New Minister Of People`s Education Appointed In Uzbekistan
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, May 7: Uzbek President Islam Karimov appointed new Minister of People`s Education on 7 April. According to the presidential decree, Turobjon Djuraev will take over the post of minister. Earlier, Risboy Djuraev held the office of People`s Education Minister.
Georgia Takes Control In Ajaria
BBC
Tbilisi, May 7: Georgia`s President Mikhail Saakashvili has disbanded the parliament of Ajaria and imposed a direct presidential rule in the autonomous province. The move follows Thursday`s resignation of Ajaria`s rebel leader, Aslan Abashidze, after huge street rallies. Mr Saakashvili also abolished the post of Ajarian leader and set up a provisional council to administer the province until elections due in June. The president said earlier he would not seek Mr Abashidze, who fled to Russia. The BBC`s Chloe Arnold in Georgia says the elections in Ajaria are likely to establish a cabinet of ministers who will run the Black Sea territory, and will be answerable to the central government in Tbilisi.
Opposition Leaders To Go On Trial In Baku
Interfax
Baku, May 6: Baku`s Court for Grave Crimes will hold a preparatory session on Friday to examine the cases of a number of opposition leaders arrested for their involvement in last year`s mass riots. A court source told Interfax that the people who will be put on trial include deputy chairmen of the Musavat party Arif Gadzhily, Ibragim Ibragimli and Rauf Arifoglu (Arifoglu is editor-in-chief of the opposition newspaper Eni Musavat), Democratic Party general secretary Sardar Dzhalaloglu, leaders of the People`s and Umid (Hope) parties Panakh Guseinov and Igbal Agazade and chairman of the Organization of Karabakh War Invalids Etimad Asadov. Azerbaijani Prosecutor General Zakir Garalov has promised a fair and open trial. `I want to assure both the local and international public that this trial will be fair and open and will involve international representatives and members of local non-governmental organizations,` Garalov said.
Lib-Dem Party Preparing For Parliamentary Elections
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, May 6: Members of political council of the Liberal-Democratic Party of Uzbekistan and independent entrepreneur experts discussed priorities of the party`s social-economic programme in Tashkent. The party representatives that visited the regions of the country to meet with the citizens presented their reports at the meeting. According to them, the most urgent problems common for all regions of Uzbekistan are delayed payment of wages, unemployment, low quality of education and medical services. The meeting participants drew up a decision to draft the party`s pre-election social-economic programme, which will outline clear proposals on further development of Uzbekistan.
Georgia`s Leader Cheered As Civil War Is Averted
The Telegraph
Tbilisi, May 6: President Mikhail Saakashvili of Georgia was greeted by thousands of cheering supporters as he arrived in the Black Sea province of Adjara yesterday hours after the country had been rescued from the brink of civil war. The 37-year-old lawyer, who led the overthrow of Eduard Shevardnadze, the veteran communist leader, last November, symbolically splashed his face with the waters of the Black Sea. President Saakashvili receives a warm welcome in Batumi Mr Saakashvili said: `We have shown the world we are a great people. Only we could have staged two bloodless revolutions in six months.` Aslan Abashidze, the separatist leader who had ruled Adjara as a personal fiefdom for the past decade, fled to Moscow overnight after receiving guarantees that he would not be extradited to face prosecution in Georgia. His decision to leave was sealed by an 11th-hour visit from Igor Ivanov, the former Russian foreign minister, who told him that he no longer had the backing of President Vladimir Putin.
Georgia Plans Elections In Ajaria
BBC
Tbilisi, May 6: Elections to choose a new leadership in the Georgian province of Ajaria will take place next month, following the resignation of its rebel leader. After two nights of street protests calling for Aslan Abashidze to step down, he quit and flew to Moscow. Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili has said he will not ask Russia to extradite Mr Abashidze, who is accused of corruption and human rights abuses. Georgian troops have moved into the regional capital to take control. The BBC`s Natalia Antelava in Batumi says it is party time in Ajaria`s capital. Aslan has fled. Ajaria is free Mikhail Saakashvili Ajaria hails end of `Aslandia` Ajaria `revolution` - in quotes Hundreds of people are out in the streets congratulating each other, she says. Speaking earlier in Batumi, Mr Saakashvili told a jubilant crowd that they were heroes. He thanked his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, for helping to solve the crisis. Correspondents say Mr Abashidze is expected to ask for asylum in Russia, his long-time ally.
Georgia Takes Control Of Renegade Region, Sets Sights On Two Others
Agence France-Presse
Batumi, May 6: The new government in Georgia said that after succeeding in bringing the breakaway region of Adjara back under Tbilisi`s control, it would now seek to bring two other renegade regions back into the fold. Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili made a triumphant appearance in the Black Sea region of Adjara on Thursday after the province`s leader resigned and flew into exile. Georgian officials scheduled fresh elections for next month to choose a replacement for ousted local chieftain Aslan Abashidze and appointed an interim administration to run Adjara -- the site of the region`s biggest oil terminal. `We have shown the world that we are a great people,` a jubilant Saakashvili, the 36-year-old who came to power in last year`s `rose revolution,` said as he arrived in Adjara. `Only we could have staged two bloodless revolutions in six months,` he said. In a symbolic gesture, Saakashvili later went on walkabout through Batumi, Adjara`s capital, to the Black Sea shoreline where he splashed seawater on his face. He was surrounded by throngs of jubilant supporters chanting his nickname, `Misha!` Abashidze`s departure for Russia in the early hours of Thursday was the final act of last year`s revolution, in which Saakashvili led weeks of protests which forced then president Eduard Shevardnadze into retirement. With Abashidze`s rebellion against Tbilisi crushed, Saakashvili said he would now be setting his sights on two other separatist regions. South Ossetia and Abkhazia have not recognised Tbilisi`s authority since fighting separatist wars in the early 1990s. But bringing those two regions back into the fold will be tougher. Unlike Adjara, their populations are not ethnically Georgian, and they have functioned as independent entities for a decade. `Ahead of us are the questions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia,` Saakashvili said.
Hero Of Uzbekistan Title Introduced 10 Years Ago
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, May 5: Uzbekiston Kahramoni` (Hero of Uzbekistan) title, `Oltin Yulduz` (Golden Star), `Jasorat` (Courage) and `Shuhrat` (Glory) medals, as well as `Mustaqillik` (Independence) and `Dostlik` (Friendship) orders have turned 10. On 5 May 1994, the session of the Supreme Council of Uzbekistan approved laws on instituting these rewards and titles. The Hero of Uzbekistan title is awarded to citizens of the country, and in certain cases to non-citizens of Uzbekistan, for services before the state and the nation. Those awarded with the title also receive a corresponding document and the Golden Star medal. During this past decade over 50 citizens of Uzbekistan were honoured with the given title. Independence order is awarded to the citizens of Uzbekistan for contribution to construction of the independent state, maintenance of peace and progress in the country. Both citizens and non-citizens of Uzbekistan are awarded the Friendship order for high achievements in strengthening friendship, mutual consent and peace between the representatives of variuos nations, contribution to development of friendship ties and cooperation. Military, national security service and internal affairs personnel are awarded the Courage medal for displayed courage and valour in preserving public order and fight against crime. It is also awarded for courage displayed during different types of natural disasters, fire and other emergency situations, for saving people`s lives, state and public property. Glory medal is awarded to persons that have achieved success in development of economy, science and culture, and education.
Tbilisi Offers Abashidze Safe Passage
The Moscow Times
Batumi, May 5: Thousands of people protested in the tense capital of Georgia`s Adzharia region on Wednesday, calling for its defiant leader to resign amid signs he was losing support in his standoff with the central government over control of the Black Sea province. Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili offered Aslan Abashidze safe passage if he resigned and left the country. `I am ready to give full safety guarantees to Abashidze and members of his family if they leave Adzharia and go abroad,` Saakashvili said in televised address. Saakashvili said he had discussed offers of asylum for Abashidze with authorities in Russia and the United States. A Kremlin spokesman said Saakashvili had called President Vladimir Putin twice Wednesday and that Putin said he would send Igor Ivanov, the head of his Security Council, to Tbilisi.
Free Speech Foundation Urges New Media Law For Kazakhstan
Radio Free Europe
Astana, May 5: Tamara Kaleeva, the head of Kazakhstan`s Adil Soz free speech foundation, told journalists at a 5 May news conference that work should begin on a new draft law on media before parliamentary elections in the fall, Interfax-Kazakhstan reported the same day. On 22 April, the Constitutional Council deemed a controversial, recently passed media law unconstitutional (see `RFE/RL Newsline,` 23 April 2004). Kaleeva also expressed a willingness to cooperate with the Information Ministry to draft a new law.
Poll Shows Rising Support For Tajik Ruling Party
Radio Free Europe
Dushanbe, May 5: A poll by the Sharq research center suggested that attitudes toward Tajik political parties shifted between late 2002 and late 2003, Asia-Plus Blitz reported on 5 May. According to the poll of 1,000 respondents, support for the ruling People`s Democratic Party increased from 26.2 percent to 31.8 percent. Support for the Communist Party went from 27 percent to 27.3 percent; for the Democratic Party, from 5.6 percent to 6.4 percent; and for the Islamic Renaissance Party, from 2.4 percent to 4.1 percent. The number of people who rejected all existing parties fell from 30.4 percent to 20.9 percent.
