EurasiaNet Eurasia Insight - Kazakhstan and EU Off Over Investigation of Opposition Leader

EURASIA INSIGHT

KAZAKHSTAN AND EU OFF OVER INVESTIGATION OF OPPOSITION LEADER

Ibragim Alibekov 4/11/02

A conflict is building between Kazakhstan and the European Union over the ongoing criminal investigation of a leading member of the country’s main political opposition movement. Kazakhstani authorities fueled tension by reneging on an agreement with the EU to allow the opposition leader, Galymzhan Zhakiyanov, to remain under house arrest in Almaty, where he would be accessible to his lawyers and foreign diplomats during the investigation.

Zhakiyanov is now being kept at a residence in the northern city of Pavlodar, where he formerly served as regional governor. State security officers arrived at Zhakiyanov’s residence in Almaty on April 10 and forcibly removed him, putting him on a specially arranged flight to Pavlodar. According to European diplomats, Interior Ministry officials claimed that the transfer was made at Zhakiyanov’s own request. The opposition leader’s wife, however, insisted that the move occurred against his will. The government is pursuing abuse of power charges against Zhakiyanov, who maintains the case is politically motivated.

According to Kazakhstani Senator Zauresh Battalova, the government’s action constituted a clear violation of an agreement concerning Zhakiyanov’s confinement. On April 3, Zhakiyanov took refuge in the French Embassy to escape arrest. He left the embassy only after EU and Kazakhstani officials negotiated and signed a memorandum, the precise terms of which have not been disclosed, but that reportedly calls for Zhakiyanov to remain under house arrest in Almaty.

On April 11, the Kazakhstani Foreign Ministry alleged that EU diplomats were meddling in the country’s internal affairs. However, Akezhan Kazhegeldin - a leading opponent of President Nursultan Nazarbayev and former Kazakhstani prime minister - said Zhakiyanov is "being punished for opposing the regime." He said he expected the political opposition to demand an open trial for Zhakiyanov.

Zhakiyanov’s move came a day after the end of an international economic conference in Almaty, which brought together global political and economic leaders. The April 8-9 Eurasian Economic Forum focused on the development of oil and gas resources.

In his welcoming address, Nazarbayev called for the construction of energy export routes "without any politicization." Nazarbayev added that within 20 years the region’s infrastructure must be prepared to export 200 million tons of oil annually, necessitating the consideration of all possible transport routes. Kazakhstan is presently utilizing the so-called CPC route [For background see the Eurasia Insight archives] and is likely to utilize the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyan pipeline when it is completed.

The over 500 participants from over 40 countries revisited the possibility of constructing pipelines from Central Asia via Afghanistan to ports in Pakistan and India. Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister Kasimzhomart Tokayev was skeptical about the Afghan option, given the country’s current instability. "First of all," Tokayev said, "transportation of Kazakhstan’s oil through Afghanistan requires restoration of a stable peaceful situation in this country � This is a difficult task, because today Afghanistan makes just its first steps to the peaceful settlement."

Kazakhstani leaders, however, appear intent on keeping all export open, including the possible route via Iran. "Kazakhstan will have to choose direction of the export pipeline, taking care to balance the interests of our partners, Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Imangali Tasmagambetov said.

Overall, Nazarbayev called on countries in the region to contribute to the reconstruction of Afghanistan. "By helping the Afghan people, we can help ourselves," he said.

Editor�s Note: Ibragim Alibekov is a pseudonym for a Central Asia-based analyst of regional political affairs.

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