Secretary of State Colin Powell said Tuesday he hopes his talks this week in Pakistan and India can build on a recent easing of tensions and lead to a ``complete halt'' to the nations' month long confrontation. Speaking to reporters before a refueling stop in Ireland, Powell said a conciliatory speech by Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf showed that ``the rush toward conflict has slowed quite a bit.'' Powell will arrive in Pakistan on Wednesday and visit India on Thursday. He also plans to travel to Afghanistan to discuss reconstruction issues with the interim government there. The timing of his visit to Afghanistan has not been disclosed for security purposes. The main topic for Powell in Afghanistan will be the country's desperate economic situation. “I hope I'll be able to give them good news,” Powell said, alluding to $250 million in Afghan assets that were frozen during the period of Taliban rule and can soon be made available to the interim government. There are three accounts due to be released, including $193 million in gold reserves. The administration has access to accounts containing $25 million, Powell said. A similar amount is being held in escrow for Afghanistan by the International Air Transport Association. The funds represent fees to which Afghanistan is entitled for over-flights of its territory since United Nations. (AP) KYRGYZ PARLIAMENT AGAIN FAILS TO DISCUSS BEKNAZAROV ARREST 15 January The Legislative Assembly (the lower chamber of the Kyrgyz parliament) failed for the second time on 14 January to convene a formal discussion of the arrest of deputy Azimbek Beknazarov. But parliament deputy Bektur Asanov announced on 14 January he has joined the 18 people currently on hunger strike to demand Beknazarov's release. Representatives of five Kyrgyz human rights organizations addressed a letter on 14 January to President Askar Akaev, likewise demanding that Beknazarov be set free. Meanwhile, Prosecutor-General Chubak Abyshkaev held a press conference in Bishkek on 14 January at which he reiterated that Beknazarov's arrest was not politically motivated. Beknazarov is charged with negligence in failing to arrest a man who killed another in self-defense in February 1995. (RFE/RL) RUSSIA FREEZES CONTACTS WITH CHECHEN PRESIDENT 14 January The Russian leadership is not currently in contact with representatives of Chechen President Aslan Maskhadov, Nikolai Britvin, who is the deputy presidential representative to the South Russia federal district, told ITAR-TASS on 14 January. Britvin said that earlier contacts proved "ineffective," and that the terms proposed by Maskhadov's representatives were "unacceptable to Russia." He did not elaborate. Presidential representative to the Southern federal district Viktor Kazantsev met in Moscow last November with Maskhadov's envoy, Akhmed Zakaev, but reportedly failed to identify a mutually acceptable approach to ending the war (ITAR-TASS) RUSSIAN MILITARY CLAIMS TO INFLICT HEAVY LOSSES ON CHECHENS 14 January Federal forces in Chechnya killed over 1,000 Chechen fighters, including 30 field commanders, in search-and-destroy operations over the past 2 1/2 months, according to the commander of the combined federal forces, Lieutenant General Vladimir Moltenskoi. A Russian military spokesman at the Khankala base near Grozny said the same day that 24 Chechen fighters were killed last week alone. (Interfax) ABKHAZIA REJECTS GEORGIA'S OFFER OF 'HISTORIC COMPROMISE.' 14 January The UN-drafted document formulating the future relations between Abkhazia and Georgia within a single Georgian state requires Abkhazia to acknowledge it is a constituent part of Georgia, recognize Georgia's present borders, and allow the return of Georgian displaced persons to their homes in Abkhazia, Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze told journalists in Tbilisi on 14 January. He added that as a "historic compromise," Abkhazia will be permitted to preserve its constitution and state bodies for an unspecified time period. But Abkhaz Foreign Minister Sergei Shamba rejected Shevardnadze's statements the same day as mutually contradictory pointing out that Abkhazia's existing constitution defines the Republic of Abkhazia as an independent state, and that Abkhazia does not envisage becoming part of a larger state. He added that it would be more appropriate for Tbilisi and Sukhum to discuss the situation in the Kodori Gorge from which Georgia refuses to withdraw its troops. (Caucasus Press) CO-CHAIRS OF OSCE MINSK GROUP TO VISIT BAKU AND YEREVAN WITHIN TWO NEAREST WEEKS 14 January The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk group for Nagorny Karabakh intend visiting Baku and Yerevan within two nearest weeks. Diplomatic