Gulbanu Abenova
ALMATY, March 15 (THE GLOBE)
�In Kazakhstan a dangerous situation in the law enforcement institutions has been formed with respect to the common citizens. High ranking authorities, especially in the President�s structure, seem to be above the law�, Yevgenyi Zhovtis announced on March 12th in Almaty. The director of Kazakstan international bureau on human rights and the observation of laws revealed that up to a thousand complaints are submitted to the bureau each year. Accordance Mr. Zhovtis, an analysis of the complaints shows that for the last 4 years, our citizens� trust in law enforcement officials has suffered a significant blow. If in 1994 to 1995, most complaints were of a social and economical character, from 1997 onwards the majority of complaints have concerned the activity of the law enforcement institutions, court bodies and Kazakhstan�s Office of Public Prosecutor.
�It seems to us that as the judges have become independent from the state authorities, in some cases they have also become independent from the laws�, the director remarked. In Mr. Zhovtis� opinion, the court does not work as a serious effective institution. As a result, the ability of a citizen of our republic to defend his rights has become minimal.
�Events in the legal sector provide not only the discussion of establishing a democratic state, but also call into question the possibility of the rule of law throughout the country, � stated Mr. Zhovtis. At the present time, parallel to the legal system provided by the law, we can witness the forming of a system based on corruption, personal connections, and �telephone� rights, operating outside the legal frames and the current law in force.�
According to Mr. Zhovtis� words, not a single citizen of Kazakhstan except senior state officers is protected against illegal arrest, the potential of the falsification of a criminal case, illegal methods of investigation such as torture, and a possible unjust court sentence.
Mr. Zhovtis believes that the activities of the law enforcement institutions, the courts, and the Office of the Public Prosecutor have in a number of cases, caused irreparable damage to the legal system of the country. These actions threaten the state structure by giving rise to legal nihilism from both the power structures and from common citizens who are eye-witnesses and victims of illegal actions and unjust decisions of the state bodies.
ASHGABAD, Mar 12 (AFP)
Neither doubts about the viability of a proposed Caspian pipeline pumping local gas to world markets nor low world oil prices failed to dampen the spirits of about 300 oil executives meeting here Thursday.
Despite its troubles, Turkmenistan�s estimated 21.1 trillion cubic meters of natural gas and 13.5 billion tonnes of oil still stir the interest of the world�s largest oil and gas majors.
Representatives from firms in 26 countries converged on the dusty Turkmen capital of Ashgabad for the fourth Turkmenistan International Oil and Gas Exhibition (TIOGE), where the prospects for the 2.5-billion-dollar Caspian pipeline were discussed and the sad state of the world oil prices for producers were virtually ignored.
Richard Beazley, president of exploration and producing ventures in Eurasia for Mobil, summed up the interest in language all attending the conference could understand � gas reserves in the Caspian region are valued at 500 billion to 1.3 trillion dollars.
�In recent months, the falling oil price has forced us to ask the question is the Caspian region economically viable,� Beazley said.
It can be in the long-term if governments, national oil companies and international firms working in the region cooperate to ensure oil and gas from the landlocked Central Asian countries can compete with other regions, he said.
For Turkmenistan, the first test of whether cooperation is possible may well be the construction of the 1,943-kilometer (1,200-mile) Caspian natural gas pipeline.
Many industry insiders question the project�s commercial viability.
Iran said it would oppose the pipeline�s construction unless the Caspian�s five littoral states � Russia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan � determine how the sea is to be divided.
�Iran is now against any pipeline through the Caspian Sea without the determination of its legal status,� Ali Majedi, a deputy minister in Iran�s oil ministry, told journalists.
The Caspian Sea negotiations have dragged on for years with few expecting an agreement any time soon.
Majedi said the Caspian pipeline is more costly than the Iran option, but his complaints have fallen on deaf ears of decision-makers in Washington.
Turkmenistan signed the pipeline agreement after the United States, which is opposed to pipelines through Russia or Iran, heavily lobbied for the option.
But industry observers say a lot needs to be done before the gas starts flowing, including securing financing for the pipeline�s construction and markets for the gas.
Turkmenistan and Turkey were working Thursday to sign a sales and purchase agreement for Turkmen gas, which would be finalized in days, said Turkish Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Ziya Aktas.
Turkey could agree to buy up to 14 billion cubic meters of gas annually, with the rest of the 16 billion cubic meters of gas exported to customers in Europe, Aktas said.
Both sides insist there is a market for Turkmen gas, despite a pipeline project proposed by Russia�s Gazprom and Italy�s ENI to send Russian gas to Turkey.
�The Turkish market can absorb all the gas that Russia and other countries, including Iran and Algeria, can produce for Turkey,� said Batyr Sardzhayev, Turkmenistan�s deputy minister in charge of the oil and gas sector.
By the end of May, Sardzhayev said Turkmenistan hopes to have formed a consortium of companies to work on the technical, administrative and financial aspects of the construction
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