From: Justin Burke (JBurke@sorosny.org)
Date: Fri Oct 13 2000 - 11:09:20 EDT
TASHKENT INTERESTED IN SETTLEMENT IN AFGHANISTAN REGARDLESS OF POLITICAL
LEADERSHIP - UZBEK PRESIDENT
TASHKENT. Oct 12 (Interfax) - Tashkent is interested in a peaceful
settlement of the situation in Afghanistan regardless of who comes to
power in Kabul, Uzbek President Islam Karimov said at a Thursday press
conference in Tashkent.
At the same time, Karimov pointed out, in the event of a Taliban
victory peace will not be achieved in Afghanistan as long as all the
country's ethnic, religious and regional groups are not represented in
the government.
"Each country builds its relations with the outside world chiefly
proceeding from its own interests, and therefore one should not be
surprised by flexibility and a skill to follow realities," Karimov said.
The situation in Afghanistan "is changing rapidly, and one should take
into account the realities taking shape there," he said. The Taliban has
been at the Uzbek-Afghan border "for almost two years," and "we are
surprised to hear about an evident threat increasing at the Tajik-Afghan
border," since "the Taliban, remaining outside the border with
Uzbekistan, have not posed a threat or manifested aggression towards
Uzbekistan in all this time," he said.
"We may not like the Taliban movement, but it is a force that
cannot be ignored," Karimov continued. "We do not need confrontation
with Afghanistan. We have never wanted and will not get involved in
confrontation with this country. We will do everything to rule this
out," the Uzbek president said.
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