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Gafur Rakhimov is denied an Australian entry visa
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|  wo Olympic officials, one allegedly tied to organized crime in the former Soviet Union, have been
denied entry to Australia for the Sydney Games.
The International Olympic Committee on Friday demanded an explanation from the Australian government, saying the action violated agreements on the entry of accredited personnel for the games. IOC director general Francois Carrard said two officials -- one from a national Olympic committee and the other from an international federation -- were banned from entering the country. "We are dealing with serious issues of character here," Australian Immigration Minister Philip Ruddock said. "It was not a capricious decision. It was not one taken lightly." Carrard and Ruddock declined to identify the officials by name or nationality. But IOC vice president Dick Pound and executive board member Chiharu Igaya confirmed that one of the officials was Gafur Rakhimov of Uzbekistan, a senior executive of the International Amateur Boxing Association and a vice president of the Olympic Council of Asia. Pound and Igaya said the other official denied entry was from Hong Kong but they were unsure of his name or position. The officials were stopped before they reached Sydney and told they would be refused entry. Attempts to reach a representative of the Uzbek delegation at the athletes' village were unsuccessful. An operator said he was instructed not to put through calls. Carrard said the Olympic Charter states that an identity and accreditation card serves as a visa for the games, and the Australian government had previously given a "clear and unequivocal commitment" to honor the charter. Ruddock said officials had "certain responsibilities to protect the rights and the safety and security of the Australian public." A full chapter is devoted to Rakhimov in the book "The Great Olympic Swindle" by British author and journalist Andrew Jennings, a longtime IOC critic. The book describes Gafur Rakhimov as a wealthy businessman and quotes from a story in Britain's Observer newspaper labeling him "the Godfather of Tashkent...a major figure in Uzbekistan's booming heroin trade." (AP, September 8)
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Uzbek head calls on "repentant" militants to return home
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|  slam Karimov: "I think that
there are certain things which are incomprehensible for people,
irrespective of whether they are a president or an ordinary worker. It is
incomprehensible when people raise their hands against their own people,
when men who were born on this land and, as Uzbeks say, have eaten the salt
of this land and drunk its water, under the influence of certain negative
elements of various terrorist and extremist centres come with weapons in
their hands to their native land. I am forced to say this because this is
also their land and they were born here. They come back to this land to
kill, to rob, to burn and bring misfortune to mothers living here. This is,
I think, unnatural. There is no excuse for that. This is first.
"Secondly, there are people who are easily influenced, especially when they are young, people who do not have their own convictions, own ideology, who have no firm stance in their lives. They are being deceived, bought with dollars. I would like to repeat they are bought with dollars. Their youthful, pure and healthy aspiration to make something for themselves, for their families, for the homeland is being turned to the direct opposite. That is, attempts are being made to contaminate them with those ideas which are absolutely false at the root. They are the ideologies of extremism, Wahhabism, Hezb-e Tahrir [banned Party of Liberation] and of similar trends. Their teachings radically contradict our holy religion, Islam. "From this point of view, what is being done in that field is being done by those people who are our true enemies. These people are dreaming of making Uzbekistan dependent again. They dream of establishing here a theocratic system, a certain Islamic [state] or caliphate, as they call it. They want to take our country back to the Middle Ages, the age of obscurantism, as if we are not living in the 20th century [as heard]. They want us bring back to the eighth and ninth centuries. To put it rudely, all this is all so much utter rubbish for a sound person. At the same time this rubbish, this plague and sickness are capable of infecting the minds of young people. Our bitter experience has convinced us of that. "My idea, if you like, my wish, my sincere wish is to give those people who have landed up abroad, above all in Afghanistan and Tajikistan, another opportunity to return repentant to their homeland. They should not beat themselves on their breast and shed tears trying to prove that they repent. It should be in their hearts. Let them return to their homeland. Let them return to the open arms of their parents, their relatives and families and let them live as all people currently living in Uzbekistan, our multi-ethnic people who wish for only one thing: a better life, peace and stability in our country. They wish to be confident about the future of our young people and to be confident that our old people will leave peacefully in our land of plenty."
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Uzbek Olympic coach 'found with drugs'
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|  ustralian customs have made their first seizure of
banned performance-enhancing drugs ahead of the
Sydney Olympics.
Officers stopped a member of the Uzbekistan Olympic delegation at Sydney airport during what was described as a targeted search. A spokesman said it was believed that at least two vials of human-growth hormone (HGH) had been found in his luggage. There is no reliable test for identifying abnormal use of the muscle-building substance but labels on the vials carried the name of the substance. Customs spokesman Leon Beddington did not identify the suspect, but correspondents believe he is a coach for the Uzbek team. Mr Beddington said the suspect had not been arrested or detained and was co-operating with the authorities.
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Details on newly opened Kamchik and Rezak mountain road pass
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| he idea of reconstructing a mountain road connecting the Fergana Valley and Tashkent, having a
lower traffic capacity in wintertime, came about in 1996. During a short period, Uzbekistan
developed a project to repair this motor road and construct tunnels through Kamchik and Rezak
mountain passes. The project was started in March 1997. In the past three years the road has been broadened without stopping the traffic, new asphalt has been laid, and the traffic safety now meets international standards. Four tunnels with the total length of 2,484 meters have been built. Last week saw an opening ceremony for the tunnels through Kamchik and Rezak passes. These are the most important sections of the Tashkent-Osh highway which has strategic importance for the economy of Uzbekistan. Traffic, in each section of the tunnels, is monitored by video cameras connected to a computer control system. Now 9.5 million Uzbekistan citizens living in the Fergana Valley have uninterrupted transport communication with other regions of the country. The volume of work can be acquired through the following figures. Digging works on this mountain road passing 17,000 motor vehicles and 150,000 passengers a day totaled 21 million cubic meters, 6,900 meters of pipes have been laid and 141,000 cubic meters of ferroconcrete have been poured, three bridges have been built, 4 million cubic meters of sand and gravel have been delivered onto an altitude of 2,300 meters above sea level. The work of 4,500 construction workers cost 27 billion sums. The tunnels were built with the assistance of Kazakh and Kyrgyzs specialists. Uzbekistan President Islam Karimov, who attended the opening ceremony, told journalists that designers are currently working on a project to construct a modern highway from these mountain passes to the cities of Nukus and Kungrad. Commissioning of Kamchik and Rezak tunnels opens great opportunities for developing trade, economic, and cultural ties of Uzbekistan with neighboring countries. (The Times of Central Asia, September 8)
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Tajik leader makes his speech at UN summit, Karimov's turn today
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|  momali Rakhmonov, Tajik President made his speech at the UN World Leader's
Summit (Thursday, September 7). In regard to the Distabilised situation in Central Asia and
Afghanistan, Rakhmonov said the following: "Tajikistan, like its partners from the Newly Independent States, who attended the "Shanghai Forum", is seriously concerned over the fact that Afghanistan has been turned into a base for destabilization of neighboring and other states. We believe that the international community must adopt urgent and effective measures to curb the heroin aggression from the territory of this country, which feeds international terrorism and encourages all forms of extremism. The Afghan people, who have suffered so much, expect the UN to render a real assistance in overcoming the humanitarian disaster that resulted from twenty years of war. It is critically important to multiply our efforts to achieve a speedy and just settlement of the military conflict in, this country, a conflict unprecedented in modem history. The experience gained and the lessons drawn from the resolution of the inter-TaJik conflict indicate that the UN will be able to resolve the conflict in Afghanistan only with the active support of the world's leading powers, first and foremost, Russia and the United States, and, of course with the Afghan parties to the conflict demonstrating good will. In this connection we view the first meeting of the Russian-American working group on Afghanistan held in Washington in August 2000, as a promising start. "
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Police in Uzbek capital region step up security
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|  ollowing the armed clashes in mountainous areas of Uzbekistan's Tashkent
Region, the Regional police launched an operation to step up security, `Na
Postu' newspaper reported on 7th August.
"The echoes of gunfire in the spurs of the Chatkal ridge rapidly spread round the whole of Tashkent Region. In conjunction with subdivisions of other power-wielding structures the internal affairs agencies immediately started carrying out wide-scale preventive measures," the report said. "The Tozalash, or Clean-up, and Arsenal operations which were conducted throughout the Region yielded pretty good results. Those who advocated ideas of religious extremism instead of the word of God were dealt a tangible blow. Criminal proceedings were launched against several dozen supporters of hostile trends such as Wahhabism and Hezb-e Tahrir, and disciplinary measures were taken against more than 80 people. "Literature of an anticonstitutional nature and cartidges were found in the possession of these people. Audio cassettes, leaflets and literature propagandizing the ideas of Islamic fundamentalism were found in the possession of adherents of this religious trend," the report said. The police in Tashkent Region carried out checks on almost 2,000 sanatoriums and children's holiday camps, and individuals were checked to see that their identity documents were in order; more than 30 people whose documents were not in order were fined. Police also carried out checks on 3,000 hunters and other owners of firearms and confiscated over 200 firearms whose owners had violated the regulations for possession of weapons. "In order to relieve tension amongst inhabitants of the Region, and to ensure that they received true information about what was going on, police stepped up educational work in settlements and in the most far-flung villages and hamlets. Over the last two weeks of August they organized over 300 slots on television and radio and in the press, and senior staff of the Internal Affairs Department and Regional administrative bodies have held meetings with the population. The aim of this work was, adding to everything else, to enhance awareness of the law and also, perhaps above all to enhance people's vigilance. And this aim was achieved."
