Poet-president Takes Over TV
The Telegraph
Ashgabat, September 24: State television in Turkmenistan broke into its regular programming yesterday to allow President Saparmurat Niyazov, the country`s Stalinist leader, to read the nation his latest cycle of poetry. In a move reminiscent of Chairman Mao, who also saw his role as that of a modern philosopher-king, Mr Niyazov read from a collection called Love of the Motherland. Among Mr Niyazov`s latest lyrical offerings are poems entitled My Democracy, Revive the Turkmen Nation and Learn about your People. President Niyazov The cycle is the president`s fourth collection of poetry and will become compulsory reading for children in the backward but oil-rich state. Pupils already have to memorise the Rukhnama, a series of presidential musings that have been elevated to official state philosophy. Visitors to places of worship must kiss a copy of the Rukhnama. When a leading religious figure objected he was sentenced to 23 years in prison. There are thought to be 20,000 dissidents languishing in Mr Niyazov`s jails. Meanwhile his eccentricity has grown apace. He calls himself `Father of the Nation`, has banned beards and ballet and made July 10 a holiday celebrating melons.
Five Parties To Run For Parliament In Uzbekistan
Interfax
Tashkent, September 24: Five political parties intend to take part in the elections to the legislative chamber (lower house) of the Uzbek parliament, the Central Elections Commission told Interfax on Friday. `Representatives of political parties have been given signature list forms to collect voters` signatures in support of their participation in the parliamentary elections,` the press service said. A political party can nominate candidates for parliament if it is registered with the Justice Ministry no later than six months prior to the day on which the election campaign begins, the press service said. Thus, the following parties can nominate candidates for the elections: the People`s Democratic Party of Uzbekistan, the Adolat (Justice) social-democratic party, the Milliy Tiklanish (National Revival) democratic party, the national-democratic party Fidokorlar, and the Liberal-Democratic Party of Uzbekistan. The elections to the legislative chamber of the Uzbek parliament are scheduled for December 26, 2004.
Kyrgy Deputies Criticise Constitutional Court Decision
Radio Free Europe
Bishkek, September 23: Parliament members Azimbek Beknazarov, Dooronbek Sadyrbaev, and Bektur Asanov of the People`s Power Bloc held a press conference in Bishkek on 23 September to condemn the Constitutional Court`s 21 September decision not to examine the constitutionality of President Askar Akaev seeking yet another term, akipress.org reported. They said that the court violated the constitution when it rejected the request for a ruling. For his part, Akaev has said that he does not plan to run for president in 2005.
Pro Presidential Party Wins Kazakh Elections
Radio Free Europe
Astana, September 23: Kazakhstan`s Central Election Commission announced on 23 September that the pro-presidential Otan party garnered 60 percent of the vote in 19 September parliamentary elections, Interfax-Kazakhstan reported. Ten seats in the 77-member lower chamber of parliament are distributed by party slates, giving Otan seven of the party-slate seats, while the pro-presidential Asar party, pro-presidential AIST bloc of the Civic and Agrarian parties, and the moderate opposition party Ak Zhol received one seat each. Among 67 single-mandate constituencies, 45 races produced first-round winners, `Kazakhstan Today` reported. Otan won 27 races, AIST nine, and Asar two, while seven independents also emerged as winners. A second round in 22 constituencies is tentatively scheduled for 3 October. According to `Kazakhstan Today,` cumulative results as of 23 September are: 34 seats for Otan, 10 for AIST, three for Asar, one for Ak Zhol, and seven for independents.
Kazakh Poll Boosts Leader`s Power
BBC
Astana, September 23: The election authorities in Kazakhstan have announced detailed results of the parliamentary elections which were held on Sunday. A second vote is still to be held in some constituencies. The tally of confirmed seats will put parties close to the president in control of parliament`s lower house. A new party headed by President Nursultan Nazarbayev`s daughter and the main opposition party have done worse than early results suggested. The results show Nazarbayev retains a firm grip on power Delays in reporting the results have done little to boost people`s confidence in the electoral system. Kazakhstan`s Central Electoral Commission said the deputies from President Nazarbayev`s Otan party will occupy 33 out of 55 confirmed seats in the new Majlis. But the second biggest party will not be the Asar party of his daughter, Dariga Nazarbayeva - even though this was predicted by opinion polls and analysts before the election. Second place goes to a pro-presidential Rural and Industrial Alliance which was all but invisible before the vote, but which advertised actively during the election campaign. Dariga Nazarbayeva`s party has won only three seats and the main opposition, Ak Zhol, just one. Twenty-two seats remain to be decided after a second round of voting next month.
Number Of Lib-Dem Party Members Reaches 110,000
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, September 22: Number of members of Liberal-Democratic Party of Uzbekistan (OzLiDeP), movement of entrepreneurs and businesspeople, reached 110,000 people. This was announced at the session of political council of OzLiDeP in Tashkent. The session discussed priority directions of the party in forthcoming parliamentary elections. The council also considered calling up of the party`s session and adoption of pre-election programme. The party was founded in November 2003.
Kazakh Media Provided Biased Campaign Coverage, Group`s Say
Radio Free Europe
Astana, September 21: Kazakhstan`s Adil Soz (Just Word) and Slovakia`s MEMO 98 said at a 21 September news conference in Almaty that television coverage during the lead-up to Kazakh parliamentary elections favored pro-presidential parties, Interfax-Kazakhstan reported. Kazakhstan`s state-owned first channel devoted 16 percent of news broadcasts to the pro-presidential Otan party, allocating half as much airtime to opposition parties, according to the two groups. Coverage on state-run Khabar television aided the Asar party, led by Darigha Nazarbaeva, daughter of President Nursultan Nazarbaev. Nazarbaeva is also the CEO of Khabar, although she recused herself from the post for the duration of the election campaign. Adil Soz President Tamara Kaleeva noted that no television channels and newspapers were completely unbiased in their coverage. The two organizations based their conclusions on monitoring conducted between 30 August and 16 September.
Kyrgyz Court Refuses To Consider Akayev Possible Part In Elections
Itar-Tass
Bishkek, September 21: The Constitutional Court of Kyrgyzstan refused to consider an inquiry of parliament deputies on possible participation of President Askar Akayev in the election. The court said the deputies had no right to make this inquiry. The third term of Akayev`s office expires in October 2005. He was elected by the parliament in the early 1990s, and twice won the national elections.
Kazakh Election Commission Disputes OSCE Assessment
Radio Free Europe
Astana, September 22: Kazakhstan`s Central Election Commission (CEC) announced in a 22 September press release that it does not agree with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe`s (OSCE) critical assessment of parliamentary elections that took place on 19 September (see `RFE/RL Newsline,` 21 September 2004). The press release followed a 21 September meeting between CEC head Zagipa Balieva and OSCE representatives, Interfax-Kazakhstan reported. Noting that the CEC has carefully studied past OSCE election reports, the press release disputed the OSCE`s conclusions. The OSCE, according to the release, declined to take part in preparatory meetings on electronic voting yet criticized the process as secretive, accused the CEC of lacking transparency even though OSCE representatives were invited to `all CEC events,` and inaccurately assessed the significance of Kazakh opposition leaders.
Tajik Democrats Concerned About Freedom Of Speech
Itar-Tass
Dushanbe, September 21: The administration of the Democratic Party of Tajikistan sent an appeal to President Emomali Rakhmonov to express `serious concern about the freedom of speech in the republic,` Party Deputy Chairman Rakhmatullo Valiyev told Itar-Tass on Tuesday. A number of independent editions, including Adolat (Justice) weekly of the party, have not been released for a month, he said. The Sharki Ozod leading state-run publishing house and other organizations have refused to print the editions `on purely technical reasons.` `We think that bureaucrats are putting direct and indirect pressure on free press in view of the parliamentary election scheduled for February 2005,` he said.
Kazakhstan`s Ruling Party Claims Election Win
Associated Press
Astana, September 21: Kazakhstan`s ruling party claimed victory Tuesday in parliamentary elections before complete results were announced, and the United States backed the conclusion of international observers that the voting failed to meet international standards. The U.S. Embassy in Astana, the Kazakh capital, said it agreed with an observer mission from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, or OSCE, that the vote fell short of international standards. The embassy said in a statement that `the election process did not meet the international standards to which Kazakhstan has committed itself` and that Kazakh authorities failed to `effectively and fairly` apply positive changes in the new election law. The OSCE cited a lack of transparency in the work of election authorities, official interference, pro-government media bias and irregularities during vote counting. Petr Svoik, a senior official with the opposition Democratic Choice party, said it was one of the dirtiest elections in memory. The elections were seen as a test of President Nursultan Nazarbayev`s commitment to democracy.
Observers Criticize Kazakh Elections
Associated Press
Astana, September 20: Parliamentary elections in Kazakhstan fell short of international standards, with irregularities during ballot counting leading to a delay in announcing the results, European observers said Monday. By Monday evening, election officials failed to announce any results beyond early electronic tallies -- closing their office in the capital of Astana without any explanation of when vote totals would be released. The only opposition member in the country`s Cabinet said he was stepping down to protest how Sunday`s election was conducted. `I find it impossible to be a member of the Cabinet and part of the executive branch that has actively interfered in the election process, and participated in falsification of results of the people`s votes,` Information Minister Altynbek Sarsenbayev said in a statement. Sarsenbayev, co-chairman of the opposition Ak Zhol party, was appointed in July by President Nursultan Nazarbayev in an apparent attempt to appease the opposition, which has been gathering strength in recent years. Nazarbayev -- criticized in recent years for his increasingly authoritarian rule -- had pledged Sunday the elections would be `transparent, fair and democratic.` An observer mission from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe said the election `fell short of OSCE and Council of Europe standards in many respects.` `The lack of transparency in the work of the Central Election Commission throughout the process, and last-minute decisions on parallel electronic and paper voting created confusion in many polling stations, during voting and counting,` said Robert Barry, an OSCE official. More than half of the OSCE observers reported unauthorized people in polling stations during counting.
Kazakh Leader Tells Voters Choose `Stability`
Reuters
Astana, September 19: President Nursultan Nazarbayev warned oil-rich Kazakhstan against voting for his opponents` `empty promises` of riches in a poll on Sunday already criticized in the West for bias against the opposition. The election for members of the vast Central Asian state`s lower house is seen as a test of Kazakhstan`s ability to match rapid economic growth with political plurality by holding its first free poll in a region dominated by authoritarian leaders. Speaking at a polling station in Astana, the new capital that he is building, Nazarbayev said he was sure the country would vote for `trust in Kazakhstan and stability.` `Kazakh citizens will vote for this and not for the empty promises of mountains of gold that we won`t ever see,` he said. The three opposition parties contesting the poll have pledged various schemes to pay oil revenues direct to people. He hugged his eldest daughter Dariga, whose pro-presidential Asar (All Together) party is expected to do almost as well as his own Otan (Fatherland) party. The opposition said the campaign had been flawed, and that voting would be too.
