SCO ANTI-TERROR EXERCISE IN KAZAKHSTAN
3 September
Russia is sending ground forces to Kazakhstan to participate in a joint anti-terrorist exercise. The exercise, "Peace Mission-2010," is being conducted under the auspices of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, of which both countries are members, Itar-Tass reported Friday. A representative of the Russian Ministry of Defense press service and information department told journalists: "The first military echelon left the Totskoye railway terminal in the Orenburg Region on Friday. It will deliver to Kazakhstan by Sept. 7 some 250 men and 70 pieces of military hardware." The Russian military will eventually deploy four military echelons totaling 1,000 troops along with their equipment. Kazakhstan and China will send 1,000 troops along with their equipment to participate in the Peace Mission-2010 anti-terrorist exercise, with full deployment of forces occurring by Sept. 12. Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan are also sending forces. The Peace Mission-2010 anti-terrorist exercise is scheduled for Sept. 9-25 on Kazakhstan's Matybulak testing grounds in Zhambyl Oblast. (UPI)
KAZAKH OPPOSITION PARTIES WANT REFERENDUM ON IMPEACHING PRESIDENT
3 September
Kazakhstan's Algha (Forward) and Communist parties have discussed their joint efforts to hold a national referendum on impeaching President Nursultan Nazarbaev, RFE/RL's Kazakh Service reports. Algha leader Vladimir Kozlov and Qadyr Qoshqarov, chairman of the Kazakh Communist Party's Almaty city committee, said on September 2 that the two parties plan to gather on September 25 to discuss how to organize the referendum. Kozlov said the idea of holding such a referendum came after the Kazakh Constitution was amended earlier this year to designate Nazarbaev the "leader of the nation." He said Nazarbaev, 70, should step down because of his age and because he is responsible for the bad situation faced by millions of pensioners. Kozlov added that according to the new constitutional amendments, any offense against Nazarbaev, any move or deed deemed to damage his personal honor and dignity, as well as any attempt to impede his activities, was considered a crime. Taking that into account, Kozlov said that on July 28 he sent a query to the Prosecutor-General's Office and the president's office asking them if the rally planned for September 25 qualifies as an offense against Nazarbaev's honor or dignity. Kozlov said he had not received a response. The Prosecutor-General's Office insists it mailed a reply to Kozlov's query on August 3. Kozlov said the Prosecutor-General's Office found itself in a difficult situation because if it officially issues a document confirming that such a gathering is not an insult to the Kazakhstan's leader, then the Communist Party and Algha will have a written mandate protecting them from any possible lawsuits after publicly discussing Nazarbaev's impeachment. But Kozlov said if the Prosecutor-General's Office officially issued a letter saying that such a gathering could be considered an insult to the president's honor, then the office would tacitly concede that the constitution was "raped" when it was amended to designate Nazarbaev "untouchable." Ualikhan Qalizhan, a member of the pro-presidential Nur-Otan party, told RFE/RL that since Algha is unregistered it cannot position itself as a political party or "discuss or comment" on the idea of holding a referendum on impeaching Nazarbaev. Alikhan Baimenov, the leader of the pro-government Ak-Zhol (Bright Path) party, told RFE/RL that "real" political parties should engage in concrete programs supported by the majority of the population.Bolat Abilov, co-chairman of the opposition Azat (Free) Social Democratic Party, told RFE/RL that in the current political circumstances it is impossible to hold such a referendum. He noted that his party's attempts to hold referendums on other issues were blocked by the authorities.(RFE/RL)
DISABLED KAZAKHS PRESS FOR ACCESS IN ALMATY
4 September
Several nongovernmental organizations representing physically disabled people in Almaty have launched a campaign to bring attention to their problems in Kazakhstan's largest city, RFE/RL's Kazakh Service reports. The action, which organizers stressed was nonpolitical, will last for several days, during which participants will visit various public places and buildings in Almaty to chronicle obstacles for disabled people and seek ways to better deal with them. Seyitzhan Kenzheuly, a member of the organization Zhiger (Persistence) who is legally blind, told RFE/RL that by locating all possible barriers to access in public places, the disabled were asserting their right to be treated as full-fledged members of society.Campaign coordinator Almas Myrzabekov said that, for example, there was no way for blind citizens to find the doors of shops or to get information about what items are on sale.University students have volunteered to help the participants, some of whom are in wheelchairs or on crutches.Some 100 disabled people intended to take part in the campaign, but the Almaty city administration gave permission for only 70. The staff of the district prosecutor's office observed the participants as they started their action on September 3 from Almaty's Old Square. According to official statistics, some 3 percent of Kazakhstan's population of 16 million are physically disabled. (RFE/RL)
