he leaders of four Central Asian countries agreed on Friday to cooperate in fighting terrorism in their resource-rich but turbulent region. Meeting in the Uzbek capital Tashkent, leaders from ex-Soviet Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan signed a document which they said included provisions for combined military operations on their territories.

"This is our answer to the terrorism and extremism which are threatening our region," Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev told a news conference, wrapping up the two-day security summit. "This document could be called a defence union."

Religious extremism and an explosion in drug trafficking in the cash-strapped region, hemmed in by China, Russia, Iran and Afghanistan, are seen as major security threats. The agreement has to be ratified by all four parliaments to come into effect. Uzbek President Islam Karimov said his country was seeking to strengthen its anti-aircraft defences along the border with Afghanistan.

He said Uzbekistan could not "quietly wait for a repeat" of the hijacking of an Afghan airliner in February. The plane briefly landed in Tashkent during the hijacking which ended in London. Karimov did not elaborate. U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, on a visit to the region this week, gave Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan $3 million each to beef up security along their borders, large parts of which are rugged terrain.

She also said the increasingly authoritarian countries had a long way to go before their human rights records measured up to international democratic norms.

he recent reversal of the death sentence passed last year on a young musician is a significant move forward. The Uzbekistan authorities should now continue further down the road to total abolition by commuting all other pending death sentences, Amnesty International urged today.

On 31 March the Presidium of the Supreme Court of Uzbekistan reversed the death sentence passed last year on a young musician named Arsen Arutyunyan, citing mitigating factors and replacing it with a term of imprisonment. Amnesty International had been campaigning for such a reversal or commutation, and the news was passed to its Deputy Secretary General at a United Nations conference on 14 April. This was confirmed by the Uzbekistan authorities.

"We greatly welcome this step, and hope that Uzbekistan will live up to its promises to `abolish the death penalty in stages` and commute all pending death sentences," said Vincent Del Buono, Deputy Secretary General of Amnesty International.

"Of course we have every sympathy with the victims of crime, but we believe the death penalty itself to be a violation of the internationally recognized right -- the right to life."

Arsen Arutyunyan and Danis Sirazhev, musicians in a well-known Uzbek pop group called "Al- Vakil", had been sentenced to death on 3 November last year after being convicted of killing a female Uzbek singer, Laylo Aliyeva, the previous year. Amnesty International is seeking to learn whether Danis Sirazhev`s sentence has also been reviewed, and if so what the outcome was.

Unofficial sources had expressed great concern about all stages of the case. The two men alleged that their confessions had been extracted under duress while they were in pre-trial detention, their lawyers reportedly received threats aimed at forcing them to step down from the case, their families were allegedly harassed forcing some to leave the country. Unofficial observers reported that the first appeal hearing at the Supreme Court was unfair.

In 1998 the Parliamentary Commissioner for Human Rights in Uzbekistan, Sayora Rashidova, informed Amnesty International that Uzbekistan was following "a policy of abolishing the death penalty by stages". Since then Amnesty International has learned of at least 47 death sentences and 15 executions in Uzbekistan. However, as information on the death penalty is regarded as a state secret, the real number of those sentenced to death and executed may be much higher (at its session in November last year the UN Committee against Torture requested, but did not receive, such statistical information from the government delegation of Uzbekistan).

"The Uzbek authorities should build on the reversal of Arsen Arutyunyan`s death sentence to enter a new stage with regard to their policy on abolition," Amnesty International urged. "Such steps would be consistent with the worldwide trend towards abolition of the death penalty."

Specifically, the human rights organization is urging the Uzbek authorities to declare a moratorium on death sentences and executions, commute all pending death sentences to terms of imprisonment, and ratify the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights -- the first international instrument aimed at abolition of the death penalty.

Background Nearly half the countries of the world have abolished the death penalty in law or practice for all but the most exceptional crimes, such as serious crimes committed during a state of war. Among the Central Asian states of the former Soviet Union, for example, Kyrgyzstan has had a moratorium on executions in place since 1998, and Turkmenistan abolished the death penalty completely in December last year.

Amnesty International believes the death penalty is inherently unjust and arbitrary, however heinous the crime for which it is provided and however scrupulous the procedure by which it is enforced. The risk of error in applying the death penalty is inescapable, yet the penalty is irrevocable. In addition, the death penalty has never been shown to deter crime more effectively than other punishments, and is brutalizing to all those involved in its application.

f rugged, unruly Central Asia is one of the world's wildest geopolitical chessboards, U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright's visit this week was more of an opening move than a checkmate. Armed with a little cash and a reputation as a fierce interlocutor, Albright sought to advance a complex mix of U.S. oil interests, human rights concerns and measures to plug holes in the borders, which have seen an increasing flow of arms, drugs and militant groups.

In Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, she toured ancient Silk Road streets, mosques and synagogues, artisans' stores and U.S.-funded women's centers. Fed, laden with flowers and feted with traditional Central Asian hospitality, she delivered tough messages to the region's leaders on democracy and urged them to crack down on criminals instead of religious and political opponents. The poor region, which for centuries was eyed by eager empire builders, was cast adrift by the fall of the Soviet Union and now faces a new challenge from Islamic militants.