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Russian paper gives details of Uzbek armed forces reform plans
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|  zbek President Islam Karimov has announced the reform of the
army. According to the authorities, no additional defence appropriations
are planned. But the effectiveness of the armed forces will be enhanced and
they will deal Islamist gunmen an even more resolute rebuff. In addition,
Tashkent is vigorously procuring weapons and military gear abroad. And not
just from Russia.
At the beginning of the week Uzbek troops completed their "clean-up operation" of the territory north of Tashkent where clashes took place last week with Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan gunmen. The fighting in Kyrgyzstan, where the mujahidin are also making a breakthrough, first dies down then flares up again with renewed vigour. Last Saturday [2nd September] 150 gunmen attacked Kyrgyz border guards, and on Sunday they were pushed back to the Tajik border. However, according to military reconnaissance, within two days they intend to repeat the sortie. Evidently, this will continue until the start of winter. It is under these conditions that Islam Karimov has announced reform of the armed forces. "We will create a completely different type of army. We are doing everything we can to ensure that it can rebuff any aggressors. The complete re-equipping of the army is a matter of honour and pride for our people," Karimov told the `Kommersant' correspondent. Military reform is proceeding apace. A new establishment has been introduced, certain military ranks have been abolished - to be specific, there are no petty officers or junior lieutenants in Uzbekistan now. Ground Forces subunits no longer have a section [Russian: otdeleniye] as a unit. The battle group now makes up the backbone of the infantry. Three battle groups constitute a platoon, three platoons make up a battalion and three battalions form a brigade. There are also fire-support battalions and reinforced battalions. A special operations battalion has been set up on US lines, which is currently in operation in the south of the country against bandit formations of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan. A new system of troop command and control has been introduced, which, the Uzbek military say with pride, does not even exist in the Russian army yet - it was approved only during the recent manoeuvres in Siberia which were directed by the Russian chief of the General Staff, [Anatoliy] Kvashnin. To be specific, in the Eastern Military District, where the strategically important Fergana Valley is situated, the district commander, Lt-Gen Tulkin Kasymov, is in command of Defence Ministry subunits, Ministry of Internal Affairs special forces, Ministry of Emergencies formations and Border Troops. This collaboration made it possible rebuff the gunmen this summer. The army's weapons are being upgraded. Under a military and military-technical cooperation treaty with Russia, Uzbekistan is developing its air defence system all over again. Repairs of Uzbek armoured vehicles have been organized in Ukraine. Firearms and bullet-proof vests are coming in from China, with which a military cooperation treaty has also been concluded. In addition, an Uzbek military delegation in China made contact with representatives of the Turkish General Staff a week ago for the first time [sentence as published]. And, on 3rd October, talks will take place in Tashkent regarding shipments of NATO gear from Turkey. So far, NATO gear is represented in the Uzbek armed forces by radio equipment and Hummer jeeps. NATO helmets are next in line - they are more comfortable and lighter than Soviet helmets. The army is already being given special footwear which withstands 70-degree heat - soldiers in NATO countries and Israel wear these kind of boots. Production has begun at the Uzbek-Russian VISO joint venture. (Russian newspaper 'Kommersant', 7 September)
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Uzbek president calls for reform of United Nations
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| zbek President Islam Karimov gave his opinions on reform of the United
Nations before departing for the Millennium Summit in New York. He called
for Germany and Japan to be admitted as permanent members of the Security
Council and for the number of non-standing members to be increased. Other
countries like Uzbekistan could also become temporary members to allow
regions like Central Asia a voice in the world body.
[Karimov] "Really, the UN General Assembly meeting started yesterday [6th September]. It will last three days. Taking part in its work are heads of state of 155 countries. This General Assembly meeting has the resonant and lofty name of the Millennium Summit and its major aim is, since we are on the threshold of a new century and a new millennium in mankind's history, to sum up the work done over the century. It is not a century in the literal sense. The organization began functioning in 1946. [The summit] will outline how to step into a new century, what the directions and major aims of UN activity should be, and what issues should be given attention. It will aim at tackling the organization's current weaknesses, and increasing the efficiency of its work and its influence on people's lives. Today there are more than six billion people living in the world, and the participants in the forum will express their feelings about ways of improving their lives, preserving their security, totally excluding the notion of war from the world and how to lead people towards a deserving and prosperous life. "From this point of view there is one more question; the UN has been functioning over 50 years now and the present time, the present life and present development are setting new demands for the organization, and for its old, that is somewhat static structure. Taking into consideration the need to prevent war or to stop a war already in progress or other questions -questions of security, peacekeeping - there are so many poor nations and countries in the southern parts of the world, one can see hundreds of thousands, millions of children dying of hunger there, and how acute the poverty problem is in general, observers, specialists and ordinary people can see that in some areas UN activity is weak. "Therefore, the second question is how to overcome this weakness, and in general, how to change the UN's organizational composition. For example, the UN's most prestigious body - the Security Council - has at present representatives of only five states as its standing members: China, America, Russia, Britain and France. Looking at the world's continents today we see so many states ready to join them and pay even more attention to these questions [above]. Their authority requires that they should also be admitted as standing members of the Security Council and thus increase their share of influence and have views taken into account. "Also, the question of increasing the number of non-standing members and thus attracting member-states that can put their own demands is also acute. There are many differences also around that question. Taking into account these issues, the great powers will of course speak about their policies in the world, and try to draw to their own side their supporters, give their questions priority status and push them through and make efforts to win support for their own policies. "As to the question of Uzbekistan's aims and hopes pinned on this forum, I think, first of all, it is the third time I am taking part in such forums. During the first two occasions I took part in them, I tried to put forward the most significant and pressing questions pertaining not only to Uzbekistan but the entire region [and say] people, look, here is Central Asia, with its own states and peoples, they have their own problems and troubles. Pay attention to them as well. If a problem arises on the edge of Europe, you all try to settle it immediately, like the problem of Bosnia, like the Balkan problem of Kosovo, and in other continents as well. If the great powers need it, if they are interested in that, they all jointly spend billions and try hard to settle that problem. "A war has been going on in Afghanistan for 20 or more years. It is negatively influencing not only Central Asia but the entire world and its flames tomorrow could spread to neighbouring states. So many people, and first of all, the Afghan people, have perished because of this war, so many of them have become refugees, so many towns and villages have been ruined. We spoke much about what happens if the problem is not settled today, on the threshold of 21st century. "Everything can be obtained if there is peace. From this point of view, the world public must know well what a dangerous situation we are in [and] the need to strike against the forces threatening this peace from outside and attacking it from outside; and [that] so many of our guys have perished defending their motherland and this cannot be measured by anything and cannot be forgiven. This question, in my opinion, must be included in the main agenda of the forum. Because this question, be it nuclear weapons and their proliferation, or biological or chemical weapons, or various wars or conflicts between big countries - in order to prevent all that first it is necessary that people come to terms with one another, to preserve peace, to prevent clashes, wars or differences, must be the main direction and major goal of activity of the UN and its Security Council. In other words, to protect mankind and its history against war and confrontation. May creation live in this world. I consider this to be the major goal. "On the question of changing the organizational structure of the UN we have a concrete opinion. This we have said before as well; that is, to enlarge the number of standing members. First of all, Japan and Germany should be admitted as standing members. Similarly the number of non-standing members should also increased to give an opportunity to the recently developed countries to clearly declare their own opinions and problems, if other countries also become temporary members, like Uzbekistan, this would not be useless either. It would not be bad if just standing in the centre of Central Asia we have our voice heard all over the world." (Uzbek TV, August 7)
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Uzbek police seize illegal firearms in southern districts
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| t a time of combat operations in mountainous areas of Saryassiya and Uzun
Districts certain people hope to take advantage of the situation and carry
out their criminal plans.
Officers of the Regional department for combating corruption, racketeering and terrorism detained unemployed residents of the Dashnobod farm in Saryassiya District who were attempting to smuggle firearms. Having made a deal with some A. Z. and Kh. Kh., they attempted to sell to them ASK-74 assault rifles with sawn off numbers, four magazines to them and 120 combat cartridges. In Denau District traffic police officers stopped a VAZ-2106 car which was on the way to Saryassiya District. A PM pistol with sawn off numbers, a night vision device, 18 cartridges, a signal pistol, a magazine to a PM pistol, a Standard radio telephone, a knife and money, part in dollars - 4,600 dollars, - were found in the car. As was established, the pistol and money belonged to M. O., a resident of the Ziyoviddin settlement in Pakhtachi District. The offender was detained and criminal proceedings were instituted.
