From: Abraham Rein (ARein@sorosny.org)
Date: Wed Aug 09 2000 - 10:47:10 EDT
...AS TAJIKISTAN DENIES THEY CROSSED ITS TERRITORY.
Meanwhile, Tajik officials continue to deny that the
Islamists entered Uzbekistan from Tajik territory, Russian
agencies reported. The first deputy chairman of Tajikistan's
Committee for Border Protection, Major-General Safarali
Saifullaev, told Interfax on 8 August that no groups of
fighters could have crossed the Tajik-Uzbek border
unobserved. He further denied that any such groups had been
seen crossing the Afghan-Tajik border. One of the leaders of
the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, Tahir Yuldash, told
RFE/RL's Tajik Service on 8 August that his men have been on
Uzbek territory for a long time. He denied that they receive
help from the UTO. Tajik Foreign Ministry spokesman Igor
Sattarov told a press briefing in Dushanbe on 9 August that
Tajikistan has no interest in destabilizing the situation
either on its own territory or in neighboring districts of
Uzbekistan, Asia Plus-Blitz reported. LF
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