appear to be doing is essentially going down their lists of so-called `suspect` or `dangerous` people and taking them into detention as a form of what they call `preventive` measures,` she said. `Now, the people on these lists that have been maintained by the police for years are mainly political and religious dissidents or their family members. The government is now holding them incommunicado.` Shields said HRW does not yet know the scale of the current wave of arrests.
Uzbekistan Uses Mosques To Stem Insurgency
Aljazeera
Tashkent, April 2: Uzbekistan`s state-run mosques have told worshippers to look for `kamikazes` in their midst as a human rights group said it feared authorities would torture suspects detained during a week of violence. Five years of stability in Central Asia`s most populous state crumbled this week when a series of bomb blasts and shootings killed at least 47 people. The violence in the capital Tashkent and ancient Silk Road oasis of Bukhara was swiftly blamed on Islamic insurgents by a US-backed government criticised in the West for clamping down on opposition, controlling religion and jailing dissidents. `Muslims, be watchful,` Tashkent`s chief Imam, Anvar Haji Tursunov, on Friday told a congregation of several thousand at his mosque just metres away from a market where two explosions from alleged human bombers killed six on Monday. `The kamikazes are against Allah,` he intoned. `If you see people like this around you, we must punish them together.` Arrests Police have so far arrested 19 people including four women under suspicion of `involvement in terrorist acts`, Prosecutor General Rashid Kadyrov told reporters. President Islam Karimov has tightly controlled the resurgence of Islam since the collapse of the Soviet Union. His picture hangs in the Imam`s office and in the classrooms of a nearby 16th century madrassah or religious school. `The Uzbek government should stop targeting people for their religious affiliations...` Rachel Denber, chief, Central Asia and Europe, Human Rights Watch Human Rights Watch said of 11 arrests it had documented, most detainees were former religious prisoners or their relatives who had been `arbitrarily` arrested. It has said the violence is being used as a pretext for a crackdown.
Uzbekistan Says Terrorists Trained Outside
Associated Press
Tashkent, April 2: The militants who launched this week`s bombings and attacks in Uzbekistan trained outside the country and were controlled by a single criminal group, the top prosecutor said Friday. Displaying suicide bomb vests and homemade explosives that he said were part of a planned terror campaign, Prosecutor-General Rashid Kadyrov said investigators were examining religious literature found with the suspects to determine what group they belonged to. Advertisement `The majority of its members underwent military training outside our republic,` Kadyrov said. `This gives us a basis to suggest that the terrorist attacks carried out in Uzbekistan were schemes masterminded by international terrorist organizations.` The series of attacks since Sunday night have killed at least 47 people -- including 33 alleged militants and 10 police. A top Uzbek anti-terror official has told The Associated Press the militants were linked to the Wahhabi sect of Islam -- a term authorities here have also used to refer to the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, a terror group allied with al-Qaida that battled U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan after the Sept. 11 attacks. Uzbek authorities were hunting for at least eight suspects -- seven men and one woman, and a high-ranking Interior Ministry official told AP more were being sought. Security was tight in Tashkent, with police checkpoints set up across the capital to search vehicles. At least 19 people have been arrested, including four women, Kadyrov said.
4 Arrested In Georgia Assassination Plot
Associated Press
Tbilisi, April 2: Georgia has detained four men on suspicion of plotting to assassinate the president, and authorities on Friday accused the autonomous province of Adzharia of being behind the alleged plot. The Adzharian leader rejected the accusation. Deputy state security minister Gigi Ugulava said the arrests were made over nine days beginning March 23 and that two other suspects are at large and believed to be in the Adzharian capital, Batumi. Advertisement Ugulava said the men were working under the direction of Adzharian security minister Soso Gogitidze, his deputy Gogi Kupreishvili and other provincial officials. `This fact has been confirmed in detail,` he told journalists. It was not clear if Georgian authorities would attempt to arrest the Adzharian officials, a move that could sharply aggravate the dispute between Adzharia and the central government. Adzharian leader Aslan Abashidze and Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili are intense foes, and tensions between Adzharia and Tbilisi have soared over the past month as Saakashvili pushes to bring the province back under central government control. Abashidze has alleged that Saakashvili is planning to take control of Adzharia by force.
Uzbeks Put Arms Cache On Display
BBC
Tashkent, April 2: Uzbekistan has put on display bomb components, other weapons and forged passports allegedly used by militants in attacks earlier this week. The state`s chief prosecutor, Rashid Kadyrov, said the weapons seized by security forces were part of an international terrorist plot. At least 47 people died in a series of attacks and explosions which hit the Central Asian state this week. Mr Kadyrov said 33 militants and 10 policemen were among those killed. He said at least 19 people were being held, including four women, over the attacks in the capital Tashkent and the city of Bukhara. Security remains tight following the attacks, which appeared to be aimed primarily at police officers. Vehicles entering central Tashkent are being searched and armoured vehicles remained posted in areas targeted in the violence, say news agencies. Religious literature `All those responsible will be caught and brought before the courts,` Mr Kadyrov told journalists on Friday. As reporters viewed the cache of weapons and explosives, he told them investigators were studying religious literature in the hope it would yield clues about what group the attackers belonged to.
Uzbek Residents Told To Watch Out For Possible Attacks
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, April 2: Uzbekistan on 2 April called on its residents to be vigilant against possible terrorist attacks, news from capital city Tashkent said. In Tashkent, the city commission said in statements that it is the common responsibility of every citizen `to protect peace in the country, the former calm life of children, women and the elderly.` Statements said citizens should `contribute to safeguarding security and maintaining tranquillity in neighbourhoods and residential areas.` The call came after several suicide bombings and other attacks in the country starting on Sunday.
Polish President Condemns Terrorists Acts In Uzbekistan
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, April 1: President of Poland Alexander Kwasniewski extended condolences to his Uzbek counterpart over terrorists acts in Uzbekistan. `I am grieved with the message on tragic results of terrorists attacks, which took place in Uzbekistan in the recent days,` Polish president said in his message. `On behalf of the Republic of Poland, Polish people and my own I ask you to convey words of mourn and sympathy to families and relatives of the victims,` Kwasniewski noted. Poland, like Uzbekistan, is a member of the international anti-terrorism coalition, and resolutely condemns terrorism, which is the great threat for peace and stability in modern world, the message said.
Uzbeks Probe Al Qaeda Link To Rumbling Violence
Reuters
Tashkent, April 1: Uzbekistan is probing whether al Qaeda may be involved in violence which has killed at least 43 people this week and destabilized Washington`s key Central Asian ally, a senior official said on Thursday. Bombs and shoot-outs between police and alleged militants in the capital Tashkent and the ancient Silk Road oasis city of Bukhara have raised fears of instability in Central Asia`s most populous state, where the state has clamped down on opposition. `The investigation does not rule out either the involvement of terrorists... in the Islamic Hizb ut-Tahrir organization or a tie with international terrorist organizations such as al Qaeda,` Prosecutor General Rashid Kadyrov told Russia`s Itar-Tass news agency. Uzbekistan, which neighbors Afghanistan, has justified clampdowns on Muslim dissidents by saying it is threatened by `international terrorism` and the rise of a Taliban-style movement. Some Western diplomats have said homegrown extremists could be a more likely explanation. In the latest violence, a woman was wounded in an explosion at her home in a town near Bukhara. An Interior Ministry officer said she was an Islamic militant trying to blow herself up. An explosion in an apartment block in the same town on Sunday killed 10 people and marked the beginning of a bloody week. Police said a `terrorist` had been preparing a bomb. The Interior Ministry officer said the unnamed woman was a member of a Wahhabi sect, a term used pejoratively in Central Asia and Russia to refer to militant Islam. A male member of her sect had been arrested on Tuesday, he said. A man in Tashkent blew himself up late on Wednesday after being surrounded by security forces, police said. The Interior Ministry said on Monday 20 suicide bombers had blown themselves up in Tashkent, although there was no independent confirmation and witnesses saw corpses riddled with bullets at the scene of a shoot-out.
AL QAEDA LINK? The lack of reliable information -- state TV has reported on the clashes with a 24-hour delay or not at all -- has made it hard to establish an exact account of violence more bloody than a failed assassination bid on President Islam Karimov in 1999. A government official, who declined to go on the record, said it was still too early in the investigation to make a direct link to al Qaeda. `(Al Qaeda) is not a pleasant organization, but this does not mean we should blindly link it with the terrorist acts (in Tashkent),` the official said. One security official, speaking anonymously and not directly involved in the probe, said one line of inquiry was a resurgence of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), many of whose members are believed to have fought alongside the Taliban against U.S. forces in Afghanistan in 2001.
Uzbekistan Bomber Kills One, Injures Self
Associated Press
Tashkent, April 1: A woman blew herself up in Uzbekistan`s central Bukhara region Thursday, killing a man and critically injuring herself, police said. The blast occurred around 4 p.m. at a two-story apartment building, and police were investigating at the scene, said a duty officer in the Bukhara regional police department who spoke on condition of anonymity. She said officials were looking at possible links to a string of attacks that have struck Uzbekistan over the past week. Police relased no other details. The blast occurred in the same area as an explosion at an alleged terrorist bomb workshop that killed 10 people Sunday night. Days of violence followed. On Thursday, an Uzbek anti-terror official said Thursday was linked to al-Qaida, the first time the Uzbek government has directly accused the terror network headed by Osama bin Laden. Including the latest explosion, at least 44 people have died in attacks, mostly alleged terrorists.