Saakashvili Introduces Direct Presidential Rule In Ajaria
Interfax
Tbilisi, May 5: Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has introduced direct presidential rule in Ajaria. `I announce that direct presidential rule in Ajaria will last until elections are held in this autonomous republic,` Saakashvili said addressing the nation over Georgian radio on Wednesday. He said he guarantees complete security to Ajarian leader Aslan Abashidze. `I`m prepared to guarantee Abashidze and his relatives complete security in Georgia, and allow him to leave for any foreign country, if he resigns voluntarily and without excesses,` the Georgian president said.
Georgian Rebel Leader Quits Power
BBC
Tbilisi, May 5: The rebel leader of Georgia`s province of Ajaria has quit after weeks of tension with the government, President Mikhail Saakashvili has confirmed. Aslan Abashidze flew out of the region with his family on a plane for Moscow following three hours of talks brokered by a senior Russian envoy. Protesters in the regional capital Batumi celebrated the news. There had been fears that Mr Abashidze`s followers would resist any challenge to his long-standing rule. I congratulate everyone... on the beginning of Georgia`s unification Mikhail Saakashvili Georgian president Speaking live on TV, President Saakashvili said the rebel leader, in power since Soviet times, had `fled` and Ajaria was `free`.
Armenian Opposition Stages New Demonstration
Radio Free Europe
Yerevan, May 4: Between 6,000-10,000 people braved heavy rain on 4 May to participate in a further protest rally in Yerevan, Reuters and RFE/RL`s Armenian Service reported. Police blocked roads leading to Yerevan from provincial towns in a bid to minimize attendance of the protest, the most recent in a series organized jointly by the opposition Artarutiun alliance and the National Accord Party to demand either the resignation of or a nationwide referendum of confidence in President Robert Kocharian. Addressing the rally, leading Artarutiun members announced that they will suspend further protests for 10 days to give the authorities time to meet their demands. Those demands include the release of all persons detained for their participation in the past month`s protests and guaranteeing freedom of assembly and expression.
Opposition Party Registered In Kazakhstan
Interfax
Astana, May 4: The Kazakh Justice Ministry has registered the opposition party Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan, a party spokesman told Interfax on Tuesday. Zauresh Battalova, a Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan leader, collected the party`s registration documents from the Justice Ministry on Tuesday. This brings the number of officially registered parties in Kazakhstan, which has a population of 15 million, to ten. Apart from Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan, this list includes the Agrarian Party, Ak zhol (Bright Path), Asar (All Together), Auyl (Village), the Civil Party, the Communist Party, Otan (Fatherland), Rukhaniyat (Renaissance) and the Party of Patriots. Another three parties - the Democratic Party, the Abyroi (Honor and Conscience) and the country`s second Communist Party - plan to obtain registration soon.
Tajik Parliament Passes Legislation On Environment, Militia
Radio Free Europe
Dushanbe, May 4: The Assembly of Representatives (Majlisi Namoyandagon) on 3 May passed amendments to the law on the environment, Asia Plus-Blitz reported on 4 May. The assembly also ratified a decision by the CIS Council of Heads of State to amend the CIS Charter. Also on 3 May, the National Assembly (Majlisi Milli) passed a draft law on the militia, and members of the upper chamber reflected on the last four years of work in parliament.
Presidential Aide Rules Out Election Rigging In Kazakhstan
Interfax
Astana, May 4: An adviser to Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev has ruled out the chance of the next parliamentary election being rigged by Kazakhstan`s government. `If you are hinting at any chance of gross falsification [by the government], that is out of the question. I`m deeply convinced that, if there are any large-scale gross offenses not only against the current law `On Elections` but also against all international legal standards in the field of election law, this will cause a storm of indignation within Kazakhstan,` Yermukhamet Yertysbayev told the Navigator project on the Internet. President Nazarbayev, at a meeting with regional governors on March 12, `set them a very strict precept: to get ready for honest and competitive elections without any falsification,` Yertysbayev said. `In other words, we will do everything possible - within the limits of law, naturally - to have supporters of the president get seats in parliament.` Yertysbayev criticized a recent amendment to the law `On Elections.` `There are financial restrictions in it for each candidate,` he said.
Kazakh Parties Sign Charter On Political Competition
Radio Free Europe
Astana, May 4: Kazakhstan`s nine officially registered political parties signed a charter of political competition on 4 May for this fall`s parliamentary elections, Kazakh Television reported the same day. The charter`s signatories agree to ensure transparent, honest, and fair elections and to avoid dirty tricks. The initiative was sponsored by Maksut Narikbaev, who heads the legal-reform movement For a Law-Based Kazakhstan. `The signing of the charter marks a historic moment in the country`s political development and in the emergence of civil society and a law-based state,` Interfax-Kazakhstan quoted Narikbaev as saying. The nine parties that signed the charter are the Agrarian Party, Ak Zhol, Asar, Auyl, the Civic Party, the Communist Party, Otan, Ruhaniyat, and the Patriots` Party.
Tajik Media Moving Towards Press Freedom - Experts
Itar-Tass
Dushanbe, May 3: Tajikistan has made a `step forward towards freedom of the press`, but much work is still to be done in this direction. This is the main burden of reports delivered by representatives from the UN Tajikistan Office for Peace-Building [UNTOP], the OSCE and Aleksey Simonov, the president of [Russian] Glasnost Foundation, at a meeting of Tajik journalists dedicated to World Press Freedom Day. The meeting recalled journalists who had fallen victim to the country`s civil war [1992-97]. According to various estimates, between 70 and 90 journalists were killed in six years of military and political resistance. Over 200 periodicals and electronic media, including dozens of non-governmental and private newspapers, news agencies, radio and television companies, are operating in Tajikistan.
Georgian Minister Resigns
Itar-Tass
Tbilisi, May 3: Georgian Minister of Health, Labour and Social Welfare Gigi Tsereteli resigned on Monday. Speaking live on Tbilisi`s Rustavi-2 television, Georgian Prime minister Zurab Zhvania said, Gigi Tsereteli has decided to go back to parliament and leave the post of minister.` According to Georgian laws, a parliament member has no right to hold simultaneously a position in the executive branch. Tsereteli, 40 was appointed minister in the middle of February but his mandate as a deputy and the mandates of other parliament members were endorsed only at the end of April at the first session of the national legislature.
Kazakhstan Celebrating National Unity Day
RIA Novosti
Astana, May 1: Kazakhstan, which is a Central Asian republic where representatives of more than 120 nations and ethnic groups live, is celebrating National Unity Day May 1. Regional festivals were organized on the threshold of May Day with the help of the Assembly of Kazakh Nations, involving more than 500,000 people this year. The Congress Hall building in Astana, which is the republic`s new capital, is to host the final gala concert of the fifth republican people`s friendship anniversary. Kazakhstan boasts national-culture associations, national theaters, studios and folk-art groups. For instance, Russian theaters account for 15 of the republic`s 49 theaters. Uighurs, Germans and Koreans all have their own theater troupes. Four national-language newspapers, i.e. the Korean-language Kore Ilbo, the German-language Deutsche Algemeine Zeitung, the Ukrainian-language Ukrainski Novini and the Uighur-language Uighur Avazi, are printed in Kazakhstan with state assistance. 15 regional ethnic-language newspapers also come off the press, what with seven radio stations broadcasting in seven Kazakh ethnic-group languages.
Turkmenistan Appoints New Air Force Head
Radio Free Europe
Ashgabat, May 6: President Saparmurat Niyazov issued a resolution on 6 May appointing Colonel Gurbanguly Gurbanguliev commander of Turkmenistan`s Air Force, Turkmen TV reported the same day. Gurbanguliev had held the post of deputy air force commander.
Georgian PM Doesn`t Rule Out Accelerated Withdrawal Of Russian Bases
Interfax
Tbilisi, May 6: Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Zhvaniya thinks that after the change of power in Ajaria the withdrawal of Russian bases from the country may pick up speed. `The new situation in Ajaria with the area becoming an ordinary Georgian region is a prerequisite for starting a serious conversation with the Russian side on deserving conditions of the withdrawal of Russian military bases from Georgia,` he said in an interview with Mze television. `We do not conceal the fact that the determination to speed up the withdrawal of Russian military bases from the country is one of the greatest priorities of the Georgian authorities,` he said. The withdrawal `will only promote Georgian-Russian bilateral relations,` Zhvaniya said.
Tajikistan: Tajiks To Replace Russian Border Guards On Afghan Border
Radio Free Europe
Prague, May 6: Tajik and Russian border services are exploring new forms of cooperation to guard the Tajik-Afghan border -- the crucial first frontier in illicit drug-smuggling routes that carry opium and heroin from Afghanistan through Central Asia and on to Russia and Europe. In his annual address to parliament on 30 April, Tajik President Imomali Rakhmonov announced a major shift in the country`s border services. The Russian troops that have traditionally guarded the Tajik-Afghan border, he said, will be phased out and replaced with Tajik guards. `According to the agreement resulting from negotiations between working groups, the remaining part of the Tajik-Afghan border will in the future be gradually handed over to Tajik border guards,` he said. Although Tajik soldiers have always been involved in guarding the border, it was at the rudimentary level, with no strategy or command privileges.The president stressed that Russian border guards have played a `tremendous role` in the protection of the border -- a key gateway in drug-trafficking routes emanating from Afghanistan. Rakhmonov expressed hope that Tajik border troops will cooperate with their Russian colleagues throughout the transition period and beyond. He did not say when the withdrawal of Russian guards would be complete.
