From: Justin Burke (JBurke@sorosny.org)
Date: Mon Apr 03 2000 - 11:19:47 EDT
KAZAKHS STAGE PROTEST ON BORDER WITH UZBEKISTAN
Some 200 residents of the Sary-Aghdash district of South Kazakhstan
Oblast gathered on the border with Uzbekistan on 31 March to
protest the planned construction of additional customs points
on the Uzbek side of the border, RFE/RL's Almaty
correspondent reported. Local officials from the two
countries agreed to postpone the beginning of construction
work. Speaking in Astana on 1 April, Kazakhstan's Foreign
Minister Erlan Idrisov denied that any tensions exist along
unpopulated stretches of the border that are currently being
demarcated, but he admitted that demarcation is proving more
problematic in populated areas, ITAR-TASS reported. Idrisov
said that the Kazakh authorities have reached agreement with
their Uzbek counterparts that no unilateral actions wll be
taken on the border until the demarcation is complete. Meanwhile,
RFE/RL's Almaty correspondent quoted "unofficial sources" on
3 April as saying that the Kazakh leadership is considering
abolishing the 14 oblasts into which the country is currently
divided and creating in their place five larger regions. The
five would be Western Kazakhstan, comprising the present
Atyrau, Oral, Mangystau, and Aqtobe Oblasts; South
Kazakhstan, comprising Qyzyl-Orda, Zhambyl, and South
Kazakhstan Oblasts and some districts of Almaty and the
former Taldy-Qorghan Oblast; Eastern Kazakhstan, comprising
the rest of Taldy-Qorghan as well as the former Semey and
Eastern Kazakhstan and Pavlodar Oblasts; Northern Kazakhstan,
comprising the present North Kazakhstan, Qostanay, and
Kokshetau Oblasts; and Central Kazakhstan, comprising Aqmola,
Qaraghandy, Zhezkazghan, and Torghay Oblasts. LF
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