14th Session Of Oliy Majlis Finishes
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, April 30: The 14th session of Oliy Majlis (Parliament) of the Republic of Uzbekistan of the second convocation continued its work on 30 April. President Islam Karimov participated in the session`s work. The second day of the parliamentary session started with consideration of the Bill `On financing of political parties`. Speaking at the meeting, President Karimov emphasised the importance of this law for further development of a multi-party system in the country. Islam Karimov pointed at the necessity of prompt solution of shortcomings in the work of the parties and boosting their activity taking into account the coming elections in the Legislative Chamber of the future two-chamber parliament. For that parties should have clear aims and programmes, differing from each other. Political forces should more bravely protect interests of population. After discussion, the deputies adopted the law `On financing of political parties`. The parliament also adopted laws `On counteraction to legalisation of incomes received from criminal activity and financing of terrorism` (first reading), `On export control` (first reading) and `On making amendments and alterations in legislative acts of the Republic of Uzbekistan`. The deputies ratified a number of international contracts and agreements and approved decrees of the President and resolutions of the Council of Oliy Majlis.
Tajik President`s Annual Address To Parliament
RIA Novosti
Dushanbe, April 30: Tajik President Emomali Rakhmonov has confirmed the country`s adherence to the further development of relations with Russia. `Russia and Tajikistan are strategic partners, displaying mutual solidarity on most issues and targets,` Rakhmonov said, coming Friday on the air with his annual state of the nation address to parliament. `We have not forgotten Russia`s role in Tajikistan`s effort to gain independence,` noted the president. Dealing with Russian-Tajik economic relations, Rakhmonov admitted that the level of bilateral trade lagged behind the requirements of our time. The guarding of the Tajik-Afghan border will be gradually passed from Russian frontier guards to the Tajiks who will finally assume full control over the national borders, he said. `It is already now that 577 kilometres out of 2,912 kilometres of the state border are under the vigil of Tajik fronter guards.` He praised the Russians` part in the protection of Tajikistan`s borders and expressed hopes that later, when the border will be watched over by the Tajiks, Russian colleagues will render assistance. Proceeding to economic matters in his message, the president made a point of his discontent with the living standards in the country: `Economic reforms in Tajikistan have had so far no tangible effect on people`s life...Lack of jobs is pushing many people to flee the country to earn their living abroad.` In the opinion of Rakhmonov, the government should concentrate on job creation and support for small and medium business which are being largely hampered by many obstacles, such as unfair land distribution, red tape and resultant corruption among bureaucrats. The president believes that this situation can be improved by an early adoption of the law `On licensing` which is to limit interference in business.
Tajik President Calls For Fighting Bureaucracy
Interfax
Dushanbe, April 30: Excessive bureaucracy is obstructing the development of small and medium business and provoking corruption and bribery at various government institutions, Tajik President Emomali Rakhmonov stated in his annual address to parliament. `Emerging small and medium business in Tajikistan cannot assume a proper place because of bureaucracy which in turn gives rise to corruption and bribery,` he told parliament on Friday. `The government should be taking steps to fight bureaucracy and corruption. This will promote small and medium business and encourage investments,` Rakhmonov said.
Uzbek Parliament Passes Several Bills On The First Day Of Session
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, April 29: 14th session of Oliy Majlis (parliament) of Uzbekistan of second convocation gathered in the Uzbek capital on 29 April. President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov participated in the work of the session and delivered a speech on recent terrorist attacks in Uzbekistan. The MPs considered the Bill `On implementation of State Budget of the Republic of Uzbekistan for 2003`, the Bill `On election of chairmen (aksakal) of citizens` bodies and their advisors` (second reading), the Bill `On electronic document turnover` (second reading), the Bill `On electronic commerce` (second reading), the Bill `On use and protection of emblems of Red Cross and Red Crescent` (second reading). The parliamentarians passed all of the abovementioned bills. The MPs also adopted an address to the Uzbek people on recent terrorist acts in Uzbekistan. In their address, the parliamentarians supported policy of the Uzbek government and called on the people to join efforts in fighting terrorism and extremism. The session will continue its work on 30 April.
Tajik Parties Join Forces To Promote Free Elections
Radio Free Europe
Dushanbe, April 29: Representatives of the Islamic Renaissance Party (IRP), Social-Democratic Party, and Socialist Party signed an agreement on 29 April to form a coalition `for free and transparent elections in Tajikistan,` Asia-Plus Blitz reported the same day. IRP Deputy Chairman Muhiddin Kabiri was chosen to lead the coalition for one month. The coalition`s coordinating committee will meet on the 1st and 16th of each month. The news agency quoted Kabiri as saying, `This is in no way a strategic political coalition.` He stressed that the coalition is a tactical one and its purpose is solely to ensure free and fair elections.
New Kazakh Party Holds Congress
Radio Free Europe
Astana, April 29: The Democratic Party of Kazakhstan held its constituent assembly on 29 April in Astana, Interfax-Kazakhstan reported the same day. Maksut Narikbaev, rector of the Kazakh State Legal Academy and head of a movement for legal reform, is spearheading the new party`s formation. He said that within two to three weeks the Democratic Party will have the 50,000 members required for official registration with the Justice Ministry.
Uzbek Parliament Convenes In Tashkent
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, April 28: Fourteenth session of Oliy Majlis of Uzbekistan of the second convocation gathered in Tashkent on 29 April. The deputies will consider a number of issues, including: 1. The Bill `On implementation of State Budget of the Republic of Uzbekistan for 2003` 2. The Bill `On election of chairmen (aksakal) of citizens bodies and their advisors` (second reading) 3. The Bill `On electronic document turn over` (second reading) 4. The Bill `On electronic commerce` (second reading) 5. The Bill `On use and protection of emblems of Red Cross and Red Crescent` (second reading) 6. The Bill `On state financing of political parities` 7. The Bill `On counteraction legalisation of incomes, received from crime activity and financing of terrorism` (first reading) 8. Making changes and additions in some legislative acts of the Republic of Uzbekistan. Along with these issues, the Oliy Majlis will consider other questions within its competence.
Armenian PM Against Conducting Confidence Vote
Interfax
Yerevan, April 28: Armenian Prime Minister Andranik Margarian, who leads the Republican Party, has called on the opposition to withdraw its request to conduct a confidence vote by referendum from the list of its demands. `If this request is removed from its list of demands, the parties in power are ready to continue negotiations with the opposition,` Margarian told journalists at the parliament.
Armenian Opposition Rallies, Halts Talks
The Moscow Times
Yerevan, April 27: Several thousand people rallied in the heart of the Armenian capital, Yerevan, on Tuesday calling for the ouster of President Robert Kocharyan, and opposition leaders said they have halted talks with the governing coalition. The rally, estimated at up to 7,000 people, was the latest in the weeks-long series of protests that have raised political tensions in the country. On Monday, opposition figures met with the speaker of parliament and other governing coalition figures in an effort at easing the tensions, but Viktor Dallakyan of the opposition Justice Party said Tuesday that the talks were discontinued. `The authorities are only pretending to be in the middle of a dialogue with the opposition, but they are in fact continuing the policy of terror against their own people,` Dallakyan said. Dallakyan said that the next rally will be held May 4, after the situation in Armenia is brought up at a session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
Tajik Parties Mull Over Fair Elections Coalition
Radio Free Europe
Dushanbe, April 27: Rahmatullo Valiev, executive secretary of the Democratic Party of Tajikistan (DPT), announced on 27 April that the DPT will not join a tactical coalition to ensure fair and transparent elections in Tajikistan, Asia Plus-Blitz reported the same day. Valiev noted that Tajik President Imomali Rakhmonov has promised to invite the leaders of all political parties to discuss a new election law in early May. Valiev called on other parties to refrain from forming a watchdog coalition until the new law is passed. Nevertheless, the news agency reported that the Islamic Renaissance Party (IRP) and Social-Democratic Party still plan to move ahead with the coalition.
Supporters Of Former Tajik Minister Ask For His Release
Radio Free Europe
Dushanbe, April 27: The relatives, friends, and supporters of Yaqub Salimov, the former Tajik interior minister currently awaiting trial on charges of treason, sent an open letter on 27 April asking Tajik President Imomali Rakhmonov to pardon and release Salimov, RFE/RL`s Tajik Service reported the same day. Asia-Plus Blitz quoted the letter, which garnered 1,627 signatures, as saying, `Certain unscrupulous politicians inside and outside the country are trying to harm the president`s policies by infusing Salimov`s case with an aspect of political haggling.`
US Says Free And Fair Kazakh Elections Key To Economic Prosperity
Agence France Presse
Washington DC, April 27: The United States Tuesday warned authorities in the former Soviet central Asian republic of Kazakhstan that prosperity is dependent on political pluralism and said legislative elections later this year would be an important test of their commitment to reform. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage said Kazakhstan could not depend entirely on its massive energy reserves for continued economic growth and decried ongoing harrassment and prosecution of independent media and opposition figures. `Prosperity and political enfranchisement are simply not separable,` he said. `A strong, open economy will only thrive when it is supported by a healthy civil society, including nongovernmental organizations and some form of participatory politics. `This is going to mean political pluralism, and an independent media, and respect for human rights,` Armitage told a meeting of the US-Kazakhstan Business Association here. While praising Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev for vetoing a restrictive new media law last week and putting forward his country for the chairmanship of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Armitage said the true test of democracy would be the elections expected in in September or October. The polls will be `an important indicator,` he said.
Armenian Opposition Halts Dialogue With Govt
Interfax
Yerevan, April 27: The Armenian opposition on Tuesday decided to suspend its dialogue with the coalition made up of pro- government parties, Viktor Dallakyan, a secretary with the opposition parliamentary faction Justice, told a news conference. Negotiations conducted earlier on Tuesday at the initiative of the parliamentary speaker involved the heads of the ruling coalition, which includes the Republican Party of Armenia, and the parties Orinats Erkir and Dashnaktsutyun.
Turkmen Minister Gets 25 Years
Radio Free Europe
Ashgabat, April 26: Poran Berdiyev, former Turkmen interior minister and chairman of the National Security Committee, has been sentenced to 25 years in prison, Turkmen opposition site gundogar.org reported on 26 April. The report did not provide information on the exact charges against Berdiyev, who fell from favor in September 2002 in the wake of a failure to meet cotton-harvest targets.