Tajikistan Calls Rumors About Russian Troops Pullout `provocation`
Itar-Tass
Dushanbe, May 6: The official Dushanbe dismisses the rumors in the media about a possible pullout of the 201st Russian division from Tajikistan, and views them as `provocation,` and `not deserving serious discussion,` Tajik Foreign Ministry spokesman Igor Sattarov told Itar-Tass on Thursday. `The withdrawal of the Russian division has never been at issue,` Sattarov said, `and as regards the timeframe for setting up a Russian military base, the matter will be settled in the course of negotiations,` Sattarov said. Tajikistan and Russia discuss technical issues, he added. President Emomali Rakhmonov reiterated the invariability of the course pursued by the Tajik leadership toward strategic partnership with Russia. In the annual state-of-the-nation address on April 30, the Tajik leader praised the military and political cooperation between the two countries, calling Russia `one of the important strategic partners.`
Kazakh Officers To Serve As Sergeants For One Year Before Getting Straps - Defense Minister
Interfax
Moscow, May 6: Cadets of Kazakh military academies may take a year long probation as sergeants, Kazakh Defense Minister Mukhtar Altynbayev has said. `Reality has shown that junior officers are not always ready for practical work after leaving colleges and institutes. That is why the Defense Ministry is studying ways to increase the officers training period by one year which will be used by cadets for service with the Armed Forces as sergeants. I believe that graduates of military departments (in civilian academies - Interfax-AVN) should also have something like this,` Altynbayev said in an interview with the Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper published on Thursday. According to the defense minister, academy graduates should only be commissioned the rank of lieutenant after serving in military units. `Our eventual goal is to create a real military elite, people with advanced education, who speak several foreign languages and have advanced excellent technical skills. This is the goal of the so-called staff officer training program, too,` Altynbayev said. The minister went on to say that Kazakhstan is developing a professional army. `We are working to attain this goal through increasing the number of volunteers to 65 percent in 2004 and to 85 percent in 2005, introducing the community of sergeants (laws determining the status of sergeants and introducing the position of chief sergeant of the Armed Forces have been passed), improving the preparation of citizens for military service, and reducing the term of active-duty service,` Altynbayev said. The Armed Forces should deploy groups of troops on potentially dangerous theaters of operation, taking into account present-day challenges and threats and set up the so-called security arch, he noted. According to Altynbayev, funding of the Kazakh army is growing. `In particular, the military budget amounted to KZT24bn (USD174.66m) in 2001, to KZT33.7bn (USD245.25m) in 2002, and to KZT41.9bn (USD304.93m) in 2003,` he said.
Tajik Deputy Prime Minister Denies Base Talks Deadlock
Radio Free Europe
Dushanbe, May 5: Deputy Prime Minister Saidamir Zuhurov said on 5 May that Russia and Tajikistan should be able to resolve their differences over the establishment of a permanent Russian military base in Tajikistan, Interfax-AVN reported the same day. Noting that some issues `require further work,` Zuhurov said, `Russia and Tajikistan have no disputes over the military base that cannot be settled.` Zuhurov was careful to stress, `Tajikistan has not put forward any unacceptable conditions.`
Turkmen Army Holds Anti Terror Exercises
RIA Novosti
Ashgabat, May 5: A consolidated battalion formed on the basis of the 28th motor/rifle regiment of the armed forces of Turkmenistan participated in a tactical counter-terrorism exercise, with field firing, at Kelyata, 70 kilometers away from the capital of Ashgabat. Senior government officials, including President and Commander-in-Chief Saparmurat Niyazov, observed this military exercise alongside foreign diplomats, military attaches, and reporters. The scenario assumes that 3,500 terrorists, whose arsenal includes helicopters, several dozen armored vehicles, and military hardware, will try to flee abroad after an unsuccessful attempt to topple the republic`s government and constitution. The army battalion that took part in the exercise managed to prevent the assumed terrorists from crossing out of the country. They were liquidated. It used combat planes, helicopters, tanks, armored personnel vehicles, anti-aircraft guns, and other types of weaponry and hardware. President Niyazov praised the participants` combat skills and promised to award those who had performed best.
Turkmen Leader Praises Military Exercises
Radio Free Europe
Ashgabat, May 5: President Saparmurat Niyazov expressed satisfaction with military exercises conducted about 60 kilometers outside the Turkmen capital of Ashgabat on 5 May, turkmenistan.ru reported the same day. The exercises followed a scenario in which 3,500 `terrorists` attempted to seize key oil and chemical facilities. The war games involved two SU-25 fighter planes, missile and rocket systems, a mobile artillery complex, and two MI-4 helicopters, ITAR-TASS reported. Foreign diplomats and military attaches were invited. `The army of neutral Turkmenistan is capable of dealing with any threat,` Interfax-AVN quoted Niyazov as saying.
Azerbaijan To Take Part In NATO Summit - President
Interfax
Baku, May 5: Azerbaijan plans to send its representatives to NATO`s Istanbul summit, President Ilham Aliyev said. `Azerbaijan will play an active role in NATO`s summit in June. We have been involved in the NATO Partnership for Peace program and other NATO efforts for many years. We will continue to do so in the future,` Aliyev told journalists on Wednesday. `Our objective is to play an active part in international organizations like NATO and the CIS, whose principles meet our interests,` he said.
US Set For Long Haul In Uzbekistan
Newscuts
Tashkent, May 4: The din of bulldozers and steamrollers competes with the roar of aircraft engines at the US outpost in Uzbekistan for the anti-terror campaign in Afghanistan. The Americans are digging in for the long haul - but walking on eggshells. Based in this majority Muslim nation of 26 million, they are anxious not to offend their hosts or build anything that looks permanent. And beyond the concrete walls surrounding this ex-Soviet base, nearby China, Russia and Iran are all nervously watching the American presence on their doorstep. More than 2 1/2 years after Uzbekistan allowed US forces to use the base - the first American deployment in the former Soviet Union - it remains a key transit and support point for operations in Afghanistan. Karshi-Khanabad air base, known as K2, is 90 miles from the border and two hours` flying time from anywhere in Afghanistan. It`s also the main hub for civilian contractors from Halliburton Co. subsidiary KBR to catch military flights into Afghanistan. The United States has spent $5 million to double the amount of parking space for planes, and about 20 lumbering C-130-type transport aircraft are based at K2. New barracks are going up, so all the base`s 1,750 personnel - 900 Air Force, 400 Army and 450 civilians - will be out of tents by fall. Also coming soon are an expanded $500,000 fitness center, a new $1 million dining hall and a movie theater. Roads are being paved, with some already named Wall St. or Fifth Ave. in honor of New York and the victims of the Sept. 11 attacks.
Agreement Between Russia, Uzbekistan On Joint Air Force Deployment Goes Public
Interfax
Moscow, May 4: The agreement between Russia and Uzbekistan on joint deployment of the Air Force in order to provide air security to both states has been declassified. `This fact enables State Duma legislators to start ratifying the agreement,` a source in the State Duma told Interfax-Military News Agency on Friday. The agreement establishes a legal basis for joining efforts, aimed at enforcing air security in Central Asia and promoting relations between Russia and Uzbekistan, the source said. He noted that the agreement was signed in Moscow on October 19, 2001, but until now it has not been ratified, since it has been classified. `A classified document cannot be published in the Russian Code of Laws, which is a must under Article 30 of the Federal Law `On International Agreements of the Russian Federation.` It states that international agreements, signed by Russia, are to be published officially,` the source clarified. In order to comply with this provision, the State Dume appealed to the Russian authorities to declassify the document. In late 2003 the Russian Defense Ministry and the Foreign Ministry reached agreement on declassifying the document with their Uzbek counterparts, and in early 2004 the Russian president was notified of this fact. `Now it has been decided to declassify the document,` the source said.
Russian Military Facilities Said Unaffected By Georgia Crisis
Interfax
Batumi, May 4: The Russian Armed Forces Group in Transcaucasia denied that Sunday`s crisis in relations between Georgia and its Ajaria region had affected the Russian military base in Ajaria or any other Group unit in Georgia. Ajaria blew up bridges on its border with Georgia, blocking its road transport with the rest of the country. The personnel of the Russian military base `is following its day-off plans. All the facilities on the military base, including the storehouses and personnel residential- and headquarters, are being properly guarded, and no arrangements have been made for the movement of weapons outside the boundaries of the premises of the units of the Russian base in [the Ajarian capital] Batumi,` a Group spokesman told Interfax.
Azerbaijan Not Planning To Join NATO
Interfax
Baku, May 4: Azerbaijan does not intend to join NATO, Deputy Foreign Minister Araz Azimov told an international conference on the 10th anniversary of membership in the NATO Partnership for Peace program on Tuesday. `I would not start speaking of Azerbaijan`s membership in NATO because we intend to continue cooperating with the alliance on a realistic basis proceeding from the national interests of this country,` he said. Azimov said this cooperation is peaceful and `our joint operations are not directed against third countries.`
Swiss Experts Provide Mine Clearance Training In Tajikistan
Radio Free Europe
Dushanbe, May 3: Sixty former Tajik servicemen began a three-week training course on 3 May to learn mine-clearing techniques under the tutelage of Swiss experts, ITAR-TASS reported the same day. After they complete the course, the Tajik trainees will begin mine-clearing operations in regions where military action took place during the 1992-97 civil war. Jonmahmad Rajabov, head of the Mine Action Center of Tajikistan, said that a lack of mine maps makes it virtually impossible to say how many land mines remain to be cleared. According to Rajabov, at least $12 million-$13 million will be required over the next five years to fund mine-clearing efforts.
