| September 11-September 18, 1999 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Five CIS states to hold military exercise in Uzbekistan
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|  coalition command and staff military exercise is to be held in Uzbekistan late in
October with participation of Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, military sources told Itar-Tass on
Wednesday.
The exercise will train methods of joint fight against terrorist gangs. A corresponding agreement was reached at a session of five
CIS defence ministers in Moscow.
According to the source, bilateral agreements are expected to be reached on Wednesday on Russia's military assistance to
Kyrgyzstan. No concrete information on the amount, term and kind of Russian equipment and armaments to be sent to
Kyrgyzstan has been disclosed.
The session on the situation in southern Kyrgyzstan was held with participation of the defence ministers from Armenia,
Byelorussia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin also took part in the session.
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Japanese hostages may be released soon
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|  he four Japanese hostages held by an armed group in southern Kirghizia since
August 22 can be released within the next few days, the representative of the Uzbek ultra-radical Islamic opposition, Tokhir Yuldosh, told several western media on Wednesday.
"Such negotiations are already being held directly with the Japanese side," said Yuldosh who has been put by Uzbekistan's authorities on the international wanted list.
However, Yuldosh did not specify the level of the current contacts or conditions on which the militants are ready to release the four Japanese citizens.
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OSCE head to pay visits to five Central Asian countries
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|  SCE chairman in office Knut Vollebaek will pay visits to five Central Asian countries.
The Norwegian Foreign Ministry press service said on Thursday that Vollebaek will visit Turkmenia, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan,
Kirghizia and Kazakhstan from September 28 to October 4.
This trip was planned several months ago, but was postponed in connection with NATO's aggression against Yugoslavia.
Vollebaek will meet the leadership of these countries, the foreign ministers, parliament members and will visit the OSCE missions
in these states.
The OSCE head has a rather busy schedule. He is currently in the Caucasus and next week he will accompany King Harald V
of Norway when he makes a state visit to Romania.
Active work is being done by preparing the OSCE summit to be held in Istanbul on November 18-19. The summit is expected
to adopt a charter on European security.
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Five parties cleared for Uzbek parliament election
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|  zbekistan's central election
commission said on Tuesday it had
cleared five parties to field candidates
for parliamentary elections on
December 5.
Western diplomats say the parliament
is largely a rubber-stamp body in a
country where long-time leader,
President Islam Karimov, maintains a
tight grip on power.
"The election commission yesterday
approved these five parties and now
they can start selecting candidates for
the Oli Mazhlis legislature," election
commission spokesman Sherzod
Kudratkhodzhayev told reporters.
Kudratkhodzhayev said the
candidates must be registered by 21
October, after which they can start
campaigning.
About 12.5 million people are
expected to vote for the parliament in
the largely desert Central Asian
nation which has a population of 24 million. Presidential elections will be held
on January 9.
The 250-seat parliament is dominated by a pro-presidential party, the
People's Democratic Party, with 69 deputies.
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Uzbek and Kyrgyz defense ministers meet
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| he defense ministers of Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan held talks in district centre
Batken. The Uzbek side did not demand it from Kyrgyzstan to step up military hostilities against the terrorists who had crossed
into Kyrgyzstan from Tajikistan on August 22, a source at the Kyrgyz power structures told Itar-Tass.
He said "the Uzbek defense minister, contrary to some western media reports, did not claim that Kyrgyzstan increase military
pressure on the extremists." The sides only discussed clear-cut coordination in the settlement of this armed conflict.
In his written address to the Kyrgyz authorities, extremist leader Zubair ibn Abdurrakhim said "the actions of his detachments
were aimed against the Tashkent regime" and that he "had no claims against" Askar Akayev. But, he did not rule out that "jihad"
or the holy war could be declared on Kyrgyz authorities just as well if the Kyrgyz troops continued hampering his gangs from
"returning home to Uzbekistan."
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Tajik opposition denies involvement in Kyrgyz developments
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| he Tajik opposition said that allegations of being involved in the developments in
the southern regions of Kyrgyzstan were slander and provocation of the Uzbekistan authorities.
Neither are true allegations that the Uzbek opposition fighters "are carrying out their armed action on the order and according to
the plan of the Tajik opposition," the Tajik opposition leaders said in a statement prompted by "slanderous publications" in
official Uzbek papers, as the opposition press secretary Khikmatullo Saifullozoda put it.
According to the statement, "these fabrications aim to undermine peace and national concord in Tajikistan and prove ill- mined
plans of its foes."
"The Tajik people, which has suffered the horrors of a civil war, is categorically against any repetition of such a tragedy," the
statement stressed. That is why, the "opposition leadership, from the very beginning, has repeatedly condemned the hostilities in
Kyrgyzstan's south and has spoken in favour of finding a soonest solution to the crisis."
At the same time, the Tajik opposition leaders said that the "Uzbekistan leadership, in stead of spreading speculations, should
review its internal and foreign policy, especially in the area of human rights" and use "its neighbours' experience in reaching peace
and national unity."
"It is impossible to solve problems, seeking do away with own opposition with others' hands and placing responsibility for own
problems on neighbours," the statement said.
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Uzbekistan health care availability to modernize with help from TDA
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| he U.S. Trade and
Development Agency (TDA) awarded a $386,065 grant to
Uzbekistan's Public Health Ministry to partially fund a feasibility
study on the construction of an emergency medical center in
Tashkent. U.S. Ambassador to Uzbekistan Joseph Presel signed the
grant today on behalf of TDA in a ceremony in the capital city. Dr.
Feriz Nazyrov, Uzbekistan's Minister of Public Health, also took part
in the ceremony.
"Uzbekistan has placed the highest priority on building this facility,
and we are excited to contribute funding for a project that will go a
long way toward meeting the country's urgent need for modern health
facilities." said TDA Director J. Joseph Grandmaison.
The World Health Organization recently reported that Uzbekistan is
experiencing a shortage of everything from pharmaceuticals and
basic medical supplies to appropriate medical equipment. Under the
direction of V&S Corporation of Williamsville, New York, this
feasibility study will identify the clinical needs of the hospital,
complete a site evaluation, prepare architectural, mechanical and
electrical designs, and determine equipment needs for the 700-bed
facility. Once implemented, the emergency medical center will have
the capacity to serve the 2.1 million people in and around Tashkent
as well as provide emergent medicine center for patients across the
country.
The U.S. Trade and Development Agency is an independent federal
agency that assists in the creation of jobs for Americans by helping
U.S. companies pursue overseas business opportunities. TDA
provides American firms with market entry, exposure and information
through the funding of feasibility studies, technical assistance,
reverse trade missions, and conferences. These efforts help
American businesses establish a position in newly emerging
economies.
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Japan hopes for stronger economic ties with Uzbekistan
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|  ioko Nakayama, Japan's ambassador in Tashkent, told
journalists that her country is interested in expanding trade
with Uzbekistan, which last year stood at $122 million,
Interfax reported on 8 September. Nakayama said that 16
Japanese companies currently have offices in Tashkent, but a
further increase in investment is unlikely because the Uzbek
currency is not fully convertible. Japan has invested over $1
billion in Uzbekistan since 1995, of which the Japanese
government invested some $334 million. Nakayama said the
Japanese and Uzbek governments will sign agreements later
this month under which Japan will fund communications
programs in Uzbekistan and rebuild three airports. Meanwhile,
an Iranian government delegation headed by Highways and
Transport Minister Mahmud Hojati-Najafabadi is currently
visiting Tashkent, "Nezavisimaya gazeta" reported on 9
September. The delegation will meet with representatives of
the Uzbek government and the national railroad and airline.
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