5th Congress Of Patriots Party Of Kazakhstan
Kabar Agency
Almaty, April 26: The Patriots Party of Kazakhstan will not create any political obstructions and intends to independently participate in the parliamentary elections this coming autumn. The party`s members announced their decision at their 5th convention, during which they discussed political strategy. The participation of the Patriots Party of Kazakhstan into the coming Parliamentary elections was the main topic at the 5th congress of party. Gani Kasymov, leader of the party said that they have defined the strategy. However, the patriots say that they don`t rule out cooperation with other political associations. According to the party`s chairman, Gani Kasymov, they already discussed separate issues with members of `Asar` and `Akzhol.` In addition, the union of officer-reservists, which consists of 27 thousand people, recently joined the ranks of the patriots.
Georgian Exercises Should Not Lead To Attack On Ajaria - Leader
Interfax
Tbilisi, April 30: Ajarian leader Aslan Abashidze has said that the large-scale exercises of the Georgian armed forces beginning near Poti on Friday `should not develop into aggressive actions against the Ajarian autonomy because it would be the beginning of the end to Georgia.` `There is no alternative to the dialogue between the central authorities and the Ajarian leadership. This is our stance. Threats will only further unite people,` he said in an interview with Imedi television Thursday evening. In Abashidze`s opinion, the Council of Europe could take part in the dialogue. Commenting on Tbilisi`s declarations that Abashidze may be ousted and early local elections held in Ajaria he said that he did not hear any reasons why he should agree to such a move.
USA Deliver Equipment For US$516,600 To Uzbekistan
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, April 30: The US government has handed over equipment worth US$516,600 to the Ministry of Defence, border troops of the National Security Service and State Customs Committee of Uzbekistan on 30 April. Specialised equipment was delivered to Uzbekistan within the framework of the Export Control and Related Border Security Assistance (EXBS) and Aviation and Interdiction Project (AIP) programmes, financed by the US State Department. The aid included integrated protection helmet systems, diesel generator equipment, ship diesel engines and others. EXBS and AIP are being implemented by the Customs and Border Agency of the USA and are aimed at preventing spread of weapons of mass destruction, WMD delivery systems and other related technologies and weapons. Within the framework of these programmes, the USA render various assistance from technical seminars on licensing and legislature to granting equipments and training border and law-enforcement staff. Uzbekistan has received assistance worth US$7 million since the launch of EXBS in Uzbekistan in 2000. It is expected that equipment worth US$600,000 including night vision, metal detectors and other items will also be delivered to Uzbekistan soon. Next year, the US plan delivering equipment worth US$12.3 million within the framework of these two programmes.
Azerbaijan Prepared To Let Armenia Participate In NATO Exercise
Interfax
Baku, April 27: Azerbaijan is prepared to let Armenian officials attend the NATO military exercises in Baku in the fall, Remiz Melkov, head of the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry`s press service, told Interfax on Thursday. `NATO is organizing the exercise and we are prepared to see to it that every invitee, including Armenian Defense Ministry officials, attends it,` he said. `As a rule, Armenian military officers are unwilling to travel to Baku but try to claim their absence is the result of Azerbaijan`s obstruction,` Melikov said. NATO`s multinational exercise Cooperative Best Effort-2004 will be held in Baku in September 2004.
Georgia To Increase Contingent In Iraq
Interfax
Tbilisi, April 29: Georgia intends to increase its military contingent in Iraq by almost 250%, Director of the Georgian Defense Ministry`s defense policy and Euro-Atlantic integration department Nika Laliashvili told Interfax on Thursday. `The country`s leadership has made a decision to increase the Georgian military contingent to 550 people from the current 160 by June,` Laliashvili said. `The increase of the contingent`s number is an important political moment for us, enabling Georgia to prove its commitment to a strategic partnership with the U.S. and other members of the antiterrorist coalition,` he said.
Russian Troops Won`t Be Involved In Tbilisi-Batumi Conflict
Interfax
Moscow, April 28: The servicemen of the Russian 12th military base in Batumi will in no way be involved in the confrontation between the authorities of the autonomous republic of Ajaria within Georgia and the Georgian central authorities, said a high-ranking Russian military official. `No matter how tense the confrontation between the Georgian center and the authorities of the autonomous republic of Ajaria becomes, the personnel of the 12th Russian base stationed in Batumi will not be involved in it in any form,` Army Gen. Nikolai Kormiltsev, who serves as the commander-in-chief of the Russian Ground Forces and a deputy defense minister, told Interfax on Thursday.
Georgian War Games
The Moscow Times
Tbilisi, April 28: Georgia positioned more troops and armor close to Adzharia on Wednesday for a major military exercise certain to fuel tension with its defiant region. The three-day Dioscuria-2004 maneuvers start Friday as a standoff continues between new Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili and Adzharian leader Aslan Abashidze over control of the region. Abashidze denounced the exercise. `Tbilisi is heating up tensions to the extreme with such unprovoked actions,` he told Itar-Tass. But Saakashvili, on a visit to Poland, said Adzharia was not a target of the exercise at the Kulevi training ground, 30 kilometers from its border.
CIS Defense Ministers Council To Hold Next Session In Armenia
Interfax
Moscow, April 28: The CIS Council of Defense Ministers will hold its next session in the capital of Armenia on May 21, Colonel Alexander Nekrasov, chief of the council`s secretariat, said on Wednesday. `The next session of the CIS Defense Ministers Council, to be held in Yerevan on May 21 under the chairmanship of Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov, will address more than 20 issues related to further CIS integration in the military sphere,` Nekrasov told Interfax-Military News Agency. The session will focus on military and military-technical cooperation in the CIS framework. `In particular, participants in the session will consider the draft purpose-oriented program of comprehensive counteraction of CIS armed forces to aerial assault forces and assets, as well as implementation of the CIS Military- Technical Cooperation Program,` the colonel stressed.
Kazakhstan Favors Caspian Demilitarization
Interfax
Astana, April 28: Kazakhstan favors the idea that the Caspian area should be demilitarized, and this principle should be included in a convention on the Caspian legal status that is being developed, Kazakh First Deputy Foreign Minister Kairat Abuseitov said. Kazakhstan, however, would be prepared to support the proposal that the balance of armaments be preserved in the region, Abuseitov said at an international conference on the Caspian in Astana on Wednesday. `Taking into account the geopolitical situation in the Caspian region and respecting the positions of other countries involved in the negotiating process [on the Caspian legal status], Kazakhstan is prepared to support the opinion that the balance of armaments in the region should be preserved,` he said.
Kazakh Defence Minister Boosts China Ties
Radio Free Europe
Astana, April 27: Defense Minister Colonel General Mukhtar Altynbaev and his Chinese counterpart Cao Gangchuan signed a cooperation agreement in Peking on 27 April, KazInform reported the same day. Under the agreement, China will provide the Kazakh Army with aid worth 8 million yuans ($967,000). Between 1997 and 2003, Kazakh armed forces received 30 million yuans in aid from China. The news agency quoted Altynbaev as saying, `We are satisfied with the level of our military cooperation with China.`
Fifty Ajarian Special Force Troops Refuse To Obey Abashidze
Interfax
Tbilisi, April 27: About fifty servicemen from the Ajarian immediate response force left Ajarian territory on Tuesday and declared their refusal to obey orders from Ajarian leader Aslan Abashidze. `The immediate response unit, which is Aslan Abashidze`s main strike force, numbers up to 400 servicemen, and virtually all of them are only willing to follow orders from the supreme commander-in-chief, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili,` Georgian Deputy State Security Minister Gigi Ugulava told a press conference in Tbilisi.
Georgian Coastal Guards Finishing Exercise In Poti Seaport
Itar-Tass
Tbilisi, April 27: Forces of the coastal guard reporting to Georgia`s State Border Department are finishing an exercise in the seaport of Poti later Wednesday. It began April 26, with the first two days having been devoted to a headquarters exercise. Wednesday, the ships and craft of the service will go out to sea to simulate `interaction in detaining the vessels violating the maritime border`. For the coastal guards, the exercise was a rehearsal for a three-day major war game codenamed Dioscuria`2004 that will embrace all the branches of the Georgian Armed Forces. The action will be centered around the Kulevi testing ground and will engage 1,500 servicemen. Although the Kulevi war games are held annually, they have drawn special attention in the wake of persisting tensions between the central government in Tbilisi and the autonomous region of Adzharia this time. Poti is located a mere 30 kilometers away from its administrative border. Officials in Tbilisi say, however, the exercise was scheduled in advance and has no links to the situation in Adzharia.
Georgia To Increase Its Military Contingent In Iraq In June
Itar-Tass
Tbilisi, April 26: Georgia intends to increase the numerical strength of the Georgian peacekeepers in Iraq in June - from 159 to 550 men, a source at the Georgian Defense Ministry told Itar-Tass on Monday. The Georgian servicemen, who have been deployed in Tikrit, Beiji and Baghdad since April 7 patrol residential areas, guard military bases and installations. Georgia and the United States agreed on an increase in the Georgian contingent several months ago. Around 70 Georgian soldiers served in Iraq from August 2003 to February 2004. They suffered no losses.
Kyrgyz President Meets With NATO Official
Radio Free Europe
Bishkek, April 26: President Askar Akaev met with Jean Fournet, NATO assistant secretary-general for public diplomacy, on 26 April to discuss Kyrgyz-NATO cooperation, Kyrgyz Television reported the same day. The discussion focused on joint scientific projects, with Akaev pointing to the successes of the Great Silk Road program to provide high-speed Internet access to educational and scientific institutions. The two noted that the next stage of cooperation will involve measures to intensify the struggle against terrorism, akipress.org reported.
Decision To Send Armenian Army Transport Company To Iraq
Itar-Tass
Yerevan, April 26: The Military Command of Armenia has decided to send an army transport company to Iraq, where it is to take part in the country`s rehabilitation, Chief of the General Staff of the Armenian Armed Forces and First Deputy Defence Minister Colonel-General Mikhail Aratyunyan stated here on Monday. `This decision is yet to be considered by the Armenian parliament and endorsed by the president,` the general noted. Ready to be sent to Iraq is a company of sappers and three army physicians, he added. `We cannot overlook the fact that there is an Armenian community in Iraq, we must think of our future and must contribute to the restoration of Iraq,` the Chief of Staff believes.