Polling Ends To Elect Kazakhstan Deputies
The Washington Times
Almaty, September 19: Voting ended Sunday across Kazakhstan to elect 77 deputies for the lower chamber of parliament or Majlis. According to election commission officials, 623 candidates were competing for 77 seats. While 67 seats will be decided by contests in single-constituency districts, 10 other seats will be awarded on the basis of parties. Opinion polls have indicated President Nursultan Nazarbayev`s Otan party and Asar, led by his daughter Dariga Nazarbayeva, would be the leading winners. Ak Zhol, or Bright Path, considered the leading opposition party, is expected to take third position. The parliamentary elections won`t change the political scene in Kazakhstan, since at least 9 of the 12 parties support Nazarbayev. The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe is leading the main international observer mission to oversee the smooth conduct of the elections.
Kazakh Minister Resigns As Election Returns Come In
Radio Free Europe
Astana, September 19: Kazakh Information Minister Altynbek Sarsenbaev, who is also the co-chairman of the moderate opposition party Ak Zhol, has resigned in protest over what he described as unfair elections. Sarsenbaev, the only minister allied with the opposition, said in a statement that yesterday`s parliamentary elections were neither fair, honest, nor free. He said he will not remain part of a government that `actively interfered in the electoral process.` The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) today said the vote fell short of international standards for democratic elections. The OSCE cited media bias and voter intimidation among the problems marring the election. Early results show President Nursultan Nazarbaev`s Otan party leading with 43 percent of the vote, while the Asar party, led by the president`s daughter Dariga, appears to have received about 19 percent. The opposition Ak Zhol is reportedly in third place, with about 17 percent of votes.
Intl Observers See No Serious Violations At Kazakhstan Elections
Itar-Tass
Astana, September 19: International observers did not find any serious violations during the voting at polling stations, head of the Russian group of observers and chairman of the Moscow municipal election commission Valentin Gorbunov told reporters here on Sunday. He noted that some 70 percent of young and middle-aged people voted at polling stations with the use of the automated information system Sailau (`Elections`). On the other hand, more than 50 percent of aged voters cast ballot papers. He noted at the same time that Kazakhstan applied a very good programme which enabled every voter `to feed a personal pin-code and to demand a list output after voting and to get convinced that the protocol contains precisely the man for whom he or she voted`. `This is an additional control over the operation of commissions, and possibly we shall also apply it in Moscow,` he reported. More than 1,000 international observers from 44 countries monitor the elections to the Majilis lower house of the Kazakh parliament. A total of 420 people are representatives from various missions of CIS countries. The OSCE is represented by 297 observers. The delegation of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly numbers 13 people and that of the European Parliament - three. International non-government organizations have 208 observers.
Over 53% Vote At Parliamentary Election In Kazakhstan
Itar-Tass
Astana, September 19: More than 53 percent of voters cast votes at the parliamentary election in Kazakhstan on Sunday. According to preliminary information of the Central Election Commission 4.6 million Kazakhs that is 53.7 percent from 8.5 million Kazakhs put on the lists for voting took part in the election of Majilis deputies. The Kazakh parliament consists of two houses - Majilis and Senate. Majilis numbers 77 deputies, five-year term of whom will expire in autumn this year. Sixty-seven deputies will be elected in one-mandate constituencies. Ten mandates will be given to political parties. People will vote for them on party tickets. Meanwhile parties can also nominate their candidates in one-mandate constituencies.
U.S. Observers Hail Kazakh Parliamentary Elections
Interfax
Astana, September 19: International observers from the United States have welcomed the way the Kazakh authorities handled the country`s September 19 parliamentary elections. Describing yesterday`s elections as the most open and competitive vote in the history of independent Kazakhstan, the U.S. observers` statement circulated during a news conference in Astana on Monday applauds the growth of health pluralism in the country`s political life. If, and this is the most likely outcome, the results of the elections to the majilis (the lower chamber of parliament) of the third convocation lead to a broader representation of opinions and political parties there, this forum will serve as a stage for more heated debates, and, what counts most, this parliament will generate a stronger and more influential branch of legislative power, even given the existing presidential system, the statement says. Frederick Starr, president of Central Asia and Caucasus Institute of John Hopkins University, Daniel Witt, president of the International Center on Taxes and Investments, and Douglas Townsend, this center`s employee and a former Australian ambassador to Kazakhstan, who signed this statement, said that the recent elections in Kazakhstan were characterized by more vigorous and competitive activities by political parities.
Kazakh President Urges Voters To Reject `empty Promises` Of Opposition As They Elect New Parliament
Associated Press
Astana, September 19: President Nursultan Nazarbayev urged voters Sunday to reject the opposition`s `empty promises` of redistributing the country`s massive oil wealth as Kazakhs chose a new parliament expected to be dominated by his loyalists and a new party run by his daughter. Some believe that the apparent rivalry between Nazarbayev`s Otan party and his daughter Dariga Nazarbayeva`s Asar party is real, but others think it`s a ploy to draw votes away from other opposition parties and legitimize her eventual assumption of power from her father. `I hope voters will choose stability and not empty promises and golden mountains that will never be fulfilled,` Nazarbayev said as he cast his vote in the Kazakh capital, Astana.
Voting Starts In Kazakhstan`s Legislative Elections
Associated Press
Astana, September 19: Voting started in Kazakhstan`s parliamentary elections which are expected to be dominated by the parties supporting President Nursultan Nazarbayev, who has ruled this oil-rich central Asian nation since the late Soviet era. Voters are to elect deputies to the 77-seat lower house of parliament, or mazhilis. Voting started at midnight GMT and will end at 1500 GMT. The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE (news - web sites)) has expressed concern over the introduction for the first time of a barely tested electronic voting system for 30 percent of voters, as well as over inadequate access to the media for opposition parties. The Otan (Fatherland) party of Nazarbayev, as well as the Asar (All Together) party recently launched by his daughter Dariga Nazarbayeva, are expected to obtain strong results.
President`s Party `wins Kazakh Poll`
BBC
Astana, September 19: The party of Kazakhstan`s President Nursultan Nazarbayev appears to have won victory in parliamentary elections, early results indicate. The Kazakh electoral commission said a sample of votes cast gave the president`s Otan party 43% support. Turnout is reported to be around 50%. Election observers earlier condemned the media`s `severe bias` in favour of the president and his allies. A party led by the president`s daughter appeared to be in second place. The largest opposition party, Ak Zhol, attracted around 17% of the vote, according to a sample taken by the election commission. The election was seen as a test of democracy in Kazakhstan - a large, country rich in oil and mineral wealth but surrounded by politically unstable neighbours, the BBC`s Ian MacWilliam in the capital, Astana, reports. International observers will give their verdict on the election on Monday. `
Kazakhstan To Hold Parliamentary Elections Sept 19
Interfax
Almaty, September 18: Kazakhstan will hold elections to the lower chamber of its parliament, the Majilis, on September 19. The Majilis is composed of 77 deputies, 67 of whom are elected in single-mandate electoral districts. Competing for the other 10 seats will be eight parties and two electoral blocs composed of two parties each. There are a total of 12 parties in Kazakhstan. Over one thousand observers from foreign countries and international organizations will monitor the elections. The Kazakh Foreign Ministry announced earlier that the CIS bodies would delegate 420 observers, the OSCE 297, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe 13, the European Parliament 3, and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization 2. In addition, 208 observers from international non-government organizations and 86 observers from 44 countries will also be present at the voting. In Kazakhstan, a country with a 15-million population, 8.5 million people are eligible voters.
CIS Unified Air Defense System To Refine Anti-terror Skills
Interfax
Moscow, September 23: Protection of the airspace of CIS countries, including from airborne terrorism, will be refined in the course of a command post exercise (CPX) to be held by the Unified Air Defense System, Russian air force deputy commander Lieutenant General Aitech Bizhev told Interfax Thursday. `Ten missions will be practiced during the CPX scheduled for October, aimed to improve protection of the airspace of CIS members, ` he said. He added that the issues of command and control and liaison in case of air terrorism would also be practiced. The CPX will involve Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, as well as Ukraine on a bilateral basis.
Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan Hold Anti-terrorist Exercises
Itar-Tass
Dushanbe, September 23: Joint command and staff exercises began on the Tajik-Kyrgyz border on Thursday. The chief of the Tajik Defence Ministry`s press service, Zarobiddin Sirodzhev, told Itar-Tass that the `goal of the exercises was drilling the teamwork of the Tajik and Kyrgyz motorised infantry and special forces in revealing, blocking and destroying illegal armed units`. The exercises engage up to 500 army servicemen, the artillery and Tajikistan`s helicopter squadron. The defence ministers of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, Esen Topoyev and Sherali Khairulloyev, will assess results of the exercises.
Azerbaijan Denies Plans To Deploy U.S. Military Bases Soon
Interfax
Baku, September 23: The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry has denied media reports that the country plans to deploy U.S. military bases soon. `This information does not correspond to reality. It is a total lie,` Defense Ministry spokesman Ramiz Melikov told Interfax on Friday. Referring to U.S. publications, Azerbaijan`s Ekho newspaper reported on Friday that Azerbaijan would soon station U.S. military bases on its territory.
Uzbekistan, NATO Discuss Cooperation Issues In Belgium
Uzbek Report
Brussels, September 22: Officials of Uzbekistan and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) have met at the NATO headquarters in Brussels to discuss a draft Individual Partnership Action Plan between the sides. Individual Partnership Action Plan was drawn up by the Uzbek government and it outlines a wide range of reform plans in Uzbekistan in various areas. Uzbekistan is the first Central Asian country to announce its readiness to expand its partnership with NATO as part of the Individual Partnership Action Plan. Uzbekistan shares the view of the alliance`s member-nations that the Individual Partnership Action Plan mechanism provides a good foundation for further cooperation that will take Uzbekistan`s specific needs in the most vital areas of cooperation into consideration. Other areas of NATO-Uzbek cooperation include Uzbekistan`s participation in the activities of the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council and the Partnership For Peace programme.
