t From 4 to 9 November, Tajikistan was shaken by a military attack and subsequent military operations in several cities in Leninabad Province. President Rakhmonov on 4 November convened an emergency meeting of National Security Council to discuss the attack and the Government's response to it. It was reported that a force of approximately 600 to 1,000 armed men under the command of Col. Makhmud Khudoberdiyev had launched an attack and occupied several strategic installations and government buildings in Khujend, Chkalovsk, Ura-Tube and Ayni. The Government of Tajikistan and the Commission on National Reconciliation have asserted that the attack was launched from the territory of Uzbekistan. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan refuted the allegations, calling them "groundless". It has also been asserted that the attacking forces included Afghan fighters belonging to Afghan General Abdulrashid Dostum. Throughout the crisis, the Government of Tajikistan maintained that former Prime Minister Abdumalik Abdullajanov's National Revival Block was the political force behind the rebellion in the North, which is trying to gain access to the current political dialogue taking place in the country. On 9 November, President Rakhmonov issued a statement describing the operation in Leninabad as an effort to stage a coup d'etat and added that external forces interested in undermining the Tajik peace process were behind this effort.

t The Government's military response to the attack was immediate and decisive. The United Tajik Opposition also immediately threw its full support behind the Government led military action against the aggression in the North and reconfirmed its loyalty to President Rakhmonov. The UTO contributed troops to reinforce the border areas in the Gissar region and several hundred fighters were deployed to Leninabad Province to participate in the Ministry of Interior led operation.

t Preliminary figures regarding casualties among the government troops, the attackers and civilian population vary from several hundreds to a couple of thousands. Several reports have indicated massive material destruction, including civilian housing, in particular in Khujend around the old fort in the city, where the attackers had held hostages and heavy fighting had ensued between the attackers and government troops. No final figures have yet been released.

t A number of countries and international organizations condemned the military attack by the forces of Col. Khudoberdiyev in Leninabad Province and called for a political dialogue to settle the crisis. On 4 November, the United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan expressed "deep concern at reports from Tajikistan, according to which forces under a former Tajik officer have taken over parts of Leninabad Province". His Spokesman said that the Secretary-General was "firmly opposed to this use of force" and called on those concerned "to pursue their aims by peaceful means. The peace process in Tajikistan must be safeguarded". The United Nations Security Council was

q Majlisi Oli, Tajikistan's highest legislative body, held its 10th session in Dushanbe on 12 and 13 November, where it adopted 38 items on the agenda. Session proceedings were televised and received wide national and international media coverage. Members of the Commission on National Reconciliation, as well as the diplomatic corps were invited as observers at the session. Most of the first day of the session was devoted to discussions on the recent fighting in Leninabad region. The Ministers of Security, Interior and the Prosecutor-General were among speakers on this issue. President Rakhmonov, taking the floor, described the attack as a "coup attempt".

q One of the most important documents adopted at the session was the new Law on Political Parties, within the framework of the General Peace Agreement. Many observers consider this a notable achievement in the peace process. The newly adopted Law has taken into account the wording of Articles 3 and 4 of the draft as they were proposed by the Conciliatory Commission in June 1998 and subsequently endorsed by President Rakhmonov. The earlier version of the Law as it had been adopted by Majlisi Oli in May 1998 prohibiting the establishment and activities of political parties based on religion, had been rejected by the UTO and was perceived by many, including the international community, to have run contrary to the spirit of the General Peace Agreement.

q Among other items of legislation adopted by Majlisi Oli were a new Tax Code, the State Budget for 1999, a new Amnesty Law which was issued by the President on the anniversary of the signing of the General Peace Agreement and a number of UTO appointments to Government posts, decreed by the President previously, including that of First Deputy Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Foreign Economic Relations.

q Regarding the adopted State Budget for 1999, a deficit of 4.8% is envisaged, an increase from budget deficit of 3.7% in 1998. Next year's budget revenue is estimated at 202,146 billion Tajik roubles (US$245 million) compared with 160,000 billion Tajik roubles in 1998. Budget expenditure for 1999 is estimated at 256,210 billion Tajik roubles (US$ 310.5 million) compared with 129,000 billion Tajik roubles in 1998.