201st Division Could Leave Tajikistan, Russian Legislator Says
Radio Free Europe
Dushanbe, May 3: Mikhail Margelov, chairman of Russia`s Federation Council International Relations Committee, told Ekho Moskvy radio station on 3 May that Moscow might decide to withdraw its 201st Motorized Infantry Division from Tajikistan. `Under the conditions that have arisen today, the deployment of large, fully mobilized Russian military contingents abroad is not always justified,` Margelov said. He also predicted a serious discussion in parliament if the executive branch decides to withdraw the 201st Division from Tajikistan. According to Margelov, Russia could decide to pull out the 201st Division, which numbers some 6,000 men and has been deployed in Tajikistan since the Soviet era, because Tajikistan is setting unacceptable conditions for its continued deployment, polit.ru reported. Russia had hoped to turn the deployment into a permanent military base, but talks with Tajikistan have stalled, apparently over financial issues.
Georgian Armed Forces Ending War Games Near Poti Seaport
Itar-Tass
Tbilisi, May 1: Georgian Armed Forces are ending the biggest war games since the country`s independence in the vicinity of the seaport of Poti. The exercise codenamed Dioscuria`2004 began April 30. It involves units of the Air Force, mechanized infantry, and ten ships reporting to the Navy and the Coastal Guard. The war games have the manpower of about 2,000, including the four battalions trained by U.S. instructors under the Training & Equipment program from May 2002 through to April 2004. Major-General Givi Iukuridze, the chief of General Staff of the Georgian Armed Forces, said the major part of the exercise was scheduled for May 2. `The plan envisions [simulation of] a search and rescue operation, during which the population will be evacuated from a crisis-stricken area,` Gen Iukuridze said. `Also, there will be a landing of paratroopers at a training ground in Kulevi near Poti,` he said. The army units concerned had a scenario verification exercise April 30 and May 1. Sunday, May 2, Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili, who is the country`s Supreme Military Commander at the same time, will be watching the war games on the spot.
Uzbekistan Receives $516,000 In US Equipment Aid
Radio Free Europe
Tashkent, May 1: Uzbekistan`s Defense Ministry, State Customs Committee, and Border Troops received $516,600 in equipment from the United States, tribune.uz reported on 1 May. The aid comes from the U.S. State Department under the aegis of the Export Control and Related Border Security program and the Aviation/Interdiction Project. The online newspaper quoted U.S. Ambassador Jon Purnell as saying, `Cooperation between Uzbekistan and the United States is multifaceted, and the military aspect is especially significant. We provide assistance to our Uzbek partners to combat terrorism, drug trafficking, and illegal weapons trading.` Uzbek Deputy Defense Minister Rustam Niyazov noted that the `high level of military cooperation between our countries maintains stability and security in the region.` Another shipment of $600,000 worth of equipment is also scheduled for 2004; and in 2005, Uzbekistan will receive two helicopter trainers worth a combined $6.5 million and two patrol boats totaling $5.8 million.
Russia, Uzbekistan To Discuss Anti-terror Fight
Interfax
Moscow, May 7: Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov will visit Tashkent to discuss the fight against terrorism and the situation in Central Asia, Defense Ministry sources told Interfax- Military News Agency Friday. `Sergei Ivanov will visit Tashkent on May 11-12 to address the situation in the Central Asian region and ways to counter terrorism and drug-trafficking,` one of the sources said. Ivanov will also hold talks with senior officials in the Defense and Foreign Ministries. `Sergei Ivanov is expected to meet with President Islam Karimov in Tashkent,` he said.
Central Asian States To Streamline Legislation On Terrorism
Itar-Tass
Astana, May 5: Pressing problems on standardizing national legislations in struggle against terrorism, extremism and illicit drug trafficking will be discussed by the second forum of legislators of the Central Asian Cooperation Organisation, which started its work in Almaty on Wednesday. It is also planned to examine the question on setting up a permanently operating consultative body at the level of representative groups of the parliaments of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan at the interparliamentary forum of these countries - members of the Organisation. Forum participants intend to set a data and a place of holding the third meeting of the Organization`s parliamentarians. The forum will take a joint statement as a result of discussions.
Uzbek Press Slams Terror
Radio Free Europe
Tashkent, May 4: Major newspapers carried feature articles on 4 May decrying the terror attacks that rocked the country on 28 March-1 April and calling for vigilance. The Russian-language `Narodnoe slovo` wrote that `the situation demands that we all be vigilant, watchful, and actively cooperate with law enforcement.` Other newspapers criticized foreign coverage of the attacks. The Uzbek-language `Halq sozi` wrote: `In our opinion, the time has come to note and evaluate the actions of some individuals and foreign organizations that are allegedly `analyzing in depth` the terrorist attacks directed against our homeland.` Developing a related theme in an international context, the newspaper went on to describe the difficulties in Afghanistan and Iraq as the result of an attempt to impose a foreign culture: `It is impossible to impose by force Western life on an Eastern way of life that has developed and been refined over the centuries.`
Kyrgyz Ahmadiya Community Protests Resolution
Radio Free Europe
Bishkek, May 4: Taalaibek Osmonov, secretary-general of the Ahmadiya community`s mission in Kyrgyzstan, spoke out on 4 May to protest a 5 April cabinet resolution that approved a government program to combat religious extremism in 2004-05, akipress.org reported on 4 May. The resolution calls for measures to prevent the spread of extremist ideas, including those of Ahmadiya Muslims, who represent a sect that arose in the Punjab in 1889. Osmonov objected to the inclusion of the Ahmadiya community in a resolution combating extremism. `There were no questions during our registration,` he said. `The National Security Service checked us out and there were no questions.` Osmonov suggested that the inclusion of the Ahmadiya community in a list of organizations that disseminate extremist ideas may have taken place at the behest of Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, where the Ahmadiya movement is banned as a heretical sect.
Social Discontent Caused Uzbek Attacks - Ambassador
Newscuts
London, May 3: Britain`s outspoken ambassador to Uzbekistan has blamed social discontent for the recent attacks in the country that killed at least 47 people. Craig Murray dismissed claims of international terror and slammed the government for its authoritarian policies. President Islam Karimov said last week that the four days of attacks that began in late March - including Central Asia`s first-ever suicide bombings - were linked to terror groups abroad, and to alleged militants based in Pakistani frontier areas where al Qaida terrorists are believed to be hiding. `They say that it was another case of international terror with links to Pakistan, but I think that the main cause of the attacks is here,` Mr Murray said at an event yesterday ahead of World Press Freedom Day in the capital Tashkent today. `Uzbek people live in desperation, they have no hope for improvements,` he said. `The worst Soviet features such as secret police, censorship, torture in prisons are still in place here.` Uzbekistan has long been criticised for its poor human rights record, including putting more than 6,000 political prisoners in squalid jails where a UN report found torture is `systematic`. Mr Murray - who is the most outspoken diplomat in Tashkent on human rights - also criticised Uzbek media, saying it was not telling the truth to the people but serving as official propaganda.
Kazakh Cabinet Amends 2004 Budget
Radio Free Europe
Astana, May 6: Kazakhstan`s cabinet decided on 6 May to increase 2004 budget expenditures by $424 million, Khabar TV reported the same day. Prime Minister Daniyal Akhmetov noted that the decision to increase expenditures came in response to President Nursultan Nazarbaev`s recent `state of the nation` address and was made possible by increased revenues due to high oil prices, KazInform reported. Initial budget forecasts estimated an oil price of $22 per barrel; current prices are approximately $27 per barrel. The cabinet also revised 2004 GDP projections upward to 5.083 trillion tenges ($37 billion) from 4.877 trillion tenges. The amendments will now be submitted to parliament.
Kazakhstan Set To Provide Odessa-Brody Pipeline With Oil In 2004
Interfax
Moscow, May 5: Kazakh oil companies are looking to make use of Ukraine`s Odessa-Brody pipeline this year and are ready to supply up to 6 million tonnes of crude to be pumped through it, managing director for transportation infrastructure and service projects at Kazakhstan`s national oil and gas company KazMunaiGaz Kairgeldy Kabyldin told Interfax. `Oil extraction companies working in Kazakhstan have analyzed the possible shipment of their oil via the Odessa-Brody line to Europe. Studies demonstrated the economic effectiveness of oil shipments,` Kabyldin said. This particular pipeline is an alternative route Kazakh oil can take to market in Europe, he said, `bypassing the Bosporus and Dardenelles.` Kabyldin said those interested companies have had a range of meetings both with the pipeline`s owners and potential customers for Kazakh oil in Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Southern Germany and Austria, `where Russian oil goes to today.` The companies `are moving to commercial negotiations,` he said, adding that the point is not squeezing out Russian oil, but rather supplying the additional light Kazakh oil `that is needed today.`
Turkmenistan Doubles Electricity Supplies To Afghanistan
Interfax
Ashgabat, May 5: Turkmenistan on Wednesday launched a new power transmission line, Serkhetabad (former Kushka) - Herat, and doubled electricity supplies to Afghanistan to 200 million kilowatt-hours a year, the Turkmen Energy and Industry Ministry told Interfax. The opening of the power line and substation took place in Herat, the capital of Afghanistan`s Herat Province, which borders with Turkmenistan, a ministry spokesman said. Afghanistan built the substation and Turkmen national power construction concern Turkmenenergogurlyshyk built the 102-km power line, which supplies electricity from the Mary power station, Turkmenistan`s largest. Electricity is delivered to Afghanistan for $0.02 per kilowatt-hour. Supplies are to increase to 400 million kilowatt-hours a year with average capacity of 50 megawatts. Serkhetabad-Herat was built as part of the developing cooperation between Turkmenistan and Afghanistan, the ministry spokesman said.