TURKMENISTAN LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN TO JUSTIFY $1.9 BILLION 'OLYMPIC CITY'
7 September
The Turkmen government has launched a mass campaign in support of its recent plan to spend $1.9 billion on building a new "Olympic City" sports complex in Ashgabat, RFE/RL's Turkmen Service reports.An RFE/RL correspondent in Turkmenistan's eastern Lebap Province reports that a day after the plan was announced by state media on September 4, ministries, state committees, schools, universities, state and private enterprises, and civic organizations started to host meetings "to show support for the government's huge investment plan for sports facilities."A bank official who talked to RFE/RL's correspondent on condition of anonymity said the rushed meetings prove the government's sensitivity to potential negative reaction in foreign media. According to Turkmen media, the Turkish construction company Polimeks will build the complex. Polimeks has recently completed construction of a new medical university in Turkmenistan, including a general hospital that cost $59 million.The new project is to include 30 sports facilities and a football stadium with a capacity of 60,000 people.State news agency TDH has described the government's plan as further proof of the state's concern for individual citizens.But one Lebap resident, who gave his name as Seyitnazar, said, "It is just a waste of money."Turkmenistan has competed in four Summer Olympic Games but has never won an Olympic medal. (RFE/RL)
FM: GEORGIA COMMITTED TO AFGHAN OPERATION
7 September
Georgia, which has suffered its first casualty in Afghanistan since joining the NATO-led forces there, will not suspend or reduce its military presence in Afghanistan, Grigol Vashadze, the Georgian foreign minister said on September 7.“Georgia will change nothing in its commitments undertaken as a partner [to the coalition forces],” Vashadze said, while speaking at a joint news conference with his visiting Estonian counterpart Urmas Paet. “Unlike other European states, we are [geographically] closer to Afghanistan and presence of our hero soldiers in Afghanistan first and foremost serves to Georgia’s national interests. This is a tragic loss, but it can not serve as a reason to suspend our mission to Afghanistan,” he said. Company commander from the 31st infantry battalion, first lieutenant Mukhran Shukvani, 28, died and another Georgian soldier was badly wounded while on mission as a result of explosion of improvised explosive device, the Georgian Ministry of Defense said on September 5. No other details of the incident were reported.Georgia sent its 31st infantry battalion to Afghanistan in April, 2010 to serve under the U.S. command in the province of Helmand. With this deployment Georgia increased its military presence in Afghanistan about 950 soldiers. Georgia first deployed a company-sized unit in Afghanistan under the French command in November, 2009.According to the NATO-led mission, International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), the 31st battalion stationed in Camp Delaram II in Helmand province, along with two U.S. Marine battalions and British Royal Marine 40 Commando, is conducting counterinsurgency operations throughout the Nimruz and Helmand provinces. The Estonian Foreign Minister, who expressed condolences over death of the Georgian soldier, said that Georgia’s contribution to Afghan mission was “absolutely important for international security point of view.”“[Georgia’s contribution] is also a very clear political signal from the Georgian society… and Estonia, as a member state of NATO, is very grateful that Georgia is participating in ISAF mission in Afghanistan,” Urmas Paet said. (Civil Georgia)
GULNARA KARIMOVA, FIRST DAUGHTER OF UZBEKISTAN, TO SHOW FASHION COLLECTION IN NEW YORK
9 September
Gulnara Karimova is already well-known as the somewhat-controversial first daughter of Uzbekistan, but she'll try to make a name for herself in New York City's style circles by presenting a collection at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. Karimova already has an established brand, Guli, in Europe--she's even shown in Milan--and has previously partnered on a jewelry collection with Chopard, but this is the first time she'll bring her designs stateside. (huffingtonpost.com)