Kyrgyzstan Seeks Broader Military-technical Cooperation With Russia
Interfax
Bishkek, September 22: Kyrgyzstan`s Economic Development, Industry and Trade Minister, Amangeldy Muraliyev, said his country wants to advance its arms trading and military cooperation with Russia. `A meeting of the governments` working groups is due to take place in the near future to discuss these issues,` Muraliyev told Interfax on Wednesday. `The Kyrgyz government has offered Russia to buy the state-owned stake in the Ozero joint venture, one of the main military testing grounds for Kyrgyz defense sector products. This move will help provide a more sound foundation for contacts between Russia and the defense sector of our country,` the minister said. `Our republic is searching for its place on global weapons markets. Kyrgyzstan sells its military products under existing political agreements. Our republic is not going to sell arms to countries that support terrorism,` he said. Russian-Kyrgyz contacts as part of efforts by the Collective Security Treaty Organization and the CIS are a vital element of bilateral relations, he said.
SCO May Form Collective Rapid Reaction Force - Russian Ambassador
Interfax
Beijing, September 22: The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is likely to form a rapid reaction collective force in the near future, Russian Ambassador to China Igor Rogachev told Interfax on Wednesday. `The member countries held their first anti-terror exercises in Kazakhstan and China in 2003. This kind of cooperation is opening up new horizons for development in the SCO. I think the formation of a rapid reaction collective force and joint counter-terrorist operations in the SCO space will become a reality in the near future,` Rogachev said.
Armenia Doesn`t Intend To Join NATO But Will Deepen Relations
Interfax
Yerevan, September 22: Armenia intends to deepen relations with NATO but has no plans of joining the alliance, Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian told a Wednesday news conference. `Our stance amounts to the maximum expansion and deepening of relations with the alliance. I don`t know what NATO thinks of it but membership in the alliance is not on our agenda today,` he said. As for Armenia`s plans for sending a group of 50 servicemen to Iraq, Oskanian said that it would be a humanitarian mission consisting of doctors, drivers and sappers. He emphasized that from the very start Armenia was opposed to military presence in Iraq.
Georgian Army To Start Admitting Women
Interfax
Tbilisi, September 22: The Georgian army will soon start admitting women to positions of officers, a source in the Georgian Defense Ministry told Interfax-Military News Agency on Wednesday. `The National Defense Academy will start enrolling women in 2005, so they will soon fill the ranks of professional military,` the source said. `The material and technical facilities that are necessary for women to study in the academy and live at its premises, if required, will be prepared with the assistance from the Turkish Defense Ministry, which patronizes the academy,` the source noted. Chief-of-Staff of the Georgian Armed Forces Vakhtang Kapnadze told reporters on Wednesday that `a lot of women in present-day Georgia express readiness to serve in the army, and that is why the decision was made to start enrolling females in the academy next year.`
Government Announces Autumn Military Call-up
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, September 21: The Cabinet of Ministers of Uzbekistan issues a resolution on demobilisation of citizens that have served compulsory military and alternative service terms and the next call-up on 21 September. According to the document, in October-November 2004 citizens born in 1977-1986 that have no rights for call-up delay will be drawn to compulsory military and alternative service. Local administrations together with Defence Ministry have been charged to organise effective work of call-up commissions. Ministries of Health and Defence have been entrusted with provision of call-up sites with necessary medical equipment and property, as well as organisation of quality laboratory tests of conscripts and their medical examination.
Uzbek-NATO Consultations Held In Brussels
Interfax
Bishkek, September 21: Uzbek and NATO officials have met at the NATO headquarters in Brussels to discuss a draft Individual Partnership Action Plan between Uzbekistan and NATO, the Uzbek Foreign Ministry`s press service told Interfax on Tuesday. It was said during the consultations that the draft plan, which was drawn up by the Uzbek government, outlines a wide range of reforms Uzbekistan plans to carry out in various areas. Uzbekistan is the first Central Asian country to announce its readiness to expand its partnership with NATO as part of the Individual Partnership Action Plan, the press service said. `Uzbekistan shares the view of the alliance`s member-nations that the Individual Partnership Action Plan mechanism provides a sound foundation for further cooperation that will take Uzbekistan`s specific needs in the most vital areas of cooperation into consideration,` the press service said.
Georgia Refuses To Pledge Not To House Foreign Military
Interfax
Moscow, September 21: The conclusion of a comprehensive framework treaty between Russia and Georgia is being delayed because of Tbilisi`s refusal to accept the term under which it will not house military forces from third countries in its territory, a Moscow-based source told Interfax on September 18. `The draft treaty contains a provision that the parties commit themselves not to house military from third countries in their territories,` which `Georgia has refused to accept,` the source said.
Former Tajik Field Commander Arrested In Kazakhstan
Radio Free Europe
Astana, September 19: Kazakh authorities arrested Ali Purmuhammadov, a former field commander during Tajikistan`s 1992-1997 civil war, in Almaty on 19 September, Asia Plus-Blitz reported the next day. Better known as `Ali the Boxer,` Purmuhammadov was detained at the request of Tajik authorities. Tajik Deputy Prosecutor-General Abdusami Dadaboev told the news agency, `The issue of [Purmuhammadov`s] extradition will be resolved soon.`
Georgian Defence Minister Leaves For US To Discuss Defence Ties
Itar-Tass
Tbilisi, September 19: Georgian Defence Minister Georgy Baramidze is leaving for a six-day working visit to the United States to discuss defence cooperation, a Georgian Defence Ministry source told Itar-Tass. Baramidze told reporters on Saturday that he had discussed the agenda of his visit to Washington with President Mikhail Saakashvili. The United States and Georgia have been maintaining active military contacts in recent years. American instructors trained four commando battalions in Georgia under the Georgia Train and Equip Program in 2002-2004. The United States is carrying out technical retooling of the Georgian State Border Department and the Coastal Guard Service.
OSCE To Send More Observers To Georgian-S. Ossetian Conflict Zone
Interfax
Tbilisi, September 19: The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe will increase the number of its military observers monitoring the Georgian-South Ossetian conflict zone from six to 13. `An agreement to this effect has been achieved by OSCE Chairman- in-Office Solomon Pasi, who is also Bulgarian foreign minister, and Georgian Foreign Minister Salome Zurabishvili,` Georgian Deputy Foreign Minister Giorgi Gomiashvili told a briefing on Thursday. Gomiashvili suggested that enlarging the OSCE observer contingent will help provide unbiased reports on all violations in the conflict zone.
Russia Urges Georgia To Pull Unsanctioned Troops From S. Ossetia
Interfax
Moscow, September 18: Russia has called on Georgia to fully observe the decisions made by the Joint Control Commission to withdraw unsanctioned military units from the conflict zone in South Ossetia, Russian First Deputy Foreign Minister Valery Loshchinin told the press on September 18. `Unsanctioned Georgian military units are still present in the Georgian-South Ossetian conflict zone,` Loshchinin said. `There have been several decisions by the Joint Control Commission on withdrawing unsanctioned units, but Georgia is observing them partially rather than fully,` he said.
Russia Wants SCO To Adopt New Accord On Anti-terrorist Cooperation
Kabar Agency
Bishkek, September 23: Russia stands for accelerating the adoption of a new document that will regulate anti-terrorist cooperation of the member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov declared at a meeting of the Council of the heads of the SCO governments held in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. According to him, cooperation of SCO members `should really counteract new challenges and threats such as international terrorism.` Fradkov pointed out that the Shanghai Cooperation Organization had real instruments for cooperation in providing stability and security in the member states and the whole Central Asia. He also mentioned that the executive committee of the regional anti-terrorist structure of the organization had already started functioning this year.
Extremism Trial Continues In Uzbekistan
Radio Free Europe
Tashkent, September 22: Eighteen alleged religious extremists went on trial in Uzbekistan`s Kashkadarya Oblast on 20 September, bringing to 47 the number of people on trial in the area, RFE/RL`s Uzbek Service reported on 22 September. The 18, who are all reportedly residents of Qarshi, were arrested after violence broke out in Tashkent and Bukhara in late March and early April. They are charged with membership in the banned extremist organization Hizb ut-Tahrir, carrying out propaganda activities, and attempting to overthrow the country`s constitutional system. A relative of one of the accused told RFE/RL`s Uzbek Service that the defendants maintain their innocence, but some of the lawyers representing them are not even trying to defend them in court.
Tajik Court Convicts 20 Hizb Ut Tahrir Activists
Radio Free Europe
Dushanbe, September 21: A Tajik court in Kulob sentenced 20 members of the banned extremist organization Hizb ut-Tahrir to prison terms on 17 September, Avesta reported on 21 September. Nine of the 20 defendants were found guilty of active membership in Hizb ut-Tahrir and sentenced to prison terms of 14 to 15 years. The remaining defendants were convicted of lesser offenses and received sentences ranging from six months to one year. The defense has two weeks to file an appeal.
Tajikistan: Migrants Victims Of Post-Beslan Crackdown In Moscow - NGO
IRIN News
Ankara, September 21: Central Asian migrant workers in Russia are increasingly falling victim to a post-Beslan crackdown on illegal migration. The Russian police have deported hundreds of Tajik labour migrants for failing to register in time, a move criticised by migration NGOs in the country. `This is nonsense. It is nothing but window-dressing,` Lidiya Grafova, head of the Forum of Migrants` Organisations, an international NGO tackling the problems of migrants, told IRIN from Moscow on Tuesday. `Similar demonstrative deportations for the television cameras have been done in the past, and mainly the most vulnerable and unprotected Tajiks were taken.` Grafova alleged that the operation targeting illegal migrants in the capital was conducted by law-enforcement agencies simply as a way of demonstrating that they were reacting to an increase in terrorist acts in the country, including the recent attack on the Beslan school, and to clear the city of illegal migrants, while potential terrorists walked freely. Gavkhar Juraeva, head of the Migration and Law information centre, told IRIN that deportations of illegal labour migrants, including Tajiks, were not uncommon in Russia, including Moscow. `This happens every day and is a routine action. The recent terrorist attack in Beslan has led to tightened control of foreign nationals staying in the country,` she said. Their comments came a day after the Russian police announced the results of their Migrant 2004 operation conducted on 15-16 September in Moscow. According to the city`s police, more than 33,000 people were checked by some 12,000 police officers. Some 4,380 foreign nationals were detained for violating the migration regulations. Moreover, some 155 people were sent to special temporary detention facilities and 840 have been deported, mainly Tajik and Azeri illegal migrants. `In terms of deportation, Tajiks are not in the last place,` Juraeva said, adding that some Tajiks awaited deportation for up to two months pending funding from the Russian budget.
