17-30 November 1998, No. 29

Ü President Imomali Rakhmonov held a long meeting, lasting almost three hours, with the CNR Chairman and Opposition Leader, Said Abdullo Nuri, on 25 November dealing with all aspects of the implementation of the General Agreement. During the meeting both confirmed their commitment to the GeneralAgreement stressing the need for pressing ahead with the peace process. They focused on the importance of finalising the first and second stages of the military protocol. They also reiterated that together they would fight any attempt to hinder the peace process in Tajikistan.

The President and CNR Chairman also discussed the candidacy of the following UTO representatives to high government posts: Zaid Saidov to the post of Head of the Committee on Industry, Asliddin Sohibnazarov as First Deputy Head of the Taxation Committee, Sherali Nadjmiddinov as First Deputy

UNMOT NEWSLETTER 17-30 NOVEMBER 1998, No.29

Minister of Communications, Saudin Hommudin as First Deputy Head of the Committee on Precious Metals, Mirsohodi Mirsomukhammadi as First Deputy Minister of Culture and Alikhon Latifi as First Deputy Minister of Environment Protection. All the candidacy reportedly had been approved by President Rakhmonov and it is expected that presidential decrees for the respective appointments would be issued soon. Regarding the appointment of UTO Chief Commander, Mirzo Zioiev, (to the post of Minister of Defense as requested by the UTO), in spite of a significant progress on the subject, no final decision has been reached. President Rahmonov and Chairman Nuri reportedly also discussed the appointment of UTO representatives as Chairmen of Hukumats of provinces, cities and regions, as well as issues related to Constitutional amendments.

Ü President Rahmonov then met the SRSG immediately after his meeting with Chairman Nuri. In the meeting Mr. Kubiš briefed the President about the United Nations Security Council deliberations the previous week and the Council's resolution on Tajikistan. Amongst issues raised was the importance that the Security Council had attached to the investigations into the killing of four UNMOT staff on 20 July. The SRSG stressed that the work of UNMOT was directly tied to the receiving of a credible report about the investigations so that the motive of the instigators of the crime will be known.

President informed the SRSG about his meeting with Opposition leader Nuri, in particular, concerning appointments of UTO representatives to different Government posts including the posts of Deputy Ministers and Deputy Heads of State Committees in accordance with the 30% quota. The President also said that the Government and UTO had confirmed their intention to hold parliamentary elections next year.

Ü The SRSG left for Tashkent the next day, 26 November, for a two-day visit to meet with the Uzbek Minister of Foreign Affairs as well as heads of some foreign diplomatic missions and international organizations. The purpose of the trip was to inform the government of Uzbekistan -- as an important member of the Contact Group -- about the Security Council Resolution on Tajikistan and to discuss developments affecting the peace process in Tajikistan.

Ü The meeting of Prime Ministers of the CIS countries, which took place on 25 November in Moscow, discussed a number of issues related to the reform of the CIS and the optimization of the work of its Secretariat. It was further reported that during the meeting a number of agreements had been signed aimed at the more efficient cooperation of CIS member-states in the field of economy.

Ü The SRSG, together with the Head of the OSCE mission, addressed on 25 November an international conference on issues related to the problems and perspectives of the national institutions for protection of human rights, which was organized in Dushanbe by the Tajik Center on Information and Analysis of Human Rights. The conference which was attended by participants from Germany, Italy, USA, Poland and CIS countries, UNMOT and OSCE concluded its work on 26 November. Several speakers noted that despite the signing of the General Peace Agreement and the stabilization of the overall military and political situation in the country, there was still no improvement in the human rights

situation in the country and referred to several cases of violation of human rights of Tajik citizens, especially children, elderly people and refugees, who had been repatriated to the country.

