May 22-May 29, 1999
 
 
  1. Uzbek-American Joint Commission holds second session

  2. Russia's Gazprom chief to visit Uzbekistan

  3. Chinese Vice-Premier to visit Central Asian states in June

  4. Uzbek-Kazak Joint Commission

  5. Tajiks, Uzbeks to fight extremism

  6. President appoints new minister of labor

  7. Bloodshed among Uzbek religious opposition

  8. Uzbek Prime Minister in Kiev

  9. President meets with FILA Secretary General

  10. Trial of those accused of Tashkent bombings may begin soon

  11. Japanese Eximbank to give $47 mln. to Uzbekistan

 
  Uzbek-American Joint Commission holds second session
  (Itar-TASS)
Uzbekistan and the United States plan to develop cooperation in defence more vigorously. This is one of the results, reached at a meeting of the joint Uzbekistan-U.S. commission, which completed its deliberations in Tashkent on Tuesday. The two sides noted that spheres of cooperation "include programmes in military training, peacekeeping exercises, manoeuvres under conditions of emergency situations as well as exchange of specialists." A plan of bilateral defence cooperation for 1999-2000 was signed at the Tashkent meeting. The sides also signed the Nukus agreement which will promote Uzbekistan's reception of U.S. assistance in liquidating former chemical production facilities. Tashkent and Washington decided to continue joint efforts for regional cooperation to ensure security of borders so as "to control proliferation of mass destruction weapons, drugs, weapons, and terrorism".

(Itar-TASS)
The second session of the Joint Izbekistan-USA Commission here was crowned by the signing of six documents on Tuesday. They include a joint statement on steps to combat terrorism, a memorandum on mutual understanding in consular affairs, and a diplomatic note on the civil aviation agreement. The documents were signed by Uzbek Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov and Special Adviser for the Secretary of State for the New Independent States Stephen Sestanovich. The Uzbek-American meeting also adopted documents on military-technological cooperation. They include a plan for cooperation between the defence ministries of the two countries for 1999-2000, an agreement on cooperation "to demilitarise some objectives linked with chemical armaments and to prevent the proliferation of technologies for the production of chemical weapons". These documents were signed by Uzbek Defence Minister Khikmatulla Tursunov and U.S. Assistance Secretary of Defence Edward Warner. Summing up the results of the second session of the Joint Uzbekistan-USA Commission, Stephen Sestanovich stated here on Tuesday that the United States was allocating 33 million dollars for the promotion of market reforms in Uzbekistan. He noted in particular that the United States approved of Uzbekistan's integration into international economic structures. At the same time, Sestanovich stressed that restrictions on convertibility of hard currencies is a serious obstacle to foreign investments in Uzbekistan and the United States was urging the latter to immediately give investors access to hard currencies". The American diplomat also said that the United States was urging Uzbekistan to ensure the necessary conditions for long-term economic cooperation by bringing its commercial regime in line with the existing international standards and, in the final count, to join the World Trade Organisation.

(AP)
The United States agreed Tuesday to give Uzbekistan $32.2 million in economic aid and help it dismantle facilities from a Soviet-era chemical weapons program. Uzbek Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov and Stephen Sestanovich, special adviser to the U.S. secretary of state, also signed agreements on cooperation in civil aviation, consular affairs and combating terrorism. Sestanovich said the United States has agreed to give the impoverished former Soviet republic $32.2 million in 1999 for market reforms. Uzbekistan, located in Central Asia, has struggled to reverse severe economic depression since gaining independence in 1991. Sestanovich, who signed the agreements with Kamilov, said Uzbekistan could attract more foreign investment if it lifted exchange restrictions on its currency. Defense officials from the two countries also signed an agreement Tuesday under which the United States will help Uzbekistan dismantle and clean up facilities from its Soviet-era chemical weapons program. The agreement also seeks to prevent any chemical weapons technology in Uzbekistan from going abroad. The Soviet military tested biological and chemical weapons in Uzbekistan for years. The extent of the pollution caused by the program is not fully known, but Uzbek officials say it was devastating to the country.