TWO PROTESTERS REPORTEDLY DIE IN AFGHAN PROTEST
12 September
Reports from eastern Afghanistan say two people have died after clashes with security forces. The two protesters were shot and killed during angry demonstrations in the Baraki Barak district of Logar Province over plans, which have been canceled, of a U.S. pastor to burn copies of the Koran on September 11. A crowd of about 500 people chanted slogans like "Death to America" and "Death to puppet government." Some Afghan soldiers were injured by stones, prompting others to fire into the protesters.(RFE/RL)
ARMENIA BEGINS IMPORTING IRANIAN WHEAT
12 September
Armenia begins importing wheat and other grains from Iran after Russia halted its wheat exports to Armenia because of the drought that devastated crops in parts of the country. “Some Armenian companies started importing wheat from Iran since the past month,” IRIB quoted Armenian Agriculture Minister Gerasim Alaverdyan as saying on Friday. The report added that the Armenian companies have imported around 10,000 tons of wheat from Iran during the period. Armenia consumes 700,000 tons of wheat annually, while it produces only 200,000 tons of that in the country. Armenia is considering Iran as a potential market to meet its wheat imports after Russia imposed a ban on its wheat products following a drought season and wildfires affecting many parts of the country. Russia's decision caused international grain prices to spike as markets forecasted that without shipments from one of the world's leading exporters, global supplies would be restricted. (presstv.ir)
PETRAEUS WORRIED ABOUT AFGHAN CONTRACTS
13 September
Improper oversight into international funds supporting the war effort in Afghanistan risks undermining the overall strategy, the top military commander said. Afghan President Hamid Karzai has complained that international contracts for work in his country do very little to help everyday Afghans.U.S. Army Gen. David Petraeus, the top military commander in Afghanistan, issued a series of new guidelines outlining how contracting should work in the country, The New York Times reports. Petraeus in his unclassified two-page memo said that the Afghan economy could develop substantially if contracted programs are monitored effectively."If, however, we spend large quantities of international contracting funds quickly and with insufficient oversight it can fuel corruption, finance insurgent operations, strengthen criminal patronage networks and undermine our efforts in Afghanistan," he warned. The new guidelines, the Times suggests, show that the money from NATO contracts have on occasion wound up in the hands of Afghan warlords to the detriment of public trust. The Times said U.S.-led military operations in Afghanistan consumes about $14 billion in contracting work per year. (RFE/RL)
KAZAKH LEADERS FROM THE OSCE KICKED OFF A 2-DAY MEETING IN LITHUANIA TO HIGHLIGHT THE ROLE ENERGY HAS IN NATIONAL SECURITY, REPRESENTATIVES SAID MONDAY
13 September
Akan Rakhmetullin, Kazakhstan's deputy envoy to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, briefed delegates at the meeting in Vilnius on the importance of energy security."Consistent and sustainable development of the economies of the OSCE participating states depends on the stability and steadiness of the energy supply," he said. The international community is struggling for ways to diversify energy resources as greenhouse gas emissions and the dangers of oil exploration take center stage. Europe is scrambling to break the Russian grip on the regional energy sector, which is vulnerable to geopolitical disputes between Moscow and Kiev. Lithuanian Deputy Foreign Minister Evaldas Ignatavicius, whose country takes over the rotating chairmanship of the OSCE in 2011, said international and domestic efforts are vital for global energy security."The key factors for our future common action are supply diversification, energy sources diversity, development of energy infrastructure, fair competition and more effective use of current resources promoting low carbon energy," he stressed. (UPI)
SAAKASHVILI ON GEORGIA’S AFGHAN MISSION
13 September