At Least 30 Detained In Uzbek Attacks
Radio Free Europe
Tashkent, March 31: Uzbek police arrested dozens of people on 31 March after three days of violent incidents amid unconfirmed reports of further attacks in the country, `The New York Times` reported on 31 March. Alison Gill, a representative of Human Rights Watch, told the newspaper by telephone from Tashkent that arrests were targeting `devout Muslims.` ITAR-TASS reported that Uzbek authorities have made at least 30 arrests in connection with the attacks. According to a report on lenta.ru, the 30 individuals arrested were Muslim extremists. `Kommersant-Daily` cited human rights activists on 31 March as saying that up to 200 people have been arrested in recent days. But `Vremya novostei` cited Western diplomats in Tashkent as saying that Uzbek authorities are trying to exercise restraint, and the current arrests are not as widespread as those that followed a 16 February 1999 bombing. A purported hostage taking on 31 March ended with an explosion that killed an alleged militant, AP reported the same day. Reports varied on the number of hostages seized, but the situation apparently ended with the alleged militant barricaded in an apartment with two hostages and surrounded by police. The alleged hostage taker was then killed in an explosion that also injured two policemen but left the hostages unharmed, Interfax reported on 1 April.
Suspected Terrorist Blows Himself Up In Uzbekistan On Third Day Of Blasts
Agence France-Presse
Tashkent, March 31: A man who earlier set off an explosion in Uzbekistan`s capital Tashkent blew himself up, in the third day of suspected terror attacks that left more than 40 people dead in Washington`s key central Asia ally. The man blew himself up in a house in which he was besieged by the authorities after an explosion rocked Tashkent late Wednesday, and in which he was alone, an Uzbek national security service officer told AFP. `One extremist blew himself up. There were no hostages` in the house with him, the officer said under condition of anonymity. However, the Russian news agencies, quoting security officials, reported that the man had taken between two and three hostages, who had all been released unharmed. The man had an explosive belt around him, the national security service officer told AFP. It was not immediately clear whether he was an Uzbek national or a foreigner. The man had late Wednesday set off a blast in the southwest of the capital, which injured two policemen, before seeking refuge in a house, RIA Novosti news agency quoted a police official as saying. The standoff lasted about five hours in the old town of Tashkent, with the house being surrounded by hundreds of soldiers with dogs and plainclothes special forces, operating machine guns and other automated weapons. After the man blew himself up, soldiers and special forces checked the house`s surroundings for mines, an official said. The house was located in a maze of narrow streets and alley ways, near a mosque and not far from a police station. The explosion, which the man set off late Wednesday in Tashkent`s historic Sabidrakhimovsky neighborhood of residential one- to two-story houses, came after Uzbek authorities reportedly detained 30 people on suspicion of involvement in a series of attacks that shook Tashkent and the ancient city of Bukhara on Monday and Tuesday. Security was tight in Tashkent throughout Wednesday, as car traffic petered out and armored personnel carriers and soldiers in body armor guarded the sites of the latest wave of violence amid fears of more attacks. Schools and universities were ordered to remain closed Wednesday, the border with Tajikistan remained shut for a second day and media reported that the border with Kyrgyzstan had been closed as well.
Militants Killed In Uzbek Siege
BBC
Tashkent, March 30: Uzbekistan says 20 suspected militants have blown themselves up during a fierce gun battle with special forces in the capital, Tashkent. Three police officers were also killed after police and troops surrounded a building, the interior ministry said. After several hours of armed exchanges, there was an explosion inside the building, followed by silence. On Sunday and Monday, 19 people were killed and 26 injured in bombs in Tashkent and the city of Bukhara. Tuesday`s siege took place in the north of Tashkent. You just can`t imagine how terrible it was Lyudmila Petrovna resident Witnesses said four armed militants entered a house, which was then surrounded by the security forces. An interior ministry statement read out on television said 20 militants blew themselves up with home-made explosives after being surrounded. Three policemen were killed and five were injured. At least five bodies were reported to be lying in the street.
Russian, Tajik Leaders Express Condolences To Uzbekistan
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, March 30: President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov held a telephone conversations with his Russian and Tajik counterparts on 30 March. Uzbek and Russian leaders discussed issues of expansion of cooperation in the anti-terrorism sphere. Vladimir Putin expressed his condolences to relatives and friends of the victims, and sympathy to injured as a result of terrorist acts in Uzbekistan, as well as supported the Uzbek authorities. On the same day, the Uzbek leader talked over the phone with the Tajik President Emomali Rahmonov. President of Tajikistan also extended condolences to families of the victims. Rahmonov assured Islam Karimov that Tajikistan had supported and would further support Uzbekistan in fight against terrorism. `We were always together, and we will always be together,` he stressed.
Turkish President Offers Condolences To Uzbek Leader
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, March 30: Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer sent on Tuesday a condolence message to Uzbek President Islom Karimov over the terrorist attacks in Tashkent and Bukhara. Presidency Press Center issued a statement on Tuesday noting that Sezer said he was deeply grieved at the bomb attacks in Tashkent and Bukhara. Turkey harshly condemns every type of terrorist activities regardless of their motive, Sezer underlined. Sezer offered condolences to relatives of terrorism victims and wished rapid recovery for injured people on his behalf and on behalf of Turkish nation.
FM Condemns Terrorist Blasts In Uzbekistan
Xinhuanet
Beijing, March 30: China strongly condemned a seriesof terrorist blasts in the Uzbek capital Tashkent on Sunday and Monday, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan here Tuesday. He said combating terrorism is the common consensus of the international community. China firmly supports the fight against terrorism in Uzbekistanand other countries, he said, stressing China is willing to strengthen international cooperation in this respect and to meet challenge of terrorism. At least 19 people were killed and 26 others injured in a series of terrorist blasts in Uzbekistan on Sunday and Monday.
OSCE Chairman Condemns Terrorist Attacks In Uzbekistan
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, March 30: OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Solomon Passy, voiced his shock at the continued spate of terrorist attacks which now have entered a third day in Uzbekistan, a participating state of the Organisation. Passy, who is also Bulgaria`s Foreign Minister, said he was horrified by news of the slaughter of women and children when a bomb exploded at a shopping centre and at the latest reports of a bomb explosion at a police checkpoint and gun battles on the edge of the capital which have killed several policemen. He has already written to the Foreign Minster of Uzbekistan and on 30 March he said: `My condolences go to the families of the victims. I cannot express strongly enough my shock and horror at the news that Tashkent is the latest city to suffer from indiscriminate terrorism.
UK Official Condemns Terrorist Attacks In Uzbekistan
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, March 30: Foreign Office Minister of the UK Bill Rammell condemned terrorist attack in Uzbekistan. Responding to the reports of terrorist attacks in Uzbekistan, Rammell said: `We condemn these appalling acts of violence and send our condolences to the families of those innocent victims.` `Terrorism is a menace which we face in common with countries around the world, and must combat in common. At the same time it is necessary to ensure that our responses are measured and proportionate, so that the disease is isolated and eliminated rather than faced with conditions where it is possible to spread further,` he added.
Annan Denounces Violent Attacks In Uzbekistan
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, March 30: Saying crimes against civilians can never be justified, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan expressed his dismay at the series of terrorist bombings and other violent attacks in Uzbekistan in the past two days. A statement released by his spokesperson at UN Headquarters in New York said Mr Annan `condemns those criminal acts in the strongest terms. `Targeting of civilians is a crime which cannot be justified by any cause,` the statement said. More than 20 people are reported to have been killed and another 50 people injured, mainly civilians, following bombings and gun battles in the Uzbek capital Tashkent and the provincial city of Bukhara.
EU Commissioner Condemns Blasts In Uzbekistan
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, March 30: The European Unionīs Commissioner for External Relation Chris Patten condemned terrorist attacks in Uzbekistan and their plotters. `I have no doubt these events will strengthen active role of Uzbekistan in international fight against terrorism,` Patten said. He expressed his persuasion that the Uzbek authorities will continue creation of democracy, which international terrorists are trying to destroy.
Explosives Found In Bukhara
Radio Free Europe
Tashkent, March 30: Uzbek authorities announced on 30 March the discovery of a large quantity of explosives in the house where an explosion killed 10 people on 28 March, Uzbek Radio reported on 30 March. The owner of the house, located in the village of Qahramon in the Romitan Raion, perished in the blast. Investigators found `920 kilograms of aluminum powder that had been brought to make homemade explosive substances, a Kalashnikov assault rifle, large numbers of cartridges, two pistols, handbooks on making explosives, and literature belonging to Hizb ut-Tahrir and Wahhabi extremist groups,` according to the radio station.
Uzbekistan Clashes Kill At Least 23 In New Wave Of Attacks
Agence France-Presse
Tashkent, March 30: Bomb blasts and gun battles in Uzbekistan killed at least 20 terror suspects and three policemen as attacks hit Washington`s key ally in Central Asia for a second day in a row. Twenty militants and three policemen were killed after a spectacular hours-long siege and shootout near the residence of President Islam Karimov in the northeastern outskirts of the capital Taskhent, the interior ministry and witnesses said. Several policemen and civilians were also killed during two car bombings at nearby military checkpoints that preceded the firefight, witnesses told AFP. Tuesday`s violence followed a series of blasts and police shootouts in Tashkent and the ancient city of Bukhara on Monday that killed 19 people and injured 26 others in what officials said were terror strikes. They were the deadliest attacks in five years in the former Soviet republic, a key US ally whose hardline leaders have waged a campaign against Islamic insurgents, and were the first to be carried out by female suicide bombers. US Secretary of State Colin Powell called his Uzbek counterpart Sadyk Safayev on Tuesday to offer US help in the probe into the attacks that have hit Uzbekistan over 48 hours, the State Department said. Powell `offered US assistance in the investigation and the minister expressed appreciation for the offer,` spokesman Richard Boucher told reporters. `Our embassy in Uzbekistan will be following up in more detail with them.` Boucher could not offer details on what the US help might entail. Nor could he provide any US assessment on who or what group might be responsible for the two days of attacks that Tashkent has blamed on Islamic extremists.
