Kyrgyzstan's provisional president, Rosa Otunbayeva, says efforts are underway to keep the violence that has ravaged southern Kyrgyzstan from spreading to the North.
"There is a real danger that provocations could start in Bishkek and the Chui region [...] We are working to ensure that the situation in Bishkek is kept under control," she said. Authorities were said to be setting up check points at major junctions to prevent the "passage of fire arms and drugs."
The partial mobilization of reservists and volunteers will peak at 1,200 men, Otunbayeva added.
"All of them are strictly tied to the authorities. Therefore, fears that they may contribute to the escalation of tensions are groundless," she insisted. Separately, the Interior Ministry issued an "invite" on June 15 to former uniformed officers to re-join their ranks.
Meanwhile, the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) will not be deploying peace-making troops in Kyrgyzstan. Instead, the Moscow-led security organization is making equipment available to Kyrgyz provisional leaders. Nikolai Patrushev, the head of Russia's Security Council, said the situation in Kyrgyzstan remained "complicated" but stressed the provisional government in Bishkek has "the main role to play" in restoring order.
Otunbayeva told reporters on June 15 that she accepted the CSTO decision and called on Kyrgyzstan's international partners to furnish the country with "specialist equipment" for the Kyrgyz security forces.
She laid the blame for the violence in Jalal-Abad and Osh squarely with ousted President Kurmanbek Bakiyev. "There is no doubt Bakiyev was involved in the tragic events in the south of Kyrgyzstan," she is quoted as saying.
The official death toll stands at 176, but Otunbayeva admitted the final figure may be much higher. Unofficial reports suggest a thousand or more people may have died in four days of fighting.
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