The United States says its central Asian diplomacy is about as far removed as possible from that of Queen Victoria and tsarist Russia when they made the region a platform for expansionist ambitions.

"This part of the world was originally treated in an offhand and patronizing way by the Russians and then by Soviets," Albright told reporters on her plane en route for Washington.

"They dumped people into it and they took advantage of their land and their water ... and as a result of that there are a whole host of problems that you have to see to understand."

DELVING INTO "SPHERES OF INFLUENCE"

Albright's immediate impact on the exotic region, for which the phrase "sphere of influence" was invented, is impossible to measure and the pay-off is likely to be in the long term. In Uzbekistan, for example, local media focused on the positive side of her trip and ignored a row with authoritarian President Islam Karimov about his human rights record.

Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev rebuffed her for criticizing him over the reinstatement of two senior officials who resigned following the transfer of 40 MiG fighters to North Korea, a country considered a state sponsor of "terrorism" by the United States. In oil-rich Kazakhstan, and nearby Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, Albright sowed seeds which she hopes will eventually boost U.S. interests, which include getting oil out to Turkey down a pipeline bypassing Russia and Iran.

FRAGILE DEMOCRACIES

U.S. officials point out that their hopes for the region are founded on the fact that the countries now have sovereignty. But it is partly the fragility of their democracies that makes them of interest. Albright stressed the relationship was a two-way street, as the United States helped central Asian states deal with the shared problem of militancy including Osama bin Laden, who according to U.S. officials has been actively seeking to acquire nuclear or radioactive material from former Soviet territory.

On the other hand, the United States wants central Asian states to reform so it can achieve its goal of fostering more market democracies. Only time will tell whether her words fell on fertile or fallow soil. The region's leaders all tasted power in Soviet days and their handling of elections, rights abuses and treatment of the press were all criticized by the State Department's 1999 human rights report.

Kyrgyz President Askar Akayev, effusive with praise for Albright, agreed to meet opposition leaders but one of them has told Reuters he will not attend until Felix Kulov, a potential candidate in a future presidential election, is freed from prison pending trial in line with her request. Self-censorship remains an issue among the media, and Albright, who wrote a thesis on the role of the media at times of change in Czechoslovakia and Poland, noted a tendency on their part to give in to red tape instead of challenging it.

Albright took a softly, softly approach on U.S. aid, bringing only $9 million for the three countries to boost border patrols and keep out drugs and militants from next-door Afghanistan, where the Taliban hosts Uzbek militants who raided Kyrgyzstan last year and are on the move again. (Reuters)

he Central Asian countries of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan signed Friday a treaty on jointly combating terrorism, religious extremism, organized crime and other factors threatening regional security and stability, news reports reaching here said. Under the treaty, signed in Tashkent, capital of Uzbekistan, by presidents from the four nations, they will unite as one in maintaining security and stability in Central Asia by taking timely and effective steps to curb terrorism and extremism threatening the region, the Central Asian Interfax news agency reported.

They will work closely together to fight against activities that undermine national security and stir up social, ethnical and religious conflicts. The treaty also stipulated that each of the Central Asian countries adopt concrete measures to prevent the establishment in their territory of terrorist bases and occurrences of any terrorist acts directed against other nations. At a press conference after the signing of the treaty, Uzbek President Islam Karimov spoke highly of the document, saying it is of great realistic significance and "provides possibilities for the Central Asian nations to pool their strength in eliminating elements menacing regional security."

Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev echoed him, saying the treaty serves as the nations' "best answer" to terrorism and extremism. He described it as the most realistic step the signatories have made in maintaining national sovereignty and independence. On the same day, the two presidents also held bilateral meeting and signed a joint statement, pledging that their countries will act together in coping with any threats either of them meets.

krainian Prime Minister Viktor Yushchenko will visit Uzbekistan for the first time in May and President Leonid Kuchma in October this year, 'Tashkentskaya Pravda' reported on 15th April, quoting the Ukrainian envoy to Uzbekistan, Anatoliy Kasyanenko. A meeting of Uzbek-Ukrainian bilateral economic commission will be held during the prime minister's stay in Tashkent, the newspaper said.

zbek TV and radio on 21st April broadcast a special 45-minute programme on the two-day Central Asian summit of the presidents of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, which ended in the Uzbek capital, Tashkent, on 21st April. The programme screened edited highlights of presidents arriving in Uzbekistan, the one-to-one talks between the presidents at the Uzbek president's Dormon residence on the outskirts of Tashkent, the signing of the joint agreement on combatting terrorism, and excerpts from the final news conference. Reports covered in previous news bulletins have been incorporated below.

Speaking before the signing of the agreement on joint action against terrorism and extremism, Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev said that the Central Asian countries had been forced to join efforts because the international community was not taking steps to help fight the threats. Speaking in Russian, he said:

"The reality of the modern world is that a growing number of regional and local conflicts are coming to dominate the tricky situation which has emerged. Our common task is to regulate active and close cooperation on the issues of preventing and settling conflicts.

