From: Justin Burke (JBurke@sorosny.org)
Date: Tue Jun 19 2001 - 09:31:55 EDT
Tajik hostage incident was not politically motivated, opposition leader says
Excerpt from report by Iranian radio from Mashhad on 18 June
We begin this hour's news bulletin with good news for those interested in
Tajikistan's peace: the hostages who were captured by an armed group in
Tavildara District [in central Tajikistan] have been released. Here are the
details from our Dushanbe colleague, Behruz Zabehulloh:
[Passage omitted: known details of release of 11 hostages; in an interview
Deputy Prime Minister Saidamir Zuhurov said that the problem had been
resolved but gave no details]
[Zabehulloh] Asked about motives for that hostage-taking incident in
Tajikistan, a deputy head of the Islamic Rebirth Party of Tajikistan [IRP],
Muhiddin Kabirov, said:
[Kabirov] Peacemaking is a difficult job, and it takes much time. I think
that the reason for those developments which happened in the last few days
is that there are still probably some shortcomings in the implementation of
the terms of the general [peace] agreement. Not all the requirements and
provisions of that agreement were implemented in good time, and if they
were indeed fulfilled there were probably some obstacles and interference.
Unfortunately, we now see the results of the non-implementation of the
requirements which should have been fulfilled a few years ago.
[Zabehulloh] The deputy head of the party spoke about the party's view on
the hostage-taking incidents:
[Kabirov] The leadership of the IRP of Tajikistan does not view these
incidents as politically motivated. As we have said earlier we consider
these to be the result of failure to fully implement some provisions of the
general peace agreement, and we think that there are still many
opportunities to settle them by means of negotiations and political ways.
[Zabehulloh] Asked about what group was involved in the hostage-taking
incident and what was the purpose of it, Muhiddin Kabirov said that he did
not know. What is clear from the problem is that the hostages were released
safely.
Voice and Vision of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Dushanbe.
Source: Voice of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Mashhad, in Persian 0130 gmt
18 Jun 01
BBC Mon CAU 190601/** ak/mi
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