(Our information)
Stephen Sestanovich met with President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov on May 25 to talk about the result of the joint commission. For more information about the Uzbek-American Joint Commission please go to http://www.usis.uz/wwwjcom.htm

 
  Russia's Gazprom chief to visit Uzbekistan
 
President Karimov met with Rem Vyakhirev on Thursday, who is the Chairman of the Board of the Russian Gazprom public joint-stock company. He spent two days in Uzbekistan on. Mr. Vyakhirev also had a meeting at the Uzbek Oil and Gas Holding corporation. The sides discussed matters concerning mutually beneficial business partnership, the purpose of which is to work jointly in prospecting for, production of Uzbekistan's natural gas, and its transportation to and sale on the markets of the Commonwealth of Independent States and countries in East Asia and Southeast Asia.

 
  Chinese Vice-Premier to visit Central Asian states in June
 
Qian Qichen, China's Deputy Premier, is to pay official visits to Turkmenia, Tajikistan, Kirghizia, and Uzbekistan from June 3 to 13, Zhu Bangzao, director of the information and press department of the Chinese Foreign Ministry told a briefing on Thursday. Qian Qichen will visit the four countries at the invitation of their governments. Before March 1998, he held the post of foreign minister. Now, as deputy premier he is in charge of foreign policy matters. Beijing is developing trade and economic ties with Central Asia, putting forward an idea of restoring the Great Silk Road. Special attention is paid there to joint projects in the energy and transportation fields.

 
  Uzbek-Kazak Joint Commission
 
During this week three different inter-state joint commissions met in Tashkent. Prime Minister of Kazakstan Nurlan Balgimbaev visited the Uzbek capital for Uzbek-Kazak joint commission's work. The Uzbek co-chairman of the commission Prime Minister Utkir Sultonov led his delegation for negotiations at the Durmen residence. Both sides reviewed the cooperation in transportation, customs, trade, energy and other areas as well as the implementation of documents adopted at the previous commission last spring.

 
  Tajiks, Uzbeks to fight extremism
 
The foreign ministers of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan have vowed to work together to fight political and religious extremism, despite a recent worsening in relations between the two neighbouring central Asian states. The two ministers signed an agreement on closer cooperation on Wednesday in northern Tajikistan, and Tajik President Imomali Rakhmonov was also present, Rakhmonov's press secretary Zafar Saidov told Reuters on Thursday. "Yesterday the heads of the foreign ministries of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan signed an agreement on cooperation in their fight against terrorism, political, religious and other forms of extremism and against illegal trade in drugs," he said. Uzbek Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov said the agreement was an important step forward in bilateral ties. "The agreement is a significant step, which will raise relations between the two countries to a new level," he told state television late on Wednesday from the town of Khudzhand. The two countries have been eyeing each other with deep suspicion since the collapse of the former Soviet Union. This boiled over into a war of words late last year following an uprising in Tajikistan's northern Leninabad region, which borders Uzbekistan, which claimed more than 300 lives and was put down by Tajik government forces. Rakhmonov accused Uzbekistan of taking part in a plot which he said was aimed at overthrowing his government. The Uzbeks immediately denied the allegations. They went on the offensive themselves when President Islam Karimov claimed that people involved in bomb attacks in the Uzbek capital Tashkent in February were hiding in Tajikistan. Tajik Foreign Minister Talbak Nazarov stressed the importance of this week's agreement. "This is a fundamental document which involves all aspects of cooperation between the security services of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan," he told state television. Karimov fears an extremist Islamic uprising in his impoverished state of 24 million, and has clamped down on suspected religious radicals since the February bombings, which killed at least 16. Rakhmonov is trying to implement a peace agreement with opposition Islamist forces, against which the Moscow-backed secular government fought a civil war between 1992 and 1997.

 
  President names new minister of labor
 
President Karimov appointed Shavkatbek Ibraghimov a new minister of labor by a special decree. Mr. Ibraghimov filled in the spot that was vacant since February after his predecessor Oqiljon Obidov was named a minister for social security after minister Bohodir Umurzaqov was released for his allegedly wrong statement on Uzbek TV.