"The world community shares our anxiety in terms of international terrorism, aggressive extremism, organized crime and illegal circulation of drugs and arms. Unfortunately, the anxiety of the international community and international organizations, of which we are members, is limited to just this. For this reason our joint activity is the main step to oppose this threat."

Kyrgyz President Akayev, speaking in Russian, said he concurred with what President Karimov said about the need to join efforts to fight threats. Tajik President Emomali Rahmonov said that the Central Asian states should be prepared to put in forces to protect national interests and their sovereignty. Speaking in Russian, he said:

"Tajikistan has suffered more than other countries in the former Soviet Union from the destructive consequences of terrorism and various forms and extremist trends, and it is these sufferings which have made us appeal to the international community to give a practical direction to world and regional cooperation in fighting against these global problems and working out precise mechanisms for joint action. The historical experience of the end of 20th century shows that politicized Islam is being used as the most fertile ground for terrorism. For example, in Tajikistan in the 1990s, it was this that was the ground for armed confrontation in our country, on the crest of this the crime rate went up, which led to smuggling of drugs, arms and ammunition, the decline of the economy and of the integrity of the state.

"Today we have signed another important agreement. The distinctive character of the present agreement, in our view, is above all that it has a specific regional character and it contains a definite mechanism for implementing it. I am especially thankful to Islam Abduganiyevich [Karimov] for our meeting yesterday, when we came unanimously to the single conclusion that if there is any threat to Tajikistan or any other state [in the region], we would coordinate our practical actions, including putting in forces to protect the national interests and to protect the sovereignty of each of our countries in this region.

"Taking into account the specific nature of our region, we should make wide use of world experience in fighting terrorism, political and religious extremism and transnational crime. In countering these, we should organize our cooperation against them at a high level so that we may guarantee reliable protection of the lawful interests of our citizens and the national security of our states."

In an opening statement at a news conference on 21st April following the signing of the joint agreement on countering terrorism and extremism, President Karimov said the Central Asian countries needed international assistance to fight terrorism and extremism and organized crime, saying that "we cannot reach our goals without the assistance of the international community and organizations, because even the most powerful country with great potential cannot thwart such a threat on its own". Speaking in Russian, he said, in part:

"We began our meeting yesterday, and its purpose proceeds from presentday requirements. This meeting today is of great practical importance and it will continue to be in the future. Of course, we have been arranging this meeting for a long time. There was a need to gather and exchange views on this issue. The process of preparing documents, preparatory work for the meeting and the present day have shown that there was a need for a meeting.

"Yesterday I had talks with the president of Kazakhstan on bilateral relations. Then we continued our meeting with the presidents of four countries. We have understood that an open exchange of views gave us an opportunity to take joint measures on topical problems. We are glad of this, of course. It became clear that each head of state has a clear and precise point of view on the acute problems in our region.

"Amongst other issues, the most important topic of our conversation was the fight against international terrorism, political and religious extremism, drugs trafficking and organized crime. We have signed a joint agreement between the four states on these very issues. The practical significance of this document is that so far we have not had any such document. This time we have agreed to unite our efforts in this fight and take urgent measures. In other words, this is our practical step in preventing and destroying the threat which is described as international terrorism.

"I must say that this document was drawn up within a short period of time, we all approved and signed it unanimously, because there is no other way. We have been doing too much talking about such diseases as religious extremism and international terrorism, which are felt by the people in our region, and about the ways of preventing them. We no longer need verbal debates, because the problem cannot be tackled with empty words, it is time to take measures. For this reason there was a need to sign a document for joint practical steps. It is true, we can not reach our goals without the assistance of the international community and organizations, because even the most powerful country with great potential can not thwart such a threat on its own. In order to thwart such threats we should unite our efforts. The joint document envisages this point. In other words, the leader of each state has undertaken such responsibility before the people of their country.

"We signed a joint bilateral document between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan on the results of talks yesterday. Its purpose is to put an end to the problems that allegedly have existed for the last few years in settling certain border issues between our countries. It is true, like in many countries, the process of delimitation of borders is under way between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. Of course, this is being done in line with existing legislation and international requirements. The delimitation commissions held meetings in Astana and Tashkent. Certain problems in this process are being clarified. However, there is no dispute on border issues. Signing the document on delimitation is proof of that. I think that this document will put an end to unsubstantiated information in this respect."

Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev, speaking in Russian, followed this up:

"I also support the thoughts expressed by the president of the Republic of Uzbekistan on the results of the joint meetings and the documents signed. He gave a very clear and brief report on this. However, I would like to add that the joint document will guarantee the legal basis for fighting against the threat of terrorism. I would described this document as a defence union, because this document determines our joint method of fighting against any threat. The document is of great importance because this is the first time in our history that we have adopted such a document."

Nazarbayev added that media reports alleging difficulties in relations between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan were groundless. President Karimov was asked by an Uzbek TV correspondent whether extra measures would be taken to protect the border with Afghanistan. He said that "the next escalation of confrontation between the government of Taliban and nothern coalition is expected in summer". He said he welcomed that Great Britain and France were showing interest in joining the "6 plus 2" group.

