referendum will be held in Uzbekistan to determine whether it is necessary to create a professional parliament in the republic, Uzbek President Islam Karimov said during an interval in the work of the parliament in Tashkent on Thursday.

The president said there are plans to create a two-chamber parliament in the republic. He noted that four years remain until the next parliamentary elections, and "before this time we should hold a referendum on changes to the parliamentary system and make the corresponding changes to the constitution."

The creation of a two-chamber parliament will make the legislative work more effective, the president said. "Deputies should not see their work in parliament as secondary or parallel. It should be the main work of the lower chamber," he said. In the upper chamber, all the regions of the republic should be represented, he said.

The experience of developed states will be used to create a professional parliament, the president said. "We do not call the work of the current parliament into question," Karimov said. "It is functioning and will finish working at the moment established by law," the president said.

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The law bans "terrorism" propaganda, terrorist groups and organizations in Uzbekistan and provides legal justification for killing "terrorists" in the country without warning.

President Islam Karimov, in expressing his point of view on the bill, said that terrorist acts were increasing.

"If I were to be asked, I would say and propose that the U.N. and various international organizations, say Interpol, and other organizations fighting against crime should unite," he said.

Calling for the implementation of a "unified political status and assessment and should then be implemented," Karimov said that "If we do not properly comprehend the notion, the idea of a terrorist, if we do not use correct terms in the law on terrorism, if we do not give it a political coloring, then that will be a big mistake."

Karimov is convinced that terrorism does not exist in one single state, but is an international problem.

"So why are the international organizations keeping silent? Why is everyone playing his own game?" Karimov said.

In this connection, the president made mention of London, Paris and "other places, where leaders supply these terrorist groups with everything and give them money for buying arms."

Karimov rhetorically asked who were the biggest banks providing their services to Osama bin Laden and many others.

Bomb attacks organized and carried by the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan in Tashkent in February 1999, killed 16 and wounded more than 100 people. The IMU also organized armed incursions into the Surkhandarya and Tashkent regions of Uzbekistan this summer. The movement seeks the overthrow the Karimov regime and calls for replacing it with an Islamic state.

The U.S. government placed the IMU on its list of international terrorist groups in September.

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azakhstan will pay 50 dollars starting 1 January 2001, for every thousand cubic metres of natural gas it buys from Uzbekistan for southern Kazakh regions compared with today's price of 35 dollars, a senior Kazakh minister said on Saturday [16 December]. Kazakhstan has been forced to accept the price, Deputy Prime Minister Daniyal Akhmetov told Kazakhstan's Khabar television. He is leading a Kazakh delegation in talks in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

Kazakhstan is speeding up a project to develop its Amangeldy gas field to supply gas for the south of the country, which has a population of 5.5m and plans to start recovering gas from the field by the end of next year.

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n line with a government decree, the second stage in privatizing strategically-important major enterprises started in our country on 26 November. These are enterprises of the oil and gas industry, the cement industry, the metallurgical and chemical industries and also telecommunications. A news conference devoted to the project to privatize the Uzbektelekom [Uzbek telecommunications] joint-stock company has been held in the State Property Committee of Uzbekistan.

At present, Uzbektelekom incorporates 20 telecommunications enterprises and joint ventures which provide local, long-distance and international telecommunications services, which is a great deal, indeed.

During a year of preparations for this event in Uzbekistan, the telecommunications sector in Uzbekistan has been restructured in compliance with international standards and with the support of competent foreign experts and consultants, the general director of Uzbektelekom, Abduvohid Joraboyev, says. A law on telecommunications has been adopted which ensured the independence of the Uzbek Agency for Post and Telecommunications, which is now a regulatory body, not a managing body.

The news conference attracted the attention of senior executives of a number of foreign firms and companies, international organizations and major media organizations.

The Bureau for Individual Privatization [of Enterprises] held an international tender to choose the financial consultant for the project to privatize Uzbektelekom. The bureau signed a contract with a consortium headed by the [German] investment bank, Commerzbank AG.

The vice-president of Commerzbank AG, Andreas Fokas [name phonetic], announced that the consortium would evaluate Uzbektelekom and prepare all the necessary documents for share sales. The project is to be implemented within a year starting from the present moment and Commerzbank may offer up to 70 per cent of Uzbektelekom's shares to potential investors very soon.