sources in Baku informed CNA the US co-chairman Rudolph Perina has already declared his intention to hold consultations with Azeri administration till end of January. Speaking at the meeting with experts and journalists at the Azeri Trade and Cultural Center in the US the Ambassador said that at the end of last year the co-chairs of the Minsk group held consultations in Washington D.C. and worked out a plan of further activity. The OSCE Minsk group sees its main aim at preserving rates of bilateral negotiations. (CNA) TAJIKS, UZBEKS TO INCREASE BORDER CHECKPOINTS 14 January The number of border checkpoints operating on the Tajik-Uzbek border will soon reach 16. An agreement was signed on this on 12 January during Tajik Prime Minister Oqil Oqilov's visit to Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan. The heads of some of Tajikistan's ministries and departments also visited Uzbekistan as part of the delegation. A member of the delegation, Gen Inoyatbek Sulaymonbekov, said that some issues of bilateral cooperation, including border problems, had been discussed during the visit. The two sides decided to open 16 border checkpoints on the Tajik-Uzbek border to ensure regular border crossing for citizens of the two countries and for the transit movement of people and transport via the two countries' territories. Citizens of foreign countries will have the right to use seven of these checkpoints, Inoyatbekov said. The sides also decided to give the local authorities the right to open new checkpoints in the border areas. The supply of Uzbek gas and electricity to Tajikistan, the restructuring of debts and some other issues of interest to both sides were also discussed during the working visit to Tashkent. (Kabar) KAZAKHSTAN REPORTS HIGHEST CIS GDP GROWTH IN 2001 14 January Kazakhstan's GDP increased year-on-year in 2001 by 13 percent, the highest figure registered by any CIS state, the Kazakh Economy and Trade Ministry reported. Industrial output grew by 13.5 percent and agricultural production by 16.9 percent. Capital investment was up by 21 percent, and consumer price inflation amounted to 6.4 percent, according to Economy and Trade Minister Zhaqsybek Kulekeev. Trade turnover increased by 7.7 percent to $17.7 billion. GDP is expected to grow by 7 percent in 2002, Kulekeev added. (Interfax) GEORGIA FAILS TO ADOPT DECISION ON CIS PEACEKEEPERS 14 January Georgia's National Security Council failed at its 11 January session to discuss, let alone reach a decision, on whether to formally demand the withdrawal of the Russian peacekeeping force deployed under the CIS aegis in the Abkhaz conflict zone. Georgian Foreign Minister Irakli Menagharishvili told journalists after the session that a decision would be made within two-three days, but President Eduard Shevardnadze said in his traditional Monday radio address on 14 January that he cannot call for the withdrawal of the CIS peacekeepers until the UN has agreed to deploy a replacement force, which, Shevardnadze continued, it is unlikely to be able to do until the international antiterrorist operation winds down. On 12 January, the Akhali Abkhazeti (New Abkhazia) Georgian parliament faction demanded that Shevardnadze be impeached for failing to act on the parliament's October demand that the CIS peacekeepers be withdrawn. But Parliament speaker Nino Burdjanadze again hinted on 11 January that the Georgian leadership would agree to the peacekeepers' continued presence provided their mandate is broadened to enable them to protect the local Georgian population more effectively. (RFE/RL) KYRGYZ SHEPHERD SHOT DEAD ON UZBEK BORDER 14 January Uzbek border guards opened fire on 11 January on three Kyrgyz youths tending sheep on the Kyrgyz-Uzbek border, killing one of them and wounding a second, RFE/RL's Bishkek bureau reported. A criminal investigation into the incident is underway. (RFE/RL) U.S. SUSPENDS BAN ON DIRECT AID TO AZERBAIJAN 13 January U.S. President George W. Bush signed on 11 January a document suspending Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act that bars direct U.S. government aid to Azerbaijan. That move is in acknowledgment of Baku's support for the international antiterrorism coalition. (Turan) TOM DASCHLE ARRIVES IN UZBEKISTAN 13 January Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle arrived in the Uzbek capital on January 13 for the start of a four-day visit to this Central Asian nation that neighbors Afghanistan. Daschle was expected to fly to Termez, the Uzbek border city, on January 14 and then visit the air base Khanabad in southern Uzbekistan, where about 1,000 U.S. troops have been based since October as part of the U.S.