Karimov went on to answer unspecified criticisms that the Central Asian states were slow in implementing democratic reforms. "I have tried to explain many times and some people simply do no want to understand that, in the conditions of Central Asia, I can speak specifically about Uzbekistan, while Afghanistan borders on us, while war is in progress there, while the most dangerous fanatics and bandits are concentrating there, how can we seriously engage in matters of renovation and democratic transformation and how can we calmly create a market economy and integrate into the world economy?"

The unstable situation in the region prevents investors coming to the region, Karimov said: "That is why, on many occasions when I have spoken, in Istanbul at the OSCE session as well, I put the question quite firmly. Gentlemen, leaders of the OSCE, you live in Europe, which is very distant from Afghanistan while we live close to Afghanistan. That is why the external factor which destabilizes the situation in these countries, above all Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and now in Kyrgyzstan is very serious. There is no use in you trying to instil in all of us: your future, your well-being, depends on you, on your internal problems and on how you push forward your reforms. I say yes, that is right, but what about this threat which constantly hanging over us?"

The 350-kilometer border with Afghanistan is "firmly reinforced" and the bridge over the Amudarya River closed, Karimov said. He went on to talk about the need to strengthen the air defence system, especially in view of the incident involving the hijacked Ariana Afghan Airlines aircraft. "I would like to say more. Today we, Uzbekistan, have no other option but to seek serious support from those countries which will create an air defence for us. I want to underline this thought especially. Let nobody get me wrong. Talking to many leaders who have visited Uzbekistan recently, I asked frankly what else Uzbekistan could do.

"How would you act if you were in our place? Would you wait until someone again violates our air space tomorrow, with some sort of saboteurs sitting in this aircraft instead of passengers? How would you act? It is my duty to strengthen the borders of Uzbekistan, including its air space. And we will cooperate with any country which helps us strengthen our air border.

"Let nobody seek any sort of politics here. There is the only one policy here: security, security and again the security and tranquility of those people who live in our land. As you have noticed, air space is such that it is impossible to distinguish the borders of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan and further of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan as well. That is why everyone is bound to create all necessary conditions to ensure that our borders are inviolable."

The leaders of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan left Tashkent the same day, the report said.

nflation in Uzbekistan was 1.9 per cent in March, down from 2.9 per cent in February and 4 per cent in January, the Ministry of Macroeconomics and Statistics told Interfax. Inflation in the year to the end of March was 2.4 per cent.

n a visit to Uzbekistan, once famed for the goods that flowed through it on the ancient Silk Road, Secretary of State Madeleine Albright on Monday promised aid to stifle the modern flow of drugs and militants.

On a five-day tour across Central Asia, Ms. Albright is seeking to promote U.S. policy in a region known for its booming drug trade, outbreaks of extremism and neglect of democratic values.

"While you are geographically distant from the United States, you are very closely connected to our most vital national interests," Ms. Albright said in a speech at the Tashkent University of World Economy and Diplomacy. "Since narcotics traffickers and terrorists know no borders, it's important that we work together to counter the threat they pose."

Ms. Albright noted that the rise of the Islamic fundamentalist regime in Afghanistan has raised concerns that extremism could spread through the region, in which three former Soviet republics border on Afghanistan - Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.

Members of an Islamic group have been convicted in bombings that killed 13 people and wounded more than 100 last year in Tashkent, Uzbekistan's capital. Last summer, several hundred Islamic militants made an incursion into neighboring Kyrgyzstan, which Ms. Albright visited Sunday.

ecretary of State Madeleine Albright on Tuesday urged the authoritarian president of Uzbekistan to ease his grip on opposition and show more respect for human rights.

"We had a frank discussion on the importance of meeting international norms on a variety of human rights issues,'' Albright said after meeting with Uzbek President Islam Karimov.

Along with other Central Asian nations, Uzbekistan fared badly in the U.S. State Department's annual human rights report. According to international human rights groups, political prisoners in Uzbekistan number in the hundreds, prison conditions are rough, inmates are treated badly and representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross are denied access.

Albright, on a tour of the region, said that Karimov agreed to look into the possibility of ICRC visits to prisons, but refused to accept any criticism.

"He took on board the issues that I raised, he disagreed with me and I disagreed with him,'' she said. "We will continue to make our case and we will continue to follow the events very carefully.''

Karimov is a Muslim like most Uzbeks, but he has established a strong secular rule and views fundamentalist Islamic groups as a main threat to his government. After years of relentless repression, opposition leaders have been either jailed or forced into exile, and the government has also cracked down on human rights groups, Muslim activists and free media.

A series of bombings of government buildings in February 1999, which killed 13 people and wounded about 100, was blamed on Islamic militants and served as a pretext for uprooting few remaining dissenters.

Karimov, who has ruled Uzbekistan since 1989 when he became its Communist party boss, won a second term by a landslide in February elections. His single opponent said he himself voted for the incumbent.

Countering Karimov's argument that harsh rule is needed to prevent the spread of Islamic fundamentalism from Afghanistan, Albright warned that it would only foment unrest. "It's necessary that the government of Uzbekistan distinguishes very carefully between peaceful devout believers and those who advocate terrorism,'' she said. "An unwillingness to make such distinctions actually undermines security by strengthening those who favor extremism and terrorism.''