Powell Calls Uzbek FM To Offer US Aid In Attacks Probe
Agence France-Presse
Washington DC, March 30: US Secretary of State Colin Powell called his Uzbek counterpart to offer help in probing a series of deadly attacks in Uzbekistan over the past 48 hours, the State Department said. Powell made the offer to Uzbek Foreign Minister Sadyk Safayev in a call during which he repeated Washington`s condemnation of the attacks and expressed condolences to the victims, spokesman Richard Boucher said. Powell `offered US assistance in the investigation and the minister expressed appreciation for the offer,` he told reporters. `Our embassy in Uzbekistan will be following up in more detail with them.` Boucher could not offer details on what the US help might entail. Nor could he provide any US assessment on who or what group might be responsible for the two days of attacks that Tashkent has blamed on Islamic extremists. A State Department announcement urged Americans to `evaluate carefully the implications for their security and safety before deciding to travel to or around Uzbekistan.`
Clashes Bring Uzbekistan Death Toll to 42
Associated Press
Tashkent, March 30: Gunfire and explosions resounded in the capital Tuesday as Uzbek forces battled for hours with suspected Islamic militants after two more suicide attacks. Officials claimed 20 terrorists and three police died in the fighting. The bloodshed brought the death toll to 42 in three days of violence, the government saidthe most serious unrest in the country since Uzbekistan let hundreds of U.S. troops use a base near the Afghan border after the Sept. 11 attacks. All of this week`s attacks appeared to target Uzbek authorities. The clashes Tuesday were centered in the Yalangach neighborhood, just outside the city limits off the road heading to the official home of President Islam Karimov. An Associated Press reporter saw four separate sites of fighting in the district: remnants from two suicide bombings on roads, a burned-out building pockmarked with bullet holes and the bodies of at least five suspects splayed out in front of an apartment house. The Interior Ministry said in an statement read on state-run TV that 20 terrorists and three police were killed in the confrontations that began about 7:20 a.m., while five other police were wounded. `Twenty of them blew themselves up using self-made explosive devices,` the ministry said of the alleged terrorists. The statement didn`t say how long the operation lasted, but witnesses indicated explosions and shooting went on for at least several hours. The clashes began with a pair of suicide bombings. Police stopped a small car, and two alleged terrorists jumped out and detonated explosive-laden belts, killing themselves and three police and wounding five more officers, said a National Security Service officer at the scene who declined to give his name. Down the road, a woman detonated explosives after refusing to heed police orders to stop approaching a bus, according to witnesses who said she set off the blast after officers shot her in the legs. The suicide bomber was decapitated in the blast, said Hairniso Supiyeva, 64, whose front gate was pitted with shrapnel from the explosion. Three black-clad women who had been in a car with the bomber fled to a nearby apartment building, where police then began a nearly five-hour standoff with them and other suspects. An Interior Ministry officer said 16 suspected terrorists11 men and five womenwere killed in the apartment building. Some were shot by police but others killed themselves with grenades, said the officer, who refused to give his name. His comments contradicted the Interior Ministry statement, and the bodies on the sidewalk also appeared intact and not torn apart by an explosion. Five men escaped, said a building resident who refused to give her name. She said the women in the car wore veils revealing only their eyes, rare attire in secular Uzbekistan. She said they were speaking another Central Asian language she could not understand. The people had moved into an apartment in the four-story building in January, the resident said, adding that a young man who spoke Uzbek with an accent signed the rent agreement. She didn`t know how many people lived there, saying they spent their days elsewhere and returned in the evenings. Another building several hundred yards away showed signs of heavy fighting, its walls blackened by fire and pocked by dozens of bullet holes. Neighbors who were cleaning up charred books and other debris said four young men were killed in the house and that none of its residents were home at the time of the shootout. It was unclear whether the four were among the 16 the Interior Ministry officer reported killed in the siege. Security was increased across the city, with soldiers on patrol and hotels deploying metal detectors and not allowing vehicles to approach.
Suspected Terror Strikes Hit Uzbekistan, Killing 19
Agence France-Presse
Tashkent, March 29: At least 19 people were killed and 26 others injured in a series of suspected terror attacks in the former Soviet republic of Uzbekistan, which the United States warned could continue. The attacks -- a wave of blasts and police shootouts in the capital Tashkent and the ancient city of Bukhara -- were the deadliest in five years in the Central Asian country, whose hardline leaders have waged a campaign against Islamic insurgents. `In total, including the Bukhara incident, 19 people are dead, including six police officers, and 26 people are injured,` Prosecutor General Rashid Kadyrov told reporters at a press conference here. The attacks occurred overnight and early Monday morning, Kadyrov said. In Bukhara, people allegedly constructing a bomb accidentally set off an explosion, killing 10 people, he said. In Tashkent, female suicide bombers carried out two attacks in the first such incidents in the Uzbek capital, he said. The first suicide bombing occurred near a toy shop at 8:00 am (0300 GMT) and killed two police officers and a child in addition to the bomber, Kadyrov said. The second suicide bombing at a nearby bus stop half an hour later killed a policeman and the bomber, he said. Three other police officers were killed in related attacks leading up to the bombings, Kadyrov said. The United States embassy in Tashkent warned that extremists may be plotting more terror attacks and advised US citizens in the country to be on `the highest alert`. The embassy said in a notice to US citizens in Uzbekistan that it had closed its downtown annex and suspended visa operations for the remainder of Monday. It noted that while Uzbek police had made some arrests they feared that `other terrorists` remained uncaptured and may be ready to stage new attacks. `The authorities raided a terrorist safe house, and have made some arrests, but other terrorists are believed still at large and may be attempting additional attacks,` the embassy said. Tajik police have arrested one suspect, an official with the general prosecutor`s office told the RIA Novosti news agency late Monday, without elaborating. Uzbek President Islam Karimov said after the attacks that the blasts were staged to spark `fear and panic among the people,` according to ITAR-TASS. Police were hunting five suspects and a special anti-terrorism commission had been set up, while steps had also been taken to protect foreign diplomats, Foreign Minister Sadyk Safayev said. Uzbekistan became a key ally of the United States after the September 11, 2001 attacks, opening up its main military base to US troops fighting in Afghanistan. Monday`s attacks were the deadliest in Uzbekistan since 16 people were killed in a wave of explosions in Tashkent in 1999 that were blamed on the Uzbek rebels based in Afghanistan under the protection of the then Taliban leadership. On Monday officials stressed the suspected involvement of another Islamic radical group, Hizbi Tahrir, which advocates peacefully setting up an Islamic state and is banned across Central Asia. `There is direct connection between the terrorist acts, extremist ideology and Hizbi Tahrir,` Safayev said. However, Hizbi Tahrir late Monday denied responsibility for the attacks. `Hizbi Tahrir ... denies any involvement whatsoever in today`s explosions,` the group said in a press release issued in London. The United States on Monday condemned the attacks.
Official Statement On Terrorist Acts In Uzbekistan
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, March 29: Several terrorist acts took place in Tashkent in the night of 29 March and in the morning of the same day. A blast, as a result of which 2 people died, took place in the district of Chorsu bazaar in front of the entrance to `Detskiy Mir` (Children`s World) superstore. One of the victims was a security guard of this store; the identity of the second one has not been determined yet. Seven people have been injured. On the preliminary data, an undefined person blew up a self-made explosive device. At 9:24am on the same day another blast took place near Kukeldash madrassah. It was carried out with a self-made explosive device, fastened to the belt of a terrorist, whose identity is being determined. Before these blasts the following events took place. During the evening of 28 March and morning of the next day patrol posts of police and internal affairs officers, who were executing their service duties, experienced a number of attacks. When checking identity cards of persons in Kushbegi street in the district of Textile Combine, the latter started firing. Senior lieutenant Turgunov was killed and senior lieutenant Kaldybaev was injured as a result of the attacks. On 29 March at 5:00am at crossroads close to Tashkent Tractor Plant three unknown persons attacked a patrol-post service officer when he attempted to detain them and check their documents. Two policemen were killed. A blast took place in private house of pensioner N.Razzakov in the evening of 28 March at 10:00pm in Kahramon village of Romitan district (Bukhara region). Nine people died as a result of the blast. Preliminary investigation of the blast has shown that self-made explosive devices, intended for terrorist acts and consisting of ammonium nitrate, aluminium powder and other components, were produced in this house. Investigating groups are determining relation between the blasts in the city of Tashkent and Romitan district of Bukhara region. According to the preliminary investigation, the preparation to these terrorism acts has an organised and a wide-scale character. Revealed large amounts of ammonium nitrate, aluminium powder, detonators and other components in different points of Tashkent and Bukhara region prove this. In particular, citizen of Toytepa Furqat Yusupov, who attempted to bring 10 self-made explosive assemblies in Tashkent, was detained. These and other facts show, first of all, that preparation to series of terrorist acts in Tashkent and its suburbs was prepared thoroughly and for a long period of time. And here experience of militants, acting to spread terror and panic among people, kill innocent and peaceful people can be traced. To investigate these and similar cases, a special governmental commission led by the President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov has been formed. The group included heads of the Public Prosecutor`s Office, Internal Affairs Ministry and National Security Service. Similar commissions have also been formed in all regional centres of the country, which are headed by regional governors, heads of regional law enforcement bodies and leading specialists on fighting terrorism. Measures on investigation and prevention of terrorist acts on the whole territory of Uzbekistan have been undertaken and will continue to be undertaken. In this direction, large work is being done by mahalla (neighbourhood) committees and public organisations. Complex groups were created to investigate the cases. Contacts with law enforcement bodies of the neighbouring countries have been established to coordinate joint measures on fighting terrorist acts and their financing sources. The special governmental commission on investigation and prevention of terrorist acts calls on the Uzbek people to be vigilant and assist the law-enforcement bodies.