-led anti-terrorism campaign in Afghanistan. The U.S. Embassy said that on January 15, Daschle will fly to a remote island in the Aral Sea, where Soviet-era stockpiles of biological weapons, including anthrax spores, are being stored. Daschle's office in Washington received an anthrax-tainted letter last fall. Under an agreement between Uzbekistan and Washington in October, the United States is helping the Uzbek government to destroy the anthrax spores. The United States pledged $6 million to dismantle the storage site, remove the containers and safely destroy the hazardous materials. Daschle was scheduled to meet the Uzbek President Islam Karimov on January 16. On January 17, the senator was due to travel to Bishkek, capital of neighboring Kyrgyzstan. (AP) UZBEKISTAN TO RECEIVE $100M U.S. AID 12 January The United States is allocating $100 million in aid for Uzbekistan for its support of the U.S.-led military operation in neighboring Afghanistan, a U.S. congressman said Saturday. The aid to the Central Asian nation so far has been targeted at military training and ensuring security, but will eventually expand to other sectors, U.S. Rep. Jim Kolbe, R-Ariz., told reporters in the Uzbek capital, Tashkent. Kolbe, chair of the House Appropriations foreign operations subcommittee, was leading a delegation of five U.S. representatives to Central Asia to assess the area's needs and how American foreign aid is being spent. Kolbe met with Uzbek President Islam Karimov on January 12 and praised him for being so quick to offer use of an air base for the military campaign in Afghanistan, saying it set an example for other countries. More than 1,000 U.S. troops have been deployed to Uzbekistan since October. In return, Karimov's government has hoped for aid and an end to criticism of its human rights record. Corruption and Soviet-style economic rules have scared away many investors. Kolbe confirmed that Uzbekistan overall will receive about $100 million of the $4 billion Congress allocated for fighting terrorism, Kolbe said. But he warned that the aid will be linked not only to the Afghanistan campaign. “Once the military operation in Afghanistan is complete, I believe the pace of economic assistance in the region will depend in very large measure on the pace of economic reforms,” he said. (AP) ARMENIAN ENERGY MINISTRY GAVE CONSUMERS 10 DAYS TO REPAY DEBTS 11 January The Armenian Energy Ministry gave consumer-debtors 10 days for repaying all debts, otherwise they will be cut off from power supply. Ministerial press service informed CNA that consumers’ debts amount at USD 120 million by 2001 estimate. The population’s indebtedness is about USD 40 million, industry - over USD 10 million. On 10 January as a warning several energy dodgers in cities of Ararat, Gumri, Bagramian, Kotaik and other were de-energized. The Avshar, Aigekan, Eraskh and Armash villages are fully de-energized. Non-payments and persistent violations threat safe work of Armenian energy complex as a whole. Necessity of paying natural gas and nuclear fuel import force Armenian power engineers to take extreme measures towards energy dodgers, ministerial press service notes. (CNA) ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT ORDERS MANDATORY WATER METERS 11 January The Armenian government issued a decree on 10 January requiring all households to install water meters by the end of 2003 in an attempt to improve water supplies and enforce the billing system, RFE/RL's Yerevan bureau reported. After meters are installed, households will be billed according to the amount of water they use, rather than at the present flat rate of 420 drams ($0.75) per person per month which, according to Gagik Martirosian, who heads the relevant government department, should prove cheaper in most cases. The new system should also make it possible to provide water 24 hours per day. Except for socially vulnerable families, households must install the meters at their own expense. (RFE/RL) ARRESTED KAZAKH POLITICAL ACTIVIST RELEASED 11 January Oral Saulebay, who is a leading member of the Azat movement and chairman of the Committee for the Protection of Kazakh Lands, was released from custody in South Kazakhstan Oblast on 10 January and return to Almaty the following day, RFE/RL's correspondent in the former capital reported. Saulebay was detained by Uzbek police on 30 December following a protest demonstration in the village of Baghys on the Uzbek-Kazakh border and charged with organizing an unsanctioned meeting and with insulting the honor and dignity of the presidents of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. He was transferred from Tashkent to the oblast police headquarters in South Kazakhstan Oblast a week ago (RFE/RL) U.S. SLAMS RUSSIAN BRUTALITY IN CHECHNYA 10 January Speaking at a press