She added that the United States acknowledges the risks posed by extremist groups in Afghanistan and elsewhere in the region and offered Uzbekistan the same $3 million package of assistance she promised at her previous stops to Kazakstan and Kyrgyzstan.

The U.S. money will help train and equip local border guards, customs and counterterrorist units and is aimed at sealing porous regional borders against flows of drugs, arms and militants.

Earlier Tuesday, Albright visited ancient mosques, a synagogue and an artisan community during a tour Tuesday of the 2,500-year old city of Bukhara, which stressed Uzbekistan's majestic cultural history.

.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright ended her sweep through Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan on Wednesday, saying this corner of the former Soviet Union had far to go before it became home to full-blown democracies.

"I'm not going to overplay what I accomplished here," she said after a trip on which little solid progress was made in tackling problems including human rights, press freedom and -- most important from the U.S. perspective -- the threat of religious militancy from Afghanistan and Iran.

"I think there's a tremendous amount to be done. I think that we need to keep working on all those webs of connection ...and understand that this is a long process," she said.

Albright, who gave the three Central Asian states $3 million apiece to help train border patrols and buy four-wheel drive vehicles for the rugged terrain they guard, also invited them to a counter-terrorism conference in Washington in June.

"The United States and Uzbekistan share a common interest in halting terrorism, drug trafficking and the spread of weapons of mass destruction," she said during a visit to a customs college where she congratulated officers for catching a radioactive load en route for Pakistan last month.

"These are direct threats to our citizens and to yours," she added.

Several guerrilla groups or figures, particularly the U.S. enemy number one, Osama bin Laden, have been actively trying to acquire nuclear materials, a senior U.S. official said.

A civil war in Tajikistan, Islamic militants harboured by the Taleban, poverty in Central Asian states and drug trafficking from Afghanistan have created conditions favouring instability in this historically unruly region.

Albright, who secured agreement from the leadership in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan to hold negotiations with their political opponents, said she felt she had made some progress in persuading Uzbek President Islam Karimov to improve his economic track record.

But decades of Soviet rule have left a mark on the region that will take a long time to remove, she said. "What became clear to me by seeing it all...is how much of an impact the Soviet system clearly has had and how you can't, even in 10 years, erase what happened," she said.

"On the other hand when you talk to the younger people you know that there's something that's going to happen but it's going to take a while," she added.

HUMAN RIGHTS, BORDER PATROLS KEY THEMES OF VISIT

Apart from human rights issues which are a sore subject in Central Asia, Albright's focus since arriving in Kazakhstan on Saturday was beefing up border patrols. Earlier this month an inspection van and pagers previously given to Uzbek guards helped them catch what Albright said was radioactive material aboard a truck on its way to Pakistan.

The United States, worried about the threat of instability spreading and of religious militancy, sent the heads of its Central Intelligence Agency and Federal Bureau of Investigation on a trip recently and set up a regional FBI office to help train law enforcement agencies. "What we don't want is another Chechnya," said one U.S. official, referring to the Russian military campaign which Moscow has said is against separatists in the mainly Moslem region whom it blames for bomb attacks in Russian cities. Albright was due to arrive back in Washington late on Wednesday after stopping to refuel in Shannon, Ireland.

.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright wrapped up her tour of Central Asia on Wednesday by praising Uzbekistan customs officers for stopping a shipment of radioactive materials bound for Pakistan earlier this month.

"The United States and Uzbekistan share a common interest in halting terrorism, drug trafficking and the spread of weapons of mass destruction," she told officers and students at the Customs College where she delivered 60 electronic devices of the type which intercepted a truck at Uzbekistan's border with Kazakhstan.

"These are direct threats to our citizens and to yours," she said. Albright left Tashkent to return to Washington after the presentation, with her plane due to stop for fuel in Ireland. During a tour which began last Thursday, Albright secured a pledge from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan to attend a Central Asian counter-terrorism conference in Washington in June.

Albright's praise for Uzbek customs officials came a day after a meeting with President Islam Karimov in which she said she made little progress in a frank discussion of U.S. concerns about human rights in Uzbekistan. Albright stressed, however, that the U.S. and Karimov had similar views on the threat of instability in the region. A combination of civil war in Tajikistan, Islamic militants harboured by the Taleban in Afghanistan, poverty in Central Asian states cast adrift by the collapse of the Soviet Union and drug trafficking have created a volatile situation.

NUCLEAR MATERIAL A MAJOR WORRY

Several guerrilla groups or figures, including the U.S. enemy number one, Osama bin Laden, have been actively seeking to acquire nuclear materials, a senior U.S. official said. Apart from human rights issues, which are a sore subject for most Central Asian states, Albright's focus since arriving in Kazakhstan on Saturday has been on beefing up border patrols.

She had $3 million in her pocket for Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan to help them train border patrol guards and provide four-wheel drive vehicles for their mountainous borders which are notoriously hard to police. An inspection van and electronic devices previously given to Uzbek guards helped them intercept the radioactive material aboard the truck on its way to Pakistan, Albright said.