F. Abdullayev, general director of the Uzbek Agency for Post and Telecommunications: "I believe that the signing of the contract today is the completion of the huge amount of preparatory work that we have carried out. We of course hope that the privatization will give a good boost to the development of Uzbekistan's telecommunications. As for digital facilities, I hope, that the number of various subscribers will double in the nearest future."

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he Japanese and Uzbek governments ceremonially signed notes of exchange at the Uzbek Cabinet of Ministers on Saturday.

During the talks preceding the signing ceremony, the Japanese ambassador to Uzbekistan, Kyoko Nakayama, and Deputy Prime Minister Hamidulla Karomatov pointed out that Uzbek-Japanese relations were becoming increasingly active in all fields.

This time the Japanese government has allocated Uzbekistan a preferential loan of 6,347m yen for the development of secondary and specialized education as part of its support for Uzbekistan's National Personnel Training Programme. The funds will go to equip 50 vocational colleges with modern equipment and raise educational standards.

The Japanese ambassador to Uzbekistan, Kyoko Nakayama, signed the note on behalf of the Japanese government and the deputy prime minister, Hamidulla Karomatov, on behalf of the Uzbek government.

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The parliament's second day started with a debate on the draft law on fighting terrorism. The chairman of the Supreme Assembly Committee for Defence and Security Issues, Akhtam Tursunov, made a speech on the subject. He spoke about the bill, which has been publicized for nation-wide debate. He said, amongst other things:

Tursunov: "Against the background of the increased threat of terrorism, many countries are seeking to improve their legislation and documents on countering terrorism." President Islam Karimov also expressed his point of view on the bill. Speaking about the differences in the bill between the first reading and after the public debates, President Karimov said the following:

President Karimov: "I am trying to ascertain the differences between the first and second reading of the bill. The main point here is how we should understand the notion of terrorism.

"Looking deeper into the matter, in the past, in medieval times, there was no such term or notion as terrorism. From the point of view of the criminal code, probably there was no term terrorist. Either people called the person a robber or a murderer and so on. So I think that, at the end of the 20th century, and now in the 21st century as well, we have to admit, whether we want to or not, that terrorist acts are increasing. If we do not properly comprehend the notion, the idea of a terrorist, if we do not use correct terms in the law on terrorism, if we do not give it a political colouring, then that will be a big mistake.

"The latest edition as proposed by Mr Tursunov, the head of the committee, writes: Terrorism is socially dangerous wrongdoing which is prosecuted under the Criminal Code of the Republic of Uzbekistan. I would like to ask you what you think about this. This is the main statement. All other provisions follow from this. Let us ask ourselves what the expression socially dangerous means. Let us say, would be it a socially dangerous act for three or four people to go out and block a major highway, or is that something different?

"If I were to be asked, I would say and propose that the UN and various international organizations, say Interpol, and other organizations fighting against crime should unite. The laws of the various countries and the terms used in them should be deeply studied and compared and should be given a unified political status and assessment and should then be implemented. Maybe today we should address the international organizations on behalf of our parliament, our Justice Ministry and all the [government] departments involved, saying: come on, let's get together and discuss how a state should regard terrorism.

"Terrorism does not exist in one single state; terrorism is an international evil, manifesting itself on the international stage. It is most dangerous and poses the greatest threat. So why are the international organizations keeping silent? Why is everyone playing his own game? For example, in London, in Paris and other places, where are the leaders who supply these terrorist groups with everything and give them money for buying arms? Where are they? Who are the biggest banks providing their services to? There are many of them - Bin Ladin and many others. Where are they finding shelter? Who is helping them? From this point of view, when adopting the law on terrorism, we must consider this issue in the broad sense of the term.

"Let us define clearly what terrorism is. That is why, Akhtam Tursunov, I think that it is wrong to take such a superficial approach towards the issue of terrorism.We cannot take a superficial approach towards this issue. Maybe the first edition did not meet all the requirements, but it covered much wider issues. Such a superficial definition of terrorism is a political mistake. What do you think about this?"