15-year-old Distributing Hizb Ut-Tahrir Flyers Detained In Dushanbe
Interfax
Dushanbe, September 20: A provocateur of the prohibited Hizb ut-Tahrir group was detained by the Tajik law enforcement agencies. A 15-year-old schoolboy was detained while distributing leaflets of the Hizb ut-Tahrir group, a Tajikistan law enforcement agency spokesman told Interfax on Monday. `The law enforcement agencies are fearful of the fact that the [Tahrir] group engages persons who have not reached an adult age,` the spokesman said. He said that over 100 leaflets were found in the possession of the people detained.
Georgia Is Ready To Act Jointly With Russia To Rid Caucasus From Terrorism - PM
Interfax
Astana, September 19: Georgia is ready for joint actions with Russia so that both the South and North Caucasus would be freed of terrorism, Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Zhvaniya said at a meeting with his Russian counterpart Mikhail Fradkov in Astana. `We must do absolutely everything to remove hideouts and havens for terrorists where they plan such atrocious acts of terrorism [as the hostage crisis in Beslan],` Zhvaniya said.
IMU Head Might Be Hiding In South Wazaristan - Pakistani Official
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, September 18: Tahir Yuldash, political leader of the rebel Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, wanted by authorities in Uzbekistan might be hiding in the tense tribal region that forms the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan, the Associated Press reported quoting a senior Pakistani general on Saturday, Tahir Yuldash was wounded in March when the army raided a suspected al-Qaida hide-out on the outskirts of Wana, the main town in South Waziristan, said Army Maj. Gen. Niaz Khattak. But Yuldash managed to escape along with hundreds of other militants, the report said. Khattak, who is responsible for military operations in the North and South Waziristan tribal regions said that Tahir Yuldash might be hiding here, and they have some information about it `Khattak also said the army had no information about the whereabouts of Al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden or his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri, who are thought to be taking refuge in the region,` the report added.
Petronas To Start Oil Output In Turkmenistan By 2006
Business Times
Ashgabat, September 23: PETROLIAM Nasional Bhd (Petronas) expects to start commercial production of oil in Block-1 in the Caspian Sea in Turkmenistan by 2006. The national oil corporation will start trial production in the area by middle of next year. `We are working on that pace. We were awarded the blocks in the Caspian Sea quite sometime ago,` a Petronas official told Business Times. The official said Petronas president and chief executive officer Tan Sri Mohd Hassan Marican was in Turkmenistan last week and met President Saparmurat Niyazov on September 14. Mohd Hassan was said to have briefed Niyazov on the preparations for the start of commercial production of oil in Block-1 offshore Caspian Sea. It is learnt that Mohd Hassan had indicated that Petronas had made all arrangements to expand its operations in Turkmenistan.
World Bank To Extend $25 Million To Azerbaijan
Interfax
Baku, September 23: Azerbaijan and the World Bank signed an agreement on Thursday on extending two loans worth a total of $25 million to finance projects in pension reform and agricultural development. World Bank Regional Director for the South Caucasus Donna Dowsett- Coirolo said during the signing ceremony that both projects are directed at reducing poverty and supporting economic development in Azerbaijan. She said both projects were innovative. The World Bank plans to extend $15 million to Azerbaijan under a program for agricultural investments. The 35-year loan with a ten-year grace period will be extended at 0.75% annually. The credit agreement was signed by Azerbaijan`s First Deputy Prime Minister Abbas Abbasov and Dowsett-Coirolo
ExxonMobil Completes Analysis Of Kazakh Gas Sector
Interfax
Almaty, September 23: The Kazakh Energy and Mineral Resource Ministry, the national oil and gas company KazMunaiGaz and the U.S. company ExxonMobil have completed a joint project to analyze the republic`s gas sector. ExxonMobil said in a press release distributed on Thursday that the project includes an analysis of the balance of supply and demand for Kazakh natural gas, possible investment in developing gas infrastructure, viable export options, the targeted development of the petrochemical industry and also the legislative base for the gas and petrochemical industries. The final results of the analysis will be presented to the Kazakh government this week, the press release said. It has been recommended to the government to use this analysis to develop a comprehensive law on gas and the corresponding regulatory base, to help the development of the gas industry and the domestic petrochemical industry. This analysis was carried out at the request of the Kazakh government.
ADB Decreases Uzbek GDP Growth Forecast From 4.5% To 3% In 2004
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, September 22: Asian Development Bank released its Asian Development Outlook 2004 Update on 22 September. The report is an update of the Asian Development Outlook 2004 that was issued in April. ADO is ADB`s annual flagship economic publication that analyses and forecasts economic trends in the Asian and Pacific region. The Update reviews the analyses of macroeconomic trends, policy developments and short-term forecasts contained in ADO 2004.
OMV Eyes New Oil, Gas Projects In Kazakhstan
Interfax
Astana, September 22: OMV is interested in new onshore and offshore oil and gas exploration projects in Kazakhstan, representatives of the Austrian petroleum company said at a meeting with officials from KazMunaiGaz, Kazakhstan`s national oil and gas company, KazMunaiGaz said on its website. KazMunaiGaz said the OMV representatives `expressed their intention to take a more detailed look at the possibilities and terms for cooperation.` OMV recently acquired 51% of Romania`s Petrom, which is exploring and producing hydrocarbons at the Zhusaly section and other properties in Kazakhstan.
KazMunaiGaz, S. Korea Agree On Oil Projects
Interfax
Astana, September 22: Kazakhstan`s national oil and gas company KazMunaiGaz and South Korean firms have agreed on the joint implementation of a number of oil projects in Kazakhstan. KazMunaiGaz`s press office said a protocol had been signed with a Korean consortium on the development of the Zhambyl offshore section in the northwest Caspian. The partners will by the end of the year hold negotiations on the main principles of cooperation and start to draft a mineral development contract to be signed in 2005, KazMunaiGaz said. KazMunaiGaz and the consortium earlier formed a working group to assess the hydrocarbons potential of the Makhambet elevation in the northwest Caspian. KazMunaiGaz and the Korean National Petroleum Corporation signed a memorandum of understanding to start talks on the sale to the Korean company of 69% of KazMunaiGaz`s interest in the TOO Tenge company.
Russia`s Lukoil To Stay In Azerbaijan Project
Interfax
Baku, September 20: The Russian oil company Lukoil has decided not to sell its 10% share in a project to develop the Shakh-Deniz gas and gas condensate field in Azerbaijan, Lukoil President Vagit Alekperov said on Monday. `We don`t have that many projects in Azerbaijan, and we wouldn`t like to withdraw from the country`s oil industry. So we`ve decided to continue participating in the project,` Alekperov told reporters. Earlier, Lukoil sold the Japanese company Inpex a 10% stake in a project to develop the Azeri, Chirag and Guneshli fields. In line with its strategy, Lukoil planned to stay only in projects where it was the operator and so it considered selling its Shakh-Deniz stake.
Azeri Group Awards $1.1b Construction Contracts
Agence France-Presse
Baku, September 20: An Azeri oil group led by BP has awarded a total of $1.1 billion of construction and engineering deals to expand its giant oil project in the Caspian Sea, the group said yesterday. The group said in a statement the winners of some contracts included US company Halliburton with a $160 million deal, Italy`s Saipem with two contracts worth $200 million and $140 million and McDermott of the United States with two deals worth $140 million and $90 million. British firm Amec won a $175 million construction contract. Most of the deals won by international major oil services and engineering firms include an obligation to carry out the work in partnership with Azeri or Turkish firms. The contracts are part of a broader `third phase` investment plan by BP, which is worth $4.7 billion and was approved by the oil major and its partners on Monday.
S. Korea To Contribute To Geological Study Of Kazakh Oil Reserves
Interfax
Astana, September 19: South Korea will take part in a geological study of oil reserves off Kazakhstan`s coast of the Caspian Sea and on land. Contracts on the exploration of specific deposits may be signed following the study. This agreement comes as part of a memorandum of mutual understanding and cooperation in the area of energy and mineral resources, which was signed on Monday, Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev told a news conference following talks with his South Korean counterpart Roh Moo Hyun in Astana on the same day.
S. Korea To Secure 600-800 Mil. Barrels Of Oil From Kazakhstan
The Korea Times
Seoul, September 19: Energy-poor South Korea is expected to raise its energy independency as the government has agreed to join oil field and uranium development projects in Kazakhstan. South Korean Commerce-Energy-Industry Minister Lee Hee-beom Monday signed one uranium development and two oil field projects with his counterpart Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Vladimir Schkolnik in the Kazakh capital. The agreement was made during the summit visit to Russia of President Roh Moo-hyun. `Through the deals, the nation will be able to secure 600 to 800 barrels of oil as well as 1,000 tons uranium per year for 30 years, the ministry official Lee Dong-won said in a statement. Speaking on the details of the contracts, Lee said both ministers signed a protocol in jointly developing a sea oil field in the Caspian Sea. The ministry expects to secure 450 million to 650 million barrels of oil from this development project.
Uzbek, Turkmen Leaders Discuss Ties, Agree To Hold Meeting
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, September 24: The President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov and the President of Turkmenistan Saparmurot Niyazov held a telephone conversation on 24 September. The sides discussed wide range of issues of bilateral relations and perspectives of Uzbek-Turkmen cooperation in different spheres. Heads of states agreed to hold an Uzbek-Turkmen meeting at high level in Bukhara, tentatively in November.
Central Asia Security Conference Opens In Uzbekistan
RIA Novosti
Tashkent, September 24: Politicians, diplomats and experts from 16 countries in Europe, America and Central Asia, including Russia, the United States, China, Germany and Uzbekistan, are attending an international conference on security in Central Asia. During the two-day conference, participants will discuss new challenges and threats, ensuring security and the preservation of peace and stability in the region. Expansion and strengthening of partner relations is one way to solve the security problem. Studying the European Union`s experience in security and stability can open additional possibilities in the fight against global threats, Raimund Seidelmann, a adviser at the Giessen University`s Central Asia Project, said in his speech at the conference. The forum was organized by Uzbekistan`s presidential Institute for Strategic and Interregional Studies, Giessen University, the Friedrich Ehbert Foundation and Volkswagen.
Punjab govt to deport 3 Azeri womenThe Daily Times
LAHORE, September 23: The Interior Ministry has asked the Punjab government to arrest three Azerbaijani women in the city and deport them immediately, sources told Daily Times on Thursday. Sources said the Interior Ministry had written to the Punjab government saying that the women came to Pakistan on fake visas and were involved in illegal and immoral activities. The women live in F-Block in Defence, the sources said. The sources claimed the Azerbaijan Embassy in Pakistan had already asked the Punjab government officials to deport the women as soon as possible. The embassy officials have accused the three women of prostitution, sources said, 'They will give them passports and tickets.' The sources claimed that the women are paying Rs 150,000 every month to two Pakistani men to stay here. The government has issued directions to the Punjab police to arrest the women and men.
