ASTANA, August 31 (THE GLOBE)
The project of the budget of RK for 2000 has been finally discussed at the meeting of the Kazakhstan government. This was announced by the press service of the Prime Minister on August 31 in Astana.
Nurlan Balgimbaev, the head of the Kazakhstan government, characterised the new budget as difficult, but real at maximum.
According to Mr. Balgimbaev, despite the consequences of the economic crisis, the projected parameters of the following period arouse some optimism.
�According to careful estimations, in this year the budget will be realised by 98%, and in the next year � up to 101% of the budget will be realised. Revenues to the budget in the next year are expected in the amount of 22.7% of GDP. The prognosis for the following years was made for the first time. Hence, it is possible to notice a positive dynamics of the budget deficit: from 3.6% in this year to 3.0% in 2000, 2.5% in 2001, and 2.0% in 2002,� the press service declares.
It is stated that the project of the budget has another innovation, i.e. expenses towards rural medicine and pensions will not be reduced. According to the new project, super high pensions of separate categories of pensioners are to be reduced to reasonable rate of 6.5 thousand tenge, in order to increase the rest pensions from 3 thousand to 3.5 thousand tenge.
Financing of a number of healthcare programs will be increased (e.g. anti-tuberculosis one � by 270 million tenge).
The peak of the crisis has passed, the Prime Minister emphasised, GDP is growing, the collection of taxes increases, and prices of our export products are growing as well. �All this allows us to persist on this realistic budget before the present Parliament of the country,� he said.
Aug 31 (ITAR-TASS )
Kazakhstan is going to render a military aid to neighbouring Kyrgyzstan to liquidate terrorists� troops, invaded its territory. On Tuesday the correspondent of ITAR-TASS was told in the Ministry of Defence of the republic, military technique, communication means and ammunition for both artillery and air forces will be sent there.
According to the information of the same source, a group of Kazakhstan military experts has left for the town of Osh to take part in the work of the headquarter on co-ordination of operations of the united forces against terrorists� troops. Specialists will participate in working out a tactical plan on capture and rendering terrorists harmless.
In his interview to the TV channel Khabar, the acting Minister of Defence of Kazakhstan, the general-lieutenant Bakhytzhan Yertaev announced that Kazakhstan �is true to agreements on mutual protection and defence� and would respond to any requests of the Kyrgyz authorities, including would send to the battle zone an anti-terrorist division formed on the voluntary basis from reserve soldiers who have the experience of the Afghan war. Mr. Yertaev believes that we should not underestimate the threat of the conflict�s distribution to countries bordering on Kyrgyzstan. It is necessary to stop the conflict from the very beginning with collective efforts.
BISHKEK
Aug 31
(Asia Pulse )
India and Kyrgyzstan will discuss various steps and modalities to curb the menace of cross-border terrorism, mainly sponsored by the Islamic fundamentalist groups, which is casting a shadow on the security of the region.
�Indian Vice-President Krishan Kant would discuss with the Kyrgyz President Askar Akayev steps to be taken bilaterally and multilaterally to contain the menace of cross-border terrorism along with other issues pertaining to bilateral economic ties,� official sources said on Sunday after Kant arrived here in Krygystan for a two-day official visit.
Kant would be the chief guest of the ninth Independence Day celebration of the Kyrgyz Republic, which was earlier a part of Soviet Union.
The visit of the Vice-President assumes significance as it follow the �Shanghai Five� summit of China, Russia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan held here on August 24 and 25. The �Shanghai Five� among other things discussed issues of regional security, settlement of the Afghan conflict and steps to fight illegal trade of weapons and drugs in central Asia.
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