"I'm glad that the pagers and the X-ray inspection system van are being put to good use and I congratulate the Chernayevka (border post) customs officers for a job well done," she said. Kazakhstan denied allegations that the seized truck contained radioactive substances but admitted some parts of the truck's load of scrap metal were contaminated.

Pakistan denied involvement in the incident, which has strained already tense relations between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. A senior U.S. official said that whatever was in the cargo, "even if it was just radioactive garbage disposal," the fact that it was intercepted was a good sign.

"The worst case scenario is that it could be stuff that was smuggled for nefarious use but we don't know exactly...it's still under investigation," he said.

Despite the poor record of Central Asian states on elections, treatment of prisoners and press freedoms, the United States is keen to maintain good relations with them. Part of the motivation is to try to check the spread of nuclear materials from the former Soviet Union.

.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright met President Islam Karimov of Uzbekistan on Tuesday but little concrete progress emerged from what she termed a frank discussion on human rights.

A senior U.S. official said that since suspected Islamic militants nearly killed Karimov in February last year his law authorities appeared to be arresting devout Moslems on the basis of appearance instead of going after the bombers. Up to 5,000 people are believed to have been detained.

"He disagreed with me and I disagree with him and we will continue to make our case and we will continue to follow events here very carefully," Albright told a news conference after a meeting which lasted more than two hours. Karimov, who has run the mainly Moslem state since Soviet days, did however agree to consider allowing prison access to the International Committee of the Red Cross, she said.

Human Rights Watch last month accused the government of waging a fierce campaign against local human rights activists, including physical mistreatment, long solitary confinement, public denunciation and intrusive surveillance. Asked for his reaction on U.S. criticism, Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov said his side could not accept the U.S. State Department's 1999 human rights report which also criticised his country's record on elections, treatment of prisoners and press freedoms.

But he added: "We react to this criticism very calmly. We don't intend to idealise and say there are no problems." In August, Human Rights Watch accused the state of torture and political persecution after six men were sentenced to up to 15 years for a range of charges in a closed-door trial.

Five of the six were members of the opposition Erk party, banned in 1992 and which Karimov has accused of involvement in the bomb attacks. Albright stressed however that the U.S. and Karimov had similar views on the threat of instability spreading from Afghanistan, viewed as a base for Islamic militants who launched a kidnapping raid on neighbouring Central Asian state, Kyrgystan, last year.

"We are anticipating some problems from the IMU (Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan) this spring," a U.S. official said.

"We are urging them (the authorities) not to over-react ...it's an old tactic of any insurgent movement, to provoke," he added.

During a Central Asian tour which began last Thursday, Albright secured a pledge from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and now Uzbekistan to attend a Central Asian counter-terrorism conference in Washington this June. She also brought $3 million for each country to improve border patrols with the parallel aim of stopping heroin coming from Afghanistan and of curbing further instability.

Her visit comes soon after trips by the heads of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency and Federal Bureau of Investigation, which set up a regional office to help train law enforcement agencies to react appropriately to instability.

"What we don't want is another Chechnya," one U.S. official said, referring to the Russian military campaign which Moscow has said is against separatists in the mainly Moslem region whom it blames for bomb attacks in Russian cities.

Albright said that despite their differences, Uzbekistan was a friend and the United States, like Russia, also faced the threat from Islamic extremists. "This is a common and unfortunate threat of the 21st century and we need to deal with it," she said.

Albright wraps up her trip to the region on Wednesday when she returns to Washington.

ukhara -- U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright visited ancient mosques, a synagogue and an artisan community during a tour today of the city of Bukhara that stressed Uzbekistan's cultural history. Albright took a break from the more thorny political meetings of her five-day Central Asia tour to view this 2,500-year-old desert city under a scorching sun. The overall trip is aimed at promoting U.S. policy in a region known for its booming drug trade, outbreaks of extremism and frequent neglect of democratic values.

Albright said the visit to Bukhara today and the Uzbek city Samarkand on Monday were intended to "underline the importance of cultural traditions to the history of this region and the important role they play in our understanding of modern day Uzbekistan."

She also reiterated warnings that the fight against narcotics and terrorism must not involve human rights abuses, and repeated her criticism of Uzbekistan's resistance to post-Soviet reforms. "It's not yet producing what we want in terms of democracy and market systems," she said while visiting the U.S. Embassy in the Uzbek capital, Tashkent, this morning.

She then traveled to Bukhara, which has been ruled by Greeks, Arabs and Genghis Khan, and was the capital of the first independent Central Asian state in the 10th century. Albright visited a synagogue, once the center of one of Central Asia's largest Jewish communities. Bukhara Jews once numbered in the tens of thousands but now there are only 900 left, the rest having emigrated largely for economic reasons.

She also toured an artisan center which was set up with U.S. aid money. Albright met later in Tashkent with President Islam Karimov, who has ruled his nation with an iron hand, uprooting Islamic movements and other opposition groups. Karimov says harsh secular rule is needed to prevent Islamic fundamentalists from taking over.

But Albright said she pushed him strongly on the issue of human rights. "He took on board the issues that I raised, he disagreed with me and I disagreed with him," she said. "We will continue to make our case and we will continue to follow the events very carefully."

