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he views of the leadership of Uzbekistan and World Bank experts do not coincide on some issues of strategy and tactics for market reforms. But in the process of talks and consultations the parties have come to mutual understanding and mutually acceptable decisions have been taken as a result. The most important thing is that cooperation is continuing. This is evident from new projects the implementation of which is planned for the first few years of the new 21st century. The following is their brief description.

A drainage system rehabilitation project: it is aimed at helping to solve problems of dealing with drainage waters on the right bank of the Amudarya river. The project will make it possible to considerably reduce the discharge of mineral waste into the river. The total cost of the project is 105m dollars.

A water supply and sanitation project in the towns of Samarkand and Bukhara is aimed at improving the quality, reliability, efficiency and financial stability of water resources and municipal services in these towns. The total cost of the project is 33.8m dollars.

An agricultural enterprises restructuring project is designed to promote the creation of the necessary conditions for the privatization and restructuring of agricultural enterprises in order to increase their efficiency and financial stability. The World Bank's share in this project is 30m dollars.

A project to rehabilitate the Karshi chain of pumping stations is aimed at increasing the reliability, efficiency and stability of the pumped water supply from the Amudarya river to irrigated lands of Kashkadarya Region (400,000 ha). The total cost of the project is 114m dollars.

All the four projects stipulate that the state should share the cost of their financing, whereas the total sum of the World Bank credits is 161.5m dollars.

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zbek President Islam Karimov slammed state officials for abusing their power and the unhealthy atmosphere among business circles today at a meeting in the capital, Tashkent, to mark the Constitution Day.

"It is very sad that most officials regard it as their duty to put themselves above others, give orders, in short, to boss around. It is a negative phenomenon. We should say frankly and admit that this is the bitter truth of our life today," Karimov said in the 40-minute speech broadcast by Uzbek radio.

"A wide path has been opened for owners of small and medium-sized businesses to develop the private sector and, first of all, entrepreneurship. However, we should say openly that we see in our everyday life that violence, envy and bribery are not only hindering them [businessmen] becoming the main source and factor of creating and increasing the national wealth, but also getting in the way of ensuring that every family is fed and that our policy is understood and implemented," Karimov said.

He said legal awareness had to be raised in society to improve the situation. "The force which could turn out to be the most effective one is the development of legal awareness and public consciousness and increasing people's knowledge of the law and placing in their hearts the sense of responsibility."

Karimov said children should start learning the constitution before they go to school. "I would like to tell, instruct, all the relevant officials and organizations to teach the constitution starting from nursery schools, I repeat, starting from nursery schools, to teach it at schools as a separate subject, and to study the constitution at higher educational establishments as a special subject."

President Karimov declared 2001 the year of the mother and the child and said mothers would receive "moral and financial" support next year.

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he German ambassador to Uzbekistan, Martin Hecker, and the plenipotentiary representative of the Federal Criminal Police Service in Central Asia, Thomas Hausberger, have visited the Uzbek Ministry of Internal Affairs. Interior Minister Col-Gen Zohirjon Almatov received the guests and held talks with them.

The sides expressed their satisfaction with the dynamic development of bilateral relations over the recent years. Regular training seminars for specialists of the law-enforcement agencies organized by German specialists and the assistance with receiving modern criminological equipment are evidence of that.

During the talks, the sides agreed to continue the exchange of experience, consolidate efforts in fighting terrorism, religious extremism and drug trafficking. The possibility of a visit to Uzbekistan by the leadership of the German Interior Ministry has been discussed, and visits by specialists of the police academy and the Federal Criminal Police Service have been planned.

At the end of the talks, on behalf of the German Interior Ministry Martin Hecker presented to the Uzbek side a draft protocol on interdepartmental cooperation between the German Interior Ministry and Uzbekistan.

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zvestiya, the Russian newspaper, on December 2, 2000 has published the interwiew, which Vladimir Yemelyanko conducted with Mr Ahmad Shah Masud vice-president aud defence minister of the Islamic State of Afghanistan in Khawja Bahauddin in Takhar Province of Afghanistan.

During the interview, Vladimir Yemelyanko put a number of questions concerning the present political and military situation in Afghanistan. Mr Masud, the defence minister of the Islamic State of Afghanistan answered precisely to all questions.

Regrettably, contrary to all journalistic ethics, Vladimir falsified the true content of the interview aud created misunderstanding between two states.

The Embassy of the Islamic State of Afghanistan in Tashkent based on authentic information recieved from responsible government official from Afghanistan concerning above mentioned matter, categorically rejects the allegations of Vladimir Yemelyanko "as if Mr Masud told during interview that Uzbekistan provides the Taleban with light weapons through Pakistan and Uzbekistan is a double partner" und once again assures that Mr Masud did never mention Uzbekistan in this regard.

We are greatly thankful to the Uzbek government and its people for their efforts to bring about peace and stabilitly as a good neighbouring country to Afghanistan.

We cherish wonderful relations and such allegations never undermine friendly ties between two countries. At the same time we are aware of Uzbekistan's official policy against terrorism, Islamic fundamentalism and drug trafficking.

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he recognized government of Afghanistan on Friday denied that it had accused Uzbekistan of helping to arm the Taliban, which controls more than 90 percent of the country, by passing weapons through Pakistan, as had been reported in Russian media.

The Embassy of the Islamic State of Afghanistan told United Press International that "based on authentic information received from a responsible government official from Afghanistan" it categorically rejected allegations made in the Izvestiva newspaper that Vice President Ahmad Shah Masud told of the alleged arms transfer.

The Afghans said the reporter for the Russian newspaper "falsified" that part of his interview with Masud. The embassy said Masud never mentioned that Uzbekistan provided arms to the Taliban. On Thursday, Uzbek Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Komilov told UPI that Uzbekistan did not intend to recognize the Taliban regime.

"Recognition of the Taliban by the Uzbek government is out of the question now," he said.

Stephen Sestanovich, the U.S. State Department's adviser on former Soviet republics who visited Uzbekistan on Wednesday and Thursday, said the United States had received support from the Uzbek government to impose new sanctions on the Taliban. Sestanovich said the sanctions would prevent terrorists from becoming more active both inside and outside Afghanistan.

According to Iran's Islamic Republic News Agency, the Taliban envoy in Pakistan, Mulla Abdul Salam Zaeef, in Islamabad last week alleged that the United Nations had become "an extension of the foreign policy apparatus of USA."

He said that U.N. sanctions had badly affected the common people of Afghanistan and, if the world body imposed more sanctions, it would be a human rights violation. Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are the only countries that recognize the Taliban as the official Afghan government.

Referring to assistance to Afghan refugees who have gathered on the Tajik border, Sestanovich said the U.S. government through the United Nations was presenting substantial programs aimed at providing food and medical aid to the refugees. He also said the needs of the refugees in this region had increasing.

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