Ü The recent anti-government military action and the existing situation in Lenninabad Province continued to be at the forefront of attention in Tajikistan. An important international press conference, organised by the office of the Prosecutor General, was held on 27 November in which several prisoners of war, including citizens of the Islamic State of Afghanistan and Republic of Uzbekistan, personally told their stories to the press and international community. They spoke of the way they had been encouraged to take part in Lenninabad's fighting, stressing the leading role played by Mahmoud Khudaiverdiev supported by Abdumalik Abdullojanov. Without directly accusing the neighbouring countries, they all claimed that most of the operations had been organised from within the Uzbek and Afghan territories, adding that the Uzbek secret services had provided support.

The Majlisi of the Lenninabad province (the Parliament of the Province) held a session in the provincial capital, Khujand, during which the participants resolutely condemned the recent events in Lenninabad and considered measures for urgent normalization of the social and political situation in the province. The budget of the Lenninabad Province for 1999 had also been discussed.

Ü At a press-conference for international and local media on 23 November, the SRSG informed about his travel to New York and the UN Security Council resolution on Tajikistan. The SRSG highlighted specifically the points, concerning the investigation of the killing of the four UNMOT staff, the events in Lenninabad and the SC's expectation that the elections be held in the country in 1999. In response to reporters' questions Mr Kubiš expressed the hope that the withdrawal of the Uzbek peace keeping battalion will not effect the mission of the CIS PKF in Tajikistan and the peace process as such.

q During the CNR meeting held on 23 November, the Chairman of the Military Sub-commission (MSC), Mr. Sanginov briefed about the visit of MSC members to the Kofarnikhon region to verify the presence of UTO fighters in the AAs. During the visit it was established that out of 1205 UTO fighters, who were supposed to be there, 725 were present and 123 had left the AAs with respective authorization. Meanwhile, UTO FCs in the villages of Simiganj and Hokali complained that their fighters experienced serious problems due to lack of food, clothing and heating in the face of the coming winter. The CNR decided to task a MSC team to visit that region in order to solve the existing problems and to report to the CNR during its meeting next week. Taking into consideration the fact that about 80% of the UTO fighters were present in the AAs, the CNR decided that the attestation could start in Simiganj and Hokali. At the same time, the CNR decided to appeal to international organizations to render humanitarian assistance to the fighters in the area.

q At a meeting on 24 November of UNMOT's Liaison Team & the Tajik Ministry of Interior, with the Deputy Chairman of Tajik Border Committee it was confirmed that some concentration of troops was observed on the Uzbek territory in Termez-Denau and Djizak areas. The TBF increased their presence along the border and will be able to fulfill their tasks without support from the UTO fighters, presently located in 25th MOI battalion under the command of FC Mirzoali. The Deputy Chairman also informed that there are three groups of Khudoberdiev's supporters on the Uzbek territory in the areas of Zaamin, Saryasia and Termez.

q During a meeting of UNMOT's Liaison Team and the RBF Information Officers on 23 November, the RBF confirmed that CIS PKF Uzbek Battalion(of an estimated 120 men) which had left Shaartuz on 15-16 November for Termez was further relocated to the area of Denau (35 Kilometers to the south-west of Tursunzada). It was reported that the Uzbek Army Corps HQ exercises were taking place in the area of Termez-Saryassiya, junction of Tajik-Uzbek-Afghan border between 23-28 November. The exercises are said to have involved tanks and artillery.

q The Government of Uzbekistan has confirmed that for the time being it has no intention of sending back to Tajikistan its battalion, which was recently recalled from service with CIS Peace-keeping

Forces. As a rationale behind the decision budgetary constrains and the improved internal political situation in Tajikistan following the signing of the Peace Agreement by President Rakhmonov and UTO

Leader Nuri were cited. The Spokesman for the Uzbek Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Umarov, was quoted by media as saying "Tashkent's decision to participate in CIS/PKF was taken in 1992 for reasons which are no longer valid".

q According to information from the Ministry of Interior, an armed clash between members of groups of the field commander Said Mukhtar and Ali Boxer took place on 23 November about one kilometer east of the airport of Dushanbe. No casualties were reported. Informed sources described the clashes as insignificant saying they are simply sporadic fights between a small number of alienated forces.