Ø On 3 November 1998, the United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan presented his quarterly Report on the Situation in Tajikistan to the Security Council. The Report covered the period from 13 August to the beginning of November 1998. In reviewing the status of the implementation of the General Agreement, the Report stated that Stages I and II of the Military Protocol were "nearing completion". The Report noted that very little progress had been made on almost all the provisions under political and legal issues. However, it did point out that "after a period of relative stagnation, the crisis at the end of September led to renewed movement in the political process". Regarding the security situation in Tajikistan, the Secretary-General's Report said that it "continued to be precarious".

Ø In the conclusions of the Report, the Secretary-General stated that "there are formidable difficulties to be resolved on almost all the issues regulated in the peace agreement. Much remains to be done before the holding of elections and the installation of a new national Government, which is to mark the end of the transition period. I am convinced that this process, in order to have its desired outcome, will continue to require active international support through UNMOT and the Contact Group in particular". He, therefore, recommended that UNMOT's mandate be extended for another six months, until 15 May 1999. On security-related issues, the Report concluded that "the precarious security situation in Tajikistan has remained a very significant hindrance to the functioning of UNMOT and other United Nations agencies and programmes". While acknowledging the efforts of the authorities to enhance the protection of international personnel, the Secretary-General expressed his deep concern that "there has not been more progress in establishing all relevant facts concerning the killing of the fours members of UNMOT in July". The Secretary-General urged "the authorities and UTO to cooperate effectively in solving the case".

Ø Following Security Council deliberations of the Secretary-General's Report, the Council adopted Resolution 1206 on 12 November 1998. The Resolution welcomed "the intensified regular contacts between the leaderships of the Government of Tajikistan and the UTO which helped to contain the crises, confirmed the commitment of both parties to the peace process and contributed to the implementation of the General Agreement". The Security Council expressed "deep concern at the precarious security situation in some parts of Tajikistan and that there has not been sufficient progress in establishing all relevant facts concerning the murder of four members of UNMOT in July 1998". On the same subject, the Council "recognized that the completion of the investigation into this case is important for the resumption of the field activities of UNMOT" and "urged the Government of Tajikistan to complete the investigation expeditiously and to bring to justice all those found to be responsible for the crime" and for UTO leaders "to continue to cooperate fully with these efforts". The Resolution called upon the Tajik parties "to undertake vigorous efforts to implement fully the General Agreement, including the Protocol on Military Issues, and to create conditions for the holding of elections at the earliest possible time in 1999". The Council decided to extend the mandate of UNMOT for a period of six months until 15 May 1999.

Ø The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Tajikistan, Jan Kubiš, attending the Security Council deliberations in New York, briefed the Council on recent developments in Tajikistan. In an interview to UN Radio on 12 November, Mr. Kubiš said that "the implementation of the peace agreement in Tajikistan is at its most difficult and complicated point". He added that progress achieved so far enabled him to be "cautiously optimistic". What remained to be seen, he noted, were how the Tajik parties approached the implementation of the crucial elements of the agreement and translated their obligations into practice. While saying that it was premature to say that "we are at the end of transition period", he added that there had been major achievements "probably in all of the field covered by the peace agreement". He pointed to areas such as the return of refugees, the implementation of the Military Protocol, appointments of former opposition members into different government structures and a "good" discussion on constitutional amendments, as examples of those achievements.

UNITED NATIONS MISSION OF OBSERVERS IN TAJIKISTAN (UNMOT)

1994 - 1998

SERVING FOR PEACE IN TAJIKISTAN

t UNMOT was established in 1994. It is one of 17 United Nations peacekeeping operations currently underway in various parts of the world affected by armed conflicts. Since its establishment, UNMOT has mediated at inter-Tajik peace negotiations between the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan and United Tajik Opposition (UTO) from 1994 to 1997, resulting in the signing of the General Agreement on the Establishment of Peace and National Accord in Tajikistan on 27 June 1997, thereby bringing the fratricidal civil war amongst Tajiks to an end; monitored compliance of 1994 Tehran cease-fire agreement; it continues to assist and facilitate the work of the Commission on National Reconciliation (CNR) in all its aspects; assisted and monitored the registration, assembly of UTO armed groups and their reintegration into government power structures; has provided material support to the assembly areas; most importantly, has mediated and facilitated direct talks between Tajik parties and hence resolving several crises; sensitized the international community to the needs of Tajikistan through Vienna Donor Conference in November 1997; coordinates the work of the Contact Group of Guarantor States and Organizations to monitor progress in the implementation of the General Agreement and to bring to bear its influence positively on the Tajik parties in resolving difficulties or crises; overall, UNMOT has contributed significantly towards progress made by Tajik parties in the implementation of political and military protocols of the General Agreement.