Passport Rules To Affect Tajik Citizens From 1 January
Radio Free Europe
Dushanbe, September 23: Tajik citizens will be required to have valid passports in order to travel to Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Russia after 1 January 2005, Avesta reported on 23 September citing a source in the Tajik Foreign Ministry. The new regulations had been scheduled to go into effect on 1 July 2005, but the start date was moved up at the request of Russia. The new requirements are a consequence of an agreement between the Eurasian Economic Community`s member states (Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan).
Chinese PM On Pipeline Linking Kazakhstan To China
RBC News
Bishkek, September 23: The construction of the Atasu-Alashankow pipeline, which is to link Kazakhstan to China, will start on September 28, 2004, China`s Prime Minister Wen Jiabao reported at the ongoing meeting of the Council of Prime Ministers of the SCO members in the Kazakhstani city of Bishkek. Kazakhstani Prime Minister Danial Akhmetov has reported that the pipeline would be constructed in a year. He stressed the necessity for all SCO members to activate cooperation in the energy sector. The Atasu-Alashankow project is the second stage of the construction of the pipeline linking Kazakhstan to Western China. The first stage of the project is the construction of a 449-kilometer long pipeline Atyrau-Kenkiyak, which was over in early 2003. The projected capacity of the pipeline is 12m tons. The whole pipeline linking Kazakhstan to China is to be 3,000 kilometer long. Its capacity is projected to amount to 20m tons a year. The project is estimated at $3bn.
Tashkent Hosts International Conference On Regional Security
Itar-Tass
Tashkent, September 23: An international conference on security in Central Asia opened in Tashkent. The Institute for Interregional Research reporting to the Uzbek president, the University of Germany`s federal state of Hessen, the Fridriech Ebert Foundation, and the Volkswagen Company (Germany) are the organisers of the forum. Taking part in the conference are politicians, experts and diplomats from 20 European and Asian countries, including Russia, China, Germany, Belgium and Central Asian republics, First Deputy Foreign Minister of Uzbekistan Vladimir Norov said. `In the new Millennium, the world has come to face with a number of serious threats of global character. These are international terrorism, religious extremism, drugs trafficking and organised crime,` Norov said.
SCO Prime Ministers Signed Joint Comminque In Bishkek
Kabar Agency
Bishkek, September 23: The meeting of the heads of governments of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) has ended in Bishkek. The participants signed a Joint Communique and a number of documents: `On action plan on fulfillment of multilateral trade-economic cooperation programme of SCO`, `On regulations on the budgetary classification of the organization`, `On the SCO budget for 2005`, `On financial provisions of SCO`. The heads of governments of SCO took a decision on setting up SCO Development Fund and Business Council. Kyrgyz Prime Minister Nikolai Tanaev, Kazakh Prime Minister Daniyal Akhmetov, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov, Uzbek Deputy Prime Minister Utkur Sultanov, Tajik Deputy Prime Minister Asdulo Gulomof and Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jibao attended the meeting. The heads of the governments of the member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) have condemned all actions of the international terrorism. All participants of today`s meeting in Bishkek expressed confidence that the broadening of cooperation within the organization would promote a more efficient fight against terrorism, separatism, extremism and drug trafficking. The heads of the SCO governments pointed to the necessity to continue working out a mechanism to counter international terrorism. The presentation of a web-site of the SCO took place at the end of the meeting.
Work On Oil Kazakhstan-China Oil Pipeline To Begin This Month
Interfax
Astana, September 23: Construction of an oil pipeline form Kazakhstan to China will begin at the end of this month, Kazakh oil and gas company KazMunaiGaz said in a press release. A ceremony marking the start of construction will be held in Atasu on September 28, according to the press release. Executives from KazMunaiGaz, CNPC, and KazStroiService will participate in the ceremony with Kazakh Prime Minister Daniyal Akhmetov. The Atasu-Alashankou pipeline will be the second phase of the Kazakhstan-China pipeline project. It will be built from a railroad loading rack in Atasu to the Chinese border at the Druzhba-Alashankou railroad terminal. The pipeline will pass through Atasu-Agadyr-Akchatau- Aktogai-Ucharal-Alashankou in Karaganda, East Kazakhstan, and Almaty regions of Kazakhstan and will stretch 988 kilometers. Kazakhstan`s state transport company KazTransOil and China`s CNODC, a division of CNPC, announced the formation of a joint venture in mid- July to build the pipeline. The first phase of the pipeline will be opened in 2006 and the second phase will follow in 2011.
Murdered Kazakh Citizen Was Not Civil Servant - Embassy
Interfax
Moscow, September 23: Kazakh citizen Ibragim Dzhumaliyev, who was killed in Moscow on Wednesday evening, was not a civil servant at the moment of the murder, said a press release of the Kazakh Embassy in Moscow. `The deceased man was not recently a staff member of Kazakh state institutions,` the press release says. Shortly before his murder, Dzhumaliyev was a representative of Astana City Hall, accredited at the Kazakh Embassy in Russia. Dzhumaliyev was shot on the doorstep of his house in the center of Moscow. The embassy has sent an official inquiry on the details of the murder to the Moscow police department.
Newly Appointed Envoys Hand Over Credentials To Uzbek Head
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, September 22: The President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov received credentials from the newly appointed ambassadors of Bangladesh, Japan and Israel to Uzbekistan on 22 September. Welcoming the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Bangladesh Muhammad Suhram Hossain, the Uzbek head expressed his satisfaction with development of relations between Uzbekistan and Bangladesh. Islam Karimov congratulated envoy with his new appointment and extended his best wishes in his mission in Uzbekistan. In his turn, the Bangladeshi Ambassador thanked for warm reception and noted that he will do his best for further development of cooperation between two countries. On the same day, the President Karimov received credentials from Japanese envoy Yuchiro Kusumoto. Ambassador of Israel to Uzbekistan Emmanuel Mel also handed over his credentials to the Uzbekistan`s President.
Kyrgyz President, Chinese Premier Meet In Bishkek
Radio Free Europe
Bishkek, September 22: Kyrgyz President Askar Akaev met with Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jaibao in Bishkek on 22 September, akipress.org reported. The two leaders discussed trade cooperation, security issues, and the possibility of jointly constructing hydropower stations along Kyrgyzstan`s Naryn River. Akaev also hailed the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) -- a meeting of SCO prime ministers begins in Bishkek on 23 September -- saying, `The creation of the SCO, which China initiated, was a timely and wise decision.` For his part, the Chinese prime minister described the fight against terrorism as the core issue in security cooperation between China and Kyrgyzstan, Kyrgyzinfo reported.
SCO Premiers Council Goes Into Session In Bishkek
Itar-Tass
Bishkek, September 22: The Premiers` Council of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) member-countries has gone into session here on Thursday. The Heads of Government have set about holding narrow-format talks to fix final documents. Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov represents Russia at the forum. The SCO was established in June 2001. Kyrgyzstan`s Premier Nikolai Tanayev emphasised in his opening remarks, `All the documents have been adjusted. We have no differences over them`. `Let us hope that no differences will arise in the final phase of discussion and signing of the documents either,` Tanayev said.
Russian Ambassador Visited Ferghana Region On 15-18 September
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, September 22: On 15-18 September, ambassador of Russian Federation to Uzbekistan Farit Muhametshin during his familiarisation trip visited cities and districts of Ferghana region. The purpose of the trip was deepening interregional cooperation between Russia and Uzbekistan within Strategic Partnership Treaty, study of economic situation and investment opportunities of Ferghana region, further expansion of bilateral cooperation between the two countries. During the trip Muhametshin visited Kokand and Ferghana cities, some districts, held meeting with representatives of Ferghana region, city and district administrations to discuss perspectives of development of economic, humanitarian and educational ties, as well as interaction in the field of culture. He proposed a number of interesting offers, realisation of which will allow to raise cooperation between Russian and Uzbek regions to a qualitatively new level. Also, he discussed prospective directions of bilateral economic relations, studied the existing potential and possible ways of its use. Special attention during the trip was paid to development of ties in the sphere of secondary and higher education, educational exchange and scientific collaboration between Ferghana and regions of Russian Federation.
Beijing Ready To Contribute To Central Asian Security - Chinese PM
Interfax
Bishkek, September 22: Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao told Kyrgyz Parliamentary Speaker Abdygany Erkebayev at a meeting in Bishkek on Wednesday that his country will contribute to efforts aimed at making Kyrgyzstan and other Central Asian nations more secure. `Our country is ready to support steps on the part of Central Asian countries to counter terrorism and other evils, as well as ensure stability and security,` the Chinese prime minister said, calling on the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which comprises China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, to step up its involvement in regional security issues. Military-technical cooperation between Kyrgyzstan and China will continue to expand as well, he said. Wen applauded the way Kyrgyzstan`s economy and social sector are progressing, and promised his country`s further support `for Kyrgyzstan`s development course.`
Armenia, Azerbaijan Foreign Ministers Attend To Karabakh Problem
Itar-Tass
Yerevan, September 22: Foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan have finished the first stage of consultations on Nagorno-Karabakh settlement, Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanyan said. He told a news conference on Wednesday that the goal of the recent meeting of the foreign ministers in Prague was to set a stage for talks of the two countries` presidents. Oskanyan did not comment on the content of the first talks of the Armenian and Azeri presidents, Robert Kocharyan and Ilkham Aliyev, on the sidelines of a recent CIS summit in Astana on September 15. Contrary to expectations, the president did not give to foreign ministries any orders `in order to begin the second stage that is far more closer to settlement of the problem,` Oskanyan said. However, this does not mean that the presidents rejected the groundwork made by the foreign ministers in Prague, he added. Karabakh settlement `remains in sight of the two presidents`.
Indian Magazine Writes On Uzbekistan
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, September 21: September issue of Indian analytical magazine Political Events contains an article by the editor of the Diplomatic Relations Department M.Dhar on Uzbekistan, Jahon reported. The author analyses the sociopolitical and economic situation in the country. He draws the attention of the readers to the fact that despite efforts of international terrorist and extremist forces to break the peace and stability in Uzbekistan, the process of democratisation is carried on. High evaluation of the world community was given to the initiative of the President Karimov to establish UN International Centre to Fight Terrorism, for stabilisation of situation in Afghanistan and foundation of nuclear-weapon-free zone in Central Asia, M.Dhar writes. Analysing the foreign policy of Uzbekistan, the author provides positive feedback on the steps of Tashkent towards building strong international cooperation ties for fight against new threats and challenges. His conclusion is that Central Asia, while on the frontier of fight against terrorism, should strive to close international cooperation in the given sphere. Assessing the preparation to the upcoming elections to the bicameral parliament in Uzbekistan, the Indian specialist in political science notes that the bicameral parliament leads to the strengthening of the roles of parties.