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Railway line blown up on Tajik-Uzbek border, no casualties
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| t 0900 [0400 gmt] today, 7th September, a small sector of a railway line
was blown up at the Pakhtaobad [western Tajik Tursunzoda District] railway
station, which is on the border with Uzbekistan, Asia-Plus learned from a
source in the law-enforcement agencies.
The source said that there had been no casualties, but the movement of
trains had been disrupted.
A task force group of the Ministry of Internal Affairs is working at the
scene of the incident. (Tajik news agency Asia-Plus, September 7)
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Uzbek president leaves for USA to take part in UN summit
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|  resident Islam Karimov has left for New York to take part in
the UN Millennium Summit that has opened at the UN headquarters with heads
of state and government of 155 countries. In an interview to mass media
representatives before his departure our country's leader dwelt on the
continuing war in Afghanistan and the Aral Sea problem.
[Karimov] If the Aral Sea dries out, and if some dreamers and short-sighted politicians and statesmen think that this is a problem only for Uzbeks, Turkmens or Kazakhs, or a cause of trouble for the peoples living in Central Asia, then that is short-sightedness. Because the natural world is so interconnected that, if we face drought here, if the Aral dries out, tomorrow a part of Europe, for example, will suffer harm. This will influence gene pools, and it will greatly affect not only human health but also the birth of babies. In general, as to nature, we call it the biological balance, and that balance can totally change, not only on earth, but also in the sky. So far no-one has yet deeply thought of consequences of that, or told the world public. Only empty words. As if to say, this is only in a narrow sense a Central Asian problem, let them face it. There are many empty words. They [experts] all teach many seminars and attend many different forums. Well, we know. We are short of water here. Practical steps must be taken to solve this problem. Practical steps mean preventing the drying out of the Aral Sea. The more serious question is to know about the problems of the people living here and to help them. Water supply this year was dry. Is it the Almighty's blessing or, as we say, 15 days are dark and 15 others are bright, with the fortunes this year was dry. Who were the first to feel the impact? The Karakalpaks [of northwest Uzbekistan, Aral Sea region]. Their trouble touches not only us, but the entire world. Take Khorezm, take Bukhara, and other areas located in the region, Kazakhstan, Kyzyl-Orda, Turkmenistan, and so on. Nothing but empty words are being expressed to solve the problem. (Uzbek Radio, September 7)
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Uzbek authorities taking measures to prevent spread of anthrax from Kazakhstan
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| xperts of the [Uzbek] state veterinary directorate and [Samarkand] Regional
state sanitary-epidemiological centre are working hard these days. Alarming
reports from South Kazakhstan, where the nidus [focus of infection] of
anthrax was found, have led us urgently to reinforce all protective
barriers along possible routes of penetration of this especially dangerous
infection into our region.
Relevant services have urgently taken a complex of measures. Shepherds, veterinary workers and others, in general 4,500 people who have had direct access to meat products have been vaccinated once more against anthrax. Over 2,000 probes of the soil at localities where the nidus of the disease was registered before have been tested. Out of seven markets in Samarkand only four have veterinary and epidemiological laboratories. As regards sources hazardous to health, there are enough of them at markets. For the first six months of this year the veterinary services have destroyed about 300 kg of substandard products infected with the echinococcus parasite, which can render a person profoundly disabled. It is very difficult to establish control over the selling of dairy products, and this is happening at a time when a great number of domestic cattle are infected with brucellosis.
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Tajik opposition trains, arms Uzbek rebels, detained militant says
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| he cleanup operations in the mountainous areas of Uzbekistan, which were recently infiltrated by
international terrorists, are underway.
The Uzbek armed forces are continuing to tighten the encirclement of the international terrorists, who have crossed to border areas. Cleanup operations are being carried out in the settlements Sarinavo, Kishtut and others, so that none of the militants could escape a just punishment. Uzbek government troops are driving the groups of Islamic fighters out to the mountains. A fresh attempt to cross to our territory by four armed groups of militants, each including 20 men, was prevented recently. Mahmud Shoumarov, a deputy head of the investigation department of the Uzbek Prosecutors' Office said that his department had established their routes of arrival and movement on the territory of Uzbekistan. A member of the gang has been detained and he testified where and how they were trained for subversive and terrorist actions, according to Shoumarov. Three groups of terrorists have been blockaded by government troops in the mountains, a fourth group was destroyed in Tashkent Region. Ulughbek Mahmudov, 22, is a fighter from that group. He was captured by the Uzbek special forces. He says that he fought for religion and wanted to establish an Islamic state. Before going to the mountains Mahmudov killed a soldier and took his assault rifle. "I was trained at a local training centre for three months. I was taught how to use all types of firearms and topography. After that I became a driver, and I was given a new UAZ vehicle, I drove the bodyguards of Juma Namangani, a leader of the banned Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan," said Mahmudov. Mahmudov was one of the closest people to the leader of the so-called Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, Namangoniy. When asked who sponsored and provided the militants with arms, he said the following: "The Tajik opposition, Tajik opposition, they provided us with arms, money. We received running shoes and Russian camouflage from Afghanistan. We were supplied with various cars, vehicles, lorries and cartridges." Uzbek special services' experts think that the extremists' main aim is not to fight for religion, but to guarantee a transit route for transporting drugs from Afghanistan to Europe. Mahmud Shoumarov from the Prosecutors' Office doesn't believe that these people fought for religion. "They understand that if they fought for religion no-one would have paid them such money," he says. These militants' training centres are located on Tajik territory. They recruit criminals and young men from poor families. Olim Abdulvohidov, 22, is one of them. He was detained by the Tajik special services and extradited to Uzbekistan. He says that he did not take part in combat operations. He was in the group which set up camps. He does not conceal that he decided to fight for money. "My family needed some money. We fought for religion too, but mainly for money," says Olim. The military say that no talks will be held with those who are still hiding in the mountains. (Uzbek TV, September 6)
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Uzbek athletes leave for Sydney for Summer Olympics
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| zbekistan's Olympic team of 77 athletes has left for Sydney on Wednesday for the upcoming Summer Olympic Games.
They will compete in 13 kinds of sports. The National Olympic Committee of Uzbekistan said it hopes boxers and
wrestlers will demonstrate a decent performance.
NOC president Sobir Roziyev said doctors from the national physical training and treatment center jointly with a group of scientists from the Uzbek State Institute of Physical Training are doing a great deal to prepare the Olympians. They studied and analyzed a large volume of data on the adaptation of the sportsmen to conditions in Australia the results of which are being efficiently used in training. The NOC and the State Sports Committee have bought the necessary batch of medicines, including multivitamins, which the athletes receive during training. According to Roziyev, all conditions have been created for an efficient preparation for the Sydney Olympics and the coaches are trying to make maximum use of them. Spendings on food have considerably increased. Sports wear for the Uzbek national team is being made by a Malaysian firm. This is the the third summer Olympic games for Uzbekistan since its Independence in 1991. Four years ago in Atlanta Uzbekistan won one silver and one bronze medals. The Government issued a decree to pay 100,000 U.S. dollars for the gold, 50,000 dollars for the silver and 25,000 dollars for a bronze medal.
