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Monday, November 5, 2007 Volume 11 Number 205
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Transcaucasia And Central Asia
ARMENIAN OPPOSITION SLAMS REPRISALS AGAINST FORMER PRESIDENT'S SUPPORTERSEleven Armenian opposition parties released a statement in Yerevan on November 1 condemning as "a blatant violation of human rights and civil liberties" the detention by police one week earlier of five supporters of former President Levon Ter-Petrossian, Noyan Tapan and RFE/RL's Armenian Service reported on November 2. The five, who include the editors of two opposition newspapers, have been formally charged with assaulting police who sought to prevent them from alerting passers-by to a planned rally by Ter-Petrossian (see "RFE/RL Newsline," October 24, 25 and 31, 2007). Two further opposition parties that have strained relations with Ter-Petrossian -- Vazgen Manukian's National Democratic Union and Artashes Geghamian's National Unity Pary -- issued separate statements condemning the police action. LF RESPECTED ARMENIAN ACADEMICIAN DIES Rafael Ghazarian, an atomic physicist who was one of the original 11 members of the Karabakh Committee formed in February 1988 to lobby for the transfer of the then-Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast from Azerbaijani to Armenian control, died in Yerevan on November 3 at the age of 84, Noyan Tapan reported on November 5. Together with the other members of the committee, including Ter-Petrossian and Manukian, Ghazarian was arrested in December 1988 and held for five months in a Moscow jail. He served as deputy chairman of Armenia's first postcommunist legislature in 1989-90 when Ter-Petrossian was its chairman, but fell out with him in the mid-1990s, and subsequently played a leading role in the ruling body of Armenia's Forum of the Intelligentsia. Ter-Petrossian visited him several weeks ago and the two reportedly resolved their long-standing differences and parted on amicable terms. LF GEORGIAN OPPOSITION LAUNCHES CONTINUOUS PROTESTS The National Council comprising 10 Georgian opposition parties staged a mass demonstration in Tbilisi on November 2 that was attended by some 40,000-50,000 people, Georgian and international media reported. The organizers and participants originally focused on four demands to the Georgian authorities: holding parliamentary elections in the spring of 2008 in accordance with the constitution; changes to the election law; parity representation on election commissions; and the release of those persons the opposition considers political prisoners. Georgian oligarch Badri Patarkatsishvili, who on October 28 offered financing for opposition parties, returned on Tbilisi on November 2 saying he did not plan to address the planned demonstration, but then changed his mind. He urged participants to pressure the government to embark on a dialogue that would pave the way for elections that would result in a "people's government," and left Tbilisi for London again later that day. Five opposition leaders met on the evening of November 2 with parliament speaker Nino Burjanadze, who rejected categorically the demand for elections in spring 2008 but said talks on the other three demands would continue. In response to that refusal, a smaller number of demonstrators -- some 10,000 -- convened in rainy and cold weather on November 3 and began demanding the resignation of President Mikheil Saakashvili. Between 20,000-30,000 people congregated again outside parliament on November 4; as of November 5, the protesters plan to picket unspecified government buildings in Tbilisi. In a live broadcast on the pro-government television channel Rustavi-2 on the evening of November 4, Saakashvili dismissed the protests as a "pale imitation" of those in November 2003 preceding the so-called Rose Revolution that culminated in the peaceful ouster of President Eduard Shevardnadze and Saakashvili's advent to power. He implied that the protests are being orchestrated from Moscow, but at the same time stressed that such protests "are part of the democracy we fought for." Opposition leaders rejected as insulting Saakashvili's allegation that they are acting at Moscow's behest, Caucasus Press reported on November 5. Konstantine Gamsakhurdia, son of the late Georgian President Zviad Gamsakhurdia and leader of the Tavisupleba (Liberty) party, compared Saakashvili's address to the rhetoric of the Leonid Brezhnev, who served from 1964-82 as general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. LF GEORGIA AGAIN CLAIMS RUSSIAN AIRCRAFT VIOLATED ITS AIRSPACE The Georgian Defense Ministry released a statement on November 4 claiming that three Russian Su-24 fighter aircraft entered Georgian airspace from the north at midday that day, and left after approximately one minute after penetrating some 3-4 kilometers, kavkaz-uzel.ru reported. But Russian Air Force spokesman Colonel Aleksandr Drobyshevsky denied the Georgian allegation, stressing that "given the present situation in Georgia" and the training maneuvers under way in the North Caucasus, all Russian Air Force flights are being "strictly monitored," kavkaz-uzel.ru reported on November 5. LF INVESTIGATION INTO CORRUPTION WITHIN KAZAKH DEFENSE MINISTRY WIDENS A formal probe of corruption within the Kazakh armed forces widened with the arrest on November 2 of the former head of army intelligence, who was detained in Almaty while attempting to bribe an official of the National Security Committee, Interfax-Kazakhstan