­ Fighting has intensified in the past few weeks near the southern borders of Tajikistan, in Afghanistan between the troops of the Northern Alliance led by Commander Ahmad Shah Massoud and the Taleban who control over 90% of the Afghan territory. Fighting has come increasingly closer to the border of Tajikistan, taking place in a number of inhabited locations in the Afghan Kunduz province opposite the area of responsibility of the Pyanj border detachment. At the same time Russian media quoted military sources as saying that heavy exchanges of fire had also been taking place in the Afghan Badakhshan sector, 5000 m from the area of responsibility of RBF's Khorog border detachment. The RBF Command, however, did not consider this as a threat to the Tajik border and the border defense system. Meanwhile, according to Russian media, RBF had killed one suspected smuggler and wounded another (out of a group of ten men) as they tried to cross the Tajik-Afghan border in the Moskovski sector.

­ According to the Tajik State Statistics Committee, the rate of unemployment in the country had risen by 18% compared with the same period last year. At the beginning of October 1998 there were 64,800 unemployed, which represents 3.4% of the working population. A continuous rise in youth unemployment had been reported, as it reached 61% in June, compared to 58,7% in March. Women are also badly affected, with 34,700 or 53.5% of the total number of unemployed.

­ UNMOT representatives attended a Conference for Regional Election Administrators of the

Central Asian States, which took place in Almaty, Kazakhstan, from 17 to 20 November organized by the UN Electoral Assistance Division, UNDP, the Office on Democratic Institutions and Human Rights off the OSCE, the International Foundation for Election Systems and the Soros Foundation. The

Conference, which was attended by the Chairpersons of the Central Commissions on Elections and by other high level representatives from Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan focused on issues, related to regional experience and comparative perspectives in organizing elections,

as well as on the role of the constitutional and electoral laws in providing transparency of the election

process on a regional and local level. The Heads of the attending delegations were received by the President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev.

• UNMOT's spokesperson, Massoumeh Torfeh, held a meeting on 26 November with the

Deputy Head of Radio and TV, Mr Rahimov Sadullah Khairullaievich, to discuss mutual cooperation as well as a commentary by Tajik TV& Radio on 7 November in which among other international circles, the UN was accused of having had prior knowledge of the events in Lenninabad. In the conversation a copy of the letter by the Deputy SRSG, Paolo Lembo was given to the official and enquiries were made as to why UNMOT's public response to the commentary was not broadcast either from radio or TV. Mr Khairullaievich expressed his personal respect for the efforts of UNMOT and other UN agencies serving in Tajikistan, adding that the Head of Radio and TV to whom the letter was addressed was away on leave for three weeks and he would like to discuss the matter personally with the SRSG, Mr Kubiš. Expressing his own opinion, Mr Khairullaievich said he thought there had been a misunderstanding about the contents of the said commentary. He explained that the commentary was just an account of events prior to the fighting in Lenninabad without in any way wishing to insult UN. Mr Khairullaievich said, however, that the goodwill of Tajik TV&Radio could be observed in the fact that they are looking forward to beginning their joint weekly programmes with UNMOT about the peace process. In return the spokesperson also thanked the official for the good coverage especially by television of UNMOT-related events and the continued assistance that had been offered by the Head of TRT for organising interviews, other activities and specially on cooperation with UNMOT about a joint weekly programme.

• AN AFTERNOON OF POETRY WITH LAYEGH SHERALI: On 27 November, UNMOT held a

poetry afternoon at the National University in Dushanbe in aid of peace and reconciliation. At the gathering the most prominent poet of Tajikistan, Layegh Sherali, recited his poems about the social conditions of the past six years in which the country had been immersed in civil war. His recital, accompanied by sitar playing, highlighted in vivid images the horrors of a war that had torn apart a country and its people despite their rich cultural heritage. Almost five hundred students and lecturers took part in the gathering and through the poems discussed the horrendous years of war. The finale was on an optimistic note welcoming the defeat of war and the fact that peace was now taking the upper hand. Many students and lecturers expressed their thanks openly saying it had been a long time since they held such a warm cultural gathering. Mr. Sattorzodah of the CNR political subcommission also

took part in the seminar and in a speech praised UNMOT for initiating such new cultural activities in aid of developing peace. The Head of the Faculty of Literature in the National University, Mr. Assazadeh, requested that more such initiatives be held to benefit the young generation of Tajikistan.