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Uzbek leader discusses domestic, regional security issues
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| zbek President Islam Karimov recently answered journalists' questions
during a break in parliamentary proceedings. Karimov spoke on domestic and
regional security issues. He denied that he would ever ask Russia for
direct military assistance, but said that military technical cooperation
was continuing under the terms of an agreement signed in 1999. While
strongly condemning Islamic militant groups and calling on support from the
international community in fighting terrorism, Karimov said the immediate
threat to Uzbekistan had been exaggerated, particularly in the Russian
media. Karimov downplayed reported threats to stability from events in
Afghanistan and also spoke on relations with Tajikistan and army reforms. [Correspondent] It is a normal occurrence that our president [of Uzbekistan, Islam Karimov] speaks to jour-nalists during the intervals of parliamentary meetings. On this occasion too, Karimov answered in detail many questions that representatives of the media were interested in. [Correspondent in Russian] How would you assess the situation in Central Asia, in particular on borders of Uzbekistan? Could you speak on this, please? Will Uzbekistan ask the CIS [Commonwealth of Independent States] countries for aid? [Karimov in Russian, shown speaking to a group of journalists in a hall] I answered this question yesterday, when I visited the Kamchik mountain pass. I was asked about how the situation differs from last year, and to what extent it was complicated and dangerous. I must say that this year we have a continuation of the aggression which took place last year. A question arises, this aggression seems to be directed against a country situated in Central Asia, but there is a more complicated, more strategic objective, more far-reaching plans. You should know what this means. I would say this simply in the following way, after we became an independent state, and as I said in my speech today, there is a view among many countries that a kind of vacuum has appeared here. This vacuum, that is Russia is leaving, there is no more USSR, there is no-one to protect, so a vacuum has appeared which could be easily filled. This quite dangerous and at the same time, let us say absolutely wrong judgement is finding its fulfilment today. Tens of international extremist and terrorist centres have appeared, their names are known, call them Jihad [holy war], Hamas or Hezbollah, or Hezb-e Tahrir, or call them Wahhabism and so on. There are so many of them, for example that group headed by [Usamah] Bin Ladin. We know their addresses and places of location, their plans, the whole international community knows this. There is no need to talk much on this. Their task is to turn development, above all political development, economic development and everything connected with this, of all countries in our region towards another direction. What do they use? In what di-rection? They want to set up a kind of a clerical, theocratic state, like states which have declared themselves as Islamic Emirates or something else, like Afghanistan. This is their task and they use the fact that practically 82-85 per cent of the population are people who follow Islam. Islam is the religion of our fathers and we will never deny this. However, hundreds of radical, political trends have appeared in the Islamic world which turn Islam into a policy, that is, use it as key factor and weapon in order to politicize this religion. We should say that terrorism has found a cover in these radical trends. Radical trends use terrorism as a weapon, that is they suit each other very well, and make up a kind of snake interlace. Each of them use what is beneficial for them. Radical trends use terrorists, zombies, and terrorists need a cover, let us say, an ideological and religious, and in this sense the danger is that it is not very simple to find out what is there behind that? Now about your main question, to what extent is this aggression dangerous and to what extent are we able to protect ourselves with our own forces? If we speak about globalization in the world, there will be a so called summit, on the fifth or at the beginning of September, the millennium summit, big name, is it not, and it will discuss the further development of our present world. How will we as humanity enter the 21st century, what ideas, what forces will determine development? There will either be progress in all the actions of states that are members of the United Nations, or an escalation of these threats will develop and we will find ourselves facing a serious threat. Not only escalation but full implementation of these terrorist, radical plans, [exploiting] their growing opportunities in order to change the development not only of a single state but of others as well, where it is easy to implement these plans. In this context, now that we are mutually linked together, and if we are talking about geopolitics, about globalization, any aggression must be condemned by the international community let us say, without any doubt. Using weapons, applying terrorist methods, murder, robbery and so on are condemned unanimously by the international community. Not a single speech from the tribunals of all big forums fails to mention such words as, yes we are against terrorism, we condemn it in all its forms. I know these words by heart. I have read these words so much that I can quote them by heart. Unfortunately they are no more than words at the moment. As for me, I will say to the international community from the platform of the UN General Assembly that it is time to move from words to deeds. There are many proposals and these proposals should be implemented. For example, Uzbekistan has suggested setting up an anti-terrorist centre. There are other suggestions, such as setting up a nuclear-free zone. Just imagine if terrorists obtained a weapon of mass destruction tomorrow, let it be a nuclear, biological or chemical, or something else. What would happen to the world? As of now we cannot cope with those who are using simple modern arms. What would happen if they got [nuclear weapons]? Just imagine for a minute, what would happen to mankind? In this context, I think, first, those countries which indeed are against terrorism and are not busy with verbiage, should condemn this aggression from international centres of terrorism and extremism, aggression against sovereign states - Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. This is the first step. Second, I think that so far as we perceive this threat, we are able to cope with with our own forces. We have never believed in the need for someone else to come and protect our borders, as certain [states] believe. We have never raised this issue. We are able to protect our borders with our own forces. We need help in the form of arms, arms about which I have spoken today. There are caves and ravines and we need night vision devices, optically sighted firearms, ammunition; we need helicopters, to search [militants] out in gorges and destroy them. This is what we need. In this context I declare categorically, we have never asked and will never ask anyone from outside to come and protect our soil and our borders. Uzbekistan is able to protect itself with its own forces. I spoke about this with [Kyrgyz president] Askar Akayev yesterday, and he is of the same opinion, that we are able to repulse them ourselves. What we do need is political support, statements from those countries that indeed want to help us, and secondly aid in the form of arms and equipment which will allow us to destroy and wipe out these tendencies. [Correspondent in Russian] A report was disseminated yesterday that you had officially turned to Russia and asked for aid? [Karimov] At the end of my speech I said that there were two groups of bandits on the territory of Uzbekistan at present. One is the remnants [of militants] still hiding in gorges in Saryassiya and a second group, which has infiltrated mountainous areas of Tashkent Region from [Tajik] Leninobod [now Soghd] Region. We know very well how big this group is, we even know the structure of this bandit group. There were no more than 15 men. I have already said that the group which infiltrated into the Tashkent Region tried to get into the [Kyrgyz] Dzhalal-Abad Region. Earlier there were reports that these terrorists tried to enter Uzbekistan through Kyrgyz territory. Yesterday [Russian] NTV said that terrorists and Islamists were trying to break into [eastern Uzbek] Fergana Valley through Kyrgyzstan and set up an Islamic state there, leaning on the support of the Muslim population in Fergana Region. There was such a statement. Early reports looked like that. Now I would like to say that those who came from Asht District of Tajik Leninobod Region into Tashkent Region tried to get to Dzhalal-Abad Region. This is one more fact for you which says that they know no borders and as we say no limits. They want to get there where they want to carry out their actions. These actions have been planned by big centres which have, I repeat big money and power. On each [terrorist] killed we found large amounts of dollars. They had enough money not only for themselves, but for recruiting others from our territory as well. From this point of view I say that that eight of them [militants] have been killed. The operation is continuing. I can say with absolute confidence that in two or three days this bandit group will be destroyed. As regards Saryassiya, I have already said that we could have destroyed them a long time ago. The only thing that stops us is that we have decided to use different tactics. We are containing them in the gorges, there is no need to rush. The only thing is that entering these gorges means exposing our soldiers to danger. They [militants] have determined their combat posts, they understand that they are doomed and that they have nothing to lose, but we do not want to lose our men. Anyway, very soon, I cannot give the exact date, this group will also be destroyed. According to reports, there are no more than eight or nine men there. For this reason, about such big groups as `Izvestiya' newspaper [reported] on 25th [August], a Maksim Yusin, I do not know who he is, in general, taking the present advantage, here I see [`Argumenty i Phakty' correspondent] Chernogayev, my friend [as heard]. [Chernogayev, from among the journalists] I have nothing to do with that. [Karimov] Yes, I am asking you about something else. If this Maksim Yusin has plans to write about Central Asia and Uzbekistan, advise him through your sources to study the geography. He does not even know the borders between Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. Making such, I would say, inadequate statements without knowing the borders, without knowing anything about the area, that everything has got interwoven here, and that everybody should be alerted, making such inadequate statements about nations that live here, both Kazakhs, Uzbeks, Kyrgyz, that they all have the same destiny and so on, threats etc. The content is to undermine trust between people who live on this territory. This is my assessment of provocation of Mr Journalist Maksim Yusin, but I know that this is not his work. We do not know him as a journalist. If he could come, meet and talk to people who work and live here, I would have discussed it with him. I am confident that this is a so called fabrication [Russian: aktivka], take it in inverted commas, fabrication of certain forces which some time later published a report in `Komsomolskaya Pravda' newspaper that the city of Tashkent was surrounded by approximately 300,000 Wahhabists! All inhabitants of Tashkent should be on alert, these Wahhabists supported by another 100,000 were trying to occupy Tashkent. This report was published one and a half months ago. As you can see there are no any Wahhabists and the `Komsomolskaya Pravda' is not thinking of presenting apologies for these stupid things, how can one call them otherwise, stupid things which are disseminated on its pages. That is why I would like to say that the situation is being complicated. Somebody wants very much the population of our region, I mean people in Central Asia, Uzbekistan and other surrounding states, to be always under pressure. They are pursuing their plans in a third direction. I said this in my speech today, and I repeat it again, that if someone wants to pit us against Afghanistan, to involve us into the Afghan war, against Afghanistan, they are mistaken. We are not playing this game and we will not do it. There will not be any pre-emptive or preventive strikes against any territory. We protect only our territories. We respect international norms, international laws and we have no plans to violate them. We have no plans to get ourselves involved in creeping wars or opposition and using this opposition so that we were always dependent on arms supplies and so on, maybe this is in someone else's plans, we have no such plans, we are categorically against this, and we are not going to carry out any strikes. I said this yesterday and today I would like to repeat it. Sometimes I am asked whether they have based themselves in Tavildara, Qarotegin and Gharm areas. Yesterday a German journalist asked me whether we would carry out strikes. I declare categorically that in April this year we adopted an agreement in Tashkent among four states - Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan - which precisely determines methods and ways of help each other in case of aggression against any country. Specifically on this occasion I would like to say that only the government of [Tajik President Emomali] Rahmonov and himself as a president of Tajikistan, whom I respect and consider that he is the only person who