Petronas To Start Oil Production In Caspian Mid-2005
Interfax
Ashgabat, May 5: Malaysia`s Petronas Carigali plans to start drilling oil in Turkmenistan mid-2005, Petronas President and Chief Executive Mohammad Hassan Marican informed Turkmen President Saparmurad Niyazov in a letter. Petronas, which recently restarted exploration drilling at the Block-1 contract zone in the Turkmen sector of the Caspian Sea, remains `absolutely dedicated to its own interests in Turkmenistan and will continue to cooperate closely with the government of Turkmenistan,` the letter reads. `Our company is optimistic about the highly promising potential of Turkmenistan`s oil and gas industry. We are actively starting to implement our plan to develop Block-1, with the first oil to be yielded in mid-2005 and, and will begin commercial drilling in 2006,` the letter said. In addition, Petronas said it was making every effort to start commercial gas production by the end of 2007.
Iran To Export Gas To Northern Neighbors
Tehran Times
Tehran, May 4: Iranian Ministry of Oil has given the nod to the countries that broke away from the former Soviet Union to provide them with natural gas, a deputy oil minister said Tuesday. `Iran`s natural gas exports to Azerbaijan, Armenia and other breakaway republics of ex-USSR will boost economic cooperation and bolster ties,` Deputy Minister of Oil for Caspian Oil and Gas Affairs Hamdollah Mohammadnejad told PIN. `We have been engaged in talks for laying on a pipeline for transfer of gas from Iran to Azerbaijan and Armenia for more than a decade,` he said. `The Ministry of Oil focuses on natural gas exports to the neighbors that have burgeoning market. Therefore we have agreed to export natural gas to our neighbors in the north,` the official said. Iran and Armenia have ratified a gas pipeline construction project worth $5b U.S.
IMF Praises Kyrgyzstan For PRGF Program
Interfax
Bishkek, May 4: An International Monetary Fund (IMF) mission praised Kyrgyzstan`s for its implementation of the fifth interim stage of a Poverty Reduction and Growth (PRGF) program. Tapio Saavalainen, the mission`s head, told reporters the Kyrgyz government had fulfilled practically all of the control parameters of the penultimate stage of the program. The mission spent from April 20 to May 4 in Kyrgyzstan. The final stage of the PRGF is due for completion in September this year. Saavalainen said the IMF planned to assess all of the programs that it was involved with in Kyrgyzstan.
Former Caspian Sea Treaties Allow Economic Activities Of Littoral Countries
Interfax
Baku, May 4: The 1921 and 1940 Soviet-Iranian treaties on the division of the Caspian Sea allow all the littoral countries to carry out economic activities in the sea, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Viktor Kalyuzhny told the press in Baku on Friday. `We are still operating based on those treaties. They should not be forgotten because they make it possible for all Caspian countries to carry out economic activities,` he said. Even though a convention will cover issues on the status of the Caspian Sea, bilateral agreements between littoral countries will remain in force. `Even issues on free passage through Russia`s internal waters will be handled on the basis of those bilateral agreements while the convention will embody a general principle,` Kalyuzhny said. `Each Caspian country wants to resolve the status issue,` he said. `In discussing the convention, we are not going forward before a decision is made. The reason is that while some problems can be tackled today, others have to be addressed later because foreign ministers or even heads of state can only resolve those problems rather than heads of working groups who are not authorized to make such decisions,` he said.
Report Says 700,000 Jobless In Kazakhstan
Radio Free Europe
Astana, May 3: According to a report delivered in Almaty on 3 May at an international seminar on poverty, approximately 700,000 of Kazakhstan`s 15 million citizens are currently unemployed, Kazakh TV reported the same day. Nikolai Galikhin, who heads the domestic-policy sector of the presidential administration, told Khabar news agency that the psychological aspect of poverty means that monetary aid alone cannot eliminate the problem. `People have found themselves in new, market-based conditions and they don`t always react as they should,` Galikhin said. `If we think that we can fight poverty by providing some kind of direct financial assistance, we won`t solve all the problems and eliminate poverty.` The unemployment figure in 2002 was 690,700, or 9.4 percent of the able-bodied population, according to Interfax on 16 January 2003.
Drilling In Caspian To Start Next Year
Tehran Times
Tehran, May 3: The first ever drilling operations by Iran in the Caspian Sea will start early next year (March 2005). Deputy oil minister in Caspian oil and gas affairs, Hamdollah Mohammad Nejad said manufacturing needed equipment for drilling at deep sea has progressed 80 percent and will be complete by September. He noted that when the equipment are ready, they will be carried to drilling zone, which will take up to about 2005. `So far, about 60% of 3-D seismological studies has been carried out by Pezhvak ship and the exact location for drilling will be determined after analyzing seismic data,` he said. So far, $150m has been invested for building a semi-floating drilling rig and three maintenance vessels. Also, $350m will be spent on manufacturing needed equipment.
Kazakh Oil Chief Says Too Early To Build Pipeline To Iran
Interfax
Almaty, May 2: The head of Kazakhstan`s national oil company KazMunaiGaz said the time to build an oil pipeline to Iran has not yet come. `As far a transporting oil via the Iran route is concerned, this route is in use today, but it would be premature to talk about building a pipeline,` Uzkabai Karabalin told the local press. `Existing tanker shipments will remain the most realistic way of delivering Kazakh oil [in the Caspian] in the foreseeable future,` Karabalin said. More than a million tons of oil were shipped by tanker to the Iranian port of Neka in 2003, he said. Kazakhstan plans to ship up to 2 million tons of oil to Neka under its swap deal with Iran in 2004. Karabalin said KazMunaiGaz planned to build its own tanker fleet.
Tabriz Refinery To Process Caspian Crude
Tehran Times
Tehran, May 1: Tabriz refinery has officially launched its activities according to CROS project after the project was inaugurated by President Khatami. The managing director of the refinery told Petroenergy Information Network on Saturday that new units have been set up inside the refinery to prepare it for processing crude oil coming from Central Asia states, which currently accounts for about 80% of the refinery`s needed crude. Majid Balaneshin said new units are to be established at Tabriz refinery including a desulfurization unit to make it ready for CROS plus project. `Based on CROS plus project all the refinery`s needed oil will be supplied by Caspian sates. A main advantage of CROS and CROS plus projects is taking swap fee by Iran,` he noted. Tabriz refinery processes 110,000 barrels crude per day.
Asian Pipeline Expected To Pump New Life Into PetroKazakhstan`s Stock
The Globe and Mail
Calgary, May 1: On PetroKazakhstan Inc.`s map of its Kumkol oil fields in Central Asia, there`s a dotted red line to signify a proposed pipeline into China from the former Soviet republic of Kazakhstan. That plan for a $700-million (U.S.) pipeline, to be financed initially by the Chinese government, has the potential to allow Calgary-based PetroKaz to boost its oil exports and also slash its transportation costs. And while investors have been focused on the senior producer`s success in turning its once-troubled Kazakh operations into a cash machine, it`s that dotted line to the east that is most likely to chart the stock`s future trajectory. The 1,300-kilometre pipeline route could be completed in 2006, and if all goes well, strengthen PetroKaz, since it has large oil reserves in Kazakhstan. `It`s something that we`re looking forward to,` says Ihor Wasylkiw, PetroKaz`s vice-president of investor relations.
US Ambassador Jon Purnell Visits Termez To Review US Projects
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, May 7: The US Ambassador to Uzbekistan Jon Purnell made his first official visit to Termez, in southern Uzbekistan on 3-4 May. During the visit, Ambassador Purnell met with the governor of Surhandarya region, Mr Toshmirzo Kodirov and the governor of Termez City, Mr Abduraim Choriev. The purpose of the visit was to discuss issues of regional importance, to review the progress of the US government funded projects in Termez aimed at social stability and democratic development, and to visit the Friendship Bridge Complex that borders Afghanistan. During the first day of the visit, Ambassador Purnell met with Major General Ilhom Ibragimov, Commander of the Southern District for the Committee for the Protection of State Borders. Following the meeting, the Ambassador toured the Customs and Border Guard complex located at the Friendship Bridge. Ambassador Purnell officially opened the first American Corner in Uzbekistan located in the `Student Centre` in Termez. The American Corner, funded by the US Embassy, provides information about the United States, its people, history, culture, and policies to all people living in Termez and its outskirts. It also organises various activities, including English language courses, debate clubs, and discussion groups on a regular basis. It is a good meeting place for US government program alumni, English teachers, students, and all other groups of the population interested in the United States, learning the English language, or just meeting their counterparts. During the second day of the trip, Ambassador Purnell met with US government program alumni and visited School No. 28 in the Yangiobod community, which is part of the United States Agency for International Development`s (USAID) Community Action Investment Program (CAIP).
Uzbek Foreign Minister To Visit Ukraine On 10-11 May
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, May 7: Uzbek Foreign Minister Sadyk Safaev will pay an official visit to Ukraine on 10-11 May. The visit is aimed at development and deepening of strategic partnership relations and cooperation between Uzbekistan and Ukraine, according to Uzbek Foreign Ministry. The Uzbek and Ukrainian officials are expected to discuss the state of bilateral relations, issues of fighting international terrorism, perspectives of cooperation within international organisations and structures, including UN, OSCE, CIS and others. They will also exchange opinions on key international issues, including situation in Iraq and Afghanistan. Foreign Minister Safaev will start his visit to Ukraine with laying flowers to the Monument of Unknown Soldier. On the same day, he will meet his Ukrainian counterpart Konstantin Grishenko. It is expected that the sides will sign a joint statement on the results of negotiations. On 11 May, Sadyk Safaev will meet rector of Kiev National University named after Taras Shevchenko Victor Skopenko, director of the Institute of International Relations Leonid Huberskiy and rector of Diplomacy Academy M.Kulinich. An agreement on cooperation between the Institute of International Relations under the Kiev National University and University of World Economy and Diplomacy of Uzbekistan is expected to be signed. Minister Safaev will also meet Ukrainian Prime Minister Victor Yanukovych, speaker of the Upper Rada (Ukrainian parliament) Vladimir Litvin and President of Ukraine Leonid Kuchma. He will also visit historic-cultural preserve Sofiyskiy Sobor (cathedral), Kievo-Pecherskiy historical-cultural preserve and Leninskaya Kuznitsa plant. Uzbekistan and Ukraine established diplomatic relations on 25 August 1992.