• TAKING PEACE TO SCHOOLS: UNMOT also held a seminar on 18 November entitled

"Taking Peace to Schools". The seminar was chaired by UNMOT's Spokesperson, Massoumeh Torfeh,

who said the aim of the seminar was to increase awareness of peace and national reconciliation at schools

and to examine the possibility of a regular course at schools for this purpose.

The seminar was opened with the introductory remarks of the Deputy SRSG, Paolo Lembo, who spoke of the importance of such an endeavor and the richness of the Tajik culture from which the wider use of the concept of tolerance could be extracted and used for this purpose. He said that the UN was fully supportive of seminars and conferences that stressed the significance of taking peace to the young generation of this country. Mr Lembo added that the UN will also offer assistance for the implementation of such courses at schools.

Then the Minister of Education, Mrs Munira Enayatova, as well as several experts on education from various universities presented papers on practical ways of introducing a course at schools, primarily in the capital, Dushanbe, and later on a nationwide scale. The Minister of Education spoke critically about the Soviet system of education which she described as too rigid and unified disregarding the individuality of each culture. She said those responsible were only trained to receive orders from the central government and creativity did not have a place in the system of education. She said the main task of the Ministry was now to change all that and to pay attention to specific requirements of the country. She said she was looking for some creative ideas from the experts for implementing reforms which are in line with the present requirements of the republic. She spoke amicably and individually with some sixty students taking part from three different schools encouraging them to state their point of view frankly and without fear. The students, teachers and experts on education took her up on her offer and spoke frankly to their Minister of Education. The Minister thanked UNMOT for organising such a seminar and said she hoped when the report of the seminar was submitted to her that she would take further steps in implementing some of the ideas presented by the experts and students and for this she asked UNMOT for continuing cooperation.

• A preparatory meeting was held at UNDP on 19 November for a major international conference

entitled "Mountain Regions of Central Asia" due to be held in Dushanbe 22-24 June 1999. Deputy Chairman of the Organisation Committee of the International Conference, Minister of Education of the Republic of Tajikistan, Mrs. Munira Enayatova, addressed a host of foreign dignitaries at the meeting explaining the vital importance of this international conference. In his introductory remarks, the UN Resident Coordiantor, Paolo Lembo, said that the critical significance of the magnificent mountain regions of Tajikistan was often overlooked. He said the rich culture of Tajikistan -- often well-preserved in these mountainous regions -- must be cherished. He added that these significant environmental treasures must not be left in isolation. While stressing the importance of the international

conference on Mountainous Regions, Mr Lembo announced that the UNDP had co-sponsored the conference and this commitment had been officially acknowledged to the Ministry of Education. He added that the UN would also support any major initiatives to be followed on after the holding of the conference. The Conference in June 1999 aims to discuss the practical implementation of Chapter 13 of Agenda 12 from the UN Conference on Environment and Development held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. It is organised by the Government of Tajikistan, Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan, and the Tajik Technical University with the support of international organisations including the Agha Khan Development Network, UNDP, and SOROS. In the gathering Tajik scientists gave detailed information

about the scientific and cultural value of these regions stressing that the mountains are environmentally clean, with peculiar micro-climate and landscape. Mountains cover 93% of Tajikistan territory belonging to the highest mountain systems of Central Asia, the Pamirs and Tien Shan. Almost half of the republic's territory is at an altitude of over 3000 meters above the sea level. The big rivers of Central Asia -- Amu Darya, Zarafshan, Vaksh, and Pyanj -- originate from the mountains of Tajikistan. Within the June Conference two interesting excursions are planned, one by car on the route of Khujand-Panjakent-Dushanbe and another by helicopter taking the route of Dushanbe-Khorog-Dushanbe.