Text of report by the Kyrgyz news agency Kabar on 16th February

Bishkek, 16th February: The vice-president of the OSCE Parliamentary
Assembly, Ihor Ostash, is arriving in Bishkek on 17th February 2000. As a
special envoy of the OSCE acting chairman and the Austrian foreign
minister, Benita Ferrero-Waldner, Ostash will supervise the work of over
100 international observers during the elections in Kyrgyzstan, and
together with other officials will make a preliminary statement on behalf
of the world community on the results of the poll.

The OSCE observers' mission includes 15 people from the OSCE Parliamentary
Assembly, representing member countries of this international organization,
in particular, Austria, Belgium, Italy, Norway, Poland, Romania, Great
Britain, the USA, Ukraine, the Czech Republic and others.

The OSCE mission for the observation of the elections is a joint undertaking
by the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and the OSCE Office for Democratic
Institutions and Human Rights. The mission will assess the campaigning
process, the voting and the mass media's part in these political events.

Source: Kabar news agency, Bishkek, in Russian 1341 gmt 16 Feb 00
BBC Mon CAU 170200/** BB/MK