Armenia, US Armed Forces Sign Agreement On Purchases And Supplies
Itar-Tass
Yerevan, Apriil 26: Armenia`s Armed Forces and the U.S. European Command signed an agreement on purchases and supplies on Monday. First Deputy Defence Minister Colonel-General Mikhail Arutyunyan, chief of Armenia`s General Staff, said on Monday the agreement will make it possible to provide logistical support to each other during different exercises with the following compensation on a mutual basis. All obligations `are of mutual nature and allow the armies of the two countries to establish ally relationship,` the Armenian general said. General Charles F. Wald, deputy commander of the U.S. European Command, said the agreement is very important both for the U.S. and Armenia. The agreement envisions fuelling up of American military planes at Armenia`s airfields. Armenian aircraft will be fuelled up at U.S. military bases in Europe.
Russia Handed Over Up-to-date Military-technical Equipment To Kyrgyz Defense Ministry
Kabar Agency
Bishkek, April 26: The ceremony of delivery of ammunition party and property for special purpose of Defense Ministry of the KR has taken place in Kant airbase. First party was handed over in October 23 of 2003. At the end of the program in June the repaired Kyrgyz helicopter Mi-8 MTV will be given. The repair of the helicopter is taken place in the Russian military workshop. The total amount of the military property is 3 million dollars of USA. Now Ministry of Defense possesses on grant base: new shooting weapon made in Russia such as `Kashtan`, `Gyurza`, `Pecheneg`, `Abakan`, its ammunition, optical equipment, sniper rifles, armor jackets and etc.,. The whole party of the given ammunition will be handed over to the special purpose forces and for support rapid deployment forces of CSTO. At the ceremony, the prime minister of the KR Nikolay Tanaev, Defense Minister Esen Topoev, general director of federal state unitary enterprise `Rosoboronexport` Anatoly Isaikin, military attaché of the foreign embassies, and other high-ranking officials have took part in.
Deputy Commander Of US Forces In Europe Goes To Armenia
Itar-Tass
Yerevan, April 25: The deputy commander of U.S. forces in Europe, Charles Wald, arrives in Armenia on Sunday for the second time since November 2003. The agenda of talks with the American general has not yet been announced, but it is expected that the talks will focus on Armenia`s cooperation with NATO within the framework of the partnership program as well as on bilateral military ties. Sources from the information department of the Armenian Defence Ministry told Tass that Charles Wald will meet with Armenia`s Defence Minister Serzh Sarkisyan and Chief of General Staff of Armenian Armed Forces, Mikhail Arutyunyan. The top guest is expected to meet with Armenian graduates from the George Marshall European Centre for Security Studies, which the USA set up in Germany.
SCO Regional Anti Terror Structure`s 2004-2006 Plan Approved
RIA Novosti
Tashkent, April 30: The council of the Regional Antiterror Structure of the countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, whose sitting ended in Tashkent on Friday, has approved the plan for cooperation in 2004-2006. The council considered the fulfilment of decisions taken by its first sitting in Tashkent (October 31, 2003) and the RAS current and future work, RIA Novosti learnt from RAS. It was stressed at the meeting that coming sitting of the SCO heads-of-state council, due in Tashkent on June 17, 2004, will be crucial for the further development and strengthening of the SCO, including in opposing the new challenges and threats. Participants unanimously condemned the recent acts of terrorism in Uzbekistan and Russia, entailing the loss of life, and expressed support for the leaderships and people of Uzbekistan and Russia in the struggle against terrorism in all its manifestations. It was stressed that terrorism, as before, threatens regional security and stability. In this connection, members of the council noted that the further development of cooperation within the SCO RAS framework in opposing terrorism is very important and topical. In the focus of attention of the council was work of the RAS executive committee, which became operational last January as provided for in the decisions of the SCO Moscow summit (May 2003).
Uzbek Leader Defends Muslim Crackdown, Attacks West
Reuters
Tashkent, April 29: Uzbekistan`s authoritarian President Islam Karimov signalled no let-up on Thursday in a crackdown on Islamic dissidents and accused the West of double standards in criticising his state as undemocratic. Last month Karimov`s 15-year rule of the former Soviet state suffered its biggest shock since a 1999 assassination attempt when militants fought street battles with police and set off bombs that killed 47, most of them militants and police. Prosecutors say the violence was organised by Uzbek Islamic `terrorists` trained on the Afghan-Pakistan border who were seeking to overthrow the state. Western human rights groups say the attacks have been used as a pretext to detain and harass Muslims, an accusation denied by Karimov. A trial of 45 people charged with involvement in the violence will be held later this year, Karimov said, adding that anyone who openly confessed to their crimes would be forgiven. But there would be no let-up for supporters of Hizb ut-Tahrir (Party of Liberation), a radical Islamic group that says it wants to set up an Islamic state across all of Central Asia by non-violent means. `Look you Westerners, understand this. We have a secular state that can be seen by many of its attributes, first and foremost the constitution,` he told reporters after giving a speech to parliament. `Why do you Westerners not worry that they are against all constitutions, the foundations of secular development. And you are trying to see in Hizb ut-Tahrir some kind of great martyrs or lambs who are fighting for their religious rights.`
JAILED MUSLIMS Human rights groups estimate that there are around 7,000 religious and political prisoners in Uzbek jails, many of them Hizb ut-Tahrir adherents and Muslims who do not subscribe to state-sponsored Islam.
Trial Of Uzbek Terrorists To Start In Late 2004
Interfax
Tashkent, April 29: The trial of the terrorists responsible for the terrorist acts committed in Uzbekistan in March may start at the end of the year, President Islam Karimov told the press on Thursday. The terrorist attacks in Tashkent and Bukhara region left 19 people dead and 26 injured. `The trial will be held in the most public way possible so as to rule out any speculation,` Karimov said. `Some groups are already saying that the Uzbek authorities are using the terrorist attacks as an excuse for reprisals against the people. This is slander, pure and simple,` he said. The investigation has confirmed that the organizers of the terrorist attacks are based in Southern Vaziristan, on the Pakistani- Afghan border, Karimov said.
U.S. Renews Warning On Risks In Kyrgyzstan
Agence France Presse
Washington DC, April 29: The United States has renewed a warning that extremist Islamic groups might be planning terrorist attacks against Americans or U.S. interests in the Central Asian republic of Kyrgyzstan. . The State Department said that radical organizations like the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan might be planning attacks against Americans or American interests.The movement is affiliated with Osama bin Laden`s Al Qaeda network, which authorities in nearby Uzbekistan have linked to recent deadly attacks there.
Kyrgyzstan Willing To Cooperate With China In Fighting `three Forces`: FM
Xinhua
Bishkek, April 28: Kyrgyzstan is willing to cooperate with China to fight against the three forces, KyrgyzstanForeign Minister Askar Aytmatov told Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing Wednesday in Shanghai. The two foreign ministers held a meeting here on the sideline of the 60th session of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). China and Kyrgyzstan have supported each other in the fight against the `three forces` of terrorism, separatism and religious extremism, said Li Zhaoxing. Li expressed his appreciation to Kyrgyzstan for its adherence to the one-China policy, and said China attaches great importance to developing a good neighborly friendship with Kyrgyzstan. `The two countries have enjoyed mutual trust in politics and mutual benefit in economic cooperation, since the diplomatic ties were forged 10 years ago,` Li said. Li said China is willing to make concerted efforts with Kyrgyzstan to promote the cooperation in politics, economy and trade and international affairs. Aytmatov reiterated Kyrgyzstan`s support of the one-China policy.
Tajikistan: Concern At New Islamic Group
Institute for War & Peace Reporting
Dushanbe, April 27: Despite keeping a watchful eye on Islamic groups, officials say they failed to notice a radical organisation until the killing of a Christian preacher. The emergence of a previously unknown radical Islamic group in Tajikistan, which the authorities accuse of murder and other crimes, is symptomatic of the government`s failure to address major social and religious concerns, analysts say. The Tajik prosecutor`s office announced on April 12 that police had arrested 20 people in the Isfara district of northern Tajikistan on charges relating to serious crimes, including the murder of a local Christian preacher earlier this year. The suspects offered armed resistance before being captured, the prosecutor`s office said, and weapons were subsequently found in their homes. All 20 are alleged to have been members of an Islamic group called Bayat - `pledge` in Arabic - rather than either of two better-known outlawed organisations known to have operated in the region, Hizb-ut-Tahrir and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, IMU. Nor is there a known link to the Islamic Revival Party, IRP, a legal political party in Tajikistan. Tajik security forces admit they have only just found out about the existence of Bayat, but say they believe some of its members were formerly in Afghanistan fighting on the side of the Taleban militia. They think some were captured by US forces in late 2001, and are being held at the Guantanamo Bay detention centre. Security forces also believe Bayat may have links with the IMU, a guerrilla group active in this part of the Fergana valley in past years, which was also a Taleban ally. Until evidence to the contrary appears, the signs are that Bayat is specific to Isfara, and in particular the small town of Chorkuh, where Islam is unusually strong - women here are commonly seen wearing hejab rather than traditional Tajik dress. The IRP did well in the area in the 2000 parliamentary election, and the clandestine Hizb-ut-Tahrir has also been active. In a July 2002 speech expressing concern about Islamic activism in Isfara, President Imomali Rahmonov said three men from the district were being detained in Guantanamo Bay. After his speech, the authorities clamped down by closing a third of some 150 mosques operating in Isfara district, and withdrawing official recognition from a number of imams or prayer-leaders. The IRP complained about these actions, saying they were a deliberate attempt to weaken its legitimate political support. The government has also been acting against the illegal Hizb-ut-Tahrir, arresting and jailing members in northern Tajikistan. But it appears to have missed the rise of Bayat. According to accounts from sources in the security services, Bayat has pursued a particularly radical agenda. Sources in the prosecutor office told IWPR that the group started out with the aim of providing informal security guards for local mosques and shrines. But they then began attacking and setting fire to other mosques whose leaders, they believed, were stooges for the Tajik government. The most serious accusation against the suspects is that they were behind the killing of Baptist pastor Sergei Bessarab, who was shot dead as he was praying on January 12. Despite the rise of radical Islam in Central Asia, attacks on Christians have been rare, in part because most belong to the Russian Orthodox church, which does not seek to convert Muslim Central Asians. However, smaller Protestant groups such as the Baptists cause more unease by their active proselytising. Analysts in Tajikistan say the government has badly mishandled the perceived threat from Islamic groups, using heavy-handed methods which only encourage fresh recruits, and failing to address the social and economic roots of the discontent which feeds radicalism in the impoverished Fergana valley region.