Uzbekistan has rich natural resources, but the majority of the population lives in poverty, struggling to survive on an average monthly salary that barely reaches $20. The nation's economic development has been hampered by Soviet-style state controls which include government regulation of the currency rate -- an obstacle to regional economic cooperation and work with the International Monetary Fund.

zbekistan's state-owned Almalyk Metallurgical Combine plans to boost refined copper output this year to 75,000 tonnes from last year's 72,000, a government resolution said on Tuesday. But it forecast zinc output to fall sharply to 6,300 tonnes, less than a quarter of last year's 27,000.

No reason was offered for the drop but the company last year lost most of its zinc concentrate reserves, when Uzbekistan handed the Oltyn-Topkan deposit back to Tajikistan, pulling out of a 50-year lease on the site. The plant will export 67,700 tonnes of copper and 2,000 tonnes of zinc in 2000, the resolution said.

The Almalyk plant was the backbone of Uzbekistan's ambitious privatisation plan, but the sale had to be put off as investors felt the asking price of $478 million for a 46.5 percent stake was too high during a time of depressed metals prices. Doubts also persist over investing in the former Soviet republic's restrictive economic climate. Uzbekistan has said it plans to usher in liberal economic reforms this year.

The resolution said the government now planned to ease stiff regulations under which exporters are required to sell their hard currency earnings to the government at an artificial official exchange rate. From now Almalyk will be allowed to keep 50 percent of copper export earnings, though the system will remain in place for zinc sales, the document said.

The rule has caused considerable hardship for Almalyk, where a lack of working capital and weak international prices have led to a fall in output in recent years. It produced 90,000 tonnes of copper and 52,000 tonnes of zinc in 1998. The document did not name target output for gold and silver in 2000. Almalyk produced 13 tonnes of gold and 55 tonnes of silver last year.

n a visit to Uzbekistan, once famed for the goods that flowed through it on the ancient Silk Road, Secretary of State Madeleine Albright on Monday promised aid to stifle the modern flow of drugs and militants. Albright warned, however, that the fight against narcotics and terrorism must not involve human-rights abuses in the former Soviet Central Asian republic bordering Afghanistan.

On a five-day tour across Central Asia, Albright is seeking to promote U.S. policy in a region known for its booming drug trade, outbreaks of extremism and frequent neglect of democratic values. "While you are geographically distant from the United States, you are very closely connected to our most vital national interests," Albright said in a speech at the Tashkent University of World Economy and Diplomacy. "Since narcotics traffickers and terrorists know no borders, it's important that we work together to counter the threat they pose."

Albright noted that the rise of the Islamic fundamentalist regime in Afghanistan has raised concerns that extremism could spread through the region in which three former Soviet republics border on Afghanistan -- Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.

Members of an Islamic group have been convicted in bombings that killed 13 people and wounded more than 100 last year in Tashkent, Uzbekistan's capital. Neighboring Kyrgyzstan, which Albright visited Sunday, suffered an invasion of several hundred Islamic militants last summer.

The gunmen were led by an Uzbek warlord alternately based in Afghanistan and Tajikistan. "Afghanistan has become a huge problem for regional stability, both because of the ongoing war and the Taliban's poor record on terrorism, narcotics and human rights," Albright said.

Albright promised that the United States would commit $10 million to help provide training and equipment for counter-terrorism, border guard and anti-drug units in Uzbekistan and neighboring ex-Soviet republics Kazkastan and Kyrgyzstan. She also invited the three nations to participate in a counter-terrorism conference for Central Asia in Washington in June.

But she warned President Islam Karimov and other regional leaders that the threat of Islamic extremism can't justify their crackdown on opposition figures and the abuse of human rights and religious freedoms. "The United States will not support any and all measures taken in the name of fighting drugs and terrorism and restoring stability," she said. "One of the most dangerous temptations for a government facing violent threats is to respond in a heavy-handed way that violates the rights of innocent citizens."

Karimov has ruled his nation with an iron hand, uprooting Islamic movements and other opposition groups, saying harsh secular rule is needed to prevent fundamentalists from taking over. Albright warned Karimov against suppressing peaceful opponents.

"Indiscriminate government censorship and repression can cause moderate and peaceful opponents of a regime to resort to violence," she said. "It can turn civilians who have never before been interested in politics into extremists. It would be a terrible mistake to treat peacefully practicing Muslims as enemies of the state."

Uzbekistan has rich natural resources, but the majority of the population lives in poverty, surviving on an average monthly salary that barely reaches $20. The nation's economic development has been hampered by Soviet-style state controls which include government regulation of the currency rate -- an obstacle to regional economic cooperation and work with the International Monetary Fund.

Albright urged Uzbek officials to ease those controls and begin free-market reforms. "The best way to take a bitter pill is simply to swallow it whole," she said. Earlier Monday, she visited the 2,500-year-old city of Samarkand, which saw the rise and fall of the empires of Alexander the Great and Genghis Khan.