Uzbekistan Attends Annual IDB Governors Meeting In Tehran
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, September 21: Uzbek governors at Islamic Development Bank - Deputy Prime Minister and chairman of the Uzbek Agency for Foreign Economic Relations Elyor Ganiev and chairman of the National Bank of Uzbekistan for Foreign Economic Activities (NBU) Zayniddin Mirhodjaev - participated in the 29th annual meeting of IDB Board of Governors. The event was held in Tehran, Iran on 14-15 September. The IDB and the government of Uzbekistan signed an agreement on technical assistance, envisaging review of project on creation of a holding investment company in Uzbekistan. The company will assist to implement prospective projects in Uzbekistan through direct investments in authorised capitals of enterprises of any form of ownership and production volume. According to NBU press service, the sides also signed a financial agreement on issue of credit line of IDB to NBU worth US$15 million for financing investment projects in private sector of Uzbekistan.
Meeting Of Caspian Working Group Postponed
Radio Free Europe
Baku, September 21: The 15th session of the working group to discuss the legal status of the Caspian Sea, which was scheduled to take place in Moscow on 30 September, has been postponed until late October, zerkalo.az reported on 21 September, quoting Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister Khalaf Khalafov. No reason was given for the postponement. After the last session of the working group, which comprises deputy foreign ministers from the five littoral states (Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkmenistan), in Astana in June, Iranian representative Mehdi Safari announced that the second Caspian summit will probably not take place in late 2004, as was hoped, but in January 2005, according to Interfax on 10 June.
Iran, Kyrgyzstan Review Energy Cooperation
IRNA
Bishkek, September 21: Tehran and Bishkek reviewed on Tuesday ways of transmitting electricity from this Central Asian country to Iran. Kyrgyz First Deputy Prime Minister Kubanychbek and Managing Director of Sanir company of Iran Ahmad Kadkhodaei, in a meeting, discussed Iran`s cooperation in generating electricity in Kyrgyzstan and its transmission to the regional countries including Iran. Heading an energy expert delegation, Kadkhodaei arrived in Bishkek on Monday. In the meeting, the Kyrgyz official discussed cooperation between the two countries in field of power generation, power transmission and Iranian firms` investment in the energy sector of Kyrgyzstan. Kadkhodaei, for his part, briefed the Kyrgyz official on two proposals offered by Kyrgyz experts on transfer of energy to Iran through Uzbekistan-Turkmenistan or Tajikistan-Afghanistan routes, saying, `The two options will be studied.`
Chinese, Kyrgyz Premier Meet In Bishkek
Radio Free Europe
Bishkek, September 21: Kyrgyz Prime Minister Nikolai Tanaev met with Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao on 21 September in Bishkek, Kyrgyz TV reported. The two discussed bilateral relations and signed a number of agreements. China will give Kyrgyzstan a $6 million grant under an agreement on technical and economic cooperation, akipress.org reported. The two prime ministers also signed a 10-year cooperation agreement on bilateral relations and a protocol on the demarcation of the border between the two countries. Prime Minister Wen Jiabao said, `Together with the Kyrgyz side, we are ready to take neighborliness, friendly relations, and cooperation between our two countries to a new height,` Kyrgyz radio reported.
Chinese Prime Minister Visits Kyrgyzstan
Kabar Agency
Bishkek, September 21: Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao has arrived in Bishkek. During the trip, he intends to visit Kyrgyzstan and Russia. In Kyrgyz capital Bishkek, the Chinese government head will hold talks with Kyrgyzstan leaders. As a result of the talks, the parties are expected to sign an interstate program of cooperation for a period up to 2014. They also plan to discuss the construction of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railroad. Wen Jiabao will attend the third meeting of the Council of the Heads of Government of the member-states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which will be held in Bishkek on September 23.
China, Kyrgyzstan Leaders Reach Agreement On Common Border
Radio Australia News
Bishkek, September 21: China`s Prime Minister, Wen Jiabao, has hailed a series of agreements with neighbouring Kyrgyzstan, including an agreement on their common border. Mr Wen signed the pacts during a visit to the capital of the former Soviet republic. The chief agreement focuses on the demarcation of the countries` so far unratified 1,100 kilometre border. While China`s President, Hu Jintao, has twice visited neighbouring oil-rich Kazakhstan, this is the highest-level visit to Kyrgyzstan under his leadership. Relations have been strained over a number of incidents of cross-border violence including an attack on a bus in Kyrgyzstan in March last year which killed 19 Chinese citizens. For its part, China is keen to ensure that Kyrgyzstan gives no shelter to radical members of western China`s Muslims, commonly seen as terrorists in Beijing.
Georgian Opposition Wants Nation Out Of CIS
Kabar Agency
Tbilisi, September 21: Georgia`s New Right Party, which is represented in parliament, is urging the nation`s authorities to initiate Georgia`s withdrawal from the Commonwealth of Independent States. `The Georgian government is clinging to the CIS at a time when it is losing its vote in the UN. Georgia`s membership in the CIS is a waste of time and money. We are demanding that the government start the procedure for withdrawal from the CIS - an absolutely useless organization, ` the party said in a statement. It also said that the recent CIS summit was of absolutely no use to Georgia.
Georgia Seeks Russia`s Explanation On Visa Problems
Interfax
Tbilisi, September 21: Russian Ambassador to Georgia Vladimir Chkhikvishvili was summoned to the Georgian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday to explain why several dozen Georgian citizens who have arrived at Moscow`s Sheremetyevo and Domodedovo airports over the past two days have not been allowed to enter Russia. Georgian Deputy Foreign Minister Merab Antadze told a briefing later today that he approves of some of the measures taken by Russian border guards at Moscow`s airports. `Amid heightened security, Russian border guards began carrying out comprehensive visa checks, which has caused certain problems for some Georgian citizens,` he said. Antadze recommended that Georgian citizens strictly abide by the terms under which Russian entry-visas are issued.
Ukrainian Head Becomes Honourable Doctor Of Uzbek University
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, September 20: President of Ukraine became the Honourable Doctor of the National University of Uzbekistan named after Mirzo Ulugbek. Rector of the university Turabek Dalimov awarded the corresponding diploma, the mantle and the medal of the National University of Uzbekistan to the Ukrainian leader on 18 September. Dalimov noted that the award was given for contribution of the Ukrainian president to expansion of Ukrainian-Uzbek relations and development of science and education. In his turn, Leonid Kuchma noted that receiving this award was a high honour. He positively evaluated close relations between the Uzbek National University and Kiev National University and noted the `high role of this Uzbek educational establishment in their active development`. The head of Ukraine said he had been and would remain a friend of Uzbekistan. He also underlined the high level of political dialogue between the two countries.
South Korea`s First Lady Visits Kazakhstan Orphanage
Yonhap News
Astana, September 20: South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun`s wife Kwon Yang-sook visited an orphanage on Monday built by Kazakhstan`s first lady Sara Nazarvayeva. Kwon, accompanying the president on a two-day state visit here, encouraged officials of the Astana SOS Children`s Village and presented the children with a 52-inch projection television set and a DVD player, saying `We hope you remember South Korea, although this is a small present.` Kwon also watched dances by a group of 20 children who gave her traditional Kazakh gifts.
Kyrgyz Premier Meets With Shanghai Executive Secretary
Radio Free Europe
Bishkek, September 20: Nikolai Tanaev met with Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Executive Secretary Zhang Deguang on 20 September in Bishkek, Kyrgyz TV reported. The two discussed preparations for a 23 September meeting of heads of governments from SCO member states (China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan) in Bishkek. Presaging the main themes of the upcoming meeting, Tanaev said, `The SCO plays an important role in Kyrgyzstan`s attempts to counteract international terrorism, religious extremism, the illegal trade in drugs and weapons, and illegal migration,` akipress.org reported.
Azerbaijan: Israel`s Report Of Arrested Iranian Untrue
Jerusalem Post
Baku, September 20: Azerbaijani authorities on Monday denied reports that an Iranian was detained after photographing the hotel housing the Israeli Embassy in Baku. According to Israeli reports, on September 1, Israeli security agents at the embassy in Baku, Azerbaijan, detected an Iranian man videotaping the building and asked local police to detain the man. Once detained, the Iranian told police he had videotaped the building `for its beauty,` but an examination of the video showed he had also photographed all the entrances and exits to the site, as well as access routes and a local police station. Law enforcement officials in Azerbaijan confirmed that on September 1 they detained a man they determined to be `suspicious,` but he was later released. Spokesman the Ministry of National Security Arif Babayev said that the man had been carrying no photography or video equipment. Referring to the Israeli reports, Babayev told The Associated Press that `The information doesn`t correspond with reality.` An Iranian Embassy spokesman in Baku also denied the Israeli assertions.
Roh Finishes Kazakhstan Visit, Arrives In Moscow
The Chosun llbo
Astana, September 20: President Roh Moo-hyun finished off his two-day visit to Kazakhstan on Monday and arrived at his second destination, the Russian capital of Moscow Monday evening (Korean time). Roh will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss circumstances on the Korean Peninsula, eastern Siberian gas development, cooperative space projects and more and sign a joint declaration. The two presidents are to hold an informal dinner on Wednesday.
Azerbaijan-Armenia-Turkey Meeting Postponed
Interfax
Baku, September 20: The foreign ministers of Azerbaijan, Turkey and Armenia have decided to postpone their trilateral meeting on ways to put an end to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and bring Armenian-Turkish relations back to normal, which was due to take place on the sidelines of this week`s session of the UN General Assembly in New York. `The parties decided to postpone the meeting due to the fact that the ministers will be in New York at different periods of time,` the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry`s press service told Interfax on Monday.
Turkey, Georgia To Control Border Jointly
Interfax
Tbilisi, September 20: Turkey and Georgia are planning to control the mutual border jointly, Colonel Mustafa Chalish, Turkish consultant of the Georgian Interior Ministry`s state border guard department, said on Monday. `The mechanism is not worked out yet, but control will be exercised on both the Ajarian and Akhaltsikhe sections,` Chalish told reporters. `Spheres of joint activity will be cleared after the current reforms in the Georgian state border guard department end,` he said. `Regardless of the final shape of the Georgian border guard agency`s structure, joint exercises with Turkish border guards and data exchanges on mutual border sections, including naval ones, will continue,` the consultant stressed. Turkey will hand over four Landrover vehicles and other engineer and technical equipment to Georgia free of charge before the end of the year, he added.