could bring Tajikistan to order, him and his government should turn to, if they consider it necessary that they can not cope with bandit formations which have entrenched themselves in its mountainous areas - Tavildara, Jirgatol, Hoit, Qarotegin and Gharm areas, if he can not himself cope with them he should turn to those states which can help them. Joint measures will be taken only after his appeal. There will not be anything else and there is no need to play us off against each other. I repeat again that there is a legitimate government in Tajikistan, the government of Rahmonov, of President Rahmonov and only Rahmonov and his government will decide whether he needs help to wipe out this threat and danger. Saboteurs have based themselves on his territory, and only he can ask for aid. There are no other methods and there will not be, I repeat again will not be. Today, addressing the Tajik people from the parliament platform I once again said, our purpose and our request, our appeal if you like, is that peace will be in our houses and in your houses only if we all do not allow attempts by bandits and terrorists based in Tajikistan to infiltrate neighbouring territories, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan so far, maybe they might go further in future. His [Rahmonov's] territory must not be a bridgehead for terrorists and various types of bandits who have dug themselves in there. They have no nationality, motherland, they have no beliefs, and we understand this very well. That is why setting us against each other, trying to create a kind of opposition here, I consider this, as [former Russian premier] Yevgeniy Maksimovich Primakov said, is counterproductive [chuckles]. Well, Chernogayev, ask your question. You cannot help asking questions, can you? Only don't push the girl. [Chernogayev, from inside a crowd of journalists] Islam Abduganiyevich. Rumours are being puffed up for several days already that you have directly turned to Russia with a request of a specific military assistance. On Monday and Tuesday [28th and 29th August] there was a delegation, I mean of Uzbekistan. What can you say about this, please? [Karimov] In December 1999 we concluded an agreement on military and military technological cooperation with Russia. You know that. I repeat on military and military technological cooperation. In line with this agreement we have the right to cooperation on the issues of equipping our army, reinforcing its defensive capability, reinforcing it from the point of view of equipment, ammunition, above all protection of our air space. We are conducting work in this direction and it is not connected with the aggression taking place on our borders. It is absolutely not connected with this. During our summit in the [Kyrgyz capital] Bishkek - the secretary of Russian security council, Sergey Borisovich Ivanov was there too - we discussed everything in detail. If I had found it necessary to turn to him with specific requests on this occasion, I would have done it there. As regards our military people in Moscow and the talks there, this is connected with the agreement signed between Uzbekistan and Russia. In line with this document today we are implementing about 25 projects. That is mutual deliveries are being carried out, both from our side and and from their side in order to implement this agreement. [Chernogayev] What is being delivered from our side [from Uzbekistan]? [Karimov] From our territory, there are certain Uzbek enterprises on your territory which deliver necessary, let us say sets. This is military and technological cooperation. Recently, four days ago, our minister of defence visited China and signed a similar document in Beijing on military and technological cooperation with China. The fact that our minister was there does not mean that we asked them for specific aid in order to repulse aggression of terrorists and militants. That is we cooperate with those countries which we are able to cooperate with and help us to reinforce our defensive capability. That is all. There is nothing else. [Correspondent in Russian] Will there be more allocations for defence in the next year's budget in line with these events? [Karimov] When I delivered my speech and informed the public from the parliament platform, I mean in the previous parliament session, I spoke about reforms that we had been carrying out in the armed forces of Uzbekistan. By the way, if you are very attentive journalist and observer, recently the Chief of the General Staff of the Russian army, [Anatoliy] Kvashnin, conducted exercises in Siberia. This was a test of forces, an attempt to set up a new, let us say, coordination of forces between various types of units so that the General Staff of the Russian army could coordinate the armed forces and command not only the Russian army for a certain period, but border guards, Ministry of Internal Affairs and others. Thus a kind of absolutely new model of regulating the army is being set up. I would have said not only for the the army, but for the armed forces as a whole. We have been implementing this much earlier than Russia. During one and a half years we have adopted all relevant documents. In our previous parliament we adopted this concept [on reforming the army], and in line with this concept today we are reforming our army. That is by setting up five districts we have gone much further; each district is a kind of complex, where the commander of the district, [first deputy minister, the head of the General Headquarters of Uzbekistan, Lt-Gen Tolqin] Qosimov, will give orders and under him there will be military councils of southwestern military district or of the Fergana Valley, we call it the eastern district, the district includes not only armed forces of our army, it includes the Special Task Force detachment of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, border troops, Ministry for Emergency Situations and all others who hold arms. The purpose is that the Fergana Valley be governable from the point of view of governability from one specific headquarters. Kvashnin is attempting this, but so far, I do not know, these are first steps. We are going further in this direction, and in this context army reform is in full swing. Recently we approved new list of members of staff of our armed forces. Certain ranks will be changed in our army; there will no longer be sergeant majors or junior lieutenants. We are setting up an army of absolutely new type. Sections are to go, and we will instead have so called military groups, combat groups. There will be a three tier system. Three groups will make a platoon, three platoons will make a battalion, reinforced battalion, firing power and so on, three battalions will make a brigade [words indistinct]. I am disclosing secrets to you, in order to be specific. I can say further that in this direction that we have copied the experience and opportunities we were presented with of countries which have gone far down this road. For example we have set up a battalion for special operations; here we followed the American example. We have not just copied, we have studied their experience in Lousiana within the framework of a Partnership for Peace Programme project. These processes are under way, and in this context when you ask whether there will be an increase in the budget allocations for military sector, I would like to say that this is determined irrespective of what is taking place on our borders. In accordance with the reforms, we have determined outlays until 2005, both in soms and dollars, and in line with contracts with certain countries which should be implemented in order to make sure for ourselves that our armed forces are protecting us for the peace, stability and tranquillity of our people. You asked a question. We are doing this; only do not speak much on this topic. I think it is better doing than making statements and crying to the whole world. We are doing and we will do it and we will do everything possible so that our army can repulse any attempts of aggression and any pretensions directed to breaking peace and stability in Uzbekistan. We are not encroaching upon any territory, nor will our army will fight on anybody else's territory. We only want that, in difficult mountain conditions to be able to give a suitable response to forces that are violating our borders. I repeat again that this is all well thought out. Every year we determine the funds that we need and and we will find them. It will be the same in 2001. In no way is this connected with the dete-rioration of the situation, which is coming from, above all, from our neighbours, and above all from the Russian media. Let them tell you themselves what aims they are pursuing, [Correspondent in Russian] Tell us please, there were a number of reports on [the Russian] ORT and in Uzbekistan, and in a number of foreign media about inflatable boats and that rebels were preparing a breakthrough into Uzbekistan from Afghanistan. To what extent is this threat real today? [Karimov] I have heard about this, as you said from the Russian television, that over 300 inflatable boats had allegedly been delivered from Pakistan, that they were equipped with engines and so on. We in Uzbekistan cannot give you a precise answer whether they had actually been brought in or not. However, according to our information this is a bluff. No one has delivered any inflatable boats, and this is according to reports that we have at our disposal. No such attempts were observed at our borders. We are vigilantly guarding neighbouring borders, we are observing Khayraton and adjoining areas. At least in the area bordering 270 km between Amudarya and Afghanistan, we have not observed threatening movements or manoeuvres from the Afghan side. I would like journalists to hear this, and note it. Let those who are too persistently suggesting this to us calm down. That is let them not worry, because such talk only creates tension. I repeat again, according to reports we have seen, we have not observed any attempts or manoeuvres from the other side. That is why I have no grounds to say that a group is being trained on the other side which want to cross the border of Amudarya. I cannot say this now. I think that we need extra information in order to confirm this, but so far we do not have such information. According to reports that we have everything is quiet on the other side. [Correspondent in Uzbek] Will the situation that has arisen affect relations between Uzbekistan and Tajikistan? [Karimov in Uzbek] I think you know that I have twice recently visited [Tajik capital] Dushanbe. I promised to render assistance in the process of establishing peace, stability, and harmony, and to help all supporters of the Tajik people, neighbours of Tajikistan to make positive changes. I will certainly keep my promise. From this point of view, no-one can deny the events that are taking place now. That is there were elections, the president was elected, parliament was elected, efforts are being made to establish peace and stability, and to improve the economy. We will certainly help people who want to live a peaceful life as much as we can. Recently during my TV address I said openly that we are ready to open up in all ways, and we are against shutting or blocking borders. We have only one condition, that there should be peace on these borders, no-one should intrude into our territory from your territory, that is no-one should come on to our soil with arms, no-one should come into our soil to commit evil and bad deeds. This is all, we do not want anything more. Should we see this in practice I think all our people would be ready to help Tajikistan more. This is one nation speaking in two languages. From this point of view you ask whether relations between Uzbekistan and Tajikistan will worsen. Relations between the people of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan will never worsen. This does not depend on leaders, government or presidents. We are building a democratic state. There will be elections, new people will come [to power], and if we take into account ancient history change always happens. However one should not ruin the relations between peoples. That is why, bearing this in mind, preventing this, I am addressing, if you are paying attention, you know Uzbek very well, I am addressing [Karimov in Tajik], dear Tajik brothers, what do we want? [Correspondent in Tajik] Peace and stability. [Karimov in Tajik] Do you know Tajik? [Continues in Uzbek] I addressed them that we want just this and nothing else. Let us be sober minded, we should not give a way to various invaders and monsters. Do not give them shelter in your soil. That is all. I have no other demands of the Tajiks. We say Tajiks, 1.2m Tajiks live in Uzbekistan, in Samarkand, Bukhara, in Fergana Valley, and in Surkhandarya. Do I not consid-er them as my citizens? Who are they? For this reason it is absolutely wrong to say Tajiks and Uzbeks. About 1.4m Uzbeks, that is 26 per cent of the population, in Tajikistan are Uzbeks. Is possible to divide them? Should I separately treat them saying that half of the population in Tajikistan are Uzbeks? How is that possible? Just imagine, if you were me, is it possible to do so? For example treating Uzbeks and Tajiks separately. It is impossible. That is why my answer is, certain officials in Tajikistan who do not understand this, who are sponsoring these monsters, let them draw their conclusions and let them not destroy our relations. (Uzbek TV)
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Uzbek troops destroy militants hiding places in south
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|  ombat operations to destroy groups of international terrorists
in mountainous areas of Saryassiya and Uzun Districts of [southern]
Surkhandarya Region are continuing. Our special correspondent Joraqul
Tursunov reports from the scene.