Azerbaijan, Turkey Not To Sour Ties Over KKTC Seat Rejection
Turkish Daily News
Ankara, May 7: Azerbaijan`s Foreign Ministry said the attitude and statements of Azeri deputies at the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly did not reflect their country`s policy on Cyprus, following rejection of a resolution to grant seats for Turkish Cypriot deputies after Azeri parliamentarians didn`t attend the voting. The statement released by the Azeri Foreign Ministry on Wednesday emphasized the friendly and historical ties between the two countries, adding, `It is not true that the bilateral relations have been damaged due to the fact that some Azeri deputies did not attend the voting.` The Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly rejected a draft resolution on April 29 designed to allow deputies from Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC), which lacks international recognition, to attend and participate in the assembly`s meetings. The reversal came after eight deputies from Azerbaijan, which previously pledged strong support for efforts to end isolation of Turkish Cypriots, did not attend the voting. Instead, the assembly voted on an amendment proposal which called for closer relations with Turkish Cypriot parliamentarians in the body and which envisaged placing Turkish Cypriot parliamentarians among the Greek Cypriot delegation within the Council. Head of the Azeri delegation in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe said earlier this week that the Azeri deputies had consciously avoided to attend, explaining that the success of the draft resolution would have set a dangerous precedence that could later allow Armenian deputies from Nagorno-Karabakh to attend Council of Europe meetings.
Turkmen Embassy Not Planning Probe Into Journalist Beating In Moscow
Interfax
Moscow, May 7: The Turkmen embassy in Russia has denied plans to examine reports from the international organization Reporters Without Borders that Turkmen journalist Mukhamed Berdyev was allegedly beaten in Moscow. `The Turkmen embassy in Moscow has no intentions or plans to carry out any kind of inquiry into the incident. Investigations should be conducted by Moscow law enforcement agencies,` an embassy source told Interfax on condition of anonymity. Mukhamed Berdyev, a correspondent with the Turkmen office of Radio Free Europe, was beaten by three unidentified individuals in his apartment on April 30, says a Reporters Without Borders press release obtained by Interfax Friday.
China Grants Equipment, Computers To Uzbekistan
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, May 6: The governments of Uzbekistan and China signed an agreement on delivery of agriculture equipment and computers, as well as other equipment to Uzbekistan worth a total of 50 million Chinese yuan renminbi (1 yaun = 121.72 soums as of 4 May). The document was inked by Uzbek Foreign Minister Sadyk Safaev and Chinese Ambassador to Uzbekistan Gao Yushen on 6 May. The agreement has been signed withing the framework of the agreement on issue of interest-free credit and no-string aid, singed by the governments of Uzbekistan and China on 23 September 2003.
Kyrgyz Paper Says Progress In Border Talks Minimal
Radio Free Europe
Bishkek, May 6: Kyrgyzstan`s `Obshchestvennyi reiting` reported on 6 May that the latest round of Kyrgyz-Tajik border-delimitation talks, held on 3-6 May, failed to `produce the expected results.` The two countries remain at odds over the maps that should serve as the basis for delimiting the border, with Kyrgyzstan proposing 1958 maps and Tajikistan proposing maps from 1925 and 1927. Kyrgyzstan`s Batken Oblast shares a 613-kilometer border with Tajikistan, a significant portion of which is disputed. Border talks are likely to continue at some point this spring.
President Aliyev Of Azerbaijan Receives Basesgioglu
Anadolu Agency
Baku, May 6: President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan has said that they had been exerting efforts to overcome some problems in labor and social security. President Aliyev received Turkish Labor and Social Security Minister Murat Basesgioglu, who is currently paying an official visit to Azerbaijan, on Thursday. Speaking at the meeting, President Aliyev said that they had given priority to reduce unemployment rates and to open new business places in their efforts to overcome some problems in labor and social security. Meanwhile, Basesgioglu expressed Turkey`s pleasure with President Aliyev`s statement about Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).
Uzbekistan Regards Russia As A Major Economic Partner, Says Uzbek Economic Minister
RIA Novosti
Tashkent, May 6: Uzbekistan regards Russia as a major economic partner, believes deputy prime minister, economic minister of Uzbekistan Rustam Azimov. `People in Uzbekistan never forget that, historically, Russia has always been its major economic partner,` says Azimov`s article published in the government paper of Uzbekistan `People`s Word`. Azimov believes that understanding to conclude an Agreement on Strategic Partnership between Russia and Uzbekistan has become the main result of fruitful negotiations between the two countries` presidents held last April.
Azeri President To Visit Tehran Soon
IRNA
Baku, May 6: President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan Republic said here Wednesday that he would visit Iran soon. He told reporters that he has received an invitation from Iran to pay an official visit to the country. However, he said, the date of the visit has yet to be fixed. According to the Azeri president, the agenda of the visit will be determined once its date is fixed.
Forum Of Central Asian Cooperation Organisation`s Parliamentarians Begins Its Work
RIA Novosti
Astana, May 5: The second forum of parliamentarians of the Central Asian Cooperation Organisation (CACO) member countries began in Alma-Ata to discuss the topical problems of harmonization of the CACO member countries` national laws in the sphere of combating terrorism, extremism and illegal drug trafficking, the press service of the lower house of parliament of Kazakhstan told RIA Novosti on Wednesday. The forum participants are also expected to consider the creation of the constantly working deliberative body at the level of the representative groups of the four countries` parliaments and sign a joint statement on the results of the work. The treaty on founding the CACO was signed by the heads of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, which are members of the organisation, on February 28, 2002 in Alma-Ata. The first inter-parliamentary CACO forum was held in Tashkent in November 2002.
Turkey Calls For Calm In Troubled Georgia
Turkish Daily News
Ankara, May 5: Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul spoke to Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Zvania by telephone about the ongoing crisis in this key Caucasus nation between central government and the autonomous region of Adjaria. The Foreign Ministry called on both parties in the dispute to exercise calm. In fresh tension between Tbilisi and Adjaria, rebels blasted two bridges linking Adjaria to the Georgian heartland on Sunday, saying they feared an invasion by Georgian government forces in the former Soviet republic.
Intl Conference Discusses Uzbek-Spanish Relations
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, May 4: International scientific-practical conference dedicated to the 600th anniversary of diplomatic ties between states of Amir Temur and Castalia and Leon Kingdom was held in Samarkand. Participants discussed the role of Amir Temur in the world history, diplomatic ties of Amir Temur`s state with European states, activity of Spanish Ambassador Claviho in Samarkand and his contribution to strengthening of friendship relations between the nations. According to UzA, the delegates also attended the ceremony of appellation of one of Samarkand the streets with name of Claviho.
Turkey - Kazakhstan Commercial Relations
Anadolu Agency
Ankara, May 4: Turkish State Minister Mehmet Aydin has said that trade volume between Turkey and Kazakhstan should be billions of U.S. dollars. The Turkish Contractors` Association hosted a cocktail party honor of Education and Science Minister Zhaskbey Kulekeyev of Kazakhstan and accompanying delegation who came to Turkey to attend Third Term Meeting of the Turkish-Kazakh Joint Economic Commission. Aydin said that they supported Kazakhstan`s all international efforts and its efforts for its World Trade Organization membership. Noting that they had signed a cooperation protocol with Kazakhstan, Aydin said, `both Turkey and Kazakhstan have great potential, manpower and natural resources. There is no obstacle in front of enhancement of our bilateral economic relations. We have to focus on long term agreements. Our bilateral trade volume should be billions of U.S. dollars.`
Uzbek-French Seminar To Be Held In Tashkent On 5-14 May
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, May 4: Tashkent will host seminar on pedagogical transfer `Optimisation of land and water management` on 5-14 May. The seminar is the second phase of implementation of the agreement on international cooperation, signed in November 2003 in Tashkent by University of Bordeaux I (France), Tashkent Irrigation Institute and French Land Science Research Centre. The seminar will discuss management of water resources, water and land pollution, information data system, hydrogeological modelling and others. The forum will end with a round table entitled `Timeliness of French-Uzbek scientific cooperation, promoting international financing`.
Kazakh Minister Of Education And Science Visits Turkish State Minister
Anadolu Agency
Ankara, May 4: Kazakh Minister of Education and Science Zhaksybek Kulekeyev visited on Tuesday Turkish State Minister Besir Atalay. Kulekeyev, who is in Turkish capital Ankara to attend the meeting of Turkish-Kazakh Joint Economic Commission (JEC), paid a courtesy visit to Atalay. In the meeting, Kulekeyev expressed pleasure to be in Turkey and invited Atalay to Kazakhstan. Atalay said that he could not visit any Turkish republics in Central Asia due to his busy schedule. But, he noted, he and other Turkish officials should pay such visits. Turkish-Kazakh JEC convened in Ankara on Monday. In the meeting, Turkish State Minister Mehmet Aydin has said that settlement of a long-term and deeper cooperation between Turkey and Kazakhstan in every field constituted the basis of their policies.
