WASHINGTON, Dec 23 (New York Times)
The leader of Kazakhstan warned Tuesday against isolating Russia and reaffirmed his commitment to move his nation�s rich oil reserves through a pipeline that would bypass politically unstable nations.
Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev�s scheduled 20-minute meeting with President Clinton on Tuesday turned into an hourlong discussion. It covered his country�s work to build a democracy, American investment in the former Soviet republic and Kazakhstan�s efforts to liquidate its nuclear arsenal, which was the fourth largest in the world when the Soviet Union collapsed.
After leaving the White House, Nazarbayev went across the street to Blair House where he met with reporters and U.S. businessmen and honored Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., and former Sen. Sam Nunn, D-Ga., for their work in disarmament.
Kazakhstan, which borders China and Russia in central Asia, claims to have potential oil reserves of up to 110 billion barrels. Nazarbayev said his country was supporting construction of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium, a major oil pipeline between Tengiz in Kazakhstan and Novorossiysk, Russia�s port on the Black Sea. Builders broke ground for that pipeline last month.
The CPC pipeline, which is scheduled to be completedin 2001, will allow Kazakhstan to export through 2004 or 2005. Then, another pipeline will be needed, he said.
�Some investors believe that the second best pipeline would be through Iran, but there are political problems there,� he said. �The other option is from Baku to Ceyhan and the fact of the matter is that after CPC, the project that�s best developed is the Baku-Ceyhan project.� Baku is the capital of Azerbaijan, while Ceyhan is a Turkish port.
Kazakhstan signed a joint statement in Istanbul last month along with the governments of Turkey, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkmenistan supporting the pipeline from Baku to Ceyhan, which will allow it to ship oil directly to the Mediterranean, avoiding the congested Bosporus Straits.
In discussing recent elections in Russia, Nazarbayev said he told Clinton it was important not to �isolate Russia, economically or politically.�
�If we want to keep Russia moving in the direction of liberal reforms, then we need to support their government or it could play into the hands of nationalists or other groups,� he said. �And I can say that President Clinton shared that opinion.�
WASHINGTON, Dec 21 (Los Angeles Times)
Vice President Al Gore met with the leader of Kazakhstan on Monday to reaffirm U.S. support for the former Soviet republic and sign an agreement covering issues ranging from economic cooperation to nuclear safety.
Gore also applauded Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev�s investigation and punishment of officials who sold 40 old MiG21 jet fighters to North Korea and said Nazarbayev had recommitted himself to democratic reforms.
�The relationship between the United States and Kazakhstan is of great importance,� Gore said, welcoming Nazarbayev to a meeting in the vice president�s ceremonial office.
As part of the sixth meeting of the U.S.-Kazakhstan Joint Commission, the two leaders signed a final report calling for greater consular cooperation, bilateral efforts toward decommissioning a nuclear reactor, the transfer of nuclear safety technology, more small business assistance across borders, increased military contacts, and other issues.
Nazarbayev assured Gore that Kazakhstan was reforming its trade policy to bring it in line with World Trade Organization rules and beefing up its election system to comply with the strictures of the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe.
Gore offered praise for the Baku-Ceyhan pipeline deal among Kazakhstan�s neighbors, Turkey, Azerbaijan and Georgia, designed to send Caspian Sea oil to world markets without going through Russia or Iran. The role of the pipeline could be increased by transporting oil from Kazakhstan to Baku and pumping it through the pipeline.
Nazarbayev said that capitalizing on his nation�s oil and gas resources would require greater investment from abroad. �We ask support in this regard,� he told Gore.
Aidar AKHMETOV
ALMATY, Dec 23 (THE GLOBE)
First mistake
Any country cannot normally exist and develop without proper foreign and domestic policies. Recently people say a lot that against background of other CIS countries Kazakhstan has the most stable foreign and domestic political climates. It is true?
After Kazakhstan became independent, it had to choose most important priorities in its relations with other countries. It is quite clear that requirement in foreign investments affected the country�s foreign policy. Making any foreign political step, the country takes into consideration possible reaction of the countries-investors, �correcting� its policy. As a fresh example we may mention Russia�s position in the Balkan conflict: it did not take any real measures to prevent NATO aggression. There was only words, but no deeds. It was impossible for Russia to act in another way: that time IMF was considering credit to the Russian Federation.