Seoul, Astana Agree To Enhance Cooperation On Energy, N.K. Issues
Kazakhstan News
Astana, September 20: South Korea and Kazakhstan agreed Monday to enhance cooperation in the development of oil wells and mines for uranium and other minerals, as well as expand bilateral trade and investment. President Roh Moo-hyun and Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev also concurred that the North Korean nuclear weapons issue should be resolved peacefully, Roh`s spokesman Kim Jong-min said.
SCO Heads Of Governments To Discuss Economic Issues In Bishkek
Uzbek Report
Bishkek, September 19: Trade-economic cooperation will be in the centre of attention at the session of the Council of heads of governments of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), which is to be held on 23 September in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. According to RIA Novosti quoting Deputy Foreign Minister and national coordinator of Uzbekistan at SCO Ilhom Nematov, during the last summit in Tashkent, the Uzbek side initiated together with SCO Secretariat creation of Development Fund to make implementation of some projects easier. Nematov said it was planned to sign a constitutional document on the fund in Bishkek. `All initiatives proposed during Tashkent summit are being implemented step-by-step,` he said. Besides, it is planned to consider main parameters of the organisation`s budget for 2005 and creation of the SCO Business Council, which will unite business circles. Presentation of the website of regional economic cooperation of SCO member countries will also be held. `There is no doubt that SCO heads of governments meeting in Bishkek will be fruitful and will become one of the large steps in development of multilateral cooperation withing the SCO,` Uzbek official stated.
S.Korean President Visits Russia, Kazakhstan
The Russia Journal
Astana, September 19: S.Korean President visits Kazakhstan, Russia to secure energy supplies. South Korean President, Roh Moo-hyun, has arrived in Kazakhstan on the first leg of a trip that will also take him to Russia. The aim of the visit is to secure energy supplies for resource-deficient South Korea. The world`s 11th largest economy, South Korea imports most raw materials and all its energy, and wants to diversify oil and gas supplies away from the volatile Middle East to countries such as Russia and Kazakhstan. Mr Roh`s four-day trip is the first in a series of profile-raising visits that will take him to a dozen countries by the end of the year.
EU: Caucasus States Cannot Join Europe Before Rows Settled
Interfax
Yerevan, September 19: The South Caucasus states cannot integrate into Europe before they resolve disputes between them, European Commission President Romano Prodi said on Sunday. Prodi told a news conference in Yerevan that was unclear today whether any of the South Caucasus countries had a chance of ever becoming a full European Union member. But he said that six months ago he could not even dream of the possibility of Azerbaijan, Armenia, or Georgia being invited to join the EU New Neighbours program. He said the extent to which the EU would carry its relations with each of the three countries would depend on the nation`s economic and democratic development.
Russia Limiting Passage Across Azerbaijan Border
Interfax
Moscow, September 19: Russia has imposed `certain restrictions` from Wednesday on border crossings with Azerbaijan, `due to recent terrorist acts in the North Caucasus and the aggravation of the situation in the region,` a Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman said. `In particular, the passage of persons and means of transportation through the Yarag-Kazmalyar, Tagirkent-Kazmalyar, Novofilya, and Garakh checkpoints is to be limited,` spokesman Alexander Yakovenko said, adding that the restrictions would be temporary.
Kyrgyzstan: Not Ready To Import Nuclear Fuel For Reprocessing
IRIN News
Ankara, September 23: Kyrgyzstan has plenty of nuclear waste of its own to deal with, much of it exposed and vulnerable landslides - like this uranium dump in the southern town of Mailu - Suu.Controversial plans to ship 1,800 mt of British radioactive material to Kyrgyzstan for reprocessing have not been agreed by the authorities in Bishkek, a government official told IRIN on Thursday. `Nobody, neither a legal entity nor a real person, has applied to us for a licence to import this uranium waste,` Emil Akmatov, a spokesman for the Kyrgyz Ministry of Environment and Emergencies, said. British Nuclear Fuels Ltd (BNFL), an international company owned by the UK government, has defended the decision, which will recover 90 mt of reactor-grade uranium while, in effect, removing 10,600 drums of low-level radioactive waste from its Springfields reactor plant near Preston, in northwest England, for disposal in a uranium mine in the Central Asian country. The plan has been condemned by activists who argue the impoverished former Soviet republic does not have the resources or expertise to safely reprocess nuclear waste. `Kyrgyzstan already has problems with uranium tailing storage facilities, especially in [the southern town of] Mailu-Suu, which are in a critical condition because of a lack of funding since the break-up of the Soviet Union. Importing more waste to fund this clean-up sets a very bad precedent for finding solutions to environmental problems across the globe,` Pete Roche, a nuclear consultant to Greenpeace UK, told IRIN from London. In February, Kyrgyz Prime Minister Nikolay Tanaev said that the government wouldn`t allow radioactive waste into the country. `The country first needs to solve problems regarding its own uranium waste sites,` he said. His comments came after a series of public protests at government plans to process uranium from Germany. There are a number of radioactive waste dumps in the country - a legacy of the Soviet era - that need to rehabilitated, with the ones in the southern town of Mailu-Suu being particularly vulnerable to floods and possible landslides. BNFL plans to send the radioactive waste to the Kara Balta uranium mining and processing facility in northern Kyrgyzstan, 60 km west of the capital, Bishkek. Kara Balta is one of the few plants capable of separating the uranium from the waste, according to BNFL. The uranium will be extracted with acid and returned to the UK for reuse, while the remains will be disposed of down disused uranium mining facilities. The scheme has also been opposed by a coalition of social and environmental groups in Kyrgyzstan. `We are against this nuclear waste being brought here, it wont solve any economic problems and it`s bad for Kyrgyzstan`s development,` Viacheslav Charskiy, head of Agat, a environmental NGO based in Bishkek, told IRIN. Other activists said they were concerned that while the government publicly opposes the proposal, the lure of hard currency may override environmental concerns.
British Nuclear Waste To Be Sent To Central Asia
The Independent
London, September 23: British nuclear Fuels plans to ship 1,800 tons of radioactive materials to Kyrgyzstan for reprocessing, in a scheme that has been condemned as `a back-door route to dump British nuclear waste on an impoverished former Soviet republic`. The company defended the decision, which will recover 90 tons of reactor-grade uranium while, in effect, removing 10,600 drums of slightly radioactive waste from its Springfields reactor plant near Preston, in north-west England, for disposal in a uranium mine in the central Asian country. The plan was condemned by activists who pointed out that it would be simpler, and cheaper, to buy fresh uranium directly from the mine.
Rice Thanks Uzbekistan For Its Role In Maintenance Of Security
Uzbek Report
Washington DC, September 22: Condoleezza Rice, Advisor of the US President on National Security, sent a message to President of Uzbekistan to congratulate with successful project on recovery of highly enriched uranium from Uzbekistan. In her message, she thanked the Uzbek leader and the government on behalf of US President George Bush for contribution in implementation of the project on return of enriched uranium to the Russian Federation within Global Initiative on Threat Reduction. Cooperation of Uzbekistan serves as a model for other countries, as we intend to finish use of highly enriched uranium in research reactors worldwide. Your efforts will assist to maintain security and safety of storage, as well as processing of exhausted fuel for use in commercial purposes, strengthen security of Uzbekistan, Central Asia and the whole world, the message said. `I also want to congratulate you for the role of Uzbekistan in the first experimental project on return of exhausted fuel to Russia. Your decision will help others to undertake such steps,` Rise noted. `We wait impatiently for joint work with you to send exhausted fuel in the near future,` she added.
Kazakhstan To Export 1,000 Tonnes Of Uranium To S.Korea Annually
Interfax
Astana, September 20: Kazakhstan will export 1,000 tonnes of uranium ore to South Korea per year, under the terms of an inter-governmental agreement signed on Monday. The deal on cooperation on the peaceful uses of atomic energy was signed in Astana, following talks between Kazakh and South Korean presidents Nursultan Nazarbayev and Roh Moo Hyun. Nazarbayev said at a news conference after the signing ceremony that South Korean nuclear power plants generate 40% of electricity in that country. Roh Moo Hyun said in turn that interest in Kazakhstan has increased in South Korea, `due to its rapid economic growth and political stability.`
Tajikistan Releases 10 Former United Tajik Opposition Fighters
Radio Free Europe
Dushanbe, September 22: Vladimir Sotirov, head of the United Nations` Tajikistan Office of Peace-Building, announced on 21 September in Dushanbe that Tajik authorities have released 10 former fighters of the United Tajik Opposition (UTO), Asia Plus-Blitz reported the next day. The 10 were part of a group of 103 former UTO fighters who Democratic Party leader Mahmadruz Iskandarov said should have been freed in the post-civil-war amnesty. Sotirov said that the 10 were released after the Prosecutor-General`s Office determined that they had been arrested illegally. He added, `Another 50 people on the list were never detained at all, according to the Prosecutor-General`s Office.
Human Rights Issues Considered At Round Table
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, September 22: Uzbek Internal Affairs Ministry, American Bar Association - Central Europe and Eurasia Legal Initiative (ABA/CEELI) and the UNDP organised a round table on protection of human rights during preliminary detaining in accordance with legal legislation and international standards. Improvement of judgement among all participants of criminal process has great importance in successful implementation of reforms in judicial-legal system in Uzbekistan, it was noted. It is necessary to improve further criminal-judicial system, sense of justice among law enforcement bodies and interaction among these bodies. Presentation of a booklet on rights of criminal process was held. The booklet covers rights of arrested, suspected, accused and witnesses and other issues. It was published within a joint project of the ABA/CEELI, Internal Affairs Ministry and Swiss Cooperation Bureau in Uzbek and Russian languages. The booklet will be circulated among branches of Internal Affairs Ministry, attorney establishments and NGOs in Uzbekistan.
Tajik Media Group Reports 27 Rights Violations In August
Radio Free Europe
Dushanbe, September 21: The National Association of Independent Media of Tajikistan recorded 27 violations of media rights in Tajikistan in August, Avesta reported on 21 September. The group said that in addition to independent journalists, the rights of journalists who worked at several media outlets were also violated: the Khatlon press center; news agencies Avesta and Varorud; newspapers `Adolat,` `Vatan,` `Najot,` `Nerui Sukhan,` `Odamu Olam,` and `Ruzi Nav`; Badakhshon TV; radio stations RFE/RL and Sadoi Khuroson; and the BBC.
Georgian Security Ministry To Surrender Police Functions
Interfax
Tbilisi, September 21: The Georgian State Security Ministry will no longer have any police functions following its reorganization. `There is a plan for demilitarizing our structure, which will gradually lose its police functions, with the emphasis shifting to intelligence,` Deputy Security Minister Georgy Ugulava told journalists on Tuesday. The State Security Ministry does not now work on economic crimes, he said.
