| November 7-November 14, 1998 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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World interference to settle Afghan tragedy
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A compulsory interference of all
countries of the international community and, primarily, the United Nations can
settle the tragedy of Afghanistan, Uzbek President Islam Karimov said at the
final meeting of the 115th session of the UNESCO Council's Executive
Committee in Tashkent on Friday.
"A special concern and alarm are caused by the developments underway in
Afghanistan, which has actually turned into the training grounds of international
terrorism," the president said. "Afghanistan is not only a spot of the
military-political tension, but also a source of the spread of armaments and
narcotic drugs and a center for training terrorists and religious extremists."
"The United Nations, including UNESCO, should save the future generation
from disasters of a war with the help of the intellectual and moral solidarity of
whole mankind," Karimov said.
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UNESCO Council session in Tashkent
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The 155th session of the Executive Council
of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation
(UNESCO) ended in Uzbekistan on Saturday with the adoption of the Tashkent
Declaration "Peace Culture and UNESCO Activities in the Member-States."
This document is permeated with faith and hope that humankind's entry into the
21st century is based on the culture of peace, free from such vices as war,
violence and social inequality, UNESCO Secretary-General Federico Major
said.
The chairman of the UNESCO Executive Council, Pal Pataki, welcomed the
declaration, initiated by Uzbekistan, as one of the factors facilitating the creation
of the culture of peace.
Uzbek President Islam Karimov also stressed in his speech that "the idea of
peace culture provides the basis for the philosophy of global development in the
21st century."
"It served as the core of humankind development in all of its varieties and
originality in the previous centuries too, it was the backbone of spirituality and
humanism," he said.
"Today it is called upon to promote solidarity and cooperation in the name of
peace and stability," the president said.
Karimov expressed the hope that "culture and education can save the world
from obscurantism and vandalism, religious and ethnic extremism, ethnic
confrontation and regional conflicts and wars." During the conference UNESCO Secretary-General Federico Major awarded President Islam Karimov a gold medal named after Avicenna for his contribution to the development of culture and preservation of traditions and ancient history of Uzbekistan.
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Uzbekistan denies presence of Tajik mutiny leaders
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Uzbekistan on Monday denied that leaders of
an anti-government mutiny last week in neighboring Tajikistan are hiding on its
territory.
Uzbek Foreign Ministry spokesman Bakhodyr Umarov also reiterated an earlier
statement that described as "slanderous" reports that the leaders of the revolt,
which started last Wednesday in northern Tajikistan, had entered Tajikistan from
Uzbekistan, Itar-Tass reported.
Monday's denial followed Tajik presidential spokesman Zafar Saidov's
supposition earlier in the day that former colonel Makhmud Khudoiberdyev and
ex-prime minister Abdumalik Abdulladzhanov have fled to Uzbekistan.
Khudoiberdyev and Abdulladzhanov are believed to be the masterminds of the
armed revolt, which left 40 rebels killed and 10 government soldiers wounded.
The Tajik government on Monday asked the countries of the Commonwealth of
Independent States, "primarily Uzbekistan and Russia," to help organize the
search and detention of the rebels as well as persons "involved in a number of
other acts of terrorism and sabotage" in the former Soviet republic.
Government troops chased the last large group of rebel fighters into the
mountains Monday after five days of fighting in this Central Asian nation.
The Tajik government said in a statement that "according to reliable reports,
Abdulladzhanov, Khudoiberdyev and others with the support of individual
institutions are living in the Uzbek capital, and some in Moscow."
"The fraternal assistance to CIS countries is a key factor of the advancement of
the peace process in Tajikistan," the statement said.
Khudoiberdyev began the uprising Wednesday, demanding that President
Emomali Rakhmonov free all political prisoners and bring his supporters into the
government. The president has ruled out any talks with the rebels.
The fighting followed a peace treaty last year that ended five years of civil war
between the Muslim opposition and the Rakhmonov government.
Main opposition groups are now participating in the government and the armed
forces and participated in the fighting against the rebels.
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President fires governor of Samarkand
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President Islam Karimov held an unscheduled meeting of the people's deputies of Samarkand oblast in Samarkand. The nearly two-hour session was broadcast on Uzbek TV 1. There he critisized Alisher Mardiev's work as an oblast khokim (governor) for the past three years. The president highlighted the growth of crime in the nation's second largest oblast. He critisized Mardiev for changing his brothers's last names and appointing his relatives high-ranking positions in Samarkand.