Tursunov: "Mr. President, your comments are very right and proper. We were also of the same opinion. After the first reading, the bill was published and put forward for nation-wide debate. But the law-enforcement agencies were intransigent and insisted on exactly this version of the definition. They said: We need no new definition other than the one in Article 155 of the Criminal Code. It is a good definition and suits us. If you give a new definition, that will complicate our work to fight crime and protect the law, they insisted. That is why we were forced to back down.

"What you have just said is very proper. If you give us the opportunity, then by the end of the session we will once again run over international laws and study the experience accumulated in other countries and submit the bill to the vote."

After that, the deputies discussed the draft law on defence. The chairman of the Supreme Assembly Committee for Defence and Security Issues, Akhtam Tursunov, addressed the session on this matter, too.

President Karimov: "The law on defence should be comprehensively correlated with the laws we have just adopted and, above all, with the constitution. I think that empowering the president with the right to declare war is a very great responsibility. It accords with international legislation. We raised this matter when we were drawing up our new constitution. Indeed, in the event of aggression against our country, the president should take his decision without any hesitation, but his decision should be submitted for parliamentary endorsement within three days. That is why in Paragraph 13 of the bill, which says that the president has the right to declare war in the event of aggression against the Republic of Uzbekistan or to enable it to meet its commitments under the treaty to jointly oppose aggression, I would like to add the words: "in keeping with the provisions of the constitution.

"The president does not need excessive rights. He has enough rights, which are already a heavy burden on him. That is why we should understand this matter correctly. If we aspire to build a law-governed state, then we should monitor each other. In such cases the parliament should monitor the president. We are not talking about Karimov, here. What we are talking about are the rights of the president in general. We are not talking about personalities, here. God willing, there will be a new president tomorrow. I consider it inappropriate to give the president the right as specified in the bill. From the point of view of democracy, the parliament should both protect and monitor the president in such cases.

"What is your view on this? I think that the majority of those sitting here will support me."

The session ratified the agreement between the Republic of Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan on delineation of the state borders, the treaty between the Republic of Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan on military and miltiary-technical cooperation, the space convention between the Republic of Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan and the convention between the Republic of Uzbekistan and Italy on avoiding double taxation and preventing nonpayment of taxes on incomes and capital.

Bohodir Eshonov has been reelected chairman of the republic's Constitutional Court. Uzoq Bozorov, Genjamurod Pirjanov and Sayyora Khakimova were approved by the parliament as Constitutional Court judges. Nurinisa Obidova, Mansur Ahmedjonov, Rustamjon Imomov and Sultonqul Khudaynazarov were elected Supreme Court judges. Aqida Qosimova and Tolqin Yusupov have been endorsed as judges of the Supreme Economic Court.

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Skimmers were used to remove the oil from the Uchkizil artificial lake in Surkhandarya Region, the regional Emergency Situations Department told Interfax.

It said that only three of the wells are currently pouring out oil, between 17 and 20 cubic metres a day, but that the oil is being removed.

The Regional administration has closed recreation zones around the lake and have banned the local population from using water from it. Tankers are bringing water to the area.

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he fourth session of the parliament of the second convocation ended its work in the Uzbek capital, Tashkent, on 15 December, Uzbek TV reported the same day.

The members of parliament passed the new anti-terrorism law and, in its first reading, the law on defence. During the debate, the president also proposed that

President Islam Karimov introduced a proposal that the president should be empowered to declare war. Islam Karimov deems it expedient for any decision to declare war in the event of an emergency to be submitted for parliamentary endorsement within three days. All legislative norms must be correlated with the requirements of the country's constitution, he stressed. After detailed debates on the draft law on defence in its new edition, the parliament returned the bill for revision by lawmakers.

The deputies also discussed the draft law on the transit of special cargo and military equipment and recommended it for revision. The draft laws on the state land survey, on the liability of corporate bodies for contravening construction regulations, and on introducing amendments and addenda to certain legal documents were also approved at the session.

The session ratified a number of interstate agreements and consular conventions, approved certain presidential decrees and parliamentary council's decisions, and discussed the issue of electing judges of the Constitutional Court, the Supreme Court and the Supreme Economic Court, the report said.