CSTO Conducts Operation To Curb Afghan Drug Traffic
Interfax
Moscow, September 23: Law enforcement agencies from the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) members conducted a large-scale operation called Kanal, which helped destroy a number of drug trafficking channels running from Afghanistan to Western Europe through Russia, Russian Federal Drug Control Service chief Viktor Cherkesov told President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday. `The operation, which lasted six days, helped to destroy certain channels for shipping Afghan drugs to Russia to some degree and to improve the situation on certain routes through which drugs are transited,` Cherkesov said. The operation was conducted on the main routes along which drugs are transported from Afghanistan, mainly in Central Asia, the Caucasus, and the western direction, he said.
Azeri Secret Services Expose Several Groups Drug Trafficking From Iran To Russia And Georgia
Itar-Tass
Baku, September 22: Azerbaijani secret services exposed several criminal groups, which were trying to transit drugs from Iran to Russia and Georgia, a statement of the public relations centre of the Azerbaijani National Security Ministry said here on Wednesday. The first attempt at drug trafficking was thwarted off in the Geidar Aliyev Baku international airport on August 13. A resident of the Astarinsky district of Azerbaijan bordering on Iran, Khyusameddin Melikov, who was trying to fly to Novosibirsk was detained. During a special examination 762 grams of opium in 195 packages were found in his stomach. On the same day 275 grams of opium were confiscated from Shukyur Magerramov, a resident of Lenkoran near the border with Iran. During the next operation Imran Abdullayev, a resident of Ali-Bairamly, 120 kilometres south of Baku was detained on August 16. Two kilograms of marijuana shipped from Iran were confiscated from Elkhan Mamedov, a resident of the Fizulinsky district on the southwest of Azerbaijan. One kilogram and 395 grams of heroin were confiscated from a group of drug traffickers in the Tauzsky and Kazakh districts in western Azerbaijan bordering on Georgia and Armenia on September 8. Meanwhile, Fikret Kasumov, a member of the criminal group, put up armed resistance to police. During a search in his apartment in Kazakh two pistols Makarov, about one kilogram of drugs including 522 grams of heroin were found, the public relations centre said. Criminal proceedings were instituted in all cases. Investigation is in progress.
Russia Has Long Paid Baikonur Back Rents: Kazakh Minister
RIA Novosti
Astana, September 22: Kazakhstan has no more claims on Russia over its Baikonur space centre rent arrears now that 65 million US dollars has come into the host country`s budget. Kairat Kelimbetov, Kazakh Minister of the Economy and Budget Planning, made the reassurance to a news conference in Astana, Kazakh capital. The $65 million arrears dated to 1999 through 2001. A bilateral presidential agreement envisaged the back rents paid in kind with commodities at Kazakh discretion. After many attempts to implement it on varying practical patterns, the Kazakh government eventually demanded the rents entirely paid in money form to the host country`s Treasury, the minister said in a retrospect. Kazakhstan`s Finance Ministry, National Bank and Kazakhstantemitzholy (Kazakh Rail) Co. signed a contract for ambitious joint imports from Russia. The Kazakh Rail was to make commodity purchases and transfer the said $65 million to the national purse in its tenge equivalent. The entire sum reached its destination to pour into the national revenues in tenges, Kazakh currency, in two tranches-last January and February, confirmed Arman Dunayev, Finance Minister.
Former Uzbek Envoy To Belgium Becomes Head Of Commerce Chamber
Uzbek Report
Tashkent, September 21: Alisher Shayhov, former Uzbek Ambassador to Belgium and NATO, became the chairman of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Uzbekistan. The corresponding decision was adopted during the session of the Chamber in Tashkent. At the session, the chamber officially changed its name from Chamber of Commodity Producers and Entrepreneurs to Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Alisher Shayhov born on 7 November 1956 in Buka city, Tashkent region. He graduated of the Tashkent State University, historian. He has PhD on Economics. He worked as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Uzbekistan to Germany (1996-1998) and Japan (1998-2001). Prior to appointment, he held a post of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Uzbekistan to Belgium, Head of the Mission of Uzbekistan to NATO (July 2001-2004). He is married and farther of two children.
Special Focus
Central Asia: NGOs Helping To Develop Civil Society
The Soviet Union collapsed more than 10 years ago, but the peoples of Central Asia are still struggling to build effective civil societies to help them achieve greater freedom and democracy.
To read more, click on the link:
http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/civilsociety/articles/pp091804.shtmlCentral Asia: NGOs Face Rising Tide Of Suspicion From Goverments
Life has never been easy for foreign NGOs in Central Asia. But lately, it seems it`s getting even harder. In Uzbekistan, the government has withdrawn the registration of some foreign NGOs and openly criticized the work of others. It`s an attitude that seems to be contagious across the region. David Lewis works in Kyrgyzstan for the International Crisis Group, a US-based NGO.
To read more, click on the link:
http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/civilsociety/articles/pp091904.shtmlAzerbaijani Opposition Readies For City Hall Race
Azerbaijan`s municipal elections this December could prove a critical test of the country`s beleaguered opposition. The poll will be the first popularly contested ballot since the brutal crackdown on opponents of President Ilham Aliyev that followed his election in October 2003.
To read more, click on the link:
http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav092004.shtmlKazakhstan: Early Election Results Show President`s And Daughter`s Parties Doing Well
With around one-fifth of the votes counted, Nazarbaev`s Otan (Fatherland) party is leading with nearly 43 percent of the vote. Otan, which is backing Nazarbaev for re-election in 2006, is the country`s largest party. It already holds a majority of seats in both houses of the legislature.
To read more, click on the link:
http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/pp092004.shtmlKazakhstan: Government Expects Big Win, While Complaints Persist
Kazakhstan`s presidential party has claimed a decisive victory in Sunday`s parliamentary elections, while ongoing reports of widespread voting irregularities have prompted the opposition to call for a vote of confidence in President Nursultan Nazarbayev.
To read more, click on the link:
http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav092104.shtmGeorgia Hunts For Friends, But Comes Up Short
Russia, post-Beslan, has gone on the hunt for culprits, and in its sights, many Georgian observers fear, lies Georgia. While talk of preemptive strikes against suspected terrorist bases in third countries rumbles out of the Kremlin, old complaints that terrorists roam the Pankisi Gorge, the narrow strip of land bordering Georgia and Chechnya, are being recirculated. Rebuffing the claims, Georgia, in response, has gone looking for friends.
To read more, click on the link:
http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav092104a.shtmlNATO Exercises Cancelled In Azerbaijan
In a move that is likely to complicate Azerbaijan`s relations with NATO, Baku moved to block the participation of Armenian officers in the NATO Partnership for Peace exercise Co-operative Best Effort 2004, which was scheduled for this month. On September 13, the NATO Command cancelled the exercise and issued an official statement regretting that `the principle of inclusiveness could not be upheld.` This was a culmination of the dispute between Azerbaijan and NATO over Armenia`s participation.
To read more, click on the link:
http://www.cacianalyst.org/view_article.php?articleid=2709The Iran-Armenia Pipeline: Finally Coming To Life
After about three years of its signing in 2001, the Iranian and Armenian governments have finally initiated the process to implement a 142-km gas pipeline agreement. Accordingly, Armenia will receive 1,500,000 cubic meters of gas from Iran per day once the pipeline goes on stream. Two Russian energy companies (ArmeRuss Gazprom and Gazprom) have started a feasibility study on the project for which a group of their engineers visited in August the Armenian region through which the pipeline will pass. As stated in July by Armenian President Robert Kocharian, the project is of great importance to Yerevan.
To read more, click on the link:
http://www.cacianalyst.org/view_article.php?articleid=2706Media And Elections In Central Asia
Kazakhstan`s Information Minister Altynbek Sarsanbaiuly, the only opposition member of the presidential administration, resigned from his post in protest Sept. 20, saying the Sept. 19 election for the lower house of parliament had serious shortcomings, including seriously biased media. This result has cast a negative shadow on Central Asia`s election-time media environment, which began with these elections.
To read more, click on the link:
http://www.cacianalyst.org/view_article.php?articleid=2707Parliamentary Reform And Elections In UzbekistanParliamentary elections in Uzbekistan late this year will replace the existing Oliy Majlis with a bicameral Parliamentary system as planned during the last national elections. Uzbekistan`s gradual political development strategy reflects processes inherent in the considered levels of its political culture and relevant changing phases. A nationwide pre-Parliamentary public awareness educational campaign about new reforms and the rights and duties of citizens is underway to ensure development toward fair and transparent electoral processes designed to accomplish peacefully the task of nation-state building, amid ramifications of the ongoing complex geopolitical and strategic transitions throughout Central and Southwest Asia.
To read more, click on the link:
http://www.cacianalyst.org/view_article.php?articleid=2708Wanted: A New CIS Policy For Russia
Since the Beslan tragedy, Moscow has redoubled its efforts to cast itself as the force best committed to eradicating terrorism in the Caucasus and Central Asia. But whether that campaign will prove sufficient to reunite and inspire members of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) remains in doubt. Last week`s CIS conference made clear that Russia has still not defined a persuasive policy toward members of the `near abroad.`
To read more, click on the link:
http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/pp092304.shtml
Azerbaijan`s Precarious Balancing Act
The geo-strategic nerve center of the Caucasus is Azerbaijan with oil reserves possibly totaling one-hundred billion barrels. The country is coveted as an ally or at least a benevolent neutral by regional and world powers: Iran, Russia, the Franco-German combination and the United States. Each of those powers has its own interests, which creates a complex pattern of convergence and divergence among them.
To read more, click on the link:
http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav092304.shtmlRussia Pushes Trade For CIS Unity
As Moscow moves to assert the Kremlin`s authority in response to the Beslan crisis, it is simultaneously pushing for stronger economic and political ties with the former Soviet republics. The Russian ruble is the instrument of choice in this campaign, but some skeptics argue that the price tag for economic unity might come too steep for government coffers.
To read more, click on the link:
http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/business/articles/eav092404.shtmlLeaving The Aral Sea In Agony
In the late 1980s, news of an epic water crisis in Soviet Central Asia first emerged in the international press. The nightmare visions of abandoned fishing boats rusting on the salty former seabed became a haunting commentary on the Soviet `experiment` and begged international assistance. Then, in 1991, the Soviet Union unexpectedly broke up, attention moved elsewhere, and the whole matter was quickly forgotten.
To read more, click on the link:
http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/civilsociety/articles/eav092404.shtml
Report dated 24 September 2004