Tashkent Blasts Are Blamed On Islamic Radicals
RIA Novosti
Bishkek, April 26: A series of terrorist blasts in Tashkent in late March were plotted and perpetrated by Islamic radicals and did not involve Uzbekistan`s opposition forces, Vyacheslav Kasymov, Director of the Executive Committee of the Regional Anti-terrorist Centre of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (which is composed of Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan), said in Bishkek on Monday. The Uzbek security service`s intelligence proves that the blasts were plotted and staged by Jaamat fighters. They are believed to have rented flats not far from the scenes in advance. They used improvised explosive devices stuffed with saltpetre and aluminium powder. `The terrorist acts were financed by forces outside the republic, which seek instability in Central Asia,` said Mr. Kasymov. A mobile phone was found on the scene. Investigators found out that the terrorists had talked with someone in the neighbouring Kazakhstan. Uzbekistan`s law enforcers and their counterparts in Kazakhstan have agreed to join efforts in investigating these acts of terrorism.
Uzbek Teen Changed Into Possible Bomber
Associated Press
Tashkent, April 25: Smiling and waving a V-sign in family photos, Dilnoza Khalmuradova appears the very image of prosperity as depicted in propaganda posters across the Uzbek capitalan energetic child rushing between activities, learning English and studying to be a police officer. That was before her transformation beginning a couple of years ago, her parents said, into a zealous Muslim who studied Arabic so she could read the Quran and always wore a veiland ending when she allegedly blew herself up March 29 at a Tashkent bazaar in the country`s first-ever suicide attack. Authorities say 19-year-old Khalmuradova killed two police officers and a 4-year-old child, part of a chain of other suicide attacks, assaults on police and explosions that killed at least 47 people, mostly alleged militants. Her older sister, Shakhnoza, is now on the run, accused in wanted posters as a would-be `kamikaze.` President Islam Karimov has said the perpetrators were brainwashed, and he has urged teachers to help students resist such influences. The country`s top prosecutor says the militants were influenced by extremist groups, and some were trained abroad by al-Qaida Arabs.
Session Of CDF Council Held In Bishkek
Kabar Agency
Bishkek, April, 30: The National Council on realization of Comprehensive Development Framework (CDF) till 2010 under the chairmanship of Kyrgyz president Askar Akaev has passed in Bishkek. During the meeting, the report on CDF realization and National Strategy of Poverty Reduction in 2003 was listened and approved. The Kyrgyz PM Nikolay Tanaev, chief of the presidential administration Toychubek Kasymov, vice prime minister Ularbek Mateev, speakers of both chambers of the Parliament, governors, leaders of ministries and departments of Kyrgyzstan have taken part in the session. During the meeting Finance minister Bolot Abildaev has informed participants on budget forming of Kyrgyzstan for 2005 on program base.
Kazakhs Vow To Fill Disputed Pipeline
Reuters
Astana, April 29: Western and Russian oil companies operating in Kazakhstan will start filling Ukraine`s Odessa-Brody pipeline in the second half of the year, the head of Kazakh state oil firm KazMunaiGas said Thursday. Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma expressed anger earlier this week at a lack of public commitments by Caspian producers to the line, which could ship 14 million tons of oil per year (280,000 barrels per day) from the Black Sea port of Odessa to Brody on the Polish border. Kuchma kept up the pressure Thursday, saying in Kiev that Ukraine probably won`t win contracts to ship oil from the Caspian region to Europe anytime soon and may need to consider sending Russian oil instead. `Today, there are no sellers and no buyers,` Kuchma said, broadcast by UT-1 state television. `This is what the tragedy is about.` BP`s Russian venture, TNK-BP, urged Ukraine to let it transport Russian oil through the pipeline to the Black Sea. Ukraine rejected that offer, saying it would first try to win contracts to ship oil from the Caspian region to Europe. The United States has been urging Ukraine to concentrate on shipping oil from Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan, rather than Russia, via the pipeline. If America and other companies working in the Caspian region were interested in shipping oil via the pipeline, they would have already sought an arrangement with the government, Kuchma said. `If we keep being picky, Ukraine will be bypassed [by oil producers] and no one will need those pipes,` he said. But KazMunaiGas managing director Kairgeldy Kabyldin suggested a deal had already been reached with members of the Tengizchevroil consortium -- grouping his company with ChevronTexaco, ExxonMobil, BP and Russia`s LUKoil.
Ernst & Young: Kazakhstan To Become Important Destination For Oil, Service Companies
Kazakhstan News
Houston, April 29: Kazakhstan stands on the threshold of becoming an important destination for oil companies and service companies, Ernst & Young LLP tax analysts said Thursday at a UK-former Soviet Union seminar in Aberdeen. Kashagan, one of the largest oil discoveries in the last 30 years, is projected to have ultimate production of as much as 13 billion bbl (OGJ Online, June 28, 2002). Development will be implemented in multiple phases: Initial production of 75,000 b/d of oil will begin in 2008, with later phases ramping up to 450,000 b/d of oil and subsequently reaching a plateau of 1.2 million b/d of oil. Capital investment for Kashagan`s full field development currently is estimated at $29-30 billion during 15 years, with the first phase¿currently under way¿expected to amount to $10 billion (OGJ Online, Feb. 24, 2004). Meanwhile, it is estimated that overall oil and gas investment in Kazakhstan could be worth $150 billion by 2015, said Gerard Anderson, Ernst & Young tax partner in Kazakhstan. Much of this capital is expected to come from Russian and Western investors.
Soros Foundation Violated Uzbek Legislation - Karimov
Interfax
Tashkent, April 29: The Soros Open Society Institute (OSI) branch in Uzbekistan has been closed due to violations of Uzbek legislation, President Islam Karimov told reporters on Thursday. `This organization is responsible for several serious violations of legislation, and some aspects of the foundation`s work contributed to ethnic tensions,` Karimov said. OSI showed favoritism and `selected representatives of the Uzbek intelligentsia` who could be used in anti-constitutional activities, Karimov said. The president said he has `nothing personal against Mr. [George] Soros` and has never met him. George Soros told a news conference in Bishkek on Tuesday that he believes the shutdown of OSI in Uzbekistan could have a negative impact on the country`s budget. He also denied that OSI had violated any of Uzbekistan`s laws.
Iran Keen On Cooperation With Caspian States On Oil Shipment
IRNA
Sari, April 29: Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh said on Thursday Iran is keen on cooperation with neighboring Caspian states for shipping oil to outside world. Iran takes delivery of oil from Caspian neighboring states at northern Neka terminal and returns the same amount for shipment to their customers in the Persian Gulf terminals on a swap deal. Speaking to reporters at the inaugural ceremony of Neka-Rey pipeline, Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh said that one million barrel a day (bpd) oil from the Caspian Sea littoral states can be transferred with no need to establish long pipelines. `Iran is the shortest, most economical and secure route for oil transfer of the Caspian Sea littoral states to the international high seas,` he said. `Feasible study on Iran`s oil industry and network in 1998 has showed us there exists the possibility of transfer of parts of Caspian Sea oil with no need for establishing long pipeline,` he said.
KazMunaiGaz EP To Become Kazakhstan`s No. 2 Oil Company
Interfax
Astana, April 28: KazMunaiGaz Exploration and Production (KazMunaiGaz EP) is set to become Kazakhstan`s second biggest oil company in terms of recoverable reserves and oil production, Zhakyp Marabayev, its general director, told the 1st International Forum Caspian Region: Politics, Economics, Business in Astana. `KazMunaiGaz EP will be our country`s second biggest company after TengizChevroil with about 280 million tonnes of recoverable reserves and more than 8 million tonnes of oil produced this year,` Marabayev said. KazMunaiGaz EP is the product of a merger between KazMunaiGaz subsidiaries OzenMunaiGaz and EmbaMunaiGaz. Marabayev said KazMunaiGaz EP was developing 44 fields containing 280 million tonnes of oil and making an extensive effort to intensify production. This is producing a significant increase in oil production, even though more than 60% of the reserves have been depleted and most of the oil left is hard to lift owing to its high viscosity and poor accessibility. But methods like hydrofrac, side-tracking and electric and thermal bed stimulation have been successful and yielded reserves growth of 200,000-250,000 tonnes.
Kazakhstan Declares Its Position On Dividing Caspian Sea
Kabar Agency
Astana, April 28: It is necessary to agree on the division of the water area of the Caspian Sea into zones and define their status, Kazakhstani Deputy Foreign Minister Kairat Abuseitov declared at the first international Caspian forum in Astana (Kazakhstan). He admitted that Caspian states had disagreements over this issue. `We stand for commonly recognized international practices, according to them, the Caspian Sea is to be divided into territorial waters, fishing areas and open sea. At the same time, external borders of territorial waters must be state borders,` he specified.
Azerbaijan Hopes To Include Kazakhstan In BTC In 2004
Interfax
Astana, April 28: Azerbaijan hopes that Kazakhstan will become a participant in the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan project in 2004, Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister Khalaf Khalafov said at the forum Caspian: Politics, Economics, Business in Astana on Wednesday. `At the moment 34 companies from 16 countries are participating in transport projects in the Caspian region. Azerbaijan considers the Baku- Tbilisi-Ceyhan and Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum pipeline projects to be the main ones,` he said. The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan and Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum projects are `necessary conditions` for the economic development of the Caspian region and will strengthen its energy security,` he said. He said that Azerbaijan shares the position of Kazakhstan regarding the laying of pipelines along the Caspian seabed. Kazakh First Deputy Foreign Minister Kairat Abuseitov said at the forum that Kazakhstan is against having to agree laying underwater communications and pipeline in the Caspian with all of the littoral states. These issues should be agreed with the Caspian states through whose sectors they pass, and not with all states in the region, he said.
Reserves At Kazakhstan Sector Of Caspian Total 15 Bln Tonnes
Interfax
Astana, April 28: Hydrocarbon reserves at the Kazakh sector of the Caspian are estimated to total 15 billion tonnes in equivalent fuel, Deputy Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Lyazzat Kiinov said in Astana on Thursday. `Proven hydrocarbon resources reserves, including on land, consist of 4 billion tonnes of oil and 3 billion cubic meters of gas. Reserves at the Kazakh sector of the Caspian, according to predicted estimates, total 15 billion tonnes of equivalent fuel. The situation today indicates that total production of hydrocarbon resources, with intensive extraction, may reach 150 million to 170 million tonnes of oil equivalent by 2015,` Kiinov said at a conference called: Caspian: Politics, Economy, Business. The Kazakh sector of the Caspian Sea contains over 60% of Kazakhstan`s predicted reserves, he said. Kazakhstan produced about 52 million tonnes of oil and condensate in 2003 and 14 billion cubic meters of gas. It plans to produce 55 million to 57 million tonnes of oil and 16 billion cubic meters of gas in 2004. The country in 2003 adopted a state program on developing the Caspian offshore section to 2015, which is to be implemented in three phases: 2002-2005, 2006-2010, and 2011-2015, Kiinov said.
Direct Foreign Investment In Kyrgyzstan Rose 27% In 2003
Interfax
Bishkek, April 28: Kyrgyzstan drew $146 million in direct foreign investment in 2003, an increase of 27% against 2002, Kyrgyz Deputy Prime Minister Dzhoomart Otorbayev announced. `Over the past three years, direct foreign investment in the republic has increased by 65%,` Otorbayev told a roundtable conference on drawing UNIDO investment on Wednesday. He said `a good investment climate has been created in the republic over the past few years due to the removal of administrative barriers, and the adoption of laws making the market friendly for investors.`
Int`l Conference In Kazakhstan To Discuss Caspian Sea Status
Itar-Tass
Astana, April 27: An international forum on political, economic, and business aspects of the Caspian Sea status opens in Astana, capital of Kazakhstan, later Wednesday. Sources at Kazakhstan`s Press Club said focus would be given to the legal status of the sea, a vast inland water reservoir rich in marine biological resources and having some of the world`s most lucrative deposits of crude oil and natural gas. Regional cooperation, implementation of strategic projects pertaining to the Caspian hydrocarbon resources, and investment incentives will dominate the discussions, the sources said. Also, the participants will look at the prospects of crude oil production on the Caspian Sea shelf and consider protection of the unique flora and fauna of the area.
Soros Says Foundation Closure May Damage Uzbekistan`s Finances
Interfax
Bishkek, April 27: U.S. financier George Soros on Tuesday warned that Uzbekistan`s closure of the Open Society Institute in Tashkent could damage the country`s finances and accused the Uzbek government of repressive rule. Soros told a briefing in Bishkek that the Open Society Institute Assistance Foundation-Uzbekistan (OSIAF-Uzbekistan), which was closed when its registration was revoked, had complied with Uzbek law. He also said Uzbekistan was ruled by a repressive government, that there were about 7,000 political prisoners in the country today and that torture was a serious problem there. Earlier, the British newspaper Guardian said Soros had been Uzbekistan`s largest financial donor. He had invested $22 million since 1996 under projects to build civil society in the country. In 2003, he spent $3.7 million on Uzbek healthcare, education and economics, the Guardian said. The New York-based Open Society Institute (OSI) said on its website that the decision to close OSIAF-Uzbekistan `came after international organizations working in the country were told that they would have to re-register.`
Turkey Hopes Kazakhstan Will Join Gas Pipeline Project
Kabar Agency
Almaty, April 27: Turkey said it hopes Kazakhstan will join the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum gas pipeline project. `Once Kazakhstan`s joining the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline project has been resolved Kazakhstan will consider joining the Shah Deniz - Baku - Tbilisi - Erzurum pipeline project,` Turkish Ambassador Taner Seben said in Almaty. `Then, Kazakhstan`s policy on the multi-vectorality of pipelines will be continued,` Seben said. It is anticipated Kazakhstan`s joining the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan project will be decided by the end of 2004, Seben said. Kazakhstan expects
o pump 10 million-20 million tonnes of oil per year along the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline.
Kazakhstan, China May Formalize Oil Pipeline Plan In May
Interfax
Almaty, April 26: A 1997 plan to construct a pipeline that would carry oil from Kazakhstan to China may be formalized definitively next month. `There is a plan for [Kazakh President Nursultan] Nazarbayev to pay a visit in May to China, where this matter will be discussed. If experts finish work on this agreement, it will be signed during that state visit,` Kazakh First Deputy Foreign Minister Kairat Abuseitov told the `Caspian and Central Asia` session of the Third Eurasian Media Forum in Almaty. `To a certain extent, it is interesting for all Caspian countries to receive access to the rapidly growing provinces of China. It is not only a chance for Caspian states but also for other countries, European countries, in particular,` Abuseitov said. The pipeline, which is to carry a minimum of 20 million tonnes of oil a year, would be about 3,000 kilometers long and cost about $3 billion to construct. Kazakhstan and China reached a fundamental agreement on the project in 1997.
Kazakhstan To Limit Exchange Rate Fluctuations
Radio Free Europe
Astana, April 26: President Nursultan Nazarbaev met with Finance Minister Arman Dunaev on 26 April to discuss the regulation of financial markets, Khabar TV reported the same day. The two agreed that steps must be taken to safeguard the national currency -- the tenge -- against increases in value that could undercut the competitiveness of Kazakh exporters. The president also suggested that the cabinet should consider a program for the development of the insurance industry, as well as changes to the law on joint-stock companies and securities markets, KazInform reported. In the same meeting, National Bank chairman Anvar Saydenov delivered the bank`s annual report to the president.
Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan Want Various Caspian Oil Pipe Routes
Interfax
Almaty, April 24: Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan said on Saturday that other routes should be used to carry Caspian oil to international markets in addition to existing facilities such as the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline, which is currently under construction. `The Caspian region possesses large resources for supplying international markets. Azerbaijan favors a variety of options for pipeline systems,` Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister Xalaf Xalafov told a conference in Almaty. `As for [the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan] pipeline, we are holding negotiations with Kazakhstan, which actively supports the construction of this pipeline. I think that in 2004, Kazakhstan will also link up to this pipeline.` But other options are also possible `if Caspian states possess facilities and reserves that will commercially justify the construction of new [pipelines],` Xalafov said. Kazakh First Deputy Foreign Minister Kairat Abuseitov spoke in the same vein. `Diversifying routes for the transportation of oil resources is on the agenda. I think that in this respect we are correct from the point of view of geopolitics, security and economic expediency,` he said.
UZSE Celebrates Its 10-year Anniversary
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, April 24: On Friday April 23 Uzbekistan Stock Exchange (UZSE) celebrated its 10-year anniversary. During the celebration, which was held in the main trading floor of the Exchange, several employees of the exchange were congratulated with special presents of the chairman for their hard work and contribution to the development of the exchange. Head of the State Property (Goskomimushestvo) and Entrepreneurship Support Committee Mr Mahmudjon Askarov also congratulated the exchange staff and all the other securities market participants. Executive director of the Association of Stock Exchanges of CIS countries, deputy general director of Moscow Interbank Currency Exchange (MICEX) and deputy head of the Ukrainian Interbank Currency Exchange were also present in the event.
Gul Meets With Information Minister Abdrahmanov Of Kazakhstan
Anadolu Agency
Ankara, April 30: Turkish Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul met on Friday with Information Minister Saytbek Abdrahmanov of Kazakhstan. Abdrahmanov earlier had a meeting with State Minister Besir Atalay. State Minister Atalay stressed that Turkey and Kazakhstan made cooperation in every field. Abdrahmanov said that Turkey was the first country to recognize the Republic of Kazakhstan. Abdrahmanov noted that they wanted to make good use of Turkey`s experiences in press and publication.
Trade Secretary Lauds US Investment In Kazakhstan
Radio Free Europe
Astana, April 29: U.S. Trade Secretary Donald Evans told attendees at a 27 April conference in Washington, D.C. that he expects American companies to increase their investments in the Kazakh economy, KazInform reported on 29 April. `The $6 billion that American companies have invested in Kazakhstan in the form of foreign direct investment is an impressive figure,` Evans said, `and we expect that it will rise.` Presidential advisor Grigorii Marchenko, Trade and Industry Minister Adilbek Jaksybekov, Economy and Budget Minister Qayrat Kelimbetov, and KazMunaiGaz president Uzakbai Karabalin represented Kazakhstan at the conference, which focused on new business opportunities in Kazakhstan. U.S. First Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage also spoke at the conference.
Russia, Uzbekistan To Sign Agreement On Strategic Partnership
RIA Novosti
Tashkent, April 29: Russia and Uzbekistan are to sign an agreement on strategic partnership, said Uzbek President Islam Karimov.According to him, the agreement will be a result of his recent meeting with Vladimir Putin in Moscow. `Both sides are working on this document. It will outline political, economic, humanitarian, military and strategic issues,` Mr. Karimov told journalists. `President Vladimir Putin and I had a sincere discussion for 3.5-4 hours. We exchanged opinions and worked out common positions on the most important bilateral and multilateral issues,` the Uzbek President noted. `The boosting of Russian investment projects in Uzbekistan, first of all, in oil and gas sphere, speak for itself,` Islam Karimov stressed.
Council Of Europe Head Offers To Mediate In Armenian Standoff
Radio Free Europe
Strasbourg, April 29: The secretary general of the Council of Europe, Walter Schwimmer, on Wednesday called on the Armenian government and the opposition to resolve their bitter dispute through negotiation and offered to mediate in such a dialogue. `The Council of Europe supports the dialogue between the authorities and the opposition, and has a successful experience of sponsoring it in various countries,` Schwimmer told a news conference in Strasbourg. He said his permanent representative in Yerevan, Natalia Voutova, is ready to assist in arranging direct contacts between the two sides. The offer came just hours before the organization`s Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) was due to discuss the tense situation in Armenia.
Presidents Of Kazakhstan And Uzbekistan Talked By Telephone
Kabar Agency
Astana, April 29: On Thursday evening according to initiative of the Uzbek side the President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev talked by telephone to the Uzbek leader, Islam Karimov. As press service of the Kazakhstani President informed, the leaders informed each other about the economical and political situation in the countries. The regional security was the main topic of conversation, as the Presidents emphasized, it is the factor of stability and investment attraction of the state. Islam Karimov told Nursultan Nazarbayev about the investigation of terrorist acts that happened in Uzbekistan one month ago. Heads of two states discussed the possibility of joint actions of special services on struggle against terrorism and extremism in Central Asia.
Iran, Kazakhstan To Set Joint Transport Company
Interfax
Astana, April 29: Iran plans to set up a joint transport company with Kazakhstan to ship oil through the Caspian from the Kazakh port of Aktau to the Iranian ports of Neka and Amirabad, Iranian Ambassador to Kazakhstan Murzato Saffori told Interfax. The diplomat said that the oil transport company Naftiran Intertrade Company would participate in this project from the Iranian side. Iran assumes that the Kazakh participant in the venture will be KazMunaiGaz, Saffori said. Iran announced at the end of March that it expects oil supplies from Kazakhstan to double under a swap scheme over the next two months.