Uzbek President Blames Violence On International Terrorists
Radio Free Europe
Tashkent, March 29: Addressing the nation on 29 March, Uzbek President Islam Karimov suggested that unnamed foreign forces were behind the violent incidents in Tashkent and Bukhara, the BBC reported. Karimov claimed terrorists originally intended to strike during the Norouz holiday on 21 March, but were compelled to postpone their plans by heightened security. A U.S. academic who was in Tashkent for Norouz told `RFE/RL Newsline` on 29 March that a planned ostentatious public celebration was cancelled at the last minute, and a smaller-scale event took place at an unpublicized location. Karimov said in his address that the terrorists` aim is `to destabilize the situation.` Karimov`s subordinates were more specific. Foreign Minister Sodiq Safoyev said on 29 March that `we can say today that there are attempts to break up the antiterrorism coalition. The targets were not selected by chance,` Uzbek Television reported. Prosecutor-General Rashid Qodirov told RIA-Novosti that `there are serious reasons to believe that the religious-extremist organization Hizb ut-Tahrir and the Wahhabis are implicated in these crimes.` The Russian Foreign Ministry, the U.S. State Department, and the Chinese Foreign Ministry have all released statements condemning the bomb attacks.
US Warns Of Possible Attacks In Uzbekistan
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, March 29: The United States warned that extremists in Uzbekistan may be plotting more terrorist attacks and advised US citizens in the country to be on `the highest alert` after explosions in Tashkent and Bukhara. The US embassy in Tashkent said it had closed its downtown annex and suspended visa operations for the remainder of Monday and noted that while Uzbek police had made some arrests they feared that `other terrorists` remained uncaptured and may be ready to stage new attacks. `The authorities raided a terrorist safe house, and have made some arrests, but other terrorists are believed still at large and may be attempting additional attacks,` the embassy said in a notice of US citizens in Uzbekistan.
Hizb Ut Tahrir Denies Responsibility For Uzbek Bombings
Radio Free Europe
Tashkent, March 29: The underground Islamic movement Hizb ut-Tahrir in a 29 March press release issued by its London office denied any involvement in the 28-29 March attacks and bombings in Uzbekistan, fergana.ru reported on 29 March. The statement stressed that Hizb ut-Tahrir `does not engage in terrorism, violence, or armed struggle.` Imran Waheed, the party`s official representative in London, said that `the finger of blame for these explosions must point at the tyrannical Uzbek regime that has orchestrated such events in the past in order to suppress legitimate Islamic political opposition.` Hizb ut-Tahrir is banned in Uzbekistan, where it is considered an extremist organization.
Uzbekistan`s Govt Panel To Probe Into Monday Terror Acts
Itar-Tass
Tashkent, March 29: A special governmental commission that was set up in Uzbekistan on Monday gets down to work Tuesday to probe into the terrorist acts committed in Tashkent and Bukhara District. The Commission is headed by President Islam Karimov who in a televised interview vowed to find the culprits.
Russian Foreign Ministry Condemns Blasts In Uzbekistan
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, March 29: The Foreign Ministry of Russia condemned the terrorist acts in Uzbekistan on Monday. `The message on terrorist acts in Uzbekistan that claimed human lives was accepted with indignation in Russia,` the Foreign Ministry`s statement said. `Resolutely condemning these crimes, Moscow stresses that these tragic events once again prove that there is neither geographic or political, nor religious criteria for terrorists,` it said. The ministry said that innocent Christians, Muslims and representatives of other confessions are becoming victims of these terrorist acts. The Foreign Ministry underlined that there was a need for all countries and nations consolidate to fight against international terrorism.
US Call Uzbek Bombing Senseless Act Of Violence
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, March 29: The State Department on Monday condemned the terror acts that took place in Uzbekistan on 28 and 29 March as `the senseless act of violence`. State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said the United States had condemned the bombing and offered condolences to families of the victims. `The attacks are yet another example of the importance of continued cooperation against those who would stop at nothing to achieve their misguided goals,` Richard Boucher said. He added that Uzbekistan`s authorities had not asked the US for assistance in connection with the terrorist acts.
Kazakh President Expresses Condolence To Uzbek People
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, March 29: Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev sent a message to the head of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov, in which he expressed his condolences to friends and relatives of the victims of the terrorist acts that took place in Uzbekistan on 29 March. According to Kazakh President`s press service, the leader of Kazakhstan emphasised that `our country and myself are ready to provide any help and support during these hard for you and your people days.`
Blast Kills At Least Two People In Downtown Tashkent
Itar-Tass
Tashkent, March 28: At least two people died in a blast in downtown Tashkent this morning, Tass reports from the place of the tragedy. The explosion thundered near the Children`s World department store on the grounds of the largest market in downtown. Several people were wounded.
Pakistani Authorities Claim Uzbek Extremist Wounded
Radio Free Europe
Tashkent, March 27: Pakistani Major General Shaukat Sultan said on 27 March that Tohir Yuldosh, the military commander of the banned Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, has been wounded and is on the run in Pakistan`s Waziristan Province, AP reported on 28 March. Sultan said Pakistani forces failed to capture Yuldosh, saying, `He might have slipped away, he`s on the run.` At least 50 Pakistani soldiers have died in an operation that was at one point thought to have cornered Ayman al-Zawahiri, reputedly the second-most important figure in Al-Qaeda. However, no high-level figures in the terrorist organization have been captured in the operation. `As a military operation, it did not go well at all,` AP quoted Pakistani military and political analyst Talat Masood as saying.
Georgia Budget Plan Fulfilled, For First Time In Recent Years
Itar-Tass
Tbilisi, April 2: Georgia has fulfilled the state and central budget plan in the first quarter of this year, for the first time in recent years. According to the results of this year`s first quarter, the state budget is 114 percent fulfilled. The revenues amounted to 307 million lari (153.5 million dollars), while 268 million lari (134 million dollars) were planned, Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania said during a briefing on Friday. The central budget is 121 percent fulfilled -- 216.8 million lari (108.4 million dollars), as revenues of 178.2 million lari (89.1 million dollars) were planned. The budget fulfillment and overfulfillment will allow to pay in time not only wages, pensions and benefits for refugees, but start implementing the pre-election promises to raise pensions -- from 17 to 20 lari (8.5 and 10 dollars) in Tbilisi and from 14 to 17 lari (7 and 8.5 dollars) in other regions. Pensions will be raised beginning May to 21 and 18 lari (10.5 and 9 dollars).
Foreign Investment In Armenian Economy Up 5.6 per cent In 2003
Interfax
Yerevan, April 2: Foreign investments in Armenia`s economy in 2003 totaled $229.6 million, a 5.6 per cent increase from 2002, the country`s National Statistics Service told Interfax. Direct foreign investment increased 8.9 per cent to $153 million. In particular, investment from Russia jumped 92.2 per cent to $91.8 million, from the United States 9.2 per cent to $10.7 million and from Greece 55.4 per cent to $29.3 million. German investments were up 32.5 times at $1.8 million. Armenia`s communications sector attracted $29.3 million, its food industry $12.9 million and iron ore extraction business $122 million.
Kazakhs Refuse To Budge On Oil Tax
The Moscow Times
Astana, April 1: Rosneft must accept Kazakhstan`s new high taxes levied on foreign oil investors if it wants to develop the Kurmangazy oil field in the Caspian, a senior Kazakh official said Thursday. Kazakhstan has faced a barrage of investor criticism since it adopted last November new, stricter terms for entering production sharing agreements. It also set a new oil export tax that would rise proportionately to the oil price. The measure applies to all oil projects after January 1, 2004. Rosneft last week called into question the profitability of the project taking into account the new measures, and proposed to sign a deal based on the old law.
Kazakhstan To Hold First Tender For Caspian Block In 2004
Interfax
Astana, April 1: Kazakhstan plans to hold the first tender for the development of new oil blocks in its sector of the Caspian Sea in 2004, First Deputy Energy and Mineral Resource Minister Baktykozha Izmukhambetov told journalists on Thursday. He said that at the moment work is being carried out under a program for the development of the Kazakh sector of the Caspian Sea, which was confirmed last year. Last May Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev signed off on a three-phase state program for the development of hydrocarbon resources in the Kazakh sector of the Caspian in the period until 2015. During the first phase, in 2003-2005, conditions will be created for the complex development of hydrocarbon resources in the Caspian, during the second (2006-2010) development will speed up and during the third phase (2011-2015) production will stabilize. This program will increase offshore production to at least 1200 million tonnes per annum by 2015, with gas production increasing to 63 billion cubic meters. According to the optimistic version of the program, forecast investment in the development of the Kazakh sector of the Caspian in 2003-2005 will amount to about $6 billion, in 2006-2010 - about $10.3 billion and in 2011-2015 - about $15.6 billion. The minimum investment needed during the three phases is $2.8 billion, $7 billion and $11.4 billion respectively.
