President Karimov: "We know Italy, or the Republic of Italy, as an ancient country, a state which boasts a great history and culture. Italy today has its own worthy and influential place amongst the world's most powerful countries.

"We are planning to sign eight more agreements during the visit. Preparations have been made for this. These agreements are ready [for signing]. The agreements will be signed during the visit. These are agreements on avoiding double taxation and on comprehensive regulation of taxes aimed at further strengthening Uzbek-Italian economic cooperation and raising it to a higher level.

"There are two agreements on transport issues. There is one more agreement on taxes or on stabilizing and sorting out our tax relations. However, one of the most important agreements is an agreement on cooperation in fighting organized crime, terrorism and drugs, or, let us say, to ensure a legal basis for uniting our efforts in Uzbek-Italian cooperation on these issues, in this field.

"During our visit we are also planning to have thorough talks with the new Italian leader, President Ciampi, senior members of the government and their bicameral parliament Senate as well as financial figures and leaders in business about our future plans and ways to speed up and expand their investments in our economy. Italy is really interested in Uzbekistan. There are 61 joint ventures set up by the two [countries].

President Karimov will also visit Venice. Under ten inter-state and inter-governmental documents are expected to be signed as a result of the Uzbek president's visit.

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It was planned here to turn the water of the Amudarya river into the Pachkamar canal to fight the drought. The government allocated 100m soms.

The work will be finished soon. A new suspension pump has been already put into operation by workers and specialists of mobile construction group No 7 of the Regional agricultural and water directorate. As a result, it has become possible to irrigate 2,500 ha of land in the Ulughbek, Hasanova and, partly, Navbahor farms. Amudarya is now being used to irrigate Guzar's fields.

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"We are planning to sign eight more agreements during the visit. Preparations have been made for this. These agreements are ready [for signing]. The agreements will be signed during the visit. These are agreements on avoiding double taxation and on comprehensive regulation of taxes aimed at further strengthening Uzbek-Italian economic cooperation and raising it to a higher level.

"There are two agreements on transport issues. There is one more agreement on taxes or on stabilizing and sorting out our tax relations. However, one of the most important agreements is an agreement on cooperation in fighting organized crime, terrorism and drugs, or, let us say, to ensure a legal basis for uniting our efforts in Uzbek-Italian cooperation on these issues, in this field," Karimov said.

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He said his organization had opened its missions in Tashkent and in Termez, bordering on Afghanistan, at a time when the armed conflict in Tajikistan had evolved into a fratricidal war. The Termez office mostly renders aid to Tajikistan now, supplying first-priority goods and medicines to Tajik refugees who have returned home, he said.

Nikolaus also said that a certain number of refugees live in Uzbekistan, including about 8,000 Afghans. Almost 1,500 people have applied to the mission to receive refugee status, but only about 1,200 have been recognized as refugees, he said.

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"We are full of strength, energy and want to bring order, working together with the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the Interior Ministry and the other power-wielding structures and the Kamolot foundation, promoting legal awareness and fighting the criminal world," the union's chairman, Nizomiddin Isaboyev, said.

The union's first project is to run courses on "surviving in emergency situations".

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Japanese diplomat said that Uzbekistan is the biggest partner of Japan in Central Asian region. Thus, it is in our interests to support current economic and political reforms taking place in Uzbekistan.

According to official facts, during 1993-1999 Japan provided financial aid to Uzbekistan in total value of USD700 mln. 85 mln dollars of this amount were provided in the form of grants. This financing was directed to the development and modernization of telecommunication, transport, healthcare, and training of specialists.

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The Asia-Plus news agency was told on 20th November at the prosecutor-general's press office that the former head of the presidential apparatus's department for industry, Igor Pyagay, as well as Khursand Davlatov, Mahmudjon Safaraliyev, Valijon Ruziyev and Anvar Turayev would stand the trial along with Ruziyev.

They were charged under over 10 articles of the republic's Criminal Code. According to the prosecutor-general's presss office, they are charged with murder, banditism, illegal possession and carrying of arms, forgery, plunder and embezzlement of state property in particularly large amounts and threatening to kill state officials.

The investigation established that they had had a hand in killing Tajik citizens Ruzimahmad Taghoyev and Bomurod and Gulmurod Egamovs. While heading the government Committee for Precious Stones, Jahon Ruziyev, together with the head of the presidential apparatus's department for industry, Igor Pyagay, and the head of the financial and industrial group Platonos and the investment holding Geonvast, A. Suvorov, on 23rd October 1997 forged a declaration for taking out of the country 16 precious stones (emeralds) worth 28,874,000 dollars. Having sold them in Germany, Ruziyev transferred the money onto his own account in Munich's (?Bayrische Vereinsbank). Back in Dushanbe he said that the stones had turned out not to be precious.

In addition, Ruziyev misappropriated 9,470,000 [Tajik] roubles, allocated by the committee to buy a GAZ-31 car.

The source said that on 5th February when the capital [Dushanbe] prosecutor had told the election commission that Ruziyev's candidacy for a seat in the Assembly of Representatives [the lower house of parliament] must be withdrawn, Ruziyev threatened the prosecutor and members of election commission that he would deal with them.

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In the first ten months of the year the average monthly inflation rate was 1.9%, as compared to 1.8% in the period from January to October 1999, the Ministry for Macroeconomics and Statistics has announced.

The rate of inflation in January to October totaled 20.5%.

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