Kazakhstan is not a nuclear power, hence we cannot even �speak against�. But this status has its own positives. However, definite actions of the top leaders of the country make us again and again remind the notorious �correction�. The President called multilateral diplomacy the Kazakhstan�s new formula of success. In particular, at the meeting with foreign diplomats and representatives of international organizations Nursultan Nazarbaev mentioned two approaches to construct the world: �first, it is multi-poles system based on a stable foundation of the international law and strengthening institutions of multilateral diplomacy. Second, it is model with unlimited domination of one super-power or a group of highly-developed economically and militarily states.��(Kazakhstanskaya Pravda, 04.12.99).
What does �multilateral diplomacy� mean? How will this project be realized? We should not forget that the fine saying �wolves are satisfied and sheep are intact� is good only theoretically. In fact, that are wolves who are always lucky.
The double position has been never clear and honest. Moreover, nobody liked or likes it. Kazakhstan needs a strictly constructive and well-thought diplomacy. Despite everything, there cannot be any �multilateral diplomacy�. We should choose the position and try to follow it.
Second mistake
There is no domestic policy without foreign one, and vice versa. One of the components of the domestic policy is social stability of the society. The national factor is first of all the basis of such stability.
Kazakhstan considers itself a country without any national problems. The President repeatedly said that a stable condition of the multi-national Kazakhstani society first of all depended on international relations. Nursultan Nazarbaev thinks there is no so-called national problem in Kazakhstan. This is the second political mistake of our President.
Migration of Russian population has recently become huge. Official sources prefer not to comment on this topic. The illusion of the favorable international situation �goes to pieces�, but the authorities still do not notice the problem. This position is often called �an ostrich� one � no problem exists if you do not see it.
In this situation �pseudo-patriotism� is also significant, when only Kazakhs are called true owners of Kazakhstan. Few people dare to say aloud the word �nationalism�, or about persecution of people of other nationalities, etc.
Speculating with the word �patriotism�, a separate group of people that are as patriots as copper is gold. It is quite necessary to take off rosy spectacles and look at the national problem without any illusions. This directly depends on the President. The problem will be settled only when the existence of the problem is admitted.
Aidar AKHMETOV
ALMATY, Dec 21
(THE GLOBE)
Participants of the Forum of Kazakhstani Democratic Forces (FDF) visited the USA and France, where they had a chance to express their opinion regarding the situation in Kazakhstan. On December 21 FDF representatives meet journalists in Almaty.
�We notified the foreign political elite of the situation in the political arena in Kazakhstan,� Nurbolat Masanov, a FDF spokesman said. He stated that the influence of the Kazakhstani opposition is great and FDF will continue to widen its effect and presence in the West.
Amirzhan Kosanov, the deputy of the chairman of the executive committee of the Republican People�s Party of Kazakhstan said that American political circles are anxious about the fate of the Kazakhstani opposition. Kosanov shared his impressions from �examination� by the Almaty Customs officers.
�The West knows about recent political repression in Kazakhstan,� Serikbolsyn Abdildin, a parliamentarian said.
Kosanov also touched the arrest of guards of Akezhan Kazhegeldin (THE GLOBE #97). He called the act �a 100-percent provocation� by the authorities. Kosanov said to journalists that he expected the next provocation.
Madel Ismailov, the Working Movement chairman thinks the dialogue between the authorities and the opposition to be carried on through the law-reinforcement organizations. Ismailov emphasized that if pressing on FDF supporters is not ceased, he will have to call them to seek a political asylum outside Kazakhstan.
To the journalists� question, where from FDF takes money for such tours, they replied: �Public organizations from the USA and France financed the tour.�
In conclusion participants of the Forum of Kazakhstani Democratic Forces expressed their hope that the authorities would choose a constructive approach, stop pressing of the opposition and start the national dialogue to settle complex problems to overcome the crisis.
We attract your attention to the article �Ilych�s precepts� by Elmar Guseinov published in Izvestia newspaper dated December 15,1999. The author expresses his own opinion regarding Kazakhstani opposition�s tour to Paris. �The opposition�s Forum was innumerous,� Guseinov writes. �I counted about ten Kazakhs in the cozy hall RECAMIER in the prestigious Paris hotel LUTETIA. Some of them were students studying in France and journalists.� The article contains some facts, according to which the author connects financing of the tour with Boris Berezovsky, asking the question: �What does Berezovsky need in Kazakhstan?� This is very interesting question�
Bakhytzhamal BEKTURGANOVA
Deputy of the chairman of the party
Political Alliance of Women�s Organizations of Kazakhstan
Dec 17
(Specially for THE GLOBE)
Meetings of the Forum of Kazakhstani Democratic Forces cochairmen with representatives of French public organizations and press demonstrated that the French society paid attention to the last Parliamentary elections in Kazakhstan.