Spanish, French Businessmen, Public Figures Visiting Uzbekistan
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, May 3: Some 40 representatives of business circles, as well as public figures, scientists and tourists from Spain and France are visiting Uzbekistan. The visit has been organised by the Paris Association for study of history and culture of Timurids, Society of cultural exchange between France and Uzbekistan, as well as Spanish association Klaviho-Tamerlan, with support of Uzbek Embassy in Paris, and number of ministries and departments of Uzbekistan. According to trip organisers, in addition to familiarisation with tourist sights of Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva, and meetings with representatives of state bodies and public, it is planned to hold several events in connection with the 16th anniversary of Paris association for study of history and culture of Timurids. The main events will be held this week in Samarkand. In Tashkent foreign guests participated in opening of the exposition dedicated to 600th anniversary of Spanish Envoy Louie Gonzales de Klaviho`s visit to Samarkand.
Turkmen Prisons May Soon Be Open To Inspection
Voice of America
Ashgabat, May 7: A Western diplomat in Turkmenistan said the country`s autocratic president has agreed to open Turkmen prisons to international inspectors. However, the envoy said that President Saparmut Niyasov refused to allow inspectors to visit the dozens of people convicted of plotting to assassinate him in November 2002. Despite the proposed limitations, Europe`s top security agency (OSCE) welcomed the offer of visits, calling it `a positive step.` In late 2002, humanitarian groups accused Mr. Niyazov of a crackdown on human rights after dozens of people were convicted of attempting to assassinate him. Mr. Niyazov tolerates no dissent in his nation where he serves an indefinite term as the head of government.
Kyrgyz Police Ask For Help To Solve Killing
Radio Free Europe
Bishkek, May 6: The Interior Ministry issued an open appeal on 6 May asking for information that could help solve the 5 May killing of Chynybek Aliev, who headed the ministry`s corruption-fighting directorate, KyrgyzInfo reported on 6 May. Aliev was gunned down in Bishkek by unknown assailants wielding automatic weapons, akipress.org reported on 5 May. Kyrgyz TV quoted Interior Ministry spokesman Joldoshbek Busurmankulov as saying on 6 May: `Aliev was investigating contract killings and achieved certain results. He was...moving toward finding the main mastermind behind the contract killings.... Therefore, the [criminals] presumably decided to eliminate him.`
Kyrgyzstan Police Hunt Killers Of Crime Unit Chief
BBC
Bishkek, May 6: Security forces in Kyrgyzstan are hunting the killers of the chief of the unit fighting corruption and organized crime in the Central Asian nation, the British Broadcasting Corp. reported. Colonel Chynybek Aliyev was shot 20 times yesterday by gunmen in a car when he stopped his vehicle at traffic lights in the capital, Bishkek, the BBC cited unidentified police officials as saying. The gunmen escaped, the BBC said. Aliyev was seeking suspects involved in a series of contract killings in Bishkek in the past two months, the BBC said, citing Dzholdoshbek Buzurmankulov, an Interior Ministry spokesman. He is the most senior police officer to be killed in recent years.
Kyrgyzstan`s Chief Corruption Fighter Killed
Itar-Tass
Bishkek, May 5: Kyrgyzstan`s chief corruption fighter was killed in Bishkek on Wednesday evening. According to reports, the head of the Interior Ministry`s department for combatting corruption and abuses of office. Chynybek Aliyev, was fired at and killed in the centre of the capital by unknown gunmen. Police have begun a search for the attackers. They have blocked all roads to and from the city and are checking all vehicles. The number of patrols at railway stations, bus terminals and airports has been increased. Information about the incident is scarce but the Interior Ministry believes that it was a contract murder.
Five Journalists Beaten In Kazakhstan In 2004
Interfax
Almaty, May 5: Five journalists have been beaten in Kazakhstan since the beginning of the year, said Tamara Kaleyeva, president of the country`s Adil Soz foundation for the protection of freedom of speech. `Nine attacks were staged against journalists and their family members in 2003. As many as five journalists have been beaten since the beginning of 2004,` Kaleyeva told a news conference in Almaty on Wednesday. `It is difficult to say whether the journalists were beaten over their professional activities or the incidents were of a domestic nature, since all such crimes traditionally remain unsolved even if criminal cases have been opened,` she said. Kaleyeva said the situation surrounding freedom of speech in Kazakhstan `can hardly be called favorable.` She said that her organization reported 21 instances of criminal prosecution of journalists in 2003, and eight more in the first quarter of 2004.
National Conference On Human Trafficking Opens In Dushanbe
IRIN News
Dushanbe, May 4: A national conference on human trafficking opened in the Tajik capital, Dushanbe, on Tuesday, the first of its kind in the mountainous Central Asian state. `Over half a million Tajiks regularly leave the country to seek work abroad and the risk of being trafficked is increasing with alarming rates,` Nigina Mamadjanova, counter trafficking focal point for the International Organization for Migration (IOM) office in Tajikistan told IRIN. Although generally targeting women to work in the sex industry in Turkey, Kazakhstan, Russia and the Gulf states, many Tajik men have also fallen victim to traffickers in the form of forced labour, she maintained. Organised by the IOM, in cooperation with the Tajik government, the two-day event brings together a host of participants and experts, including representatives from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and the US, as well as NGOs and other international organisations working on the protection of migrants` rights. While there are no exact figures on the number of people being trafficked, the issue remains a source of concern for the government and NGOs on the ground given the number of Tajik migrants leaving the country through illegal means. According to Mamadjanova, the main goal of the conference is to raise the level of awareness.
Stop Persecution Of Zhumabai Dospanov
Newscuts
Atyrau, May 3: The financial police in Atyrau region filed yet another criminal case against Zhumabai Dospanov, Director of the Center for Democracy Promotion in Western Kazakhstan, Editor-in-Chief of the Altyn Gasyr newspaper. Zhumabai Dospanov heads the regional council of the Republican People`s Party of Kazakhstan (RPPK). In December 2002, he run for Kazakh Parliament as one of the Party leaders. According to the Association of Sociologists and Political Scientists (ASiP) of Almaty, he got 61% of votes in his district. But the Election Commission controlled by the President falsified the election results and announced the District Administration Head, member of pro-governmental party U. Eleubaev as the winner. Dospanov founded three opposition newspapers, two of which were arbitrary closed by Kazakh authorities. The Altyn Gasyr newspaper is still published despite persecution. It publishes reports and materials of opposition parties and movements, analytic materials, documents and discussions on the `Kazakhgate` case, which President Nazarbayev and his allies are involved in. In 2002, Dospanov was awarded with Soros-Kazakhstan Foundation award for his contribution to democratization of Kazakh society. In partnership with his colleagues Zhumabai Dospanov founded the Peoples Oil Fund of Kazakhstan (NNFK).
Georgia Blames Russians In Crisis
BBC
Tbilisi, May 3: Georgia`s president has alleged Russian involvement in the blowing-up of three bridges linking Georgia to its rebellious Black Sea region of Ajaria. Mikhail Saakashvili accused retired Russian general Yuri Netkachov of being behind the operation and later appealed to Moscow to help pacify the situation. The Ajarian leadership says it felt threatened by Georgian military exercises close to the border. Tbilisi has warned that the region is on the verge of a humanitarian crisis. With bridges and railway tracks between Ajaria and the rest of the country severed, the region is in self-imposed blockade. Local people report food prices are rising as people stock up on staples.
Georgia Won`t Assassinate Abashidze, But May Arrest Him - Ambassador
Interfax
Tbilisi, May 3: Georgian Ambassador to Russia Konstantin Kemularia said Georgia is not planning to assassinate Ajarian leader Aslan Abashidze, but said the possibility of his arrest has not been ruled out. `The arrest of Abashidze depends on him and on the steps he`s willing to take to disarm. If he carries his criminal actions through to the end, then he will have to answer for them according to the law,` Kemularia said in a Ekho Moskvy radio interview on Monday. The ambassador said that Abashidze `is currently surrounding himself with state criminals, among which are even murderers,` who are planning and carrying out the destruction of bridges, dispersing demonstrations, and committing other offenses. `Law enforcement agencies will have work to do in Ajaria,` he said.
Georgia`s Rebel Region Rebuffs Ultimatum, Expects War
Agence France-Presse
Batumi, May 3: Tensions between Georgia and its renegade region of Adjara mounted as the local chieftain rejected an ultimatum to disarm his paramilitary forces within 10 days, saying he expected war. The armed standoff also spilled over into a diplomatic spat with neighbouring Russia as Georgian officials accused a high-ranking former Russian general of conniving with Adjara`s rebel leadership. The crisis flared at the weekend when the Adjaran leadership, claiming Georgian troops were preparing to invade, blew up the bridges linking the region to the rest of Georgia. There are fears that the row with Adjara could lead to bloodshed in this turbulent former Soviet republic, and jeopardise a strategic US-backed oil pipeline which is being built across the country. Abashidze was defiant Monday, saying he would not bow to the ultimatum issued by Georgia`s President Mikhail Saakashvili. `The ultimatum cannot be fulfilled -- it is physically impossible to disarm the republic in 10 days,` Russia`s RIA Novosti news agency quoted the Adjaran leader as saying. `We are expecting war.`
Georgia Gives Ultimatum To Ajaria
BBC
Tbilisi, May 2: Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili has threatened to sack the leader of the Ajaria region unless he meets a string of demands within 10 days. His warning came hours after Ajarian forces blew up two bridges linking the region to Georgia. The regional leader, Aslan Abashidze, said he feared Georgian soldiers on exercises nearby were about to invade. Mr Saakashvili said Ajaria had to start disarming and to comply with the Georgian constitution. `We have decided one last time to give a deadline to Aslan Abashidze,` Mr Saakashvili said. `We will give him 10 days to return to Georgia`s constitutional framework, stop violations of law and human rights, and start to disarm.`
Turkmenistan: State Workers With Foreign Degrees To Be Dismissed
Radio Free Europe
Ashgabat, May 7: As of 1 June, state workers in Turkmenistan holding degrees of higher education received outside the country since 1993 will be dismissed from their jobs. Analysts say the move is the latest in a long series of educational restrictions imposed in the Central Asian republic. Turkmen state workers who received their diplomas of higher education from schools outside of the country after 1993 have received a letter from the authorities notifying them that their degrees will no longer be recognized in Turkmenistan after 1 June. The letter notes they will be dismissed from their jobs as of that date, as well. There will be exceptions -- for instance, when the student was sent abroad under an interstate agreement. The letter of notification implements a general decree passed by the Education Ministry in June 2003. In a televised speech last year, Turkmen President Saparmurat Niyazov explained the motives behind the decree. The dismissal of teachers, doctors, engineers, and other professionals in Turkmenistan`s state-run economy is expected to be massive.`There are about 5,000 Turkmen students who are studying abroad,` Niyazov said. `Among them, there are honest as well as dirty people, too. If we don`t have an agreement with those countries, students should be taught in our country.` It is unclear why the year 1993 was chosen, or how many people are affected by the decree. But the dismissal of teachers, doctors, engineers, and other professionals in Turkmenistan`s state-run economy is expected to be massive. Observers say the move will further erode the country`s social services, increase unemployment, and force many members of Turkmenistan`s educated class into permanent exile.