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Parents and teachers are not supervising children sufficiently, and educational establishments should pay more attention to children. There are still schools in the Region where children study in three shifts, the majority of them have between 40 and 45 children in a class, and it is not easy for the teacher to work with each child separately. More new schools should be constructed.

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uring a break in the parliament session on 14 December, Uzbek President Islam Karimov criticized Russia's restoration of the Soviet anthem and tsarist symbols, saying that they were associated with the totalitarian communist regime and wars of aggression. "You cannot build a new society with old symbols," he said. Commenting on Uzbek-Russian relations, Karimov said that Russia was, and would continue to be, a priority partner of Uzbekistan, but urged Russia to treat Uzbekistan as an independent country, not as a former Soviet republic. He also mentioned that relations with NATO were developing well. The following are excerpts from the Uzbek TV report:

Answering an ITAR-TASS correspondent's question about the prospects for Uzbek-Russian relations, the president said:

President Karimov: "I would like to note that Russia has always been a priority partner for us. Since the first days of our independence, we have always regarded Russia as an equal and, at the same time, a powerful partner. Please note the "equal" and "powerful". In general, we cannot often combine those two words, since a powerful neighbour or partner sometimes wants to emphasize the "powerful" rather than the "equal". I would like to add that those politicians and members of the Russian State Duma who are wise enough to combine these two meanings. In other words, they should not misuse the power, but should mostly stress the mutual relations, which are equal and respectful. There should also be democratic principles. And I think that if we tackle these issues, there will be no obstacles to developing and strengthening our relations.

"We respect Russia's views on, and its interests in, the Central Asian region. Russia is a great power. Historically, it had interests here, and this will continue. It would be stupid to ignore that. We have recognized Russian interests, and will continue to recognize them. But we would not like our relations with Russia to be built on the basis of Uzbekistan's being considered a former Soviet republic by many people. That has been relegated to the past. It will never come back. We would like Russia to build its relations with us as it does with Finland. Why not? Finland was also part of Russia's empire in former times. Look at the respect with which they refer to that country when holding talks, meetings and so on. But there is a kind of old stereotype that predominates in Russia's relations with former Soviet republics. Where will they go? - this kind of tone can be found in the speeches made by many State Duma deputies, politicians and public figures. When Russia gives all this up, when all this recedes into the past, there will be nothing to hinder the deepening of our relations.

"Furthermore, you did not ask this question, but some may ask. Anticipating this question from you, I would like to speak about the state symbols that Russia has recently adopted. Of course, this is, above all, an internal affair for Russia. Each country, each nation, and each society chooses symbols on the basis of its own values and perceptions. But there is another point. Like all the independent countries that have emerged in the post-Soviet space, we keep a close watch on the changes taking place in Russia. What path will Russia choose in the 21st century? What targets has it been set? What society is it going to build? What will the political system and the economy be like? What aims will guide the country's whole system, especially the ones set in the relations with its neighbours, including our country? A great deal depends on this. That is why we are not indifferent, from that point of view. From this viewpoint, when looking at what happened recently, when the Duma proudly and, as they say, without debate, adopted the symbols [tricolour flag, the eagle, the tune of the Soviet anthem and the red flag for the Russian army], I can only add one thing. You cannot build a new society with old symbols.

Answering a question about Uzbek-NATO relations, the president said, among other things:

President Karimov: "Many NATO representatives, including those from the command, which is based in Brussels, visit our country. Like all countries in the region - I mean our neighbours: Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan we have contacts with the central command of the US armed forces. That is why we have long-standing contacts and relations with, let's say, those two centres [NATO and the USA]. These relations are developing and, I would say, developing well. Our defence minister recently attended a session of the NATO defence ministers. I mean the EAPC [Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council] within the NATO Partnership for Peace Programme. He attended it and met many NATO defence ministers. These relations are no secret. They are developing and will develop further."

Answering an Uzbek TV correspondent's question on the legal foundations for creating a two-chamber parliament in Uzbekistan, President Karimov said the following:

President Karimov: "Indeed, we set ourselves that target. The times and life itself show that setting up a two-chamber parliament meets present day requirements. Take the neighbouring countries, for example. Our delegations have visited France, Italy and other countries. From the example of other countries, we can state that we need a professional parliament."

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