At the meeting between Islam Karimov and Carlo Ciampi with the participation of official delegations they discussed the state and future prospects of relations between the two countries.

Then the Uzbek delegation went to Vatican. Islam Karimov had a meeting with Pope John Paul II. The head of the papal throne said that in his prayers he would ask the Almighty for peace, wellbeing and stability for all the states and people, including Uzbekistan. Islam Karimov gave Pope a robe embroidered with gold.

The president also met the head of the Vatican government, Cardinal [Angelo] Sudano [the Titular Bishop of Albano, Secretary of State]. In the evening, Islam Karimov had a meeting with Italian Foreign Minister Lamberto Dini. The sides discussed further development of political and economic cooperation between the two countries. Bilateral documents were signed at the meeting.

Top

In the first ten months of the year the average monthly inflation rate was 1.9 per cent, as compared to 1.8 per cent in the period from January to October 1999, the Ministry for Macroeconomics and Statistics has announced. The rate of inflation in January to October totalled 20.5 per cent.

Top

The main tasks of the TRACECA National Commission are to analyse bilateral and multilateral agreements on the development of the Transport Corridor Europe-Caucasus-Asia and to draw up proposals on improving the legal basis for multilateral cooperation between the states. The commission will also be involved in preparing and working out projects and technical proposals on the development of the corridor and in making sure that the provisions of the main multilateral agreement are observed by ministries and departments. Another task of the commission is to coordinate and draw up proposals on such issues as the creation of the general norms and rules of transit through the territories of the states which are signatories to the main multilateral agreement and the harmonious development of trade and transport.

Under the government resolution, the chairman of the TRACECA National Commission has two months in which to approve the statutes and regulations of the national commission in line with the TRACECA Intergovernmental Commission. A deputy head of the secretariat of the construction, building materials industry, transport and communications complex at the Cabinet of Ministers of Uzbekistan, S. Abdurahmonov, has been given the duties of national secretary to oversee the implementation of the project.

Top

[Muhammad Solih] I expressed my opinion before the beginning of the trial. But I kept silent during the trial because I was one of those groundlessly accused. The verdict was announced today and I can express some views.

First, the prosecutor asked for the death penalty for me as well as for Tohir Yoldosh and Juma Namangoniy [leaders of the banned Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan] and others. According to the sentence passed today, for some reasons that punishment was not given to me, the sentence envisages 15 or 15 and half years in a strict-regime prison.

This, first of all, somewhat surprised me, of course, because 15 years, given the present circumstances in Uzbekistan, for a person like me, is really very little, because this regime, the totalitarian regime in Uzbekistan considers me a major enemy.

Fifteen years are given to ordinary people, for example, to my brother, he did nothing, he is innocent. Not only one, but all the three my brothers were given 10-15 years, they have nothing to do with politics. And Mamadali Mahmud, only because he is my friend and because he went to Ukraine to see me, was sentenced to about 15 years. This reminds me an anecdote from Stalin's period. This anecdote is not a joke, because a joke is about some funny things, whereas an anecdote is something containing the whole tragedy and drama of an event. To be short, two prisoners in jail are talking. How many years are you sentenced to, asks one. Twenty years, was the answer. What for? For nothing, I have no guilt, answers the second. This is impossible. Those not guilty are given here 15 years, so you must be guilty of something, once you've got 20 years.

Similarly, I also have no guilt, and I have got 15 years. And this is probably the logic and justice of a totalitarian state.

However, to comment on this without any anecdotes, I think, they were preparing to give me the death penalty, but having thought they decided that the death penalty was not convincing. First of all, it is an exaggeration, second, they probably feared that the death penalty would further increase the prestige of Muhammad Solih, third, this would have made more difficult for Uzbekistan to demand Muhammad Solih's extradition. They limited themselves to giving me 15 years in prison proceeding from these three factors. In fact, a punishment I would have accepted from such a totalitarian regime should have been tougher.

Today I am being asked by radio stations whether I am going to appeal against the court ruling and I tell them that I will not. Because I do not recognize the existence of either the court or justice in that state, or any structures of that state. If I did recognize it I could have appealed or hired a defence lawyer. Unfortunately, the ruling government in Uzbekistan today is doing every injustice to our people.

My tragedy, the tragedy of my family and my brothers is only one episode of that great tragedy. We do not expect any justice from this government, we do not recognize its court and if we appealed to it to reconsider [the case] or against any other procedure it would mean our recognition of its legality. We consider that government and its court an illegal state and an illegal court.

Top

In line with the legislation, it will be mainly formed on the basis of insurance fees and obligatory deductions from the actual income from the sale of products (work and services) by enterprises, establishments and organizations, as well as insurance fees from natural persons running a business without setting up a corporate body and farmer on a voluntary basis. The fund will also receive obligatory insurance fees from citizens, compensations in connection with taking early retirement and granting preferential pensions, fines for the untimely payment of insurance fees and other deductions and fees.

It has been established in the document that the size of deductions and fees to the non-budgetary Pensions Fund and terms of their payment will be determined by the Cabinet of Ministers of Uzbekistan. Obligatory payments to the Pensions Fund are to have the same status as state taxes and duties. Revenues and expenses of the non-budgetary Pensions Fund are to be part of the republic's consolidated budget.

Top