[Tursunov over video of armed men and helicopters] Cleanup operations are being carried out at the moment. The noise of fly-ing helicopters, explosions in caves and gorges have been breaking silence here since this morning. As we have already reported, there is a plan for the period of between 3rd September and the evening of 6th September to completely destroy the bandits, who had attempted to infiltrate our territory. What are the objectives of this operation? According to reliable sources and the preliminary results of reconnaissance operations, it is important to continue operations until we receive completely reliable information whether the militants wondering in our mountains are dead or alive. This is why hiding places in the Soghdor, Deblok and Bodring hills were once again carefully examined and destroyed today. We have spoken to the head of the Defence Ministry's press centre, Lt-Col Komil Jabborov, who visited those hills. [Jabborov, captioned] During the cleanup operations we found dead bodies of militants, newly digged graves, bloodstained clothes, firearms and ammunition. Our servicemen are in high spirits. [Correspondent over video of pieces of clothes, various parts of firearms] The burnt and bloodstained clothes, which were found after bombing the Kishtut, Hamid Archa and Sarinavo settlements, - this is what the international terrorists, who attempted to infiltrate Uzbek soil, have achieved. (Uzbek TV, August 6)
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US envoy to OSCE condemns militants' incursion into Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan
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| n a statement made at a session of the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna,
the US ambassador to the organi-zation, David Johnson, has condemned the
actions by international terrorists in border Districts of Uzbekistan and
Kyrgyzstan. The Turkiston Press national news agency has received the
document from the US State Depart-ment office for international information
programmes.David Johnson's statement says in particular that the USA condemns the incursion of international terror-ists into Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan and expresses regret over the death of people [in clashes]. The US ambas-sador to the OSCE urges steps to ensure protection of civilians in line with OSCE norms and standards and gene-rally accepted principles of the international law. The statement welcomes the consolidation of forces by Uzbe-kistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan and the additional measures they have taken to strengthen security. (Uzbek "Pravda Vostoka" newspaper, September 5)
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Uzbek president decrees pardon for some repentant terrorists
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| he president of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov today signed a decree pardoning
repentant terrorists who had not committed any serious crimes. The document
says, in particular: "All those who have left the country and joined
various terrorist organizations, but who repent before their people and do
not have bloodstained hands shall be exempt from criminal liability in
Uzbekistan."
This humane act by the head of state, a senior government official stressed, will enable many former terrorists who ended up in a terrorist group through inexperience or faint-heartedness to return home. (Russian news agency ITAR-TASS, September 6)
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Uzbek supreme court and high economic court judges replaced
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| he parliament of Uzbekistan, Oliy Majlis, made a resolution on
appointing Aliqul Boboqulov, Bakhritdin Norkhojayev, Dauletbay Khalmuratov, Muhabbat Khodjayeva
judges of the Supreme Court and releasing Qahramon Isarov, Asrar Sagatov, Hamidakhon Soliyeva form this post
due to the transfer to other jobs. Another resolution by the Oliy Majlis appoints Azamat Dustbabayev
judge of the High Economic Court.
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British Kurash Association to hold tournament in honor of President Karimov
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| n connection with the second anniversary of the establishment of the International Kurash Association (IKA),
the British Kurash Association decided to organize kurash tournaments for men and women in Bradford in honor of
the IKA's honorary president, Uzbek head of state Islam Karimov. Kurash is one of the ancient forms of Uzbek wrestling.
After the IKA was established in 1999, two kurash world champions were held: last year in Tashkent (Uzbekistan) and
this year in Turkish Antalya. For more information on kurash, please visit here.
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Uzbek troops continuing mopup operations in south
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| he united group of the Uzbek armed forces is continuing the operation to
destroy the remaining part of the group of international terrorists in
Saryassiya and Uzun Districts in [southern] Surkhandarya Region.A special plan of action until 6th September on wiping out the bandit formation was drawn up on 3rd September at the headquarters of the united group of forces. Under it, troops will split into several groups to thoroughly comb each cave and village in gorges in Saryassiya and Uzun Districts. Yesterday afternoon caves and paths in and around the villages of Kishtut and Sarinova were mopped up again. A special task force battalion also mopped up the villages of Kunkormas, Hamidarcha and Registon. Burnt enemy clothes and foreign-made medicines were found in the Kishtut caves during the operation. An investigation group from the Prosecutor-General's Office left for the Hamidarcha village today to examine the evidence. The militants have not taken any action for eight or 10 days now. This is thought to be part of their tactics. Therefore, reconnaissance work in the area has been stepped up. Today Defence Ministry helicopters bombed the most difficult to penetrate gorges and the largest cave, Uchqoya. This helped to enter the cave which had been previously blocked with a large rock. Interior troops posts have also been reinforced and border troops have completed to mine the area.
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Kyrgyz premier links Uzbek and Chechen rebels
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|  yrgyz Prime Minister
Amangeldy Muraliyev has said he believes that the terrorism-related events
in Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Chechnya are links in the same chain.
Muraliyev said this at the summit of interior ministers of the CIS countries, which opened in the resort city of Cholpon-Ata (northern Kyrgyzstan, Lake Issyk-Kul) on Wednesday [6th September]. The guerrillas that invaded southern Kyrgyzstan in August are ruled out from the same religious extremist centres as the international terrorists carrying out military operations in Chechnya and Uzbekistan, he said. The prime minister said that the international terrorist centres currently operating on the territory of the CIS are equipped with the latest weapons and technology and they have considerable financial and human resources. The Kyrgyz prime minister said that his republic will fulfil its responsibilities to the CIS countries and will do its best to prevent international terrorists from destabilizing the situation in the southern part of the CIS. Muraliyev called combating international terrorism one of the main issues on the agenda of the CIS interior ministers' meeting. In particular, he meant an agreement on the joint struggle against international terrorism, under which CIS countries must suppress the functioning of international terrorist centres posing a threat to the CIS on their territory. (Russian news agency Interfax, September 6)
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Uzbek leader's amnesty covers 70 per cent of convicts, 1,794 foreigners
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| zbek President Islam Karimov has issued a decree
to amnesty 70 per cent of convicts, Deputy Interior Minister Razhab
Kodirov told Interfax on Tuesday [5th September].Under decrees issued by the president in 1998-1999, over 25,000 convicts were freed under amnesty and 43,000 convicts had their prison terms reduced, Kodirov said.