Turkmenistan Surprised At Russian Minister`s Comments
Radio Free Europe
Ashgabat, April 29: Turkmen officials expressed `surprise` on 29 April at Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov`s recent voicing of concern over the rights of Turkmenistan`s Russian minority, turkmenistan.ru reported the same day. A spokesperson for Turkmenistan`s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Lavrov`s comments `do not match the real situation, about which the Russian side has already received detailed information.` The spokesperson termed `strange and inexplicable` Lavrov`s assertion that the Russian-Turkmen commission on citizenship, which has not met since the summer of 2003, will soon renew its sessions.
Lyudmila Putin Visits Kazakhstan
RIA Novosti
Almaty, April 29: Russian and Kazakh first ladies Lyudmila Putin and Sara Nazarbayev took part in the closing ceremony of the third international Russian language contest of school-leavers from the CIS and Baltic states. Lyudmila Putin thanked the participants for their candid interest in the Russian language. `This is an inter-ethnic language, one of the world`s six most widely spread languages,` she noted. `This status of the Russian language is justified not only by the number of its speakers, but also by its contribution into world culture,` said the Russian President`s wife. Lyudmila Putin congratulated contest winners. `Your awards are not so important as you unity and common choice of the Russian language,` she said. `Future politicians and diplomats, you are already consolidating international relations and laying down the foundation for peaceful and stable future,` the first lady said. Before the closing ceremony Lyudmila Putin talked to winners, asked them about their impressions and wished them new successes and victories.
Iranian Oil Companies To Take Part In Kazakh Tenders
Interfax
Astana, April 29: Iranian oil companies will take part in tenders for the development of new oil blocs in the Kazakh sector of the Caspian Sea. `Both state and private oil companies from Iran will apply for Kazakhstan`s tenders for the development of blocs in the Kazakh sector of the Caspian Sea,` Iranian Ambassador to Kazakhstan Murtazo Saffori told Interfax. He said the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) and its subsidiaries, as well as the private companies Petrokhazar and Petropars would take part in the tenders.
Armenian, Azerbaijani Presidents Meet
Radio Free Europe
Yerevan, April 28: Robert Kocharian and Ilham Aliyev met on 28 April in Warsaw on the sidelines of the European Economic Summit to resume their discussion of approaches to resolving the Karabakh conflict, Turan reported. The two-hour talks were preceded by a brief conversation with the three co-chairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group. Speaking to journalists afterward, Aliyev characterized his one-on-one talks with Kocharian as `constructive,` and said that they both reaffirmed their commitment to resolving the conflict peacefully. Kocharian for his part concurred with Aliyev`s comments adding that `we will try to promote the more active involvement` of the two countries` foreign ministers in seeking a solution to the conflict, according to Azertaj as cited by Groong. Kocharian added that the foreign ministers will meet again next month, but did not disclose a venue or precise date. Neither president gave any hint of when their ongoing dialogue will be continued.
Uzbek FM To Visit Ukraine On May 10-11
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, April 28: Foreign Minister of Uzbekistan Sadyk Safaev will pay an official visit to Ukraine on 10-11 May 2004, according to the spokesman of Ukraine Foreign Ministry Markiyan Lubkivskiy. Lubkivskiy said that Uzbek Foreign Minister will meet senior officials of Ukraine and discuss issues on bilateral cooperation and improvement of relations in different industries. Strengthening of political interaction between Ukraine and Uzbekistan, use of potential in trade-economic, scientific-technical and humanitarian cooperation will be on the agenda of discussions.
Officials Of Russia, Tajikistan Discuss Cooperation With Euro Asian Economic Commonwealth
RIA Novosti
Dushanbe, April 28: Tajikistan believes the Euro-Asian Economic Commonwealth is instrumental in helping it resolve its major economic problems, Grigory Rapota, Secretary-General of the EuroAsEC, told RIA in an exclusive interview after his meeting with Tajik Prime Minister Akil Akilov. The two men met ahead of a session of the EuroAsEC Integration Committee today. `We had a frank exchange of opinions on problems facing Tajikistan` and considered possible solutions to them, Rapota said. The sides reportedly discussed Tajikistan`s involvement in EuroAsEC projects as well as its cooperation with Russia. `The emphasis was made on the necessity of cooperating in the electricity sector and on migration issues,` the EuroAsEC Secretary-General specified. ral countries before they get to Russia; this is why the travel rules for Tajikistan should be relaxed, Rapota said.
CAC Parliamentarians To Meet In Kazakhstan On 5 May
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, April 28: Second session of Central Asian Cooperation Organisation`s (CAC) parliamentarians will be held in Almaty on 5 May, according to official website of Kazakh parliament. CAC MPs will consider issues of harmonisation of national legislations of CAC member states in fighting terrorism, extremism and illegal drug trafficking. It is also expected that parliamentarians will discuss creation of a permanent working body on the parliamentary speakers` level. Central Asian Cooperation Organisation, founded on 28 February 2002, unites Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. First session of CAC parliamentarians took place in Tashkent in November 2002.
Further Postponement For Ukrainian President`s Turkmenistan Visit
Radio Free Europe
Ashgabat, April 28: A planned 4 May visit by Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma to Turkmenistan will not take place as scheduled, ITAR-TASS reported on 28 April, citing a Turkmen government source. The two leaders were to have signed a 25-year agreement on the export of Turkmen natural gas to Ukraine. This is at least the fourth time the visit and signing have been postponed.
Kazakhstani President Inks Law Ratifying Cee Formation Agreement
RIA Novosti
Astana, April 28: On Wednesday Nursultan Nazarbaev, President of Kazakhstan, has signed the law On the Ratification of the Agreement on Forming the Common Economic Environment, his press service told RIA Novosti. The agreement targets the creation of conditions for the stable and efficient development of the participants` economies and a higher standard of living. The main goals of the agreement are - formation of a free-trade zone without exemptions and limitations, which intends non-application in mutual trade of antidumping, compensatory or special protective measures on the basis of conducting a single tariff and non-tariff regulation policy, single rules of competition, use of subsidies and other forms of state support; creation of conditions for free movement of goods, services, capital and workforce. The goals, targets, principles, directions, institutional basics for forming the CEE, interaction in the holding of talks towards joining the World Trade Organisation are set in the supplement to the Agreement on the Concept of Forming the CEE, which is an inalienable part of the document.
Cross Project` Boosts Iran-Central Asia Ties
Tehran Times
Tehran, April 28: Implementation of `cross project` for transferring the Central Asian crude will strengthen political, trade and cultural ties between Iran and the Asian nations, a senior official said. Managing-Director of the National Iranian Oil Engineering and Construction Company Reza Kasaeizadeh also said that the project is economically lucrative. `Iran route is inexpensive, secure and stable. We ourselves consume crude produced in Central Asia,` he told PIN in an interview. `We have struck deals for transfer of crude from Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Russia. But we sign our agreements not directly with the countries but with companies like the British Petroleum,` he said. The official added that the Central Asian countries supply both heavy and light crude. `The only problem may be existence of salt in their crude and we have to adjust our refineries,` Kasaeizadeh said. For Russia, swap deals with Iran are a new way to increase its oil exports and decrease its costs, while diversifying its methods. In this case, Russian crude oil will be used in Iran`s northern refineries for domestic consumption in return for an equivalent amount of Iranian oil delivered to Russia`s designated buyers at Iran`s Persian Gulf oil terminals.
Turkey Ready To Broaden Relations With Armenia
Interfax
Moscow, April 28: Turkey is prepared to broaden relations with Armenia, if that country shows it is willing to expand contacts with Turkey, Turkish Ambassador to Russia Kurtulus Taskent told a press conference in Moscow on Wednesday. `We would like to establish good relations with Armenia,` he said. However, he expressed regret that Armenia has territorial claims against Turkey. `Of course, no one is strong enough to take away territory from Turkey,` he said. If all these aspects in Armenia`s policy regarding Turkey are settled, relations will develop intensively, the ambassador said. One cannot say that there are no relations at all between Turkey and Armenia. `They do exist and the leaders of both countries meet and discuss their future. Business contacts are being maintained, as well,` he said.
Kazakhstan Interested In Having Common Economic Environment With Russia, Ukraine And Belarus
RIA Novosti
Strasbourg, April 27: Kazakhstan is interested in forming a common economic environment with Russia, Ukraine and Belarus, Nurtai Abykaev, chairman of the senate (upper parliamentary chamber) of Kazakhstan, told the press conference in the Palace of Europe in Strasbourg. `Kazakhstan is sure that the common economic environment can be built up as capable of removing the customs barriers and ensuring the free movement of goods, services and capital`, Abykaev said answering questions from journalists. He is in Strasbourg for signing the cooperation accord between the parliament of Kazakhstan and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. The chief senator recalled that Kazakhstan together with Russia initiated the formation of the common economic environment and is now `going to implement the decision adopted`.
Results Of Conference On German Foreign Policy In Central Asia
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, April 27: Tashkent hosted a conference on issues of German foreign policy in the fields of culture and education in Central Asia on 20-21 April. 35 high-ranking representatives of German Foreign Ministry (FM), as well as different intermediate organisations in cultural sphere participated in the forum. These were Goethe Institute, German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), Central Office for Schools Abroad (ZfA), Konrad Adenauer Foundation, Friedrich Ebert Foundation, German People´s Universities Association, Technical Cooperation Society and Deutsche Welle. The conference reflects the high interest of Germany in further deepening of cooperation with Central Asian countries, including through foreign policy tools in the field of culture and education. Central Asia is the first, and still the only region in the world, for which the German FM jointly with intermediate organisations has developed a concept specially for culture and education. On results of the conference, participants prepared a final document consisting of 15 conclusions envisaging more effective implementation of partnership and regional collaboration, UzA reported quoting German Embassy in Tashkent. The conclusions cover expansion of teaching of German, as well as achievement of positive effect due to unification of resources.
Iran, Azerbaijan Stress Cooperation On Communications
Tehran Times
Baku, April 27: Iran and Azeirbaijan here Tuesday reviewed mutual cooperation in fields of communications and technology information. Azeri Minister of Communications and Information Ali Abbasov and Iran`s Ambassador to Baku Ahad Qazaei, in a meeting, stressed on strengthening mutual cooperation in field of communications technology. Referring to the amicable ties and adjacency between Iran and Azerbaijan, the two sides also discussed mutual relations.