briefing in Washington on 10 January, U.S. State Department spokesman Richard Boucher expressed concern that Russian troops resorted to "overwhelming force against civilian targets" and committed human rights violations during recent fighting in the village of Tsotan-Yurt and the town of Argun. Boucher also expressed concern that Moscow has not followed up on initial talks last November between presidential envoy to the Southern federal district Viktor Kazantsev and Chechen President Aslan Maskhadov's representative Akhmed Zakaev. (Reuters) CHECHEN ADMINISTRATION HEAD SAYS HE WILL RUN FOR PRESIDENT 10 January Meeting with journalists in Grozny on 10 January, Chechen administration head Akhmed-hadji Kadyrov announced that he will run for president of Chechnya when elections take place. No date for thatballot has yet been scheduled. Kadyrov told ITAR-TASS on 23 November that it must be preceded by the end of hostilities and the return of all Chechen displaced persons to their homes. (ITAR-TASS) AZENERGY STARTED DELIVERING ELECTRIC POWER TO GEORGIA 10 January The Azenergy company started delivering electric power to Georgia because of the emergency conditions at electric power plants of the neighboring Republic. The company’s press service informed CNA electricity supplies (about 47-50 MW/h) would be carried out until improving situation in Georgian energy supply system. The problems with power supply in Georgia sharpened after the accident at Tbilisi State regional power plant, where on 22 December as a result of explosion two power-generating units fell out. (CNA) AZERBAIJANI OPPOSITION PARTIES ALIGN 10 January Thirty-two Azerbaijani political parties participated in a meeting in Baku on 10 January that resulted in 25 of them joining forces to form a new United Opposition Movement and pledging to work together for the resignation of the present leadership and its replacement by “a legitimate government.” Those 25 include the Musavat Party, the Azerbaijan Democratic Party, and the conservative wing of the Azerbaijan Popular Front Party (AHCP), but not the Azerbaijan National Independence Party or the progressive wing of the AHCP. Those two parties signed a cooperation agreement last October together with the Taraggi Party. (Turan) LUKOIL HOLDS TALKS ON PARTICIPATION IN AZERBAIJANI PIPELINE PROJECT 10 January LUKoil senior Vice President Azat Shamsuarov held "working negotiations" in Baku on 10 January with the leadership of Azerbaijan's state oil company SOCAR on LUKoil's possible participation in the group sponsoring construction of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan export pipeline for Azerbaijani (and possibly also Kazakh) oil. LUKoil President Vagit Alekperov announced last month that his company is considering joining the project. (Turan) TURKEY ASKS RUSSIA FOR INFORMATION ON CHECHEN RADICAL 10 January Turkey has asked the Russian government for its "extradition file" on Movladi Udugov, Russian presidential aide Sergei Yastrzhembskii told journalists in Moscow on 9 January. Yastrzhembskii described the Turkish request as "an indication of Ankara's readiness to work with Moscow on fighting international terrorism." In mid-November the Turkish Foreign Ministry issued a formal rebuttal of President Putin's claim that Ankara does nothing to prevent Chechen fighters from traveling between Turkey and Georgia, whence they enter Chechnya. Udugov served in 1995-1996 as Chechen President Djokhar Dudaev's information minister and then in 1999 joined forces with field commander Shamil Basaev in his ill-fated bid to invade Daghestan and proclaim an independent Islamic Republic in the North Caucasus. He currently runs a website that provides information on the ongoing hostilities. It is not clear where Udugov is now based: Yastrzhembskii said he has "been seen in a small country in the Persian Gulf," which observers in Moscow believe to be Qatar. (RFE/RL) U.S. LIFTS RESTRICTIONS ON DEFENSE COOPERATION WITH TAJIKISTAN 9 January U.S. State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said in Washington on 9 January that restrictions imposed in 1993 on the transfer of military equipment to Tajikistan have been lifted due to that country's close cooperation with the international antiterrorism coalition. (AP) AZERBAIJANI SENTENCED FOR SPYING FOR IRAN 8 January Azerbaijan's Court for Serious Crimes sentenced Telman Ismailov on 8 January to 11 years imprisonment on charges of passing to Iran information on the location of Azerbaijani military units. Ismailov was arrested in July 2001 trying to cross from Azerbaijan into Iran. (Reuters) EXPORTS OF AZERBAIJANI OIL RISE BY OVER 50 PERCENT 8 January Azerbaijan exported a total of 8.44 million tons of crude oil in 2001, 