"Mr. Mardiev is a professional lawyer and I thought that he would use his skills and experience to wipe out crime from his oblast, but instead he put his relatives in charge of the oblast's law enforcement agencies and did nothing to stop crime", said the president. Mr. Karimov also showed several pictures of mansions and big houses belonging to the elite of Samarkand including Mardiev and said that they were built for the stolen money and construction materials saved during the Amir Temur and Al-Bukhari jubilees. "How were you not afraid of Allah's anger?"
The president also spoke about a house bought by Mardiev to have parties and entertainments. Mardiev was also accused of bribery and corruption. He would change oblast's officials too often and "and a new appointment doesn't happen without the involvement of the "green" (dollar)." "We need to form a new political force in the country that I could rely on. They should be made up young people. I think it is the old Soviet mentality that makes our government officials corrupt. We need young people in the government," said the president.
The president proposed to make khokim of Tashkent province a new oblast khokim of Samarkand. He described Erkin Ruziev an experienced economist who lacked negative nature Mr. Mardiev had. "I think it is better to put an outsider in charge of Samarkand," said the president, "because he has no relatives here and less likely to fall under the influence of a surrounding." The deputies voted for the appointment of Mr. Ruziev for this position.
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Uzbekistan says starts process to join WTO
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zbekistan has begun talks to join the global
free trade group, the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Foreign Economic
Relations Minister Elyor Ganiyev said on Tuesday.
"In September, Uzbekistan sent a memorandum (of foreign trade rules) to the
World Trade Organisation," he told a news conference. "That is considered
practically the beginning of the process of Uzbekistan joining."
He gave no forecast of when the country might hope to join the group.
Fellow Central Asian republic Kyrgyzstan has already been invited to join the
WTO. It and the Baltic state of Latvia were the first former Soviet nations to be
invited into the trade group.
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Tajik troops search for remaining rebel fighters
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Soldiers in Tajikistan searched northern mountains Tuesday
for scattered groups of rebel fighters who were driven off after several days of
heavy fighting in the Central Asian nation.
The rebels are trying to flee into neighboring Uzbekistan, the Tajik Interior
Ministry said, according to the Interfax news agency.
More than 200 people were killed and hundreds more wounded in the clashes in
and around Khudzhand, the government said.
Telephone service still had not been returned to the city by Tuesday, Interfax
said.
Tajik officials say government forces have surrounded the area, closed the
border, and cut off all roads.
The rebel leader, former army Col. Makhmud Khudoberdyev, remains at large,
and the government said he may have fled to Uzbekistan. That country says it is
not harboring him or any other rebels.
The fighting followed a peace treaty last year that ended five years of civil war
between the Muslim opposition and the government.
A number of warlords have refused to abide by the accord and periodically
launch attacks in the former Soviet republic.
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Uzbekistan denies support for Tajik rebels
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Uzbek Foreign Minister Abdulaziz
Kamilov said on Wednesday that "according to the information we have,
ex-prime minister of Tajikistan Abdumalik Abdulladzhanov is in Switzerland, not
in Uzbekistan as some mass media and the press service of the Tajik president
claim."
Kamilov told journalists about the aid Uzbekistan has provided to Tajikistan. In
particular, Uzbekistan has allowed Tajik government troops to pass through its
territory.
On Monday, Uzbekistan already denied reports that people involved in the
anti-government mutiny in Tajikistan are staying on its territory.
Earlier, Tajik presidential spokesman Zafar Saidov made a supposition that
former colonel Makhmud Khudoiberdyev and Abdulladzhanov had fled to
neighbouring Uzbekistan after an abortive coup attempt.
Uzbek Foreign Ministry spokesman Bakhodyr Umarov told Itar- Tass that
Uzbekistan's position on the latest events in northern Tajikistan was clearly
stated in the Foreign Ministry's official statement of October 29.
In the statement, the ministry described as "slanderous" reports that members of
the anti-government group led by Khudoiberdyev had entered Tajikistan from
Uzbekistan.
Umarov said that Uzbekistan, as no other country, is interested in a speedy
restoration of lasting and long-awaited peace and stability in Tajikistan.
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President fires governor of Navoi
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President fired the governor (khokim) of Navoi province on the same charges as it was with the khokim of Samarkand oblast. Hayot Gafforov is accused of corruption, promotion of relatives to senior posts in the province, poor leadership work. 1st deputy khokim of Bukhara province Gaybullo Dilov was appointed a new khokim of Navoi. The latest staffing changes in the central and local government seem like a series of anti-corruption campaign. Within over a month three deputy prime ministers, one minister and two governors, most of whom held their positions since Independence in 1991, were released from their positions, including First Deputy Prime-Minister Ismoil Jurabekov, second powerful politician in Uzbekistan after President Karimov.
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