All 1,794 foreign citizens now in prison are eligible for the current
amnesty, the deputy minister said. Among them there are 1,741 citizens of
CIS countries, including 283 Russians, 515 Ukrainians, 185 Kyrgyz citizens
and 152 from Kazakhstan. Fifty-three prisoners are citizens of other
countries, including 26 citizens of Afghanistan and seven citizens of
China, as well as Iranian, Israeli and Indian citizens. (Russian news agency Interfax, September 5) The amnesty, the 11th since Uzbekistan declared independence after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, will allow the release of some 25,000 of 63,000 prisoners held in custody. War veterans, people involved in the clean-up operation after the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster, men over 60 years of age, women, the seriously disabled, convicts sentenced to terms of less than three years, and foreign nationals will be set free. However, arms and drug traffickers and those convicted of taking part in terrorist activities, as well as members of extremist and illegal organizations will not be among those released. Deputy Interior Minister Rajab Kodirov told United Press International that currently 1,305 citizens of former Soviet republics are being held in Uzbek jails, including 524 citizens from Tajikistan, many of them drug traffickers, and 283 Russian citizens. Kodirov also said 53 inmates from outside the Commonwealth of Independent States are languishing in Uzbek prisons. As attention has increasingly focused on reports of human rights violations and the imprisonment of political activists in Uzbekistan, the head of the Supreme Court and officials from the Justice Ministry, Interior Ministry and Public Prosecutor's office held a press conference in the capital Tashkent on Tuesday, insisting that there were no political prisoners in the country. Ubaidulla Mingboyev, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, told reporters that around 2,000 people had been convicted since 1991 of undermining the Uzbek Constitution and of creating illegal organizations, but stressed that the convicts were criminals who were considered a danger to society. Last month, the Memorial human rights group and the Eurasia Web site published an article entitled "200 new names of political prisoners in Uzbekistan" that drew particular attention and anger from the authorities. Rustam Jumayev, a presidential aide, told UPI the names of people mentioned by Eurasia were members of the banned Hizbut Takhrir organization, considered a military sect and an organization that specialized in sabotage. Jumayed told UPI that official Tashkent did not consider these men political prisoners, and cited Article 57 of the Uzbek Constitution that specifically states the prohibition of forming political parties and public associations aimed at changing the constitutional system by force and undermining the security of the republic. Human rights groups have raised international concern over the arrest by Uzbek authorities of members of religious and political groups after a series of explosion in Tashkent last year. The authorities claim the blasts, which killed 16 and injured more than 100, were set off by Islamic fundamentalist groups aiming to destabilize Karimov's regime. According to human rights groups, several of their workers have been arrested, and a number of politicians from the banner Birlik and Erk parties are also being held in jail. Earlier this year, U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright raised the matter of Karimov's crackdown against the opposition during her visit to the country. (UPI< September 5)
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Mountainous areas in southern Uzbekistan being mined
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| nother stage of the operation to eliminate international terrorists is
under way in mountainous areas of Saryassiya and Uzun Districts in the
southern border areas of our country. During the mopping up process, enemy
ambushes were discovered in Kishtut, Hamid Archa and Sarinavo villages
where the enemies first based themselves. Although the terrorists have
already left the place, their arms and ammunition are still there.The movement of militants, who are now worried, was also observed in Uchqoya [Three Rocks] mountains of Sagdar gorge where they were encircled. Based on accurate information provided by scouts, heavy strikes were launched against them. Such events have been taking place frequently recently. Because the weather has become cooler. Snow has fallen on Panjob pass near the Pamir mountains. This is causing more difficulties for the terrorists. This week experts from the special engineering service of the republic's armed forces mined an area where one could pass to Iskandar lake through Bodomiston pass, 4,570 m. above sea level. In the afternoon, similar work was carried out on a path leading from Boghi Samarqand hill to Chop gorge and in Sandal village bordering on Tajikistan's Panjakent and Ayniy Districts. The aim is to protect the borders against the external enemy.
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India supports Uzbek actions against militants in border areas
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| he Uzbek Ministry of Foreign Affairs has received a message from Indian
External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh. The letter says that the Indian
government fully supports the steps being taken by Uzbekistan to guarantee
its national security. We express our readiness for close cooperation and
rendering possible assistance to your country, [it says].
Further the letter says: We decisively condemn any actions aimed at destabilizing the situation. Cross-border terrorism is a threat which must be rooted out jointly by all civilized societies. (Uzbek TV)
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Uzbekistan wasting water "with impermissible profligacy"
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| zbekistan is guilty of "squandering" its water resources "with
impermissible profligacy" and legislation is needed urgently to calculate
the extent of resources and to regulate water usage before it is too late,
journalist Vladislav Poplavskiy wrote in an article published in the Uzbek
newspaper `Pravda Vostoka' on 2nd September. Whilst some areas of the
country are suffering from drought, the huge population of the capital,
Tashkent, wastes water and Uzbekistan as a whole grows some of the
thirstiest crops in the world."Anybody who back in March saw the burnt-out slopes of the foothills, the reservoirs less than half full and the dried-up river beds can tell you all about it. Let them tell you what crop failure, lack of fodder and forced slaughter of cattle means. They can tell you why they did not sow lucerne, who and where over-watered the land, as a result of which desertification has reached threatening dimensions; and on the other hand, why whole towns - Gulistan, Khavast, Yangier, Dzhizak - are standing on subterranean lakes," the article said. As the "eternal" snows and glaciers melt away and the two great rivers, the Syrdarya and Amudarya, disappear into the sands, Uzbekistan is faced with providing a daily norm of 150-200 litres of water for its population, which is growing at a rate of 500,000 a year. At the same time, 40 per cent of irrigation water is lost in evaporation. "Isn't it wasteful to use 7,500 cu m of water to grow one tonne of rice when other rice-growing countries manage with a third as much?" the article said. Figures for world water consumption as a ratio of GDP show the Central Asian countries topping the list and using 15 to 56 times more even than North America, whilst other countries such as Israel and Egypt have already abandoned surface irrigation and moved to subsoil and drip irrigation. Another factor is the quality of water. "This is falling in the north of the republic, in Karakalpakistan and Khorezm, and in the south, in Surkhandarya, Bukhara and Kashkadarya Regions," the article said. Since 1950 "water resources have been acquiring an increasingly high mineral content, comprising heavy metals, petroleum effluent, pesticide and herbicide residues and aggressive salts," because agricultural run-off and industrial effluent have been fed straight back into rivers and reservoirs untreated. Meanwhile, water of drinking quality is used for industrial and household purposes, a practice "the entire enlightened world" has abandoned, the article said in conclusion.
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Turkey offers Uzbeks, Kyrgyz aid against rebels
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| urkey has offered "financial and moral" aid for Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan in the fight against
suspected Islamic guerrillas opposing Uzbekistan's secular government, Foreign Minister Ismail Cem said on Friday. The two former Soviet republics have recently fought heavy clashes with gunmen thought to belong to the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan which opposes Uzbek President Islam Kerimov's secular administration. "Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan are now facing terrorism. We told them that Turkey can provide financial and moral aid," Cem told a news conference. Turkey's 16-years of conflict with seperatist Kurdish guerrillas had given it experience in "how to deal with terrorism," he said. But he declined to give details of the assistance, which he said Turkey was already giving to Uzbekistan. "I cannot go into details," Cem said. "This is a security matter. These countries need their security to be strengthened." Secular Turkey has close cultural and historical ties with Central Asian states and the Caucasus and has tried to bring those regions into its sphere of influence since the collapse of the Soviet Union. The guerrilla attacks have raised questions about security in oil-rich Central Asia. The guerrillas are thought to have crossed into Uzbekistan from Kyrgyzstan, which they entered from Tajikistan, another Central Asian republic. Central Asian leaders have vowed to cooperate against the rebels whom they say are trained and financied by Afghanistan's Islamist Taleban militia. The Taleban has denied the charge. (Reuters, September 1)
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Russia to preserve visa-free travel with Uzbekistan
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|  ussia will preserve a system of no visa requirement with Uzbekistan, Armenia and Moldova, according to the
press centre of the Russian Foreign Ministry.
The Russian Federation Foreign Ministry has notified the CIS Executive Committee of Russia's withdrawal from the 1992 Bishkek agreement on the visa-free movement of CIS citizens. The agreement loses force for Russia 90 days after the CIS Executive Committee's receipt of this note. In line with the government's instruction, the Russian Foreign Ministry also sent notes to the member states of the Bishkek agreement with a proposal to negotiate international agreements regulating the system for mutual movement of citizens. An agreement on visa-free movement is planned to be signed with the [CIS] Customs Union member states. The relevant notification has been sent to the Integration Committee of the Customs Union. Agreements on mutual movement of citizens have already been concluded with Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan. (Armenian News Agency "Snark", September 5)
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Aid workers warn of famine, unrest in Uzbekistan
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| id workers have warned that a drought which has devastated crops and livestock in vast areas of
former Soviet Uzbekistan could lead to famine and social unrest, the United Nations said on Friday.The Central Asian country has appealed for aid for people near the Aral Sea basin in the north-western Karakalpakstan region where drought and water shortages are most severe, the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs said. Food, vaccines, clothing, water pumps and waste water equipment are among the urgently-needed items, it said in a statement. Virtually all rice, corn, millet, sunflower, sesame, vegetable and forage crops in Karakalpakstan have been lost, according to the government. The UN statement issued in Geneva said 35 non-governmental organisations (NGOs) active in Karakalpakstan sent an appeal to the Office of the UN Resident Co-ordinator to mobilise aid. "The NGOs' letter states that due to the possible famine and absence of water, social tensions cannot be excluded," it said. UN food and agriculture experts are to begin a mission to assess needs in Uzbekistan on September 10, it added. Such missions normally lead to a formal UN appeal for funds from donor countries. (Reuters, September 2)
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Uzbekistan asks Israel to help fight Islamic terror
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| zbekistan has asked Israel to help it
fight a wave of Islamic terror, and Israeli officials tend to "favorably
examine" the possibility of doing so, the Haaretz newspaper reported Sunday.