55 percent more than the previous year. The lion's share of that amount (over 5.9 million tons) was produced and exported by the Azerbaijan International Operating Company that is developing three offshore Caspian oil fields. (Interfax) 'SHANGHAI SIX' ADOPTS COMMUNIQUE ON SITUATION IN AFGHANISTAN 7 January Foreign ministers from the member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization published a joint statement following the completion of their extraordinary meeting in Beijing on 7 January in which they pledged to expand their role in the international antiterrorist coalition led by the United States. The members of the organization, which is made up of Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan, said that they will contribute on national, regional, and global levels to help prevent any terrorism, extremism, separatism, and drug trafficking that might originate from Afghanistan. At the same time, the statement opposed "any efforts to impose political order in Afghanistan from the outside." The group also called for the quick adoption of an international agreement on the prevention of acts of nuclear terrorism. (Interfax) TURKMENISTAN REJECTS GERMAN REQUEST FOR USE OF AIRFIELDS 7 January Meeting on 7 January with German Ambassador Hans-Guenther Mattern, Turkmenistan's President Saparmurat Niyazov rejected a request by the German government to allow German military aircraft providing support for the antiterrorism operation in Afghanistan to use Turkmen airbases. Niyazov said Turkmenistan's neutral status precludes "support for any military forces in the region," but that Ashgabat will continue to make its territory and air space available for the transportation of humanitarian aid to Afghanistan. (Reuters) OSCE EXTENDS MONITORING OF GEORGIAN BORDER 4 January In compliance with a decision last month by the OSCE's Permanent Council, five unarmed monitors began patrols of the border between Georgia and Ingushetia on 3 January. A team of some 40 OSCE observers began monitoring the Georgian-Chechen border in February 2000. (RFE/RL) KYRGYZSTAN CALCULATES FINANCIAL LOSSES FROM SMUGGLING 4 January The revenues lost to Kyrgyzstan as a result of smuggling during the first 10 months of 2001 exceeded the entire annual state budget for that year, according to data compiled by the presidential Commission on Economic Crimes and reported by. Those losses totaled 15 billion soms ($31.5 million), while the annual budget totaled 11 billion soms. Contraband alcohol amounted to 4 billion soms and smuggling of oil and gasoline accounted for a further 4 billion soms. (RFE/RL) TAJIKISTAN APPOINTS NEW AMBASSADOR TO AFGHANISTAN 4 January Farhod Mahkamov, a member of the staff of the Tajik Embassy in Tashkent, has been appointed ambassador to Afghanistan by a presidential decree signed on 4 January. Tajikistan thus becomes the first Central Asian state to name a diplomatic representative in Kabul after the downfall of the Taliban. (Asia Plus-Blitz) NEW BLOW TO GEORGIAN ELECTRICITY SUPPLIES 4 January Heavy snowfalls in Karachaevo-Cherkessia on 2 January damaged the Kavkasioni powerline via which Georgia is currently receiving additional electricity supplies from Russia to compensate for the disabling of two units of the thermal power station that provides electricity for much of Tbilisi. At present, Tbilisi is supplied with only 300 megawatts of the total 600-650 it needs. To make up the shortfall, Georgia will receive 130 megawatts per day from Armenia until 10 January, and a further 100 megawatts a day from Azerbaijan. (Caucasus Press) CHECHEN PRESIDENT EXTENDS HIS TERM IN OFFICE 4 January Aslan Maskhadov has issued a decree extending by one year his five-year presidential term that was due to expire on 27 January 2002, according to "Kommersant-Daily" on 27 December. Maskhadov explained that at the beginning of the current war in Chechnya the State Defense Committee banned all elections and referendums for its duration. Russian presidential aide Sergei Yastrzhembskii commented in Moscow the same day that as a result of Maskhadov's decision, the Chechen president's legitimacy "has now dropped to a level below zero." Maskhadov has also reportedly issued decrees stripping Vakha Arsanov of the post of Chechen vice president and demoting field commander Ruslan Gelaev for tactical errors during the retreat from Grozny in February 2000. Arsanov has the reputation of an Islamic radical and is believed to be implicated in kidnappings for ransom. (RFE/RL) AZERBAIJANI COURT SENTENCES VOLUNTEERS FOR CHECHEN CAUSE 3 January After a six-week trial, Azerbaijan's Court for Serious War Crimes handed down sentences on 3 January of between three and five years imprisonment to three young Azerbaijanis