reported. The press service of the National Security Committee's Almaty department released a statement reporting the arrest of the unnamed retired colonel by military counterintelligence and confirmed that the man tried to give a $30,000 bribe to a security official in order to thwart an investigation into corruption within the armed forces. The same day, Defense Minister Daniyal Akhmetov also dismissed the deputy head of the ministry's Department for Information Technology and Communications, Colonel Kasymkhanov, according to Kazakh television. Although the dismissal was said to be due to "poor discipline among the department's staff," the case was part of a broader investigation targeting corruption within the officer corps. RG KAZAKH OFFICIAL THREATENS TO ASSERT NATIONAL 'ECONOMIC INTERESTS' OVER OIL TALKS... Speaking to reporters in Astana, Kazakh Deputy Finance Minister Daulet Yergozhin warned on November 2 that if "there is no specific agreement" in talks over the operations of the offshore Kashagan oil field, Kazakhstan will "take appropriate measures to protect economic interests of the country," according to Interfax-Kazakhstan. Yergozhin also announced that talks between Kazakhstan and the Italian-led international consortium running operations at the Caspian field will end by the end of the month, regardless of whether a final agreement can be reached. He further stressed that all future operations at the offshore field must conform to Kazakh legislation, including the recently amended energy law, which grants Kazakhstan greater authority over the work of international energy companies in the country (see "RFE/RL Newsline," October 29, 2007). After the personal intervention of Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi (see "RFE/RL Newsline," October 9, 2007), a round of talks last month reached "an agreement in principle" by official stakeholders in the Italian-led Agip international consortium developing Kashagan to provide Kazakhstan with an unspecified greater share in the project, to be granted to the state-owned KazMunaiGaz energy company (see "RFE/RL Newsline," October 22, 2007). The between the Kazakh government and the consortium stems primarily from the consortium's decision to push back the start of production at the oil field from 2008 to late 2010 (see "RFE/RL Newsline," July 31 and August 22, 2007). In August, the government suspended work at Kashagan for three months due to alleged violations of environmental-protection laws, as well as repeated delays and cost overruns (see "RFE/RL Newsline," August 28, 2007). The projected total cost for developing the oil field has more than doubled from initial estimates of $57 billion to $136 billion. The Kashagan field holds between 7 billion and 9 billion tons of proven reserves, making it the largest oil field discovered in the last three decades and the fourth- or fifth-largest deposit in the world. RG ...AS OIL WORKERS DEMONSTRATE FOR PAY RAISE Some 50 workers at the Kashagan oil field staged a demonstration on November 2 in Atyrau demanding higher pay, Interfax-Kazakhstan reported. The workers, employed by two Turkish subcontractors, are seeking "at least" a 50 percent pay raise from the Italian-led international consortium operating Kashagan. A second demonstration, involving some 70 workers from an Italian subcontracting firm, erupted later that day, with protesters demanding a similar pay raise. RG FORMER KYRGYZ OFFICIAL CHARGED IN CASE OF OPPOSITION CLASH In an announcement in Bishkek, an unidentified official of the Kyrgyz Prosecutor-General's Office announced on November 2 that criminal charges have been filed against former parliamentarian Sultan Urmanaev for his role in a violent clash between police and opposition demonstrators, according to the 24.kg website. Urmanaev faces a possible prison term of between eight and 15 years if convicted for complicity in the March 2002 deaths of at least six people in the town of Aksy in the southwestern region of Jalal-Abad, of which he was then governor. The criminal charges are the latest in a larger case that includes the sentencing of several other former officials, ranging from the former police chief to the region's former prosecutor (see "RFE/RL Newsline," October 24, 2007). The events in Aksy triggered widespread protests throughout the country, with demonstrators blocking the main highway linking the north and south of the country. The reaction was further exacerbated by the release of a video showing riot police firing on unarmed demonstrators and as protests and demonstrations mounted, led to the eventual resignation of the government (see "Kyrgyzstan: New Aksy Probe Could Reach Current Circles," June 28, 2007, rferl.org). RG TAJIK PARLIAMENT APPROVES 2008 STATE BUDGET The Tajik parliament voted unanimously on November 2 to approve the government's draft state budget for 2008, Asia-Plus reported. In a report to parliament during the debate on the budget proposal, Finance Minister Safarali Najmuddinov explained that the priority for the government in the 2008 budget is to maintain the "socio-economic development of the country" while expanding tax collection and keeping inflation low. The 4.5 billion-somoni ($1.3 billion) budget is some 36 percent larger than the 2007 state budget and includes about $500 million in planned social spending, with increases of 44 and 41 percent on health care and education, respectively. The budget also allocates 732 million somonis ($212 million) for the energy sector, an increase