Georgia is part of NATO-led mission in Afghanistan to gain combat experience and to become further integrated with its western allies, President Saakashvili said on September 13.Speaking at a newly re-established school of cadets in Kutaisi, Georgia’s second largest city in Imereti region, Saakashvili said, that “the fact that there are so many problems in Afghanistan, is very bad for Georgia,” because it distracts international attention from those issues, which were source of concern for Georgia.NATO-led operation in Afghanistan, he said, “is our straggle” too.“Of course someone may say: ‘we have so many problems, our territories are occupied and there is no time now for going somewhere else to fight’. But because of these very same problems that we have, we need a huge combat experience my friends and that’s [Afghan mission] is unique combat and war school. Georgia is not in a situation of Norway, Denmark, or Australia. Take a look at our situation, our challenges and threats – can we say no to our armed forces and can we say no to a war school? This is an opportunity to become integrated to the world’s best armies, to see the most advanced [military] equipment and achievements,” Saakashvili said.“I am grateful to our soldiers and their families, who have not complained even once, who participate in [the Afghan operation] with full awareness of their mission,” he added.Company commander from the 31st infantry battalion, first lieutenant Mukhran Shukvani, 28, who was killed while on mission in the province of Helmand more than week ago, became Georgia’s first casualty since the country joined the coalition forces in Afghanistan in November, 2009. (Civil Georgia)
PETRAEUS FORESEES LONG HAUL IN AFGHANISTAN
14 September
The U.S. war in Afghanistan is nine years old but the top U.S. commander there says it may be another decade before the insurgency is fully quashed. U.S. Army Gen. David Petraeus, asked by ABC News whether success over the insurgency could be another nine or 10 years away, answered, "Yeah, again, in some respects, I'd say obviously what took place up until this point has been of enormous importance. "But it is just at this point that we feel that we do have the organizations that we learned in Iraq and from history are necessary for the conduct of this kind of campaign," he said. "We got the leaders in place, the big ideas and so forth with our Afghan partners. And now very much the resources." With an additional 30,000 U.S. troops fully deployed in Afghanistan, Petraeus' charge is to turn the war around by July when the Obama administration hopes to be able to start winding down U.S. involvement there. "July 2011 is the date when a process begins, the pace of which is determined by conditions on the ground," Petraeus said. "And that process consists of two elements. One is transition of tasks to Afghan forces and elements of institutions because [of] its functions, not just geographic areas. And the other is the beginning of a responsible drawdown of our surge forces." Petraeus described the hoped-for transition as a "thinning out" of forces, rather than a "hand off" of areas. "You do a little bit less and the Afghans do a little bit more instead of saying, 'Tag, you're it. You take the ball and run with it. We're out of here.' And we think that's the logical approach to this," he said. (UPI)
KAZAKHSTAN EXTRADITES KYRGYZ CITIZEN TO UZBEKISTAN
14 September
Kazakh officials have extradited a Kyrgyz citizen of Uzbek origin to Uzbekistan, RFE/RL's Kazakh Service reports. Tashkenbai Aubakirov, a senior aide to the Almaty city prosecutor, told RFE/RL that Khurshid Kamilov was wanted in Uzbekistan for alleged involvement in the murder of two Uzbek police and participation in extremist and terrorist activities. Kamilov was detained during Almaty police's "Migrant" operation in June to locate illegal immigrants. His extradition took place last week. No comment was immediately available from Kyrgyz officials. Meanwhile, 29 Uzbek citizens detained by Kazakh authorities as illegal immigrants have been held in Kazakhstan's National Security Committee jail since mid-June. Many of their wives came on September 13 to the Almaty City Prosecutor's Office to demand their husbands' immediate release. According to Kazakh law, they say their husbands can be held in pretrial detention for only three months. One of the Uzbek women, Rano Jalalkhonova, told RFE/RL that her husband and his comrades have been on a hunger strike in jail since September 9. Another Uzbek woman, Mutavar Suleimanova, told RFE/RL that if her husband is extradited to Uzbekistan he might be sentenced to death or life in prison for being a devoted Muslim. "We have nothing to do with religious extremism. We are ordinary Muslims, praying five times a day," she said. "If Kazakhstan does not want to have us as refugees, we will seek asylum in another country." Aubakirov, who met with the women in front of the Almaty City Prosecutor's Office, told them that on August 31 the United Nations' High Commissioner's Office in Almaty annulled its decision to provide the detained Uzbek nationals with refugee status and therefore the Kazakh Prosecutor-General's Office has decided to extradite all of them to Uzbekistan. Denis Dzhivaga, an official at the Almaty-based Kazakh Bureau for Human Rights, told RFE/RL that the lawyers of the 29 detained Uzbek citizens have not been able to visit their clients during the three months. Kazakhstan currently holds the chairmanship of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. (RFE/RL)
