By empty (5/4/2003 issue of the CACI Analyst)

The annual meeting of the EBRD\'s board of governors opened on 4 May in Tashkent with sharp criticism of the host country by Human Rights Watch (HRW) acting Director Kenneth Roth. Many international human rights organizations have criticized the EBRD for choosing Uzbekistan for its meeting, and the grounds for their objections to the venue were set out by Roth in his statement at the opening ceremony. Roth said Uzbekistan has not implemented the political and economic reforms required by the bank.

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

At a news conference on 5 May in connection with the EBRD annual meeting, EBRD Chief Economist Willem Buiter presented the latest version of the bank\'s report on the progress of countries with transition economies, focusing particularly on the situation in Uzbekistan. Buiter noted that foreign investment in Uzbekistan is the lowest -- $6 per capita -- of the Central Asian countries where the bank is active. The EBRD report projects a growth rate of 2.

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

Kazakh Prime Minister Imanghaliy Tasmaghambetov on 5 May ordered that Kazakhstan\'s border with China be closed until 20 May to prevent the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), Interfax-Kazakhstan reported the same day. He also instructed the Foreign Ministry to bring the families of staff members at the Kazakh Embassy in Beijing and other Kazakh citizens back to Kazakhstan until the health situation in China normalizes. Several ministries were told to compile a list of Kazakh citizens registered with the Kazakh Embassy in Beijing and submit it to the Health Ministry within three days so that an organized return home can be organized.