From: Justin Burke (JBurke@sorosny.org)
Date: Thu Mar 22 2001 - 09:56:31 EST
Kazakh leader comments on his daughter's resignation
Excerpt from report by Kazakh Khabar TV on 21 March
[Presenter] Let me remind you that President Nursultan Nazarbayev attended
the opening of the Khabar [television] agency's new office in Astana two
hours ago.
[Passage omitted: correspondent says Nazarbayev visited the Ukrainian
embassy, a canteen for the needy; he gave an interview to journalist
Lyazzat Tynysbay; he says he tries to watch Khabar news when he can; says
journalists should be objective and the opening of Khabar's office in
Astana is an important event]
[Nazarbayev] Many officials of the Khabar company, including Dariga
[Nazarbayeva, his daughter], have done a great deal of work to set up this
channel and put it on its feet. I think that she has done a lot for her
homeland.
I heard yesterday that she was going to resign, and this is her own decision
and I cannot [leaves the sentence unfinished].
And as for the issue that the president's children are involved in this and
that, I have got a different point of view on this. My children, like other
people's children, are citizens of this country and have the right to do
what they can and what they want to. I am not going to limit [their
rights]. They have got the same rights as other citizens of this state and
can be held responsible before the law like others.
[Passage omitted: says that there are no problems with this in other
countries]
When children of some high-ranking officials get a high post and abuses it,
they should be sacked. It is a different case. So, I am sorry, but I am
worried about the Khabar agency. And I think its staff have trained normal
and worthy people.
[Passage to end omitted: about guests at the opening ceremony]
Source: Khabar TV, Almaty, in Russian 1500 gmt 21 Mar 01
BBC Mon CAU 210301/** bb/gs
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