who underwent military training with the objective of joining the Chechen fight for independence from Russia. Two other accused on the same charges were released after giving a written pledge not to leave their place of residence, and seven more received suspended sentences of between one and four years. The defense counsel for the accused had argued that the case should be closed, as there was no evidence that the accused had committed any crime. Also on 3 January, the National Security Ministry announced that on 29 December it detained four more Azerbaijanis who planned to travel to Chechnya to fight there as mercenaries. (Turan) THREE KAZAKH OPPOSITION PARTIES MERGE 3 January Following talks in Washington last month, Republican People's Party of Kazakhstan leader Akezhan Kazhegeldin, executive committee Chairman Amirzhan Qosanov, Azamat Party Co-Chairman Petr Svojk, and leading People's Congress of Kazakhstan member Gulzhan Ergalieva have signed an agreement on merging the three parties to form a new United Democratic Party. The catalyst for the merger, which was formally announced at a press conference in Almaty the same day, was the political crisis in late November 2001 that culminated in the demotion of President Nursultan Nazarbaev's son-in-law Rakhat Aliev and the formation of the opposition DVK. The new party's primary objective is to establish a parliamentary republic in Kazakhstan. (RFE/RL) CENTRAL ASIAN SUMMIT FOCUSES ON REGIONAL SECURITY, EXPANDING COOPERATION 3 January Meeting in Tashkent on 27-28 December, the presidents of the four members of the Central Asian Economic Community reaffirmed their shared commitment to expanding mutual political and economic ties and to working together to counter threats to regional security posed by international terrorism, religious extremism, drug trafficking, and organized crime. They also affirmed their support for the interim Afghan government headed by Hamid Karzai, and offered humanitarian and other assistance in building a democratic Afghan state. The four presidents focused specifically on the need for a coordinated program of measures regulating the use of trans-border water resources. They also decided the change the official title of the community to Central Asian Cooperation (Tsentralno-Aziatskoe Sotrudnichestvo). Uzbek President Islam Karimov proposed organizing a conference of Central Asian businessmen in order to boost economic cooperation. (RFE/RL) UZBEK POLICE DETAIN KAZAKH OPPOSITIONIST 3 January Oral Saulebay, a leading member of the opposition Azat movement and chairman of the Committee for the Protection of Kazakh Land, was detained by Uzbek police on 30 December in the border village of Baghys on suspicion of insulting the honor and dignity of the presidents of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. On 28 December, some 2,500 Kazakh residents of Baghys and the nearby village of Turkestanets staged a demonstration to draw to the attention of the Kazakh and Uzbek leaderships the problems local residents face due to the fact that the border between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan has still not been formally demarcated. The protesters threatened to declare an Independent Baghys Republic if the border issue is not resolved in the near future. (RFE/RL) ISLAMISTS DETAINED IN AZERBAIJAN 2 January Azerbaijani security officials have arrested six members of a cell of the banned Islamic organization Hizb ut-Tahrir. Five of those detained are citizens of Azerbaijan and one of Ukraine. The group's leader was identified as Abdulrasul Abdurahimov, a citizen of Uzbekistan wanted on charges of calling for the overthrow of the Uzbek leadership. Turan quoted an Azerbaijani National Security Ministry official as saying that the detainees were planning terrorist attacks on the U.S. Embassy in Baku and the offices of unnamed international organizations. Hizb ut-Tahrir, however, generally eschews violence; its members in Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan advocate the establishment of an Islamic state by exclusively peaceful means. (Turan) MOSCOW CARRIES OUT CUT IN OIL EXPORTS 1 January Speaking at a government meeting on 1 January, Prime Minister Kasyanov announced Russia's implementation of the decision adopted last month to cut oil exports by 150 barrels per day. Kasyanov noted that the cuts reflect the interests of the government, Russian oil traders, and OPEC countries. He said that, while Russia holds out hope that global oil prices will stabilize at $20-$25 a barrel, "we will also smoothly survive at a price of $18.5. However, below this level problems will begin." (strana.ru) INGUSHETIA'S PRESIDENT STEPS DOWN 29 December Ruslan Aushev formally relinquished