amarkand Region has made a number of achievements in free-market economy conditions. But there are also shortcomings. A meeting devoted to the results of the Region's socioeconomic development in the first nine months of the year discussed the matter in detail. First. Industrial enterprises are not operating smoothly in the Region. Joint-ventures are remaining idle because of a shortage of raw materials. Why were they set up if a such a problem existed? Who will be brought to book because 43 enterprises are operating at loss? Declaring them bankrupt and liquidating them is easy to do. But who will assess the work of managers who failed to use opportunities that were going begging? These kinds of questions were asked at the meeting.

No one is satisfied with the situation in the construction sector. Managers in that field are only busying themselves with using the budget funds. None of them are seeking new orders and clients.

The [public's] debts to the municipal economy are increasing all the more because of the irresponsibility of officials in the sector. The debts have now edged over 1bn soms. Instead of seeking new ways of collecting money from the public, the sector's officials are merely complaining about the debts. They could at least apply the justice department's proposal for recovering debts from people's monthly wages.

The work of joint-stock companies was also sharply criticized at the meeting. Shares in enterprises are somehow being sold. But shareholders are not receiving any dividends.

It looks as though banks in Samarkand do not have a full grasp of banking policy. Otherwise they would be more concerned about what happens to the funds they have allocated to developing an enterprise.

How is one to assess the fact that such Districts as Guzalkent, Koshrabat and Nurabad have not yet organized joint ventures in their areas? There are also many problems in the Region which are hindering the agricultural reforms. The biggest shortcoming is that the most important points of the reforms are not explained to farmers in any depth. New forms of ownership only exist on paper. Certain officials do not even grasp the process themselves.

The failure to grasp the essence of reform has led to a situation in which some land reserved for cotton has been sown to vegetables during this drought year in such Districts as Payaryk, Chelek and Ishtykhan.

The Region failed to meet the grain target because of delayed and poorly organized land-management measures and casual seed-selection work. In short, the reason for the Region's present dire cotton and grain situation could be explained by the factors outlined above. (Uzbek radio, November 1)

Top

he Uzbek Supreme Court continued its hearing of the case of 12 alleged Islamic extremists, nine of whom are being tried in absentia, accused of carrying out "terrorist" acts and other crimes, Uzbek TV reported on 2nd November.

The TV report said that the parents of those who were killed during combat operations against militant incursions into southern Surkhandarya Region's Uzun and Saryassiya Districts in July and August this year gave evidence.

Nortoji Salimova, captioned as the mother of Senior Lt Alisher Salimov, who was killed in Surkhandarya Region, said: "These dregs could not have killed anyone in an open fight. All those who were killed there were killed by sniper bullets. These jackals even mocked the dead bodies. Moreover, my son was wounded in the head, his throat was cut, and then he was shot in the heart. They mocked his body. It was horrible to look at other bodies. They cut off everything possible. Are they human beings at all? If I had the opportunity, I would tear them to pieces myself."

In all, 15 young people were killed during the armed clashes in Surkhandarya Region, the report said.

"Since the start of the hearings, about 50 victims have given evidence. The number of victims invited to the trial is 200," the report added.

Top

he Namangan Regional court in eastern Uzbekistan has passed a sentence of 20 years in a penal colony on a person who was trained at militant training camps in Tajikistan and Afghanistan and was on the run from the law in Kyrgyzstan for committing various crimes, the newspaper 'Adolat' reported on 3rd November.

"Abdumalik Yoldoshev, jointly with Tohir Yoldosh and Juma Khojiyev, set up an armed criminal group in three areas with the purpose of overthrowing the constitutional system in Uzbekistan, seizing power and establishing an Islamic state," the report said. During the trial, he repented and asked for mercy. "However, when the time has come to answer for crimes committed, repenting is useless," it added.

Top

lothing has become the latest flash point in Uzbekistan. A row broke a month ago when Deputy Prime Minister Dilbar Gulyamova proclaimed that girls shouldn't wear mini-skirts, slit skirts, tight trousers and other "attention-grabbing" items. She also insisted they dispense with the hijab, or Muslim veil.

Since the IMU set off a series of bomb explosions in Tashkent last year, girls wearing hijab - usually from families sympathetic to the Islamists, whether militant or not - have been banned from classes.

Girls wearing 'immodest' clothing are also being banned from certain institutions.At Tashkent University's journalism faculty, a girl was barred from classes for wearing a mini-skirt. At the faculty of education, women can't wear trousers.

So what is a respectable Uzbek girl to wear? Local papers have been debating the issue for weeks.

Gulyamova advocates traditional Uzbek costume - a long dress, low-heeled shoes and traditional Muslim cap. Girls who dress like this, she said, know their value, and "do not leave themselves at the mercy of a gaze from a passing man."