Tajikistan At Crossroads Of The Drug Trade
Free Press
Dushanbe, May 4: Heroin producers in Afghanistan, some of the principal financiers of Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups, have never before been so brazen or so wealthy. With a bumper crop of opium poppies under cultivation, Afghan narco-barons have begun stamping their brand names on the 2.2-pound bags of heroin they smuggle out of central Asia to buyers in Moscow, London, New York and Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Sacks of high-quality Afghan heroin seized last week in Tajikistan carried the trademarks Super Power and 555. Some of the sacks, which were hidden inside foil-lined containers of instant cappuccino mix, even included the addresses of the labs in Afghanistan where the heroin had been refined. Drug-control experts say the number of processing facilities in Afghanistan has exploded over the last year, and a Western-led campaign against opium-growing and heroin laboratories has been a wholesale failure. The trade and huge sums of money involved threaten to undermine vulnerable bordering nations, such as Tajikistan. `There`s absolutely no threat to the labs inside Afghanistan,` said Avaz Yuldashov of the Tajikistan Drug Control Agency. `Our intelligence shows there are 400 labs making heroin there, and 80 of them are situated right along our border.` About 200,000 acres of opium poppies have been planted in Afghanistan -- opium serves as the raw material of heroin -- and the country`s late-summer harvest will produce 75 percent of the world`s heroin. That will mean further billions for growers, smugglers, corrupt officials and Afghan warlords. It`s also likely to mean a windfall of tithes to Al Qaeda and its Islamist brethren now said to be regrouping in the mountains of central Asia. `Drug trafficking from Afghanistan is the main source of support for international terrorism now,` Yuldashov said. But in recent congressional testimony about heroin flow out of Afghanistan, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration head Karen Tandy spoke only of `potential links` between Afghan traffickers and terrorists. Drug agents in central Asia say they`re baffled by Tandy`s hedging. `The connection is absolutely obvious to us,` said Col. Alexander Kondratiyev, a senior Russian officer who has served with border guards in Tajikistan for nearly a decade. `Drugs, weapons, ammunition, terrorism, more drugs, more terrorism -- it`s a closed circle.` That circle has profound implications for the U.S.-led fight against international terrorism. Regional diplomats, aid workers and law-enforcement officials worry about the emergence of a central Asian narco-nation, a country dominated by the drug economy and effectively controlled by a heroin Mafia with roots in Afghanistan and ties to Al Qaeda. `We have a deep responsibility to keep these central Asian republics from becoming failed states,` said a Western diplomat in Dushanbe who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Special FocusGeorgian Leader Gives Ultimatum To Adjaria
Saakashvili gave the republic 10 days to cease its violations of Georgian law and to disarm its paramilitaries. `We had a meeting of the Security Council where we have decided, one last time, to give a deadline to [Adjar leader] Aslan Abashidze,` Saakashvili said. Speaking in the Georgian capital Tbilisi, Saakashvili told reporters that if Adjaria`s leadership does not meet his demands, he will be forced to consider dissolving the region`s state bodies and calling new elections.
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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/pp050304.shtmlWatchdog Groups Critical Of Media Conditions In Central Asia
Two media monitoring groups have singled out Central Asia as having one of the most hostile working environments for journalists in the world. Media observers also noted that journalists in the Caucasus countries of Armenia and Azerbaijan experienced an increasing level of harassment in recent months.
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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/rights/articles/eav050404.shtmlPolitical Attacks On Baku Mayor Prompt Speculation About Power Struggle In Azerbaijan
Political analysts in Baku, culling clues from state-run media, suggest jockeying within the ruling New Azerbaijan Party`s hierarchy may be intensifying. Recent media attacks on Baku Mayor Hajibala Abutalibov have fueled speculation about a potential rift within President Ilham Aliyev`s power base.
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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav050404.shtmlTurkmenistan`s Education System In Downward Spiral
On June 1, Turkmenistan`s Ministry of Education will implement President Saparmurat Niyazov`s order to invalidate all higher education degrees received outside the country since 1993, and to dismiss holders of such degrees from state jobs. Decree No. 126, as the new measure is called, is the latest in a long series of educational restrictions, and represents a major blow to the country`s student population and dwindling professional class.
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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/rights/articles/eav050504.shtmlGeorgia: Popular Protests Topples Ajarian Leader
The mass protest strategy seems to have worked again for Mikheil Saakashvili. The Georgian president rode to power on the back of popular outrage against Georgia`s former leader Eduard Shevardnadze. Now, rallies in the recalcitrant region of Ajaria have pushed Saakashvili`s arch-nemesis, Ajarian leader Aslan Abashidze, from power.
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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav050504.shtmlIs Foreign Presence In Kyrgyzstan Negatively Affecting Regional Cooperation In Central Asia?
2002-2003 witnessed an increase in the foreign troop presence in Kyrgyzstan. The U.S. gained a foothold at Manas airport. In October 2003, Russia opened an airbase of its own in Kant. China for the first time conducted joint military maneuvers with Kyrgyz troops in 2003. This intensive geopolitical dynamic in and around Kyrgyzstan led to significant changes in the policies of Kyrgyz authorities.
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http://www.cacianalyst.org/view_article.php?articleid=2339Terrorism In Uzbekistan: The IMU Remains Alive But Not Well
The recent bombings and street fighting in Tashkent and Bukhara demonstrate that the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) remains capable of conducting terrorist operations despite suffering years of vigorous repression. IMU members have even adopted new tactics including their first use of suicide bombers. Although the attacks caught the Uzbek security services by surprise, they rapidly suppressed the assault.
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http://www.cacianalyst.org/view_article.php?articleid=2338Georgia`s Revolution Takes A Dangerous Turn
Georgia`s charismatic young president, Mikhail Saakashvili, commands widespread popularity in Georgia but is poised to make a disastrous mistake if he employs force against the president of Ajaria, Aslan Abashidze. There are few checks on Saakashvili`s power in Georgia - all television channels are currently pro-government; the parliament whose powers were severely curtailed by recent constitutional amendments is dominated by the president`s party, convened only two weeks ago, and endorsed a strongly worded resolution on Ajaria.
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http://www.cacianalyst.org/view_article.php?articleid=2336Tajikistan: Tajiks To Replace Russian Border Guards On Afghan Border
In his annual address to parliament on 30 April, Tajik President Imomali Rakhmonov announced a major shift in the country`s border services. The Russian troops that have traditionally guarded the Tajik-Afghan border, he said, will be phased out and replaced with Tajik guards.
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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/pp050604.shtmlAmid Celebration In Batumi, Georgian Authorities Move To Reassert Authority In Ajaria
The Georgian government moved swiftly May 6 to restore its authority in Ajaria, as residents celebrated the downfall of the region`s strongman, Aslan Abashidze. Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili praised Russia for playing a key role in preventing the political crisis from turning violent.
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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav050604.shtmlPlans For Tajikistan Unraveling
Moscow and Tajikistan have yet to agree on the fate of Russian armed forces in the Central Asian country, a situation that has the potential to create a geopolitical vacuum - with a number of contenders waiting to fill it. Russia has been pushing to establish a military base in Tajikistan to help prevent the further decline of its regional clout.
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http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Central_Asia/FE07Ag01.htmlTajikistan: Heroin Busts Tie Russian Military To Drug Trade
It was yet another arrest in Tajikistan`s drug war. Authorities announced on 5 May they had detained a man near the border with Afghanistan carrying 12 kilograms of heroin. It`s not just the large amount of heroin that made his arrest noteworthy. Police said the suspect, Safarali Gulomov, is a Tajik with Russian citizenship and a medic with the Russian border guard service -- the more than 10,000-strong force that for over a decade has helped locals fight drug smuggling from Afghanistan.
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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/pp050704.shtmlWidespread Human Rights Abuses Undermine Kyrgyz Mental Health Care
Rampant abuse of international human rights standards plagues Kyrgyzstan`s state-run mental health care system, according to a recent report by the Budapest-based Mental Health Advocacy Organization. To bring its psychiatric hospitals up to international standards, the organization has urged the Kyrgyz government to adopt a community-driven care system and abandon the overly centralized approach of the Soviet past.
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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/rights/articles/eav050704.shtml
Report dated 7 May 2004