Haaretz said the outlawed "Islamic Movement" has been responsible for a wave of attacks in recent weeks aimed at establishing an Islamic state. The government in Tashkent has asked Russia for help, and has strengthened ties with neighboring Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan but has failed to halt cross border penetrations, the newspaper noted. Uzbekistan's relations with Israel have been good and Uzbekistan's president, Islam Karimov, visited Israel two years ago. Haaretz said Tashkent has asked Israel for equipment and training and that Prime Minister Ehud Barak is scheduled to meet Karimov at the UN millennium summit. Barak will leave for New York on Sunday evening. (UPI, September 3)
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CIS Interior Ministers to discuss terrorism September 5-8 in Kyrgyzstan
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| he next summit meeting of the ministers of internal affairs of the CIS countries will be held in
Cholpon Ata [northeast Kyrgyzstan] on 5th-8th September. The meeting is expected to discuss
nine issues linked with the fight against terrorism, returning homelessminors to their families and the
procedure for information exchange. A report by the director of the bureau for coordination of the
fight against organized crime will also be heard. The interior ministers of Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan,
Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Russia, Ukraine, Moldova and Armenia will attend the summit
meeting. (Kyrgyz Radio, September 5)
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China to give Uzbekistan military aid worth 600,000 dollars
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| hina will provide military aid worth 5,000,000 yuans (about 600,000 US dollars) to Uzbekistan.
Beijing is also ready to develop cooperation with Tashkent in training military personnel and
improving structures of military departments.
Uzbek ambassador in China (Ismatulla Irgashev) told ITAR-TASS that these and other issues of military cooperation were discussed during the visit to Beijing by Uzbek Defence Minister Yuriy Agzamov. The Chinese Defence Ministry supports Uzbekistan's efforts in protecting its sovereignty and consolidating regional stability and security, the ambassador said. The Chinese and Uzbek defence ministers signed an agreement on military and technical cooperation. In the aid provided gratis, China will supply military equipment for conducting antiterrorist operations in mountainous areas, the ambassador said. (ITAR-TASS, September 5)
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President's Cup to be held September 9-17
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|  ext annual "President's Cup" an international tennis tournament will be held in Tashkent, during
September 9-17, 2000. In 1994, the tournament was for the first time held as an ATP Tour. Such
great players as Evgeniy Kafelnikov, Tim Henman and Marc Rosset participated in previous year
events. Kafelnikov, Safin, Medvedev, Hashim Arazi, Carlos Moya, etc. will participate in
President's Cup this year again. The prize money will be USD 500,000. The prize will rank the
event as on of the TOP 77 events of ATP Tour. The President's Cup will be transmitted via CNN Sports, BBC, Eurosport and the Russian NTV and by several radiostations to one billion listeners in the world. (Russian "Nezavisimaya Gazeta" newspaper, September 4)
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Uzbek forces identify militant killed northeast of capital
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|  eanwhile, border controls have been tightened and the power-wielding
agencies are continuing their anti-terrorist operation. According to the latest report, the identity of some of the militants who attempted to
penetrate in late August into tashkent region, losing eight of their men killed, has been established.
Among them was also a gang leader called Tajiddin Ismatov. He used to live in Burchmulla [village in Bostanlyk District in Tashkent Region], where he worked as a huntsman for the local forestry outfit and as a hired member of a geological expedition. Therefore, he knew this area very well. The names of the other bandits have also been established. Captain Shukurov, who was engaged in the clash with the militants, said the following: [Uniformed man captioned as Captain D. Shukurov, shown speaking to camera, with three of his subordinates behind him in mountainous landscape] Our detachment undertook the mission of searching for these bandits. The first day of our search produced no results. Our team believed that they would find and kill them and would not let them step on the sacred soil of our country. Our men were engaged in the search despite it being very difficult under adverse conditions in the mountains; it is very hot in the daytime and chilly at night. At about 1100 local time of the second day we observed them and moved closer to destroy them. As it emerged later, they had been well set up where they stopped - they had cooking equipment, good supplies of foodstuffs and clothes, Russian-made weapons and Chinese-made Kalashnikovs. They also had literature in Arabic and small Korans. Unfortunately, two of Uzbek government troops were killed dead and two were slightly wounded in the clash. The grenade-launcher was zeroed in on the soldiers, but, fortunately, it failed. Today all these 17 weapons have been kept in here, one of the district internal affairs departments in Tashkent Region. One can see modern assault rifles, binoculars, many rounds of cartridges and light machine guns here. Likewise note-books illustrating how to blow up and destroy people, groups and so on. At present an investigation is under way into the incident. Who are those who dared to come to our country with these weapons? [Uniformed man captioned as M. Usmanov, deputy Tashkent Region prosecutor, shown speaking to camera in the same room] As the investigation revealed, the criminal band members offered dollars to local people to bribe them. [Correspondent, shown holding a part of a light missile-launcher] They must have tried to do this in return for something else? [Usmanov] Of course - they wanted local people to bring them foodstuffs and help them carry their belongings. [Correspondent] The investigation is continuing, is it not? [Usmanov] Currently, the investigation is continuing and it will deal with the incident until all the details become completely clear. [Correspondent, over the same video of clash zone, military out on patrol and guard] The remaining seven terrorists are still hiding out in the mountains on the border with Kyrgyzstan. To all appearances, they have been left without maps, foodstuffs, ammunition and leaders. Their group has been sealed off by the Kyrgyz forces on their territory as well as by ours on our side. The bandits stand no chance of getting out. Uzbek TV, September 3)
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Tashkent seen "distancing itself" from Russia, "leaning" toward China
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|  espite the fact that the situation around Uzbekistan and within the country
itself remains extremely complex, official Tashkent is emphatically
distancing itself from Russia. Yesterday [30th August], for example,
Abdulaziz Kamilov, leader of Uzbekistan's foreign policy department,
"categorically denied" reports that his country "has allegedly appealed to
Russia for military assistance". Furthermore, Kamilov told ITAR-TASS that
he perceives such reports "as wishful thinking". This prompts the conclusion that Russia, in Uzbekistan's view, passionately "wishes" to expand its assistance to Tashkent in the struggle with militant fundamentalists, but Uzbekistan has no desire for that at all. It is, however, highly doubtful that the Kremlin actually wants yet another involvement in a bloody war in Central Asia. Bearing in mind Russia's current problems, this would be - to say the least - an ill-considered step whose results could be far more negative than even the results of the 1978-1988 Afghan campaign. It is a different matter that Moscow cannot and must not be indifferent towards the situation in countries where millions of Russian people still live to this day, and the region itself is to some degree serving as a barrier to the proliferation of extremism. But only provided the incumbent regimes survive there. Otherwise, yet another extremely dangerous and quite large hotbed of tension will develop in Russia's southern "soft underbelly". Therefore, the Kremlin makes no secret of its interest in preserving stability. It was for this very purpose that agreements were reached - with Uzbekistan in particular - on military-technical cooperation which, incidentally and as Abdulaziz Karimov [as published] said, "continues as normal". So, there is no question of providing emergency assistance. Let us remind readers, however, that the report in question originated from highly competent and well-informed Russian official sources. It can only be assumed that official Tashkent decided, literally at the last moment, to change its stance - possibly taking Kabul's positions into account. It is well-known that the Taleban get extremely nervous on hearing any reports about possible expansion of Russian military presence in the region and, moreover, issue unambiguous threats against any states that "dare" to advocate such an initiative. It is nonetheless obvious that Tashkent now has an urgent need for assistance, at least military-technical assistance. This is indirectly proved by the recent visit to Beijing by Uzbek Minister of Defence Yuriy Akzamov. During his trip the countries concluded a treaty on cooperation in the military and military-technical spheres. In this connection, President Islam Karimov declared that "this treaty opens very many doors to us.... Henceforth Uzbekistan can rely on China's military assistance in repulsing the aggression which is now being hatched out in international centres on the territory of Afghanistan and other South Asia countries." In the words of the Uzbek leader, China has already supplied Tashkent with several hundred sniper rifles, bullet-proof vests, and other military-technical equipment. "Even though the assistance is not too large at present, we attach importance to the very fact that China shares our concerns and has decided to help us. Uzbekistan is not simply gratified by this gesture, it is highly grateful and thankful to China and its leader Jiang Zemin personally," President Karimov emphasized. Incidentally, it cannot be ruled out that Tashkent's cool attitude towards the prospects of expanding the volume of Russian support has also been prompted by the fact that Uzbekistan considers it more expedient to align itself with China rather than with Russia. It is perfectly plausible that the region's leading state is leaning towards a gradual reorientation to the East in the military policy sphere. Especially since this would not be difficult from the purely technical viewpoint: China is still producing armaments and military equipment on the basis of Soviet models. (Russian newspaper 'Nezavisimaya Gazeta', August 31)
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