KazMunaiGaz Completes Merger Of Subsidiaries
Interfax
Almaty, April 1: Kazakh national oil and gas company KazMunaiGaz has completed merging two of its main oil production subsidiaries - Uzenmunaigaz and Embamunaigaz into AO KazMunaiGaz Exploration and Production, the company said in a press release. The new company will be the second largest oil production company in Kazakhstan after Tengizchevroil. The main organizational issues concerning the new joint stock company were discussed at a general meeting of shareholders in the disbanded companies on Tuesday. At the meeting the charter of the new company was confirmed, as was the make-up of the board of directors and the size of the company`s charter capital - 10.34 billion tenge. Zhakyp Marabayev, managing director of KazMunaiGaz, was elected as general director of the new company, which will have a total of 16,000 employees. KazMunaiGaz President Uzakbai Karabalin was quoted in the press release as saying that the merger of the two companies `is an event of enormous significance for the oil industry in the republic.
Kazakhstan Completes Prospecting For Oil Pipeline To China
Interfax
Astana, April 1: Kazakhstan has competed prospecting for the construction of the Atasu-Alashankou oil pipeline to China, the Kazakh presidential press service reported. Wu Yaowen, chairman of the board of directors of the CNPC- Aktobemunaigaz company, a subsidiary of the Chinese National Petroleum Company, told Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev on Thursday that `the CNPC has invested over $1 billion in the project, has brought to completion its production program and has launched the construction of the Emba-Zhanazhol railroad.` The pipeline`s capacity is expected to amount to 50 million tonnes of oil a year, the report says. The first stretch of the pipeline from Atyrau to Kenkiyak, which has a length of 448.8 kilometers and a design capacity of up to 12 million tonnes of oil a year, was built in the spring of 2002. The second stage of the Western Kazakhstan-China oil pipeline consists of a nearly 1,300 kilometer stretch from an oil filling platform at the Atasu station in the Karaganda region to the Chinese border in the vicinity of the Druzhba-Alashankou railroad terminal. The Atasy-Alashankou stretch may be built in two years after the construction begins, Kazakh officials believe. The total length of the pipeline is expected to total about 3,000 kilometers. The pipeline is to pump at least 20 million tonnes of oil a year and the construction cost is estimated at nearly $3 billion.
Uzbekistan Allows Banks To Own 26 per cent Of Companies
Interfax
Tashkent, March 31: The Central Bank of Uzbekistan has increased the maximum permissible level for the share of one bank in the charter capital of any company, other than a financial company, from 20 per cent to 26 per cent, a source in the Central Bank told Interfax. The participation of banks in the charter capitals of other credit organizations, other than banks with foreign capital and subsidiaries, has not been allowed in Uzbekistan since 1999. The granting of permission for banks to receive blocking shares in joint stock companies and in the charter capital of companies with other forms of ownership is motivated by plans to make more use of banks` investment potential and to stimulate bank activity on the stock market, as this will allow credit organizations to effectively influence the management process in joint stock companies, the source said.
Azerbaijan Takes On Gazprom In Europe
The Moscow Times
Baku, March 29: Natural gas from Azerbaijan will soon reach Europe as the former Soviet state tries to compete with Gazprom for market share, the country`s president said. Statoil, Norway`s top oil company, is the operator of the $3.2 billion Shah Deniz field, which may hold 1 trillion cubic meters of gas, enough to supply western Europe for two years. Statoil and BP, Total, Eni and LUKoil, all partners in the field, plan to ship gas to Turkey, Greece and other European states. `Azerbaijani gas will be soon delivered to Europe,` Azerbaijan`s President Ilham Aliyev said in an interview. `Azerbaijan will become an additional and reliable supplier to European consumers.` Azerbaijan may take market share from Gazprom, which ships about a quarter of the gas Europe consumes because it is closer and it will have lower transport costs, Aliyev said.
NRB Receives Mandate On Turkmenistan Debt Settlement
Interfax
Moscow, March 29: RussiaTs National Reserve Bank (NRB) has received an exclusive mandate on settling TurkmenistanTs debt to Azerbaijan, Georgia and Kazakhstan totaling $500 million. The bank and Turkmenistan reached an agreement on the mandate in a meeting between President of Turkmenistan Saparmurad Niyazov and NRB President Yuri Kudimov in Ashgabad. The NRB also received the right to work with Turkmenistan debt claims before various Russian commercial banks totaling $50 million. NRB will service and organize financing for ZAO Zarit, a structure established by Itera, Rosneft and Zarubezhneft to develop blocks 29, 30 and 31 in the Turkmen sector of the Caspian Sea. NRB was ranked number 43 by asset volume in the Interfax-100 list of RussiaTs banks as of January 1 2004. list is compiled by the Interfax Center for Economic Analysis.
Israel`s Merhav To Modernize Turkmenistani Refineries
Interfax
Ashgabat, March 29: Israel`s Merhav Ltd. is to take part in projects to modernize the Seidin and Turkmenbashi oil refineries, the Turkmenistani presidential press service said. On Monday Turkmenistani President Saparmurad Niyazov signed a resolution directing the state company Turkmenneft to sign a number of agreements with Merhav. One of the agreements is for Merhav to prepare tender documents, hold an international tender and act on behalf of the refinery`s owner in a project to modernize and reconstruct the Seidin refinery in the east of the country. Over $1 billion will be spent on modernizing the refinery. The project will involve the installation of new technology, which will increase the capacity of the refinery from 2 million tonnes to 7-8 million tonnes.
Kazakh Oil Giant Favors Pipeline Through Russia Rather Than A US-backed Facility
Taipei Times
Atyrau, March 28: The giant Tengix oil field in western Kazakhstan is key to this country`s hopes to become a major oil exporter and production is set to double soon. The head of the company running Kazakhstan`s giant Tengiz oil field said on Friday he hopes to rely on a pipeline through Russia as output nearly doubles in the next two years -- spurning advances to use a pipeline from the Caucasus to Turkey that has been heavily backed by the US. Alexander Cornelius, general director of Tengizchevroil, also cautioned in an interview with The Associated Press that the Kazakh government must realize the risks businessmen have taken by pouring billions of dollars into this former Soviet republic -- and that attempts to renegotiate past contracts to keep more oil profits at home could scare away future investors. `You`re in a competitive landscape -- if you want to be a world oil power, you need to behave like a world oil power,` Cornelius said is his standard refrain to Kazakh officials. Tengizchevroil -- 50 percent owned by ChevronTexaco, along with ExxonMobil, KazMunaiGas and LukArco -- halted a US$4.5 billion expansion project in late 2002 after a dispute with the government over funding. The resulting three-month interruption means the nearly doubling of production at Tengiz -- from 13 million tonnes a year to 25 million tonnes -- has been delayed by eight months to a year and won`t happen before the third quarter of 2006, Cornelius said. The Tengiz field in desolate western Kazakhstan is key to this country`s hopes to become a major oil exporter, and also the Caspian Sea`s aspirations to be a major oil-producing region competing with the Middle East.
OSCE Chairman-in-Office To Visit Central Asia
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, April 2: On Monday, the Chairman-in-Office of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Bulgaria`s Foreign Minister, Solomon Passy, will begin a week-long tour of Central Asia. His visit will start in Uzbekistan, where on 5 April under his aegis a Ministerial Conference entitled `Education as an Investment into the Future` will be held with all the five Central Asian States and Afghanistan represented. He will also take the opportunity to personally convey his feelings of shock and sympathy on behalf of the OSCE to the government and people of Uzbekistan over the terrorist outrages which occurred there this week. His tour will then take him on to Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, where he is to be received by those countries` presidents and to meet and talk with their foreign ministers and representatives of parliament and civil society. He will also visit the OSCE Centres in each country, to be briefed on their work and to meet their staff.
Tajikistan: EU Decreasing Aid, Says Situation Slowly Improving
Radio Free Europe
Brussels, April 2: The European Commission today announced an 8 million-euro ($9.7 million) humanitarian aid grant for Tajikistan -- 2 million euros less than last year. RFE/RL spoke with the bloc`s top aid official in the country to look at what EU assistance has achieved there -- and what is still needed. The European Union today said its annual contribution of humanitarian aid to Tajikistan will fall by 20 percent to 8 million euros ($9.7 million). Cecile Pichon is the top EU aid official in the country. She heads the Dushanbe office of the EU`s humanitarian aid arm, ECHO, where she manages a staff of 14 people. In a satellite-telephone interview, Pichon told RFE/RL that the reduction in humanitarian aid is partly due to a decreasing need for straightforward humanitarian aid, and partly a result of the EU redirecting its aid efforts elsewhere. `And, of course, when there is no other possibility than to give staple foods, then we do that, but the problem is more and more [about] access to food and just the availability of food.`However, Pichon said, the need remains great in Tajikistan.