WATCHDOG SLAMS LACK OF KAZAKHSTAN’S MEDIA FREEDOM
14 September
Kazakhstan's failure to improve media freedom has damaged its international standing and the situation is getting worse, not better, a media advocacy group said in a report Tuesday. The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists said that restrictions on the press have tighten even though Kazakhstan assumed the chairmanship of a prominent trans-Atlantic security and rights organization earlier this year. Kazakhstan won the right to chair the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe amid pledges that it would grant more freedom to the media. "Not only did the government renege on promises to decriminalize libel, President Nursultan Nazarbayev signed into law a restrictive new measure governing the Internet," CPJ said. Criticism of the government and the president in oil-rich Kazakhstan remains largely off-limits, while most major media outlets are controlled by the state or the pro-government Nur Otan party. Kazakh Foreign Ministry spokesman Askar Abdrakhmanov said the report was unjustified and that Kazakhstan was open to discussion on freedom of the press. "We don't believe that repeated criticism is constructive," he said. CPJ said at least one journalist, Ramazan Yesergepov, as well as a human rights activist, Yevgeny Zhovtis, have been jailed in retaliation for their work over the past two years. CPJ also criticized Kazakh authorities for their attempt to muzzle Internet content, blocking access to several critical Web sites and popular blogging platform Livejournal. Although Internet penetration still remains fairly low in Kazakhstan at an estimated 15 percent of the population, authorities clearly intend to restrict access to material critical of the government, CPJ said. "In addition to censoring domestic content, the new and vaguely worded Internet law also allows for the blocking of international Web sites if those are found in violation of Kazakh law," the report said. CPJ said politicized libel suits have also become a favored method of silencing independent media outlets. A court in January last year ordered Kazakh-language weekly Taszhargan and one of its reporters to pay $20,000 to a member of parliament for slandering him in an article about rising food prices. The court later increased the damages tenfold. Taszhargan publisher Yermurat Bapi was subsequently jailed for five days for failing to pay the damages. Despite widespread concerns over Kazakhstan's reluctance to implement democratic reforms, OSCE members have agreed for the former Soviet nation to host a summit later this year bringing together the organization's heads of state. Abdrakhmanov said although the agenda for the summit has not yet been finalized, the Kazakh government believes all issues covered by the OSCE, which include media freedom, would be discussed at the event. (AP)
FOREIGN TALIBAN FIGHTER CAPTURED IN N. AFGHANISTAN
15 September
Afghan and NATO-led troops captured several Taliban insurgents in a joint operation, including a foreign fighter in Chardara district of Afghanistan's northern Kunduz province on Tuesday, the military alliance said in a press release on Wednesday. "Afghan and coalition forces detained several insurgents in Kunduz province Tuesday, including an Uzbek of Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan foreign fighter facilitator operating in Chardara district," the press release added. Without giving more details the press release added that the arrested commander "maintains ties to local Taliban." It also stressed that there were no casualties on civilians including women and children during the operation. Hours before, the governor of Chardara district Abdul Wahid Omarkhil in talks with Xinhua emphasized that "Soldiers of NATO- led forces raided a house in Ainulmajar village of Chardara district last night and arrested former member of provincial council Mawlawi Abadullah along with two of his brothers and three others on charge of having link with Taliban militants." Chardara district has been regarded as the stronghold of Taliban militants in Kunduz province from where the militants have expanded their activities to the neighboring Baghlan province and adjoining areas. (Xinhua)
PAKISTAN, AFGHANISTAN LEADERS VOW TO FIGHT TERROR
15 September