Presdient Askar Akaev Meets Director General Of US Peace Corps Gadi Waskez
Kabar Agency
Bishkek, April 27: President Askar Akaev of the Kyrgyz Republic has met with Director General of US Peace Corps Gadi Waskez. According to the presidential press service of Kyrgyzstan, A. Akaev, during the meeting, noted that Kyrgyzstan attaches great importance to the visit of US Corps to Bishkek as demonstration of good will in further development and strengthening friendly relations. Noting the role of Peace Corps in professional and lingual training of youths, President A. Akaev said that Kyrgyzstan considers the activity of volunteers in the field of education as investment in the future of the republic. The Director General of US Peace Corps, in his turn, noted his intention to expand educational programmes in Kyrgyzstan. He on behalf of Peace Corps invited the leader of Kyrgyzstan to visit the Washington Office and deliver a speech there.
Russian, Turkmen Presidents Discuss Cooperation By Phone
RIA Novosti
Moscow, April 27: Russian President Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation with his Turkmen counterpart Saparmurat Niyazov on Tuesday, the Kremlin press service told RIA Novosti. `The heads of state discussed vital issues of Russian-Turkmen cooperation, in particular, in fuel and energy sphere. They also considered bilateral and multilateral cooperation to provide security and stability in the Central Asian and Caspian regions,` the press service said.
PACE, Kazakh Parliament Sign Agreement On Cooperation
Itar-Tass
Starsbourg, April 27: The Parliament of Kazakhstan and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) have signed an agreement on cooperation in Strasbourg on Tuesday. The agreement opens a new stage in the PACE`s cooperation with countries which are not CE members, PACE Chairman Peter Schieder said at the signing ceremony. The singing of the agreement became possible as Kazakhstan moved further on along the path of democratisation and fulfilled a number of PACE democratic requirements. For instance, it introduced a moratorium on capital punishment and set up the office of ombudsman.
Moscow Expects Ashgabat To Resume Citizenship Talks
Interfax
Moscow, April 27: Ashgabat assured Moscow that the Russian-Turkmen commission for citizenship affairs will soon resume its activities, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told the press on Tuesday. `The Turkmen side offered assurances that this commission will work out [the issues] and that specific problems affecting [Russian] schools and theaters will be resolved,` the minister said. Lavrov noted that Moscow has repeatedly expressed concerns over Turkmenistan`s failure to honor its agreements with Russia pertaining to the protection of the rights of the Russian- speaking residents in that country. `We are maintaining an open and frank dialogue with [the Turkmen authorities] and want them both to resume the work of the citizenship commission and to provide opportunities for teaching the Russian language, receiving Russian periodicals, and so on,` Lavrov said. Asked whether Moscow could impose sanctions on Turkmenistan if it does not improve the observance of human rights, Lavrov said, `Sanctions are definitely a tool in the world [political] practice, but in calculating our steps we need to be guided not by emotions but by the real effect that they could produce.` `Venting your anger is one thing but achieving the desired result is another. I do not think that the automatic imposition of sanctions would be a good solution to the problem,` he said.
Senior CPC Official Meets Kazakhstan Guest
Kabar Agency
Beijing, April 27: He Yong, a member of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), met here Tuesday with Azat Peruashev, first secretaryof the Central Committee of the Civic Party of Kazakhstan. He, also deputy secretary of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, exchanged views with the Kazakhstan guest on bilateral relations and exchanges between the two parties.
Annan Hails Asian Highway Pact, Challenges Asia & Pacific Region
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, April 26: Twenty-three countries signed an agreement on 26 April paving the way for the United Nations-planned Asian Highway, a vast 140,000-kilometre-long network of standardised roadways that will link towns from one end of the continent to the other. `From Tokyo to Tehran, from Singapore to Samarkand, and from points beyond to those in between, the network now spans 32 countries and encompasses more than 140,000 kilometres,` UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said in a message to ministers at the signing ceremony in Shanghai delivered by Kim Hak-su, Executive Director of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). When finished, the Highway would ease border crossing for people, vehicles and goods and give the much-needed benefits to landlocked countries envisioned by a UN conference last August in Alamaty, Kazakhstan, Mr Annan said. The Bangkok-based ESCAP has been negotiating routes and road specifications for the network since 1992. The 32 countries approved the text of an agreement for upgrading sub-standard stretches and building new links in last November. At that time, UN officials estimated that 10 to 15 countries would have completed the regulatory processes needed for the signing at the Commission`s annual meeting.
Pak-Kyrgyzstan Discuss Cooperation In Civil Aviation
Pakistan News Service
Rawalpindi, April 26: The delegation of Islamic republic of Pakistan and Kyrgyzstan met in Rawalpindi on Monday to discuss issues relating to air services agreement between the two countries. Pakistani side was headed by Ch. Qamar Zaman, Joint Secretary (Aviation), Ministry of Defence, whereas the Kyrgyzstan delegation was headed by T. Muratov, the Director of Civil Aviation Authority of Kyrgyzstan and included other members from Kyrgyzstan CAA and Kyrgyz Airlines. The talks were held in a warm, cordial and friendly atmosphere. Various issues of mutual interest in civil aviation operations were discussed during the talks. The two sides showed keen interest in expansion of bilateral air links and agreed that strict visa policy restrictions imposed on Pakistani nationals by the Kyrgyzstan and other Central Asian Republics are the major impediment in making air traffic operations economically viable and sustainable. Kyrgyz CAA will report to its Government regarding relaxation of visa policy. Deliberations were also made regarding increased technical cooperation between the two civil aviation authorities.
Armenian President Goes To Paris On Working Visit
Itar-Tass
Yerevan, April 25: Armenian President Robert Kocharyan has gone to Paris on a working visit. He will meet with French President Jacques Chirac on Monday. The agenda has not been made public, but a source told Itar-Tass that they would focus on the Karabakh settlement, in which France is taking an active part as a co-chairman of the OSCE Minsk Group together with Russia and the United States. The presidents will also discuss political and economic relations. On Sunday evening Robert Kocharyan and his wife will attend a concert of Charles Aznavour, French chanson singer of the Armenian descent. Aznavour is celebrating his 80th birthday. The Armenian president will also meet with the head of the French Bouygues Company.
Moscow Fund Delivers Aid To Russian Cultural Centre In Tashkent Region
Uzbek Report
Tehran, April 25: Moscow Fund for support and development of interregional relations delivered a humanitarian aid to Russian Cultural Centre in Gazalkent, Tashkent region. The humanitarian aid worth US$3,200 includes computers, a refrigerator, furniture, sewing machines and others. Chairman of the centre Elena Maslikova told Narodnoye Slovo that the number of children attending sewing courses would increase. Deputy governor for economic and social issues of Bostanlik district Murad Yuldoshev said the aid would allow to improve professional skills of the local youth.
Georgian President To Arrive For An Official Visit In Kiev
Itar-Tass
Kiev, April 25: Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili will arrive for a three-day official visit in Kiev on Monday. This is his second trip to the Ukrainian capital in the last four months. Saakashvili will hold talks with Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma on Tuesday. He will also meet Ukrainian Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich and Foreign Minister Konstantin Grishchenko as well as the teachers and students of the Institute of International Relations of the Kiev State University named after Taras Shevchenko in which Saakashvili used to study. Mikhail Saakashvili paid an unofficial visit to Kiev in mid-December 2003 as the leader of Georgia`s political association `The Single National Movement`. He and Viktor Yushchenko, who headed the bloc `Nasha Ukraina`, signed a cooperation agreement.
Uzbek, Russian FM Discuss Further Development Of Ties
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, April 24: Foreign Minister of Russia Sergey Lavrov met his Uzbek counterpart Sadyk Safaev to determine priority direction of further improvement of relations between the two countries based on strategic partnership principles. The ministers discussed several issues related to agreements reached during negotiations between President of Russia Vladimir Putin and President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov on 15 April 2004. According to the Information and Press Department of Russian Foreign Ministry, the sides also exchanged opinions on important regional and international problems.
UNESCO, Kyrgyzstan To Hold Int`l Conference In Bishkek
Itar-Tass
Almaty, April 24: The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and the Kyrgyz government will hold an international conference in Bishkek on June 10-11. The participants in the conference, `Eurasia in the 21st Century - A Dialogue of Cultures or a Conflict of Civilizations`, will discuss cultural heritage, sustainable development, and water resources in Central Asia. Organisers expect the heads of many states in the region, prominent scholars and political scientists to attend the forum. Due to historical, cultural and linguistic diversity, and common heritage, Central Asia is a unique region, UNESCO Director General Koichiro Matsuura said in a letter to the participants in the 3rd Eurasian media forum that is under way in Almaty. He noted that this was conducive to dialogue between cultures and civilisations in the region, and its peaceful development.
Tashkent Conference Considers Human Rights Issues In Uzbekistan
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, April 28: Conference entitled `Formation and main directions of development of national monitoring system on observance of human rights in Uzbekistan` has opened in Tashkent. It was organised by Conrad Adenauer Foundation in conjunction with the Ombudsman of Oliy Majlis of Uzbekistan (parliament), Institute of strategic and interregional researches under the Uzbek President, National Centre on human rights and law enforcement bodies of Uzbekistan. The conference discussed issues on liberalisation of legal-judicial system, maintenance of citizens` rights for legal protection and improvement of legal system on implementation of punishments. The participants also reviewed trends on development of monitoring system on observance of human rights in Europe and CIS, problems in these sphere and international experience. German Ambassador to Uzbekistan Martin Hekker participated at the event, according to UzA.
Georgian Rebel Region Introduces Emergency, Curfew
Reuters
Moscow, April 24: The parliament in Georgia`s rebellious Adzhara region introduced a state of emergency and curfew on Saturday in a new round of confrontation with the Tbilisi government. `Under the current situation, which is being made worse by the hour, we have taken the most reasonable and correct decision -- to return to a state of emergency and to introduce a curfew,` Interfax news agency quoted Adzhara parliament speaker Georgy Tsintsikladze as saying. Adzhara declared a night-time curfew last month when tension with Tbilisi neared the brink of bloodshed after the rebel region refused to let in Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili. After a stand-off Saakashvili and Adzhara leader Aslan Abashidze appeared to settle their differences in talks, with the regional leader agreeing to give up some powers. But that deal has since broken down. Saakashvili, elected in January after leading a bloodless revolution that ousted veteran Georgian leader Eduard Shevardnadze, wants to bring Adzhara and two other breakaway regions -- South Ossetia and Abkhazia -- under central control. On Thursday, Saakashvili denounced Abashidze as a `major problem` linked to criminal elements.