Diplomat Clarifies Policy On Foreign Presence At Caspian Sea
IRNA
Moscow, April 2: On the threshold of the Caspian Sea littoral states foreign ministers meeting in Moscow, Iran`s ambassador to Russia, Gholam-Reza Shafei, here on Friday, voiced Tehran opposition to the presence of foreigners in the region. Speaking to reporters, he said that during the upcoming meeting, decisions will be taken on forming presidential councils by the five states bordering the Caspian Sea. `If the proposal is approved, the first session will be held in the second half of the current year in Tehran, whose date will be specified by Iran. Agreements on the Caspian aquatics reserves and meteorology are expected to be inked during the meeting,` he added. Shafei said that in three sessions the result of the progress made by the Caspian working group in a wide range of issues from the Caspian Sea living creatures to energy resources will be examined closely. Reiterating the need to block the presence of extra-regional forces in the Caspian region, he said that the regional states should be independent in tackling issues such as campaign against terrorism and maintaining stability.
Foreign Ministers Of Caspian Five To Meet In Moscow This April
Kazakhstan News
Moscow, April 2: Foreign ministers of Caspian Five (Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan) will meet in Moscow on April 6, the Russian foreign ministry announced. The five parties are supposed to express their opinion on cooperation issues, Caspian Sea legal status and fighting international terrorism.
Russia Wants Broader Cooperation With Tehran On Caspian Sea
IRNA
Tehran, April 2: The Russian Federation`s Deputy Foreign Minister Viktor Kalyuzhny said here on Friday that the level of Tehran-Moscow cooperation on affairs of the Caspian Sea should improve to match the excellent level of their cooperation in the nuclear field. Kalyuzhny, special envoy of the Russian Federation for Caspian Sea affairs, made the comment at a meeting with the Islamic Republic of Iran`s Ambassador to Moscow Gholam-Reza Shafei, who echoed the same call for a higher level of cooperation between the two countries on the sea`s affairs, particularly the issue of its division. The two sides, meanwhile, exchanged views on the general features and agenda of the upcoming conference of the Caspian Sea littoral states scheduled to be held in Moscow on April 5-7 at the foreign ministers level. The Russian official said that the Moscow ministerial meeting would be of great significance particularly since it would pave the way for the convening of a second Caspian Sea littoral states summit.
Kazakhstan Willing To Take Part In Afghan Rebuilding
Radio Free Europe
Astana, April 1: Qayrat Abuseyitov, Kazakhstan`s first deputy foreign minister, announced on 1 April that Kazakhstan is prepared to take part in programs and projects to rebuild Afghanistan`s economy, `Kazakhstan Today` reported the same day. The remarks came at a conference of international donors in Berlin. While stressing that a stable economy is the key to a stable Afghanistan, Abuseyitov pointed to the production and transport of drugs as the country`s biggest problem. RIA-Novosti quoted Abuseyitov as saying, `With its geographic location and developed infrastructure, Kazakhstan could supply Afghanistan with grain, industrial goods, and building materials.` Abuseyitov also met with German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, and Afghan Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah.
Dubai Set To Forge Closer Relations With Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan News
Dubai, April 1: Dubai is set to forge closer ties with Kazakhstan by signing a twining agreement soon with the mineral-rich Central Asian republic`s western province of Mangistau. The Memorandum of Understand aims to foster greater social and economic cooperation between the UAE and Kazakhstan, according to Dr Sabit Tairov, Kazakh Consul General in Dubai. While highlighting the shared cultural heritage between the UAE and Kazakhstan, the envoy also called for closer ties on the back of significant growth of relations since the late 1990s. `The similarities between our two countries are striking,` Dr Tairov told Gulf News in an exclusive interview. `I think they are like Siamese twins separated for many years. Coming here was like meeting new members of a big family you have not met for a long time,` he said. Kazakhstan, a landlocked state the size of Western Europe, is home to 15 million people. Dr Tairov helped draft the air agreement in 1997 that allowed Kazakhstan Air to fly twice a week between Almaty, the old Kazakh capital, and Dubai. Today, four national Kazakh carriers operate on the route with 11 weekly flights.
Armenia, Iran To Sign Gas Pipeline Deal In Late April
Interfax
Yerevan, April 1: Armenia and Iran will sign a final contract in Yerevan in late April on the construction of a gas pipeline linking the two countries, Armenian Energy Minister Armen Movsisian told journalists. IranTs Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh will arrive in Armenia to sign the document. Movsisian said that the new intergovernmental contract will `bring bilateral documents signed in 1992-1995 into line with modern requirements.` The minister said that the two nationsT talks had also produced an agreement on the volume of gas supplies and the main parameters of the gas pipeline. `The gas pipeline is intended to meet ArmeniaTs domestic needs,` he said. The pipeline`s construction will begin next year and be finished 20 months later. The cost of construction in Armenia is estimated at about $100 million.
Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan Differ Over Gas Debt
Radio Free Europe
Ashgabat, March 31: Azerbaijani Finance Minister Avaz Alekperov told journalists on 31 March that Azerbaijan recognizes an $18 million debt to Turkmenistan for gas, but not Ashgabat`s figure of $56 million, the Azerbaijani news agency Trend reported the same day. Interfax quoted Alekperov as saying that previous International Monetary Fund-brokered talks to resolve the issue had ended `without result.` When asked about the possibility of third-party mediation, Alekperov allowed that this might alleviate matters. Turkmenistan recently engaged Russia`s National Reserve Bank to negotiate some $500 million it believes it is owed by Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Kazakhstan. A representative of Turkmenistan`s Economy and Finance Ministry told turkmenistan.ru on 1 April that Turkmenistan has all of the necessary documentation to prove that Azerbaijan owes $56 million for gas purchased in the 1990s.
UNHCR Opens Office In Kazakh Capital
Kazakhstan News
Astana, March 31: The UN refugee agency today opened an office in Kazakhstan`s capital, Astana, a move that will help UNHCR build more partnerships to care for some 16,000 refugees and asylum seekers in the country. Wednesday`s opening ceremony was attended by a number of senior Kazakh government officials, including Talgat Unaibayev, Head of the International Organisations Unit at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Askar Nurymbetov, Head of the Interior Ministry`s Department of International Cooperation; and Tungatar Baisagizov, Deputy Chief of the Migration Police`s office for combating illegal immigration. Meiram Zholtayevich Baigazin, Head of the Department on Refugees in the Agency for Migration and Demography, heralded the opening of UNHCR`s newest office worldwide in a speech to the gathered diplomats, government and UN officials.
Ukraine And Azerbaijan To Sign Agreement On Cooperation In Oil Transportation
Kabar Agency
Baku, March 31: Ukraine and Azerbaijan might sign an inter-governmental agreement on oil supplies and oil transit via Ukraine. The Ukrainian Cabinet has approved the draft agreement and asked Deputy Prime Minister Andrey Kluyev to sign it. The draft agreement suggests cooperation in using the oil transportation systems of the two countries and free and constant oil transit. The two parties are to agree on the volume, direction and terms of oil transit every day. The draft agreement also regulates oil tariffs principles.
Energy Among Key Areas Of Chinese-Azerbaijani Cooperation
Interfax
Beijing, March 31: Energy is presently one the major areas of business cooperation between China and Azerbaijan, Azerbaijani Ambassador to China Yashar Aliyev said. Aliyev spoke at a Wednesday news conference marking the 12th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. `I can say that energy cooperation between China and Azerbaijan has been highly successful. In particular, CNPC [Chinese National Petroleum Corporation], which is a party to a contract on the development of a section of the Kursengi-Garabagly deposit, has started to play quite an active role. The company has already invested about USD 800 mln in the project. In addition, it has signed a number of contracts to develop a few more deposits worth a total of USD 120 mln,` he said. `China`s Shengli oil company has intensively been advancing its cooperation with Azerbaijan in oil production as well. In December 2003, the Azerbaijani Parliament ratified a contract between the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan and Shengli to explore and develop the Azerbaijani Pirsaat oil field. The project also includes a production-sharing agreement between the two companies. In addition, Shengli is playing an active role in rehabilitating old deposits in Azerbaijan,` Aliyev said.
Uzbek Leader Meets Ex-president Of Lithuania
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, March 30: Uzbek President Islam Karimov received former President of Lithuania Valdas Adamkus at the presidential residence Oqsaroy on 30 March. Welcoming the guest, the Uzbek leader said that Uzbekistan sees in the face of Mr Adamkus a great state and public figure. The sides discussed current state and perspectives of cooperation between Uzbekistan and Lithuania, situation in Central Asia, exchanged opinions on geopolitical changes in Europe in light of EU and NATO expansion. Islam Karimov noted that Uzbekistan considered Lithuania as a reliable and prospective partner in Baltics and Europe. The Uzbek President also highly assessed the activity of Adamkus in theUNESCO as a goodwill ambassador. At the end of the meeting, the President Islam Karimov awarded Mr Adamkus with order `Buyuk hizmatlari uchun` (For Great Contributions) for contribution to development of Uzbek-Lithuanian relations. On the same day, Valdas Adamkus met Uzbek Foreign Minister Sadyk Safaev. Adamkus extended condolences to Uzbek people on the occasion of terrorist attacks in Tashkent and Bukhara.
Kyrgyz President Meets With CSTO Secretary General
Radio Free Europe
Bishkek, March 30: Askar Akaev met with Nikolai Bordyuzha, secretary-general of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), in Bishkek on 30 March, akipress.org reported the same day. Akaev noted that the Russian air base in Kant, Kyrgyzstan, is a good example of cooperation in the CSTO`s rapid-reaction forces. Legislative Assembly speaker Abdygany Erkebaev met with Bordyuzha on 29 March, Kyrgyzinfo reported. Bordyuzha noted that the harmonization of legislation is a pressing issue for CSTO members.