his powers as president of Ingushetia on 29 December, having announced two days earlier that he would not seek a third presidential term. Aushev explained his decision in terms of the need to preserve domestic political stability which, he argued, would be threatened if presidential and parliamentary elections are held simultaneously in March 2003. (ITAR-TASS) AZERBAIJANI PRESIDENT DECREES MEASURES TO SUPPORT INDEPENDENT MEDIA 27 December President Heidar Aliev issued a decree on 27 December outlining measures the government must adopt to alleviate the financial and administrative constraints on independent and opposition media outlets. Those measures include the abolition of customs duties for newsprint, National Bank soft loans for media outlets, reducing tariffs for the allocation of private TV and radio broadcasting licenses, guaranteeing that the state publishing house will print opposition newspapers, and removing obstacles to newspaper distribution. The same day, parliament deputies voted unanimously to adopt the amendments they had discussed the previous day to the law on the media. Those amendments remove the constraints on receiving funding from abroad and on registration of new media outlets. (Turan) HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST ACCUSES GEORGIAN PRESIDENT OF ORDERING PREDECESSOR'S MURDER 28 December President Shevardnadze ordered the murder in late 1993 of ousted President Zviad Gamsakhurdia with the consent of then-Russian President Boris Yeltsin, Giorgi Kervalishvili, the president of the All-Georgian Association of Human Rights, told Caucasus Press on 28 December. Kervalishvili claimed that subordinates of former Security Minister Shota Kviraia were responsible for killing Gamsakhurdia. Many Georgians doubt the statement made by Gamsakhurdia's widow Manana shortly after his death that he committed suicide. (Caucasus Press) UZBEK LEADER SAYS NO DEADLINE FOR U.S. PULLOUT 28 December Uzbek President Islam Karimov said on Friday he had set no deadline for U.S. troops to pull out of a military base in his country used for U.S. operations in neighboring Afghanistan.Speaking after a regional leaders' meeting on security issues, Karimov said the Central Asian states would themselves decide how long U.S. troops remained on their territory. Talk of Russian concerns about a U.S. military presence in its former “backyard” smacked of “the stereotypes of old,” Karimov said after meeting the presidents of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. “All these questions will be decided on the basis of the interests of each individual state and the situation that arises in one region or another. I think I speak for everyone.” Karimov has allowed the Khanabad airbase in the south of the country to be used by the United States, which now has an estimated 1,500 personnel stationed there. Uzbekistan stipulated that it be used only for humanitarian operations in Afghanistan, and Tashkent says the base has not been used for bombing missions. “We have had no negotiations with the Americans on the issue of how many years they will use Khanabad base,” Karimov said. Kazakhstan, which has no border with Afghanistan, has opened its airspace to U.S. warplanes, while Kyrgyzstan has agreed to allow U.S. and French aircraft use Bishkek's Manas airport. (Reuters) AGREEMENT ON IRAN-ARMENIA GAS PIPELINE CONSTRUCTION SIGNED 27 December The agreement on Iran-Armenia gas pipeline construction is signed during the official visit of the Armenian President Robert Kocharian to Teheran on December 25-27. This gas pipeline will solve problems of Armenian energy security, Kocharian informed journalists having returned in Yerevan. "The matter concerns the energy supply diversification, we solve problems of our energy security in finding more stable system. It’s very important," he said. The President noted that till the beginning of construction certain preparatory work should be carried out. "The technical part of the project remained unsolved," Kocharian added. (CNA) RUSSIAN FINALLY BECOMES AN OFFICIAL LANGUAGE IN KYRGYZSTAN 28 December Kyrgyz President Askar Akaev on 24 December signed into law the amendments to the country's constitution approved by both chambers of parliament earlier this year that designate Russian as an official language, RFE/RL's Bishkek bureau reported. In an official message of thanks, Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed the hope that the move will benefit Kyrgyzstan's dwindling Russian minority. (RFE/RL) TAJIK, UZBEK PRESIDENTS PLEDGE TO STRENGTHEN COOPERATION 28 December President Imomali Rakhmonov met in Tashkent on 27 December with his Uzbek counterpart Islam Karimov to discuss the situation in Afghanistan and the prospects