Areva, Kazatomprom To Put Uranium Field On Stream By End 2005
Interfax
Almaty, April 29: France`s Areva and Kazakhstan`s national nuclear corporation Kazatomprom signed a deal to commence the commercial phase of the joint uranium mining project at the Moinkum field towards the end of 2005. Kazatomprom said in a press release that its president, Mukhtar Dzhakishev, and Anne Lauvergeon, the president of Areva, signed the deal in Paris on May 29. Areva, which owns the Katco joint venture, will eventually produce 1,500 tonnes of uranium at Moinkum per year. Moinkum, in southern Kazakhstan, contains an estimated 43,700 tonnes of uranium. Areva owns 51% of the Katco joint venture and Kazatomprom 49%. Kazatomprom and France`s Cogema, which is part of Areva, used to own 45% each and Zambezi Holdings S.A. 10%. But Kazatomprom told Interfax that Areva bought the 10% from Zambezi Holdings and then sold 4% to Kazatomprom. Kazatomprom did not elaborate on the nature of the transaction. Kazatomprom said it would cost about $90 million to put Moinkum commercial on stream. It said Areva would provide the investment and `market all of the uranium produced initially.` These investment plans are `consistent with the Areva Group`s intention to implement its strategy to diversify sources of uranium supply,` the press release said. Kazatomprom said it mined 2,950 tonnes of uranium in 2003, according to adjusted figures, compared with 2,730 tonnes in 2002. Net profits were 8.46 million tenge (138.50tenge/$1), or twice as much as in 2002.
Case Of CIA Officer Killed In Georgia May Be Reopened
Interfax
Tbilisi, April 29: The Georgian prosecution service might reopen an investigation into the 1993 killing of a high-ranking CIA officer, Freddie Russel Woodruff, because new evidence has come to light, an American lawyer of the Woodruff family told the press in Tbilisi on Thursday. The lawyer claimed that the investigation which Georgian prosecutors conducted 11 years ago was mishandled and many obvious circumstances of the case were ignored. The Georgian investigators concluded then that Woodruff was accidentally killed by interior force servicemen Anzor Sharmanidze, who was believed to have shot at the car carrying the American officer. The lawyer, however, said an examination carried out by specialists in Washington showed that the deadly shot could not have been fired in Woodruff`s forehead from the road, as the Georgian investigators said, but could have only been shot in the back of his head from that place. Moreover, the Washington examination showed that Woodruff died 6 to 8 hours earlier than the time indicated by witnesses who were together with Woodruff in the car. The lawyer expressed hope that justice will triumph and the truth about Woodruf`s killing will be found under the new Georgian authorities. Sharmanidze, who has been in prison for 11 years, has never pled guilty to murdering the CIA officer.
Intl Round Table Discusses Fight Against Drug Trafficking
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, April 27: International round table on introduction of the mechanism of coordinated approach elaborated at Paris conference on drug traffic from Afghanistan to Central Asia and Europe in May 2003 opened in Tashkent on 27 April. Representatives of law-enforcement organs of Central Asian states, experts on Central Asia from G8 countries, international organisations accredited in Uzbekistan and foreign diplomats are participating in the meeting, UzA reported. Expansion of illegal drug production in Afghanistan poses threat to security of many countries, especially Central Asian ones, Italian ambassador to Uzbekistan and chairman of Mini Dublin Group of Donor Countries Angelo Perciani said opening the conference. First Deputy Foreign Minister of Uzbekistan Vladimir Norov stressed that the country carried out a systematic work on fighting circulation of drugs, psychotropic substances and precursors and their illegal use. The roundtable participants discussed implementation of tasks determined in the Paris Pact. Among the main priorities for 2004-2005 are strengthening border control, creation of legal and institutional frameworks to combat drug traffic and organised crime, as well as regional cooperation.
Tajik Drug Head Predicts Border Difficulties
Radio Free Europe
Dushanbe, April 27: Lieutenant-General Ghaffor Mirzoev, head of Tajikistan`s Drug Control Agency, told reporters on 27 April that a difficult period may ensue when Russian troops withdraw from the Tajik-Afghan border, ITAR-TASS reported. Mirzoev said that certain problems are inevitable in the course of a transition, but that they should last no longer than six months. He thanked Russian border guards for the help they have provided over the years, but stressed that `a sovereign state must ensure the security of its own borders with its own forces.` Mirzoev also noted that Tajikistan needs assistance to stem the flow of drugs from Afghanistan, Interfax reported. The news agency quoted him as saying, however, that Tajikistan is not the only conduit for narcotics, with some 40 percent of Afghan heroin traveling through Iran.
Tajik Police Arrest Russian Border Guard With Eight Kilos Of Heroin
Tehran Times
Dushanbe, April 24: A Russian border guard has been arrested in Tajikistan with eight kilograms (18 pounds) of heroin, police told AFP Saturday. `Artyem Kovalyev, 24, was stopped in the west of that Tajik capital Dushanbe,` a spokesperson for the Interior Ministry said. `Traffic police found several plastic bags with heroin in his car.` Police suspect that Kovalyev intended to sell the heroin. Some 11,000 Russian soldiers help patrol Tajikistan`s 1,340-kilometer (830-mile) border with Afghanistan. Last year two Russian soldiers received 18-year prison sentences after they were found guilty of possession of 19 kilograms of heroin. The mountainous former Soviet republic of Tajikistan is a main smuggling route for drugs destined for Western markets from Afghanistan, the producer of 77 percent of the world`s opium, from which heroin is made. Since the beginning of the year, Tajik police have confiscated 1.5 tons of heroin. Last year Tajik authorities confiscated a record 5.6 tons of Afghan heroin.
Special FocusTajikistan: Human Trafficking A Growing Concern
Madina remembers vividly her ordeal at the hands of a human trafficker. This Tajik single mother was desperate to secure a better life for herself and her two children. Responding to an offer from a man she didn`t know, she left Tajikistan with the hope of a respectable job and a good salary. Madina is not alone. According to the International Office for Migration, some 646 Tajik women were forcibly trafficked by criminal groups from the country in 2002. Their destination is mainly the Persian Gulf, but some go to South Korea, Turkey, Southeast Asia, and Europe.
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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/rights/articles/pp042504.shtmlVillage Residents Near US Air Base In Uzbekistan Complain About Isolation
Residents of Khanabad, a village located near a US military base in Uzbekistan`s southeastern Kashkadarya Province, were among the first Uzbeks to learn about the late March militant attacks. Even though Uzbek media remained largely silent on the violence, the US base went into crisis mode, tipping off local residents that Uzbekistan was experiencing some sort of emergency.
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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav042604.shtmlAjaria Declares State Of Emergency, Georgian Leadership Urges Regional Inhabitants To Disobey Curfew
Alleging that Georgian officials intended to resolve a constitutional dispute by force, Ajarian leader Aslan Abashidze has put his recalcitrant region on a war footing. Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili ridiculed the Ajarian action, suggesting that Abashidze had gone `mad,` while urging regional residents to disobey a curfew.
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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav042604a.shtmlUzbekistan`s Femmes Fatales
Almost a month after a series of bomb attacks and shootings rocked the Central Asian republic of Uzbekistan, the question of who masterminded the attacks is still unclear. While the government blames international terrorists and Islamic radicals, others are pointing to domestic opponents to the iron rule of President Islam Karimov.
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http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Central_Asia/FD28Ag01.htmlTajik Government In No Hurry To Implement Tax Breaks For Print Media
Declaring he wants to foster press freedom in Tajikistan, President Imomali Rahmonov has called for significant tax breaks for the country`s newspapers and periodicals. However, the Tajik government appears in no hurry to implement Rahmonov`s directive.
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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/rights/articles/eav042704.shtmlMosque Case Puts Spotlight On Religious Freedom In Azerbaijan
An Azerbaijani appeals court has upheld an earlier decision to turn a mosque in the heart of Baku`s old town into a carpet museum. Critics say the ruling is designed to help maintain the state`s dominating role in the country`s religious life.
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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/rights/articles/eav042704a.shtmlHelsinki Federation Report Details Turkmenistan Rights Abuses
An April report on human rights conditions in Turkmenistan suggests the international community can exert pressure on Ashgabat to ease up on its totalitarian practices by playing on the country`s `dependence` on energy exports.
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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/rights/articles/eav042804.shtmlGeorgia Strives To Burnish Image Amid Ajaria Crisis
Amid a constitutional crisis involving the renegade region of Ajaria, Georgian leaders have waged a diplomatic offensive to bolster Georgia`s international image. In the United States, Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania has touted his government as `one of the most competent` in the former Soviet Union.
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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav042804.shtmlUzbekistan`s Corruption Ridden Educational System Seen As A Source Of Frustration
Uzbekistan`s corruption-ridden educational system is a source of widespread discontent among the country`s youth. Steadily decreasing government funding has sharply reduced access to higher education. And many of those who can afford comparatively high tuitions complain about a lack of interesting career opportunities.
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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav042904.shtmlCentral Asia: Is Uzbekistan The Source Of Regional Extremism?
One of the front lines in the global fight against international terrorism is Central Asia. That role was underscored during the past month, when a series of attacks by reported extremists swept through the Uzbek capital Tashkent and a second city, Bukhara. The Uzbek government blames Jamo`at, a little-known Islamic group, for the attacks, which left 47 people dead -- mainly the assailants -- and has put the entire region on edge.
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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav043004b.shtmlKazakhstani Media Forum Serves As Venue For Concern Over The US Security Agenda For Central Asia
Kazakhstani authorities used a recent media conference to assuage the United States on Astana`s domestic policies, and to voice concern over the US security agenda for Central Asia. The third Eurasian Media Forum, which concluded April 24, featured `harsh disagreements on a variety of issues,` the Interfax-Kazakhstan news agency quoted Dariga Nazarbayeva, the conference`s chief organizer and daughter of the Kazakhstani president, as saying.
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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav043004a.shtmlKazakhstan: Political Parties Jockeying For Position Ahead Of Elections
There is lots of activity in Kazakhstan these days, the kind that says elections are coming soon. Where not so long ago there were seven parties, there are nine now and another trying to get registered before this October`s parliamentary elections. One of the original seven also managed to attract a potential 27,000 new supporters on 24 April.
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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav043004.shtml
Report dated 30 April 2004