From: Justin Burke (JBurke@sorosny.org)
Date: Mon Dec 17 2001 - 11:38:41 EST
RFE/RL KYRGYZ NEWS
17 DECEMBER 2001, MONDAY
_______________________________________
A Daily Review of News From Kyrgyzstan
1. Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan sign an agreement on border delimitation.
2. Problems with delimitation of the Kyrgyz-Kazakh border agreement.
3. Government helps people suffered from avalanches.
4. December meeting of the Kazakh, Kyrgyz and Uzbek presidents.
5. Unofficial meeting of CIS premiers in Almaty in March.
6. Local elections held in Kyrgyz regions.
7. Kyrgyz delegation in Russia for military cooperation.
8. Communists want Kyrgyzstan to join the Belarus-Russian union.
9. Regional branches of the National University are united.
10. Announcement: RFE/RL Kyrgyz service increases broadcasting to Kyrgyzstan.
1. KYRGYZSTAN AND KAZAKHSTAN SIGN AN AGREEMENT ON BORDER
DELIMITATION. According to the presidential press service, President
Askar Akayev returned from Astana in the evening of 16 December. He
took part on 15-16 December in celebrations of the 10th anniversary
of Kazakh independence from Moscow. On 17 December, Kazakh nation
marks the 15th anniversary of the Almaty Uprising against Moscow
ruling.
Askar Aitmatov, adviser to the president on international affairs,
told RFE/RL correspondent in Bishkek on 17 December, that president
Nursultan Nazarbaev of Kazakhstan and Askar Akayev of Kyrgyzstan
signed in Astana an agreement between the two states on border
delimitation, three other documents on cooperation in border
guarding and a declaration. Also, a meeting of the inter-
governmental commission discussed in Astana aspects of cooperation
between the two countries in energetics. Nazarbaev decorated Akayev
with the Kazakh Order of Friendship.
2. PROBLEMS WITH DELIMITATION OF THE KYRGYZ-KAZAKH BORDER AGREEMENT.
Department head in the government Salamat Alamanov, who prepared the
Kyrgyz-Kazakh agreement on border delimitation, announced in Bishkek
on 17 December that the agreement is not against the Kyrgyz national
interests. According to him, the two states exchange some
territories according to the agreement. For example, Kyrgyzstan
receives some arable land for a quarry in the Talas Province.
Chairman of a parliamentary committee Azimbek Beknazarov told RFE/RL
correspondent in Bishkek on 15 December that there is a gold deposit
in the Talas quarry that is why, the agreement should have been
checked properly before signing. Also, Kazakhstan could receive
control over the Bishkek-Balykchy highway in Kyrgyzstan, because
some its part near Tokmok City is been exchanged for other land.
Alamanov says the territory near Tokmok belongs to Kazakhstan and
Kyrgyzstan constructed the highway in the Soviet times through the
Kazakh territory.
According to Beknazarov, Alamanov brought a draft agreement to his
committee on 13 December, just two days before the Akayev's
departure to Kazakhstan, and demanded to approve it the same day.
Beknazarov rejected it saying that studying of the draft would take
more time. However, seven out of 10 members of the parliamentary
committee approved the draft in the morning of 14 December under
pressure from the government.
3. GOVERNMENT HELPS PEOPLE SUFFERED FROM AVALANCHES. According to
the Ministry of Ecology and Emergencies, rescue works continue in
the Kara-Kulja district of the southern Osh Province. About 30 out
of 80 kilometers of the Karakulja-Kogart road, buried by avalanches
last week, have been cleaned. A special governmental commission
arrived on the site on 14 December.
About ten avalanches happened during the night from 12 to 13
December near the village of Oital, about 80 kilometers from Kara-
Kulja to northwest and about 180 kilometers to east from Osh. Six
people were killed and seven houses were buried by snow. Ten injured
residents of the village were delivered to a district hospital by
helicopters.