for improving bilateral relations. They also signed a joint statement pledging mutual respect for the territorial integrity of the neighboring state and noninterference in each other's internal affairs. Uzbekistan has written off some $12 million of the total $120 million it is owed by Dushanbe. Rakhmonov formally denied that his country hosts fighters from the banned Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) who are widely believed to have launched attacks on Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan in 2000 from Tajik territory before moving this year to Afghanistan. Karimov for his part said he doubts whether those fighters are still in Afghanistan. (RFE/RL) SHEVARDNADZE DECLARED POSSIBILITY OF ABKHAZ EXISTENCE AS “INDEPENDENT STATE” 25 December The Georgian President Edward Shevardnadze declared journalists the possibility of giving Abkhazia status of "an independent state within Georgia." "You should not be afraid of such definitions," the president said stressing the Georgian main aim is restoring territorial integrity and returning hundreds of refugees to Abkhazia. The Georgian leader said the document On differentiation of authorities between Tbilisi and Sukhumi created by the UN experts and supported by Russia will favor definition of the Abkhaz status. (CNA) KAZAKHSTAN AND RUSSIA COORDINATED OVER 4.5 THOUSAND OF BORDER CROSSING 25 December Kazakhstan and Russia coordinated over 4.5 thousand km of state border crossing line, press service of Kazakh Foreign Ministry informed CNA. 10 rounds of negotiations took place for 2.5 years since beginning the Kazakh-Russian border delimitation. The last one was held in the city of Petropavlovsk (Kazakhstan) in December. During negotiations the delegations of both states proceeded coordination of Kazakh-Russian border crossing line on areas between Northern Kazakhstan region and Kurgan and Tiumen Russian regions. The next round of negotiations will take place in Russia. The length of land state border between Kazakhstan and Russia amounts at 6,740 km. (CNA) LUKOIL TO PARTICIPATE IN FINANCING OF BAKU-CEYHAN PIPELINE 24 December Visiting Baku on 24 December, LUKoil President Vagit Alekperov discussed with the leadership of Azerbaijan's state oil company SOCAR the possibility of LUKoil participation in the project to build the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan export pipeline for Caspian oil. Alekperov told journalists after those discussions that LUKoil will decide within the next three months whether to join the sponsor group that will finance the pipeline, adding that he is thinking in terms of a 7.5 percent stake. At present SOCAR has a 50 percent stake in the project, British Petroleum 25.41 percent, Unocal 7.65 percent, Norway's Statoil 6.37 percent, Turkey's TPAO 5.02 percent, Japan'sItochu Oil 2.92 percent, Devon Energy 0.6 percent, and the U.S.-Saudi joint venture Delta Hess 2.03 percent. (AP) RIVAL TAKES CONTROL OF GEORGIAN PRESIDENT'S POWER BASE 22 December At its fourth congress on 22 December, the Union of Citizens of Georgia (SMK), created in late 1993 as Shevardnadze's power base, voted to abolish the post of party chairman that Shevardnadze had held until voluntarily resigning it in September. Delegates then voted to establish a 13-member committee to head the party. Former parliament speaker Zurab Zhvania, one of the leaders of the anti-Shevardnadze opposition, was chosen to head that committee. (Caucasus Press) KAZAKH, U.S. PRESIDENTS PLEDGE BROADER COOPERATION 22 December Nursultan Nazarbaev ended his working visit to the U.S. with talks in Washington on 21 December with his U.S. counterpart George W. Bush that focused primarily on Kazakhstan's engagement in the international antiterrorism coalition and energy issues. The two presidents issued a statement declaring their commitment to a “long-term strategic partnership.” The same day, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell and Kazakh Foreign Minister Erlan Idrisov signed an agreement in which Washington reaffirmed its support for construction of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, which Kazakhstan may also make use of. Nazarbaev also met on 20 December with members of Congress to discuss bilateral relations, the antiterrorism coalition, and aspects of the domestic political situation in Kazakhstan. (ITAR-TASS) UZBEK DELEGATION ATTENDS KARZAI'S INAUGURATION 22 December An Uzbek government delegation headed by Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Komilov attended the ceremony in Kabul on 22 December at which Afghan President Rabbani formally relinquished power to Hamid Karzai. Komilov also held talks with Karzai and with his Afghan counterpart Dr. Abdullah. (Interfax)