"Loose clothing, like skirts above the knee, can provoke men," she continued. "Is that what a girl needs? She can show off her beauty in modest clothing too." Gulyamova is equally concerned with the fashion for the hijab, which covers the face and body, "If they're so modest, they should wear traditional Uzbek clothing."

The banning of the Muslim veil last year was widely welcomed by many traditional Uzbek men.Meanwhile, young people are furious over the anti-modern dress movement.

"We want to be the same as youngsters around the world," fumes Gulsunai Navruzova, a student from Djizak. "Wanting clothes to be comfortable and laid back is natural."

She said reprimanding people for wearing shorts is ridiculous, "In the heat we have here, when you want to wear a minimum of clothing, they're very convenient."

The local newspaper Pravda Vostoka, however, is not impressed with the sartorial standards of the young. "It's indecent to wear a mini-skirt to school," it proclaimed. "You can wear a grass skirt in Africa, but we Uzbeks have long since grown out of that. We are sensible people."

The clothes campaign is just the latest sign that women's rights here are being infringed, says Marfua Tokhtakhodjaeva of the Uzbek Women's Resource Centre.

"In 1995, Uzbekistan signed the UN Convention on the removal of all forms of discrimination against women," said Tokhtakhodjaeva. "With its decrees on what can and cannot be worn, it is blatantly contravening the document it signed."

Some people back up their campaign against modern dress by quoting the Koran.

"But if we are to measure our lives against sharia (Islamic law)," pointed out Tokhtakhodjaeva, "why are we fighting the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, which wants a state based on sharia?"

Uzbekistan has declared that it will build a democratic state. But some women are concerned it will turn into a democratic state for men alone.

Given that most of Central Asia look on the Taleban's radicalism as a worrying threat to regional stability, this would hardly be an ideal state of affairs. The mini-skirt war has revealed that attitudes to women here remain traditional and even Islamic. All of which is alarming to women who thought they lived in a modern, secular society, as Uzbekistan is supposed to be. Today dress restrictions, and tomorrow what? The legalisation of polygamy? The denial of women's right to decide for themselves?

Uzbek leaders and the press want to push women back to the beginning of the last century. Then some tore off their parandja - a cloth covering face - and burnt them, in the hope that women would never have to wear them again. It may have been a forlorn hope. (RCA, October 6)

Top

enior officials from the six-plus-two group welcomed on Friday [3rd November] the imminent resumption of peace talks in Afghanistan. The officials were taking part in a meeting at UN headquarters in New York to review latest developments in Afghanistan.

Francesc Vendrell, special representative to Afghanistan of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, presented the meeting with a report on the latest military and political developments in Afghanistan and an expression of readiness by the Islamic government of Afghanistan and the Taleban for holding peace talks.

At the end of the meeting, member states of the six-plus-two group issued a statement in which they welcomed the readiness of the two sides to consider a cease-fire and not to quit talks unilaterally until its agenda would be completed. The group also reaffirmed its commitment to contribute to finding a peaceful and political solution to the fighting in Afghanistan based on resolutions adopted by the UN General Assembly and Security Council.

In the statement, the group urged the two sides to fully cooperate with the UN secretary-general's special representative for the holding of the talks and asked that they continue their close cooperation with Kofi Annan and Vendrell to prepare an agenda.

The officials of the six-plus-two also expressed their deep concern over the recent military incursion in Afghanistan and the negative consequences it has had on the life of the Afghan people, stressing that there will be no military solution to the Afghan crisis.

Likewise, the officials asked that the special representative of Kofi Annan present a report to the group on any progress that might be made in the talks by 1st February 2001.

The six-plus-two group consists of the six neighbouring countries of Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, China, Iran and Pakistan plus Russia and USA. (IRNA, Tehran, November 6)

Top

conference was held at the Sheraton Hotel in the Uzbek capital to discuss the observance in the Uzbek republic of the convention banning all forms of discrimination against women's rights. It was organized by Uzbekistan's Women's Committee.

Uzbekistan has taken one more step towards increased cooperation with the UN by acceding to the UN convention banning all forms of discrimination against women's rights. The fact that members of the UN commission for the convention have come to Uzbekistan to hear a national report on the practical situation regarding women is another step taken by the organization. This is the main reason for holding the conference.

The meeting lasted two more days. Once the UN women's rights observers approve the report, Uzbekistan will be offered financial support by certain foreign financial institutions for its practical measures in the area. This support will be aimed primarily at defending women's rights.

There is no need to say that women are equal to and enjoy the same rights as men in Uzbekistan - the equality of rights is crystal clear. Last year was declared the year of women. Substantial efforts are being made in the health sector to protect maternity. Overall, education, health care, maternity protection, benefit provision, equality in the family and many other levers for defending women are operating in Uzbekistan.

The first day of the conference heard reports by the Uzbek side on the content of the convention, every state's responsibility for its observance, and their future plans for protecting women's rights. Members of the UN commission for the convention told those present about convention reports.

Top