of roughly 16.5 percent, to be largely spent on expanding hydroelectricity production. RG CAR BOMB TARGETS TAJIK NATIONAL GUARD CHIEF A car bomb exploded on November 2 in Dushanbe, destroying the vehicle belonging to the head of Tajikistan's National Guard, Major General Rajabali Rahmonaliev, Asia-Plus reported. The explosion went off while the unattended car was parked in a garage near Rahmonaliev's office and no one was hurt in the incident. The Interior Ministry later announced the launch of a full investigation, although no motive was cited for the attack. Rahmonaliev was appointed to head the National Guard in early 2004, replacing the currently imprisoned Ghaffor Mirzoev. A former head of the Drug Control Agency, Mirzoev was sentenced to life in prison in August 2006 for murder and attempting to overthrow the government (see "RFE/RL Newsline," August 9 and 14, 2006). Rahmonaliev previously served as the commander of a special airborne assault battalion within the Tajik Army. RG TAJIK PRESIDENT TELLS CONFERENCE OF NEED FOR GREATER INTEGRATION... A two-day ministerial conference of the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) ended on November 3 in Dushanbe, with delegations from Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia and Uzbekistan, as well as representatives from six multilateral institutions, Asia-Plus and Tajik television reported. In his opening address to the conference on November 2, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon stressed the priority of regional integration as a path toward greater "participation in the world economy in order to achieve and accelerate economic growth, ensure stability and improve the well-being of citizens." Rahmon also warned of the need to find a solution "to the problem of [the] use of the region's water and energy resources," pointing to the "unequal and irrational use of water resources in the region" and defining the use of water resources as a "strategic issue" for achieving sustainable development. Founded in 1997, the CAREC is supported by the Asian Development Bank and seeks to forge greater regional integration of the trade, transport and energy sectors. RG ...AND URGES GREATER INVESTMENT BY INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTIONS Meeting on the sidelines of the conference, President Rahmon on November 3 discussed the need for greater investment in the country with Masaru Honma, the director of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) for Central Asia, and welcomed the nearly $30 million in new investment projects initiated by the EBRD in the country every year, according to Tajik television and Asia-Plus. The EBRD portfolio in Tajikistan currently totals some 23 investment projects with an estimated value of $85.6 million, mainly focused on strengthening and developing Tajikistan's emerging private sector and supporting its commercial banks. Rahmon also met on November 2 with Shigeo Katsu, the World Bank's regional vice president for Europe and Central Asia, to discuss plans for increased World Bank assistance for the construction of hydroelectric power stations in Tajikistan, the development of a regional energy market, and the export of electricity to Afghanistan and Pakistan. The World Bank has some 17 investment projects in Tajikistan, totaling over $254.4 million, although it also has invested a total of nearly $468 million in the country to date. RG TURKMEN PRESIDENT MEETS WITH VISITING CHINESE PREMIER Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov met on November 4 with visiting Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao in Ashgabat, ITAR-TASS and Turkmen television reported. They reviewed several issues related to the planned construction of new natural-gas pipeline linking Turkmenistan and China. The planned pipeline, which is to transport gas from the Bagtyyarlyk reserve in Turkmenistan's Lebap region, through neighboring Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, before reaching western China, is intended to provide China with 30 billion cubic meters of Turkmen gas over a 30-year period. Wen's two-day visit was preceded by a recent visit to Turkmenistan of experts from the China National Petroleum Corporation to inspect the planned construction site (see "RFE/RL Newsline," November 2, 2007). RG SCO SUMMIT ENDS IN UZBEKISTAN A prime-ministerial summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) formally ended on November 3 in Tashkent, Interfax reported. The Chinese, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Russian, Tajik, and Uzbek prime ministers signed a set of closing agreements covering cooperation in the areas of customs, trade, and energy. In his welcoming speech to the summit on November 2, Uzbek Prime Minister Shavkat Mirziyoev heralded the summit's first-ever meeting in Uzbekistan and praised Kyrgyz Prime Minister Almazbek Atambaev's call for the SCO to lift "artificial restrictions" on trade and economic cooperation, Kabar reported. Russian Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov also called on November 2 for the formation of a new SCO "energy club," which he argued could foster greater regional integration and cooperation among SCO members. Zubkov added that Moscow is "ready for cooperation" in the area of emergency response and voiced his support for the proposed "establishment of an SCO center for preventing and dealing with emergency situations," which would be based in Kazakhstan. RG
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