4. DECEMBER MEETING OF THE KAZAKH, KYRGYZ AND UZBEK PRESIDENTS.
Askar Aitmatov, adviser to the president on international affairs,
told RFE/RL correspondent in Bishkek on 17 December, that presidents
of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan plan meeting in Tashkent
late in December. They would discuss regional security and
economical cooperation issues.
5. UNOFFICIAL MEETING OF CIS PREMIERS IN ALMATY IN MARCH. According
to the governmental press service, an unofficial meeting of CIS
prime-ministers would be held in Almaty, Kazakhstan, on 1 March
2002. Initiator of the meeting is Kazakh President Nursultan
Nazarbaev. The premiers would discuss current situation in the world
after the 11 September events and further cooperation among the CIS
countries.
6. LOCAL ELECTIONS HELD IN KYRGYZ REGIONS. Local elections for 460
posts of heads of village and town administrations were held in
Kyrgyzstan on Sunday, 16 December. According to the Central Election
Commission, 187 officials were elected and run-offs in the 253
constituencies would be held next Sunday, 23 December. In total,
1,873 candidates ran for the 460 posts.
President of the Coalition of the Non-Governmental Organizations
Tolekan Ismailova criticized the election on 17 December saying it
was held under full control of the government and the government-
supported candidates had big advantages before the independent
candidates. According to Ismailova, the Central Election Commission
has shown that it is not able to act as an independent body. If you
need a statement of the coalition on it, please send your requests
to IdinovN@rferl,org.
7. KYRGYZ DELEGATION IN RUSSIA FOR MILITARY COOPERATION. According
to the AKI-Press agency, a Kyrgyz delegation is in the Tula Oblast
of Russia now, visiting the prominent "Tulamashzavod", "Splav" and
other military plants. On 17 December, they met with governor of the
oblast Vasiliy Starodubtsev. Besides the Kyrgyz delegation,
delegations of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are also in the oblast/
8. COMMUNISTS WANT KYRGYZSTAN TO JOIN THE BELARUS-RUSSIAN UNION.
Professor Klara Ajybekova, chairwoman of the second communist party
of Kyrgyzstan, told RFE/RL correspondent in Bishkek on 17 December
that her party appealed to the Central Election Commission (CEC)
asking for permission to collect signatures to organize a public
referendum. A question of joining Kyrgyzstan to the Belarus-Russian
union should be put on the referendum. According to the laws, the
parliament must approve the CEC decision on referendum, and
communists could begin collecting signatures only after a special
initiative group on it would be registered with the Ministry of
Justice.
9. REGIONAL BRANCHES OF THE NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ARE UNITED.
Spokeswoman for the Kyrgyz National University Nurbubu Ashymbaeva
announced in Bishkek on 17 December, that the regional branches of
the university would be united by 20 December. Also, three out of
the seven institutes under the university would be transformed into
faculties and no institute would have its own separate bank
accounts.
There were before 44 universities and institutes in Kyrgyzstan with
111 branches. The Ministry of Education and Culture began reforms in
this field three months ago.
10. ANNOUNCEMENT: RFE/RL KYRGYZ SERVICE INCREASES BROADCASTING TO
KYRGYZSTAN. On 15 December (Saturday), RFE/RL Kyrgyz service (Radio
Azattyk) increased it's broadcasting from three hours till five
hours a day. There are the two new hours of broadcasting at 20:00-
21:00 in the evening and at 07:00-08:00 (Bishkek time) next morning
in addition to the previous programs at 18:00-18:30; 19:00-19:30;
21:00-22:00 and 06:00-07:00.
Short wave frequencies for the additional programs are: 9595
kiloHertz (31 meter), 11760 kHz (25 m) and 13615 kHz (22 m) for the
evening program; and 5035 kHz (59 m), 9555 kHz (31 m) and 11795 kHz
(25 m) for the morning one. These additional programs are
rebroadcast in Kyrgyzstan on medium waves (MW) and eastern FM (so-
called UKW) as the other programs before.
(Compiled and translated by Naryn Idinov in Prague)
******************************************************************
Copyright (c) 2001. RFE/RL, Inc. All rights reserved.
|