Afghan President Hamid Karzai and his Pakistani counterpart Asif Ali Zardari have discussed ways of tackling terrorism and expanding bilateral ties. Karzai arrived in Islamabad at the helm of a high-ranking delegation on Wednesday for the second time in less than six months. "We discussed how to find ways of tackling sanctuaries, training grounds, ideologies and financial resources of terrorists," said Karzai in a joint news conference with Zardari. The Afghan president added that the two neighboring states “have to be frank and open to find a way out together." "The reality is that both the countries are suffering at the hands of terrorists,” AFP quoted Karzai as saying. The two leaders also held talks on leaked Pentagon documents accusing Islamabad of being in contact with Taliban in Afghanistan. Pakistan rejects the charge. After the release of the document in July, Afghanistan's National Security Adviser Rangeen Dadfar Spanta, in a letter, urged Western states to reconsider their approach toward Pakistan. "What the national security adviser said in the letter that he wrote is exactly what we were discussing today in Pakistan," Karzai added. Karzai also reiterated his government's openness to hold talks “with the Taliban who are not part of al-Qaeda or any other terrorist network... who abide by the Afghan constitution." Zardari, for his part, stressed that his country will continue its efforts in fighting terrorism. “I reiterate that Pakistan stands against terrorism,” he said. "Pakistan is the part of the solution and not the problem," Zardari added. Karzai's visit to Islamabad comes as the two neighbor countries are facing rising violent attacks organized by Taliban and other militant groups. (presstv.ir)
DETENTION SPARKS PROTEST RALLY IN SOUTHERN KYRGYZ CITY
15 September
Officials in the southern Kyrgyz city of Uzgen say a crowd of several hundred people rallied today to demand the release of a local man detained on suspicion of illegal arms possession, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reports. Local police chief Bakyt Matmusaev told RFE/RL that security forces had detained the man after acting on information he had weapons in his home. District head Alisher Bakyshev told RFE/RL that around 300 people had gathered, though Matmusaev put the number closer to 2,000. Bakyshev said a crowd initially gathered during the raid in a mainly Uzbek neighborhood, with some shouting that security forces had come to attack them. He said police fired shots in the air to disperse them. Bakyshev said people then gathered at the local police building to demand the man's release. He said the crowd was mainly made up of ethnic Uzbeks, and that the demonstrators later dispersed. It's not clear if the man is still in custody or if any weapons were found in the raid. Uzgen is near Osh, site of much of the interethnic violence that left nearly 400 people dead in June. Uzgen was quiet during the June violence, but was the site of deadly clashes between ethnic Uzbeks and Kyrgyz in 1990. (RFE/RL)
RIGHTS DEFENDER SENTENCED TO LIFE IN PRISON IN KYRGYZSTAN
15 September
A well-known ethnic Uzbek human rights activist has been sentenced to life in prison for involvement in the killing of a Kyrgyz policeman, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reports. Azimjan Askarov and seven other ethnic Uzbeks were found guilty of murdering Myktybek Sulaimanov in June during violent clashes between ethnic Uzbeks and Kyrgyz in the village of Bazar-Korgon. The defendants were given the chance to give their final testimonies before the verdict today. All pleaded not guilty, some of them reversing earlier guilty pleas. Four of Askarov's co-defendants were also sentenced to life in prison with confiscation of their property, two were sentenced to 20 years in jail, and one person was sentenced to nine years in prison. Kyrgyz Ombudsman Tursunbek Akun told RFE/RL that the verdict was politically motivated, adding that his office had held an alternative investigation into Sulaimanov's killing and came to the conclusion that Askarov is not guilty.(RFE/RL)
ARMENIA HOSTS ITS FIRST NATO EXERCISE
15 September
Armenia is hosting its first NATO exercise with more than twenty alliance and partner countries involved. Over a thousand people will take part in a scenario designed to improve reaction and response to emergency situations. The one week event is being held 20 kilometres north of the countries capital Yerevan. Ten observers from neighbouring Turkey will watch the action unfold. An imaginary earthquake of 7.2 on the Richter scale is at the heart of the scenario devastating the area. Cars crash, buildings are set on fire and the emergency services are tested having to deal with 12,000 dead and 17,000 injured. Turkey had agreed to open a small corridor across their border for the scenario but backed down a few days before the exercise began. (euronews.net)