.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright urged leaders of Uzbekistan on Monday not to alienate its Moslem population with a crackdown after bomb attacks. During a visit to the former Soviet Central Asian state Albright said that a moderate response would help stability in the country, adding that the United States stood ready to help the government face security threats.

President Islam Karimov launched a harsh crackdown after bomb attacks in Tashkent in February 1999, narrowly missing the president but killing 16 people. He blamed the attacks on radical Moslems. "One of the most dangerous temptations for a government facing violent threats is to respond in a heavy-handed way that violates the rights of innocent citizens," Albright said in a policy speech at the University of World Economy and Diplomacy.

Albright said indiscriminate censorship and repression could turn moderate, peaceful opposition into violent opposition. "It can turn civilians who have never been interested in politics into extremists," she said later during a visit to the historic city of Samarkand.

"For instance, it would be a terrible mistake for any government to treat peacefully practising Moslems as enemies of the state," she added. She said in her speech that a democratic open society was the best defence against extremism.

"We have been quite frank in our discussions with your leaders about this because the stakes are so high," she said.

The Uzbek authorities have said 128 people have been prosecuted over the bombings, but independent regional experts say the number arrested after the incident was up to 5,000. Albright said the U.S. would help Central Asian states police their borders against drug traffickers and religious militancy but would not back measures against people who were simply expressing their religious faith.

SECURITY WORRIES

Karimov has been worried by Moslem groups which last year surged into neighbouring Kyrgyzstan from the southern Central Asian state of Tajikistan, apparently heading to Uzbekistan. The group was eventually driven back to Tajik territory. Uzbekistan also has a border with Afghanistan, accused by Washington of fostering international terrorism.

A senior U.S. official quoted Albright as saying during a meeting with Uzbek Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov that it was no accident the heads of the FBI and CIA had visited Tashkent before the secretary's visit. "All of the states in this region are beginning the feel the threat (of terrorism) more acutely," the official said, adding that the U.S. wanted to help them face this problem.

ALBRIGHT URGES REFORMS, STRESSES INTERNET

Albright was due to meet Karimov on Tuesday before leaving for Washington on Wednesday. He was head of Uzbekistan in the Soviet era and has won two post-Soviet elections. Albright said governments in the region were too interventionist, drawing a parallel with the pervasive role of the Communist Party in the Soviet era.

"By any modern standards, it is clear that throughout Central Asia, governments remain too involved in the economy and the daily lives of individuals. As a result, the great human potential of the region has gone mostly unrealised."

She urged Uzbekistan and other Central Asian states to increase the pace of reforms and to promote the Internet. "Governments which restrict Internet access are limiting your countries' growth just as surely as if they closed a road, an airport or a border," she said.

The senior U.S. official said Albright recommended that Uzbekistan make its sum currency convertible to help in talks with the International Monetary Fund and World Bank.

.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright urged the leaders of the Central Asian state of Uzbekistan on Monday not to use the threat of terrorism to repress the country's Moslem population. A series of bomb blasts that ripped through Tashkent in February 1999 narrowly missed President Islam Karimov and killed 16 people. Karimov blamed the attacks on radical Moslems and responded with a harsh crackdown.

"One of the most dangerous temptations for a government facing violent threats is to respond in a heavy-handed way that violates the rights of innocent citizens," Albright said in a policy speech during a tour of three Central Asian states. The authorities have said 128 people have been prosecuted over the bombings although independent regional experts say the number of people arrested after the incident was up to 5,000.

Albright, speaking to an audience of academics and students at the University of World Economy and Diplomacy, said the U.S. would help Central Asian countries police their borders against drug traffickers and the spread of religious militancy. But, speaking in the Uzbek capital Tashkent, she said Washington would not back all measures to fight such problems.

"It is essential to distinguish between people who advocate or commit criminal acts and those who are simply expressing their religious faith," she said.

Albright was due to meet Karimov during her visit to Uzbekistan and had talks with Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov over rights and democracy issues. Karimov was head of Uzbekistan during Soviet times and has won two post-Soviet elections to remain head of the country. Albright said governments in the region in general were too interventionist, drawing a parallel with the Soviet years, when the Communist Party played a pervasive role.

"By any modern standards, it is clear that throughout Central Asia, governments remain too involved in the economy and the daily lives of individuals. As a result, the great human potential of the region has gone mostly unrealised."

"BITTER PILL" OF REFORMS

Urging Uzbekistan and other Central Asian states, including Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, which she visited last week, to increase the pace of reforms, she said: "The best way to take a bitter pill is simply to swallow it whole."

Albright, who was to visit the historic cities of Samarkand and Bukhara before leaving for Washington on Wednesday, said the Internet could take the place of the ancient Silk Road, which brought trade to this region. "Governments which restrict Internet access are limiting your countries' growth just as surely as if they closed a road, an airport or a border," she said.

Albright returned to a theme which has been on her agenda throughout her trip -- promoting freer and fairer elections in a region whose leaders have restricted opponents' access to power. "Support for elections and freedom of the press as well as human rights are issues that we discuss with nations around the world, including friends and allies," she said.

She said a democratic open society would be the best defence against extremism and added: "We have been quite frank in our discussions with your leaders about this because the stakes are so high."