 
  Bloodshed among Uzbek religious opposition
  (Excerpts from report by the Tajik news agency Asia-Plus on 19th May)
A special group, including representatives of the National Reconciliation Commission of Tajikistan [NRC] and the United Tajik Opposition [UTO] was sent to the Qarotegin valley [central Tajikistan] from Dushanbe [Tajik capital] on 18th May to carry out investigations into an armed incident that took place there, [Tajik news agency] Asia-Plus learned from the NRC press centre on 19th May. According to the press centre, armed clashes between refugees from Uzbekistan and fighters of a group that is in opposition to the government of the Republic of Uzbekistan took place near the village of Jafr (between Hoit and the district centre of Gharm, 160 km to the north-east of Dushanbe) on the night of 16th to 17th May killing or injuring over 15 people. The chairman of the Committee on Emergency Situations and Civil Defence of Tajikistan, Mahmadruzi Iskandarov and the chairman of the government Committee on Oil and Gas, Salamsho Muhabbatov - formerly senior UTO commanders before assuming their government posts - were among the members of the group that went there. [passage omitted: The Persian service of the BBC and the Tajik service of Radio Liberty report that Uzbek opposition commander Juma Namangoni, accused by Uzbek authorities of committing terrorist acts in the Uzbek capital, Tashkent, on 16th February, participated in the clashes] Authorities in Tashkent [Uzbekistan] at the time [of the 16th February terrorist acts] announced that members of the terrorist group [of Juma Namangoni] were hiding in Districts of the Gharm area in Tajikistan. The government of Tajikistan and the leadership of the UTO denied these claims and proposed that Uzbek special services visit the place and see for themselves. UTO representatives say that Juma Namangoni, formerly a fighter in the ranks of the UTO against government forces of Tajikistan beginning in 1993, left Tajikistan after the general agreement on peace and national reconciliation was signed [by Tajik President Emomali Rahmonov and the leader of the UTO, Sayed Abdullo Nuri, in Moscow] in June 1997. Correspondents of the Russian news agencies ITAR-TASS and Interfax, recently returned from Afghanistan, say that representatives of [Anti-Taleban Afghan general] Ahmad Shah Masud said that Juma Namangoni and members of his group now are in Konduz [northern Afghanistan] in territory controlled by the Taleban.

 
  Uzbek Prime Minister in Kiev
  Prime Minister of Uzbekistan Utkir Sultanov led a delegation of the Uzbek government to Kiev, Ukraine for third session of the Uzbek-Ukrainian inter-state commission. The prime minister met with Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma and his counterpart Valery Pustovoitenko. Both delegations discussed a draft program for economic cooperation between Ukraine and Uzbekistan for a period from 1999 to 2008. The sides also reviewed bilateral cooperation between subjects of their national economies, and signed several inter-branch agreements.

 
  President meets with FILA Secretary General
  Uzbek President Islam Karimov met with visiting Secretary General of FILA (International Amateur Wrestling Federation) Michel Dusson May 24 in Tashkent. M. Dusson presented Islam Karimov FILA's highest award - Golden Necklace - for his contribution to the development of sports in Uzbekistan and in the world. President Karimov is the world's first state leader to be entitled to such an award. M. Dusson also gave high marks to the Uzbek President's promotion of the Uzbek wrestling - Kurash and its first world championship in Tashkent that had taken place in May 1-2 this year. M. Dusson visited Tashkent for the scheduled Asian Greeco-Roman and Free-Style Wrestling Championship that started on May 25. National wrestling federations from 135 countries are FILA's members. Uzbekistan joined FILA in 1992.

 
  Trial of those accused of Tashkent bombings may begin soon
  An investigative group of the Office of the Procurator of Uzbekistan has completed the investigation of the case of a group of terrorists accused of five bombings in Tashkent on February 16. The case is now transferred to the Supreme Court for examination. The group consists of 22 people accused of the bombings, assassination attempt on the life of President Karimov and other charges. The bombings in February killed 16 people and injured over 120 people.

 
  Japanese Eximbank to give $47 mln. to Uzbekistan
  Japanese Eximbank signed a credit agreement with the government of Uzbekistan for about $47 mln. to finance the procurement of equipment for a textile factory in Chinaz, Tashkent province. Acting Chairman of the National Bank of Uzbekistan Z. Mirhodjaev and Eximbank Manager Hiroshi Yasuda signed the agreement. The Chinaz textile factory was rennovated after the construction of a spinning factory was not completed. It was turned into a textile factory with Uzbek, Japanese and Turkish investments and will manufacture cotton and knitted sheets. The Japanese Eximbank delegation also held meetings at the Ministry for Foreign Economic Relations, Ministry of Finance and Uzbek Oil and Gas Holding Corporation. On May 26 Mr. Yasuda met with President Islam Karimov.

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