German Educational Delegation On Visit In Uzbekistan
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, March 29: A delegation of German specialists and scientists headed by ex-vice-president of the Conference of German Higher Educational Institutions, Professor Schaal, has arrived to Uzbekistan to assist in preparing Uzbek students. Eminent German scientist, specialist in the sphere of new information technologies and mass media, Professor Otto Altendorfer of the Institute of Mittweid said: `Many features of mass media development are affected by the use of the latest IT innovations. For Uzbekistan, preparation of highly qualified specialists in the sphere of mass media is especially important in light of transition to market relations`.
Russian State Duma Speaker Visits Azerbaijan
Radio Free Europe
Baku, March 29: Boris Gryzlov met in Baku on 29 March with his Azerbaijani counterpart, parliament Chairman Murtuz Alesqerov, and with President Ilham Aliyev, ITAR-TASS and Turan reported. Stressing that there are no unresolved problems between the two countries, Aliyev predicted that the re-election of incumbent Russian President Vladimir Putin for a second term will contribute to the strengthening of bilateral relations. The two men discussed various aspects of such cooperation, including ways to increase bilateral annual trade turnover from $500 million to $1 billion.
Afghan Interim Government Leader Visits Termiz
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, March 29: Head of the Interim government of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai made a stopover in Termiz on his way to Germany. The Afghan leader met the governor of Surkhandarya region Tahmirzo Kadyrov. The heads of Surkhandarya and Afghanistan exchanged opinions on economic and cultural cooperation between Uzbekistan and Afghanistan, as well as assistance of Uzbekistan to rehabilitate economy of Afghanistan. Afghanistan and Uzbekistan are establishing good neighbourhood and friendship, Hamid Karzai said. When Afghanistan faced misfortune, Uzbekistan led by President Islam Karimov offered assistance among the firsts, he said. `Our nation will never forgot this,` he added.
CIS Oil And Gas Summit Opens In London
RIA Novosti
London, March 29: The three-day `CIS Oil and Gas Summit 2004: Russia, Caspian Sea region, Caucasus and Central Asia` opens in London on Tuesday. The summit will be held for the fourth time and will be attended by ministers and companies of the oil and gas sector, the organizers informed RIA Novosti. The main organizer is London-based Energy Exchange Ltd. According to the organizers, the summit `will allow those who already work or are just going to enter the quickly emerging oil and gas markets in Russia, the Caspian Sea region, in the Caucasus and Central Asia to receive a clear picture of the opportunities that each of the regions offer`. The first day of the summit will be devoted to the Russian oil and gas industry. The themes of the sessions are `Analysis of trade and investment climate in the Russian oil and gas sector`, `Oil and gas policies in Russia and legislative plans in the sphere` and `Quick development of domestic Russian projects`.
Ambassador Of Bangladeshi On Uzbek-Bangladeshi Relations
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, March 28: 26 March was the Independence Day of the People`s Republic of Bangladesh. Ambassador of Bangladesh to Uzbekistan Abdus Salam spoke to Jahon on the current state of relations between Bangladesh and Uzbekistan. - In 1971, after long fight for freedom, Bangladeshi nation finally won the long-awaited independence. We have strived to establish a democratic society and a prosperous state, free of poverty and colonial violence. The general elections conducted in October 2001 marked the beginning of a new stage in development of democracy and economic progress. Present government of Bangladesh puts a lot of effort into strengthening democratic values and increasing the role the civil society institutions. - What are the directions of development of Uzbek-Bangladeshi cooperation? - Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the countries in 1992, Bangladesh and Uzbekistan have been developing friendly ties and mutually beneficial cooperation. I would like to emphasise the fact that positions of our countries are quite close and coincide on many problems of the modern world. Bangladesh supports and highly appreciates the efforts of Uzbekistan in maintaining peace and security in the region and fighting international terrorism and religious extremism. We are actively developing cooperation in different fields. Today, Bangladesh exports tea, leather products, medicaments, jute to Uzbekistan, and imports cotton and a number of other products from the country. There is a potential for expansion of commercial-economic cooperation. The interest of Bangladeshi companies to development of business in Uzbekistan is growing, especially after introduction of convertibility of Uzbek national currency last year. During the upcoming visit of an official Bangladeshi delegation to Tashkent this April, it is planned to prepare two important documents: agreements on avoiding double taxation and on cooperation in the cultural sphere. It is remarkable that last year a Bangladeshi representative became the laureate of `Sharq Taronalari` music festival in Samarkand. Uzbek sportsmen - football, tennis and chess players - are quite popular in our country. The number of tourists coming from Bangladesh is growing every year. In this sense, we owe Uzbekiston Havo Yollari air company, which conducts Tashkent-Dhaka flights twice a week. Everything mentioned above gives me the right to state that friendly relations and cooperation of the two countries will keep on growing stronger for the benefit of our nations.
GAIL Sets Its Eyes On Kazakhstan, Talks On With BG India
Financial Express
Mumbai, March 28: In a bid to expand its footprint in new global markets, GAIL (India) Ltd has set its eyes on the Kazakhstan market. The oil major is understood to have initiated talks with British Gas India (BG) for jointly working on oil and natural gas exploration projects in that region. Speaking to FE GAIL (India) Ltd chairman and managing director Proshanto Banerjee, said: As far as the company`s latest overseas ventures are concerned, we have recently acquired stakes in two companies in Egypt and we are interested in acquiring a stake in two more companies in that region. We are already in talks with those companies. We are also eyeing at oil fields in Kazakhstan. However, nothing has been finalised yet.` Mr Banerjee declined to divulge futher details of the venture into Kazakhstan and said: `Its premature to comment.` As regards the company`s decision to enter into a tri-partite agreement along with British Petroleum and Tata Power to take over the now closed Dabhol project, Mr Banerjee said: `The equity participation between the three parties in the proposed consortium is yet to be decided. Once the bids are invited, we will participate in it.` However, indications are that the three parties will be holding equally in the consortium.
Itera Closes Office In Uzbekistan
Interfax
Tashkent, March 28: The Itera international group of companies is closing its office in Uzbekistan, a source in the national holding company Uzbekneftegaz told Interfax. The source said that Itera`s accreditation in Uzbekistan expires at the end of March and the company does not plan to renew it due to the winding up of its business in the republic, he said. A source in the Itera office in Uzbekistan confirmed this to Interfax. He said that this year Itera did not renew a contract to transit gas from Turkmenistan through Uzbekistan, which expired on December 31, 2003. `We have no other projects in the republic, therefore the closure of the office is a totally foreseeable step,` the Itera source said. However, Itera does not plan to leave Central Asia. The company has a number of successful projects in Turkmenistan and will continue to work there, the source said.
Uzbek Police Widely Feared for Brutality
Associated Press
Tashkent, March 31: Uzbek police are widely feared for their brutality and despised for being the government`s tool in suppressing any form of dissent On Sunday - the day before bombers struck the Chorsu bazaar in central Tashkent - police allegedly beat to death a 60-year-old garlic trader from the capital`s largest market. The merchant had angered police by speaking out against their harassment of a porter at Chorsu, according to witnesses, rights groups and opposition members. His death sparked a confrontation between police and traders and porters at the market. The next day, a suicide bomber blew herself up at Chorsu during a morning police briefing - part of a chain of attacks that killed at least 42 people, including nine police, and persisted for a fourth day Wednesday. The U.S.-allied government said the attacks were acts of terrorism and blamed Islamic militants. For centuries, Uzbeks have gone to bazaars not only to shop but to socialize and exchange news. These days, Chorsu is also a place where many share their frustration over worsening living standards that come amid complaints that tight government control has stifled the Central Asian nation`s development. As frustration grows, Chorsu is becoming a frequent scene of violence, invariably involving police. It is a place for Muslim women to make their feeble attempts to protest the jailing of their husbands, brothers and sons for alleged religious extremism. The attempts are quickly and harshly suppressed by police. Chorsu also is where traders clashed with police for their heavy-handed enforcement of stricter trading rules last summer. In the eyes of many ordinary people, the police are an embodiment of the country`s repressive regime. Called "frogs" or "crocodiles" for their green uniform, police are ever-present on Tashkent streets. Their employer - the Interior Ministry - is the most powerful state institution and the biggest armed organization in the country. Citing independent lawyers and rights activists, the International Crisis Group says about 200,000 people work for the ministry, with up to 25,000 men policing the capital of about 2.5 million people. Police have been instrumental in the government campaign against what it sees as religious extremism, launched in the late 1990s, capturing and jailing more than 6,000 Muslims on charges of plotting to overthrow the secular government. Police abuse has helped give Uzbekistan one of the worst human rights records in the region. After a 2002 visit, a U.N. official reported that torture was systematic in Uzbek jails, and that two inmates were allegedly killed after being immersed in boiling water in the country`s most notorious jail, Zhaslyk, the same year. Authorities usually don`t investigate deaths in custody.
Kyzgyzstan Toughens Security After Uzbekistan Blasts
Itar-Tass
Bishkek, March 30: Kyrgyzstan has been taking tougher security measures in connection with bomb blasts in the neighboring Uzbekistan, a high-ranking police official told Itar-Tass on Tuesday. Although police have not yet gone on alert, `all moves are being made to prevent similar incidents,` the official said. The republic`s Interior Ministry beefed up police patrols which are helped by volunteers. To prevent `destructive elements` from entering the country, Kyrgyzstan`s border service announced a tougher regime on the stretch of the border with Uzbekistan. A special center led by Prime Minister Nikolai Tanayev was set up to coordinate activities of all law-enforcement bodies in the situation.