It is not secrete for many Paris citizens that behind pseudo-democratic slogans there are authoritarian clan systems and corruption in Kazakhstan.
The official information by diplomatic services accredited in Kazakhstan stated that in fact there is no opposition in the country. For the official Paris it meant the only thing: once there is no opposition, there is no requirement in democracy. This gave a card blanche to official Astana to negotiate on economic loans and to ground its membership in OSCE.
Official Washington, Paris, London, etc. which did not know the degree of literacy of the Kazakhstani population, perceived us as an underdeveloped country where the authorities tried to introduce democracy by force. Hence, foreigners pretended not to notice methods of the authoritarian pedagogy applied to in Kazakhstan.
Kazakhstani President would have managed to support a speculative image of �a democrat� in the West, if the united opposition represented by the Forum of Kazakhstani Democratic Forces had not appeared in the country. After that the situation both in Kazakhstan and outside the country changed abruptly.
Literally, some months before the Forum was established, French President Chirac commented on the Kosovo events: �Human rights cannot be an internal affair of a single state no longer.�
As if foreseeing the forthcoming events, members of the Shanghai Treaty declared: human rights are internal affair of a state.
However, this statement did not protected Kazakhstani President from the events followed after the Forum of Democratic Forces was established. A wave of forums as a response to the Parliamentary election held in the country, was not an internal problem of Kazakhstan. The information of the society�s protest and the new opposition entered the international press. The Forum of Kazakhstani Democratic Forces received responses from all countries of the world.
By the invitation of the French society 10 spokesmen of the Forum held a number of meetings in Paris. One of them was held on December 12, 1999 in the conference hall RECAMIER (in LUTETIA hotel), where Yevgeny Primakov had held a press conference before. The Forum cochairmen met representatives of public and journalistic circles from both France and Russia. Parties exchanged their opinions mainly on the political situation in Kazakhstan during the Parliamentary election and after it.
On December 13 the Forum cochairmen held a press conference in the French-Russian club situated on the second floor of LADUREE hotel.
Attention of both owners and guests of the press club was attracted by the Forum of Kazakhstani Democratic Forces. The disgraced former Prime Minister A. Kazhegeldin was also present at the meetings.
His image as a terrorist that was created by the Kazakhstani special services does not match the image of this person, who has tired to live abroad.
His speech at the press conference did not resemble to a terrorist� s one. Everything that he said, is what every Kazakhstani citizen with common sense, who is not indifferent to the fate of his motherland, says.
Brief verbatim report of A. Kazhegeldin�s speech
(December 13, Paris)
Both the authorities and the opposition love our motherland. Presently in Kazakhstan there is a �stalemate situation�. The regime is unable to assure the opposition that it is right. The opposition cannot come to power in a democratic way (by means of the election). The economic and political crisis impedes consolidation of the most significant forces to provide social stability in the country. The National dialogue is necessary.
We, Kazakhstanis, appreciate rights and freedoms and wish to have them not less that Europeans. Kazakhstan is a Eurasian state, a part of which is located in Europe. The Kazakhstani population is highly educated and is of the level if the highly developed countries of the world.
It is necessary to take into consideration a highly integration of the Kazakhstani population with Western culture through Russian one. That is why progressive and democratic ideas are close to us. In the next millenium in the morning we would like to have a tea at home, and in the evening � to enjoy marvelous performances by Grand-Opera.
Once Kazakhstan was considered to be democratic in comparison with other CIS countries. We were optimistic. However, a high concentration of power in hands of a narrow circle of people is getting dangerous and arouses sad prognoses regarding perspective transfer of power. Many talented Kazakhstanis have left for Poland, Czech republic, France, the USA, and UK. It is impossible to speak of it without bitterness and pity.
When the Soviet Union collapsed, we remained with an obsolete technologies and natural resources. We had no main element to reorganize the economy � money. Neither we have now. I came to the government when the country had undergone two romantic periods of the privatization. To avoid corruption and to attract investments to the country�� economy we offered an open international tender. American companies Chevron, Mobil, Swiss Clipkor, British and Indian Ispat came to the country.
We were naive in our expectations. People close to the power rapidly adapted to the situation. Once the investor appeared in the Kazakhstani market, it occurred so that we had neither money nor investor, but the national capital grew in private hands.
Today pensioners are made a fool of, as they do not know what is going on in the economy. The truth is that the government wishes both to pay pensions and to erect the new capital. People are poