By empty (5/16/2003 issue of the CACI Analyst)

Deputy Justice Minister Murat Raev told the Kazakh Senate on 15 May that drugs are becoming a threat to the country\'s national security, RFE/RL\'s Kazakh Service reported. He appeared before the Senate to ask for revisions in the country\'s Administrative-Procedural Code that would clearly set out the responsibilities of school administrators and teachers in an effort to prevent drug dealing and use among students. Raev said 40 percent of the drug users in Kazakhstan are students at secondary schools and institutions of higher education.

By empty (5/16/2003 issue of the CACI Analyst)

The World Bank will offer $171 million in aid to Kyrgyzstan over the next four years, the bank said Friday, mainly aimed at helping the government\'s program to reduce widespread poverty in this Central Asian nation. \"Despite a relatively strong economic performance and pro-poor growth, with poorer people increasing their incomes faster than average, huge challenges remain for the country,\" the World Bank said in a statement. \"Investment has been limited, and infrastructure and social service systems have been slowly deteriorating since independence.

By empty (5/16/2003 issue of the CACI Analyst)

The Kyrgyz government on 16 May signed an agreement with the Russian natural-gas giant Gazprom on cooperation in exploring and developing Kyrgyz oil and gas fields, repairing and building new gas pipelines, and transporting gas to Kyrgyzstan, Gazprom CEO Aleksei Miller said. Miller said Gazprom\'s presence in Kyrgyzstan will ensure reliable gas supplies for the next two years. Kyrgyzstan has had serious problems for several years with gas supplies from Uzbekistan, which has regularly shut off its deliveries because of payments arrears.