Tashkent Outlines Human Rights Progress
Kabar Agency
Ankara, MArch 30: Long criticised internationally for its poor human rights record, Uzbekistan is committed to democratic reforms which will eliminate torture and other abuses, according to a government official. `We are working on these issues [human rights]. Maybe it is not that fast, but the process is going on and it is pretty positive,` Ilkhom Zakirov, a spokesman for the Uzbek foreign ministry, told IRIN from the capital, Tashkent on Tuesday. The Uzbek government accepted the recommendations made by UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, Theo van Boven, in his report on the country last year. Following his recommendations, the government has subsequently put in place measures to help eliminate torture, Zakirov maintained. Another positive development, he said, was the inclusion of penalties and punishment for torture in the Uzbek criminal code, which has already resulted in convictions of some law-enforcement officials. `Maybe we could have done it last year or earlier, but every change in law, including criminal, requires time. `So, the process of fulfilling the criteria that were presented to us by various democratic organisations, including the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), is continuing,` he explained. Earlier last week, the Uzbek justice ministry hosted a meeting of an inter-agency working group on compliance with human rights by law-enforcement bodies. The working group was founded in accordance with the government`s decision last month to improve the protection of human rights and further deepening legal and judicial reforms in Uzbekistan. The group endorsed a plan of measures on implementation of the UN convention against torture, approved by the government earlier this year.
U.S. Envoy: Azerbaijan Must Improve Human-Rights Record
Radio Free Europe
Baku, March 27: U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage today said Azerbaijan`s human-rights record needs improvement. Addressing reporters after talks with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Baku, Armitage said he had told his interlocutor that media should be allowed to operate free from restrictions. Dozens of opposition activists and antigovernment journalists have been detained since last October`s postelection violence that killed at least one person. Some have already been sentenced to various jail terms, while others are still awaiting trial.
Rosenergoatom To Invest $800 Mln In Nuclear Plant Development
Kabar Agency
Almaty, March 28: Rosenergoatom plans to invest $800 million in developing and building nuclear plants in Russia in 2004, Anatoly Kirichenko, director of the company`s international department, told Interfax. Kirichenko is currently in Kazakhstan as part of a delegation of managers from large Russian nuclear organizations. This visit, which will last until March 27, was organized as part of Russian Year in Kazakhstan. Kirichenko said that Rosenergoatom annually invests up to $1 billion in developing and building nuclear power plants. He said that the company used `exclusively` state funds on these projects, although it is interested in other sources of financing also. `We do not yet have the civilized mechanism in place in developed countries whereby nuclear power plants are built using credits, borrowed funds and investment from private companies,` he said. He said that in August-September 2004 the company plans to launch power-producing unit No. 3 at Kalinin Nuclear Power Plant and that this year work will continue on units at Kursk and Volgodonsk nuclear plants. Kirichenko added that over the next 15 years the company plans to launch a total of 10 nuclear power-producing units.
Azerbaijani Security Rounds Up Drug Traffickers
Radio Free Europe
Baku, March 29: The Azerbaijani National Security Ministry apprehended on 27 March a group of five people, including an Iranian citizen, who allegedly engaged in smuggling drugs from Iran through those territories of southern Azerbaijan currently under Armenian control, Turan reported on 29 March, citing a ministry press release. The ministry claimed that a preliminary investigation of the group`s activities confirmed that its members engaged in cultivating drugs in Nagorno-Karabakh and other territories not under the control of the Azerbaijani central government. Armenian officials have systematically rejected Azerbaijani allegations that drugs are being produced in Karabakh.
Special FocusWill Georgia`s Parliamentary Vote Succeed In Consolidating Society?T
Georgia will hold parliamentary elections on March 28. The vote is widely anticipated to give President Mikheil Saakashvili the majority support that he seeks. But there are questions over whether the vote will succeed in consolidating Georgian society, thus enhancing Saakashvili`s ability to press ahead with reforms.
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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/qanda/articles/eav032604.shtmlBombings And Shootings In UzbekistanA series of bombings and shootings March 29 left at least 19 people dead and dozens more wounded in Uzbekistan, according to official reports. Authorities confirmed two suicide bombings at the main bazaar in the Uzbek capital of Tashkent, but the full extent of the violence remained difficult to determine, in large measure due to the government`s tight control over mass media and information gathering.
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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav032904a.shtml Saakashvili Cheered, Opponents Disgruntled By Georgia`s Parliamentary Election ResultsSupporters of President Mikheil Saakashvili claimed an overwhelming victory in Georgia`s March 28 parliamentary election - a vote that international observers viewed as the fairest in the country`s post-Soviet history. Nevertheless, the vote left opposition parties disgruntled, and it appears likely to lead to more tension between the central government and the renegade province of Ajaria.
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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav032904.shtmlTerrorism`s Eastward Expansion: Uzbekistan
Terrorist attacks in Uzbekistan contradict claims that the American-led offensive in Afghanistan has effectively destroyed the hotbed of Muslim radicalism in Central Asia. Uzbek officials say that a series of attacks over the past few days - including suicide bombings and shootings - killed 19 people and injured at least 26 others. On Tuesday, a car bomb exploded at a police checkpoint on the outskirts of the capital Tashkent, injuring a number of people.
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http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Central_Asia/FC31Ag01.htmlThe Growth Of Radical Islam In Central Asia
Recent reports Prior to the recent terror attacks in Uzbekistan which claimed at least 19 lives, a spate of reports from the region shows ongoing Islamist activity and law-enforcement efforts to contain it. One report details the state of affairs in the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
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http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Central_Asia/FC31Ag02.htmlFighting Rages For Third Straight Day In Uzbekistan
New Year`s has historically been an auspicious period for guerrilla movements. On January 1, 1959, Fidel Castro`s band of Cuban rebels seized power. In 1968, the Viet Cong launched the Tet Offensive, which marked the beginning of the end of the US involvement in Southeast Asia. Now, in 2004, insurgents appear to have launched a Novruz uprising in Uzbekistan.
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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav033004.shtml Uzbek Authorities Launch Round-up Of Islamic Suspects In Uzbekistan
After a relatively quiet day in Tashkent , an explosion in the Sabir-Rakhimov section of the capital late on March 31 prompted fresh concern about militant violence in Uzbekistan . In addition, there were a few unconfirmed reports of violence in Tashkent , the Uzbek capital, and in Andijan, a city in the Ferghana Valley , which is a bastion of Islamic conservatism.
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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav033104.shtml Uzbek Shoppers Brave Border For Kazakhstani Bargains
Uzbekistan`s economic dysfunction has been identified as a major factor in fostering anti-government sentiment among Uzbeks. President Islam Karimov`s government has steadfastly resisted international pressure to loosen the state`s tight control over economic life. As a EurasiaNet investigative report discovered, some Uzbeks have gone to absurd lengths to evade government regulations in order to obtain basic consumer goods.
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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/business/articles/eav033104.shtml Uzbekistan: Sifting For Clues
During a shooting in Tashkent on Wednesday, Uzbek special forces battled armed fighters holed up in a suburban apartment block. Some 23 people - mostly suspects - were killed by the time special forces ended the siege. The incident was the latest in a series of blasts and shootouts to hit Tashkent and the ancient Silk Road city of Bukhara, killing at least 43 people since Sunday night.
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http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Central_Asia/FD02Ag01.html Uzbek Officials: Preliminary Results Of Investigations Into Violence May Be Ready In Four Days
Uzbek officials sought to bring a quick conclusion to uncertainty following four days of violence that rocked the capital Tashkent. Law-enforcement authorities pressed ahead with a massive dragnet operation to hunt down suspected Islamic radicals. Officials also indicated that the preliminary results of an investigation into the armed clashes may be ready within four days.
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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav040104.shtmlArmenia Braces For Political Upheaval
Armenia`s leadership and opposition are gearing up for a potentially violent confrontation. An opposition coalition is planning to hold massive anti-government protests in early April. Some opposition leaders have publicly called for the resignation of President Robert Kocharian and have advocated civil disobedience to achieve that end.
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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav040104a.shtmlXinjiang And China`s Strategy In Central Asia
Xinjiang, like Taiwan and neighboring Tibet, is a neuralgic issue for China, which desperately needs internal stability in that predominantly Muslim, resource-rich and strategically important region. Beijing`s strategic and energy objectives are based on stability in Xinjiang and its Central Asian policies grow out of its preoccupation with stability there.
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http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/FD03Ad06.htmlUzbekistan: Implications For China, Xinjiang
The recent `terrorist` bombings in Uzbekistan have raised questions about the ramifications for China, particularly the Beijing government`s likely response as it has major concerns over the Uighur people of Xinjiang - where fears of Islamist dissent and unrest persist.
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http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/FD03Ad05.htmlUzbek Events Could Prompt Geopolitical Shift
The March militant attacks in Uzbekistan have potentially profound geopolitical ramifications. Since the September 11 terrorist tragedy, Tashkent has served as the United States` key strategic partner in Central Asia. There are indications, however, that the four-day bout of violence in Tashkent could hasten a move by President Islam Karimov`s administration to improve relations with Russia.
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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav040204.shtml Turkmenistan: Former Chief Mufti Sentenced To Prison For Reasons That Remain Unclear
Turkmenistan`s former chief mufti, Nasrullah ibn Ibadullah, was sentenced to 22 years in prison earlier this month following a trial held behind closed doors. The 56-year-old Ibadullah, an ethnic Uzbek, studied in a madrassah in Bukhara during the Soviet period and continued his studies in Egypt and Syria.
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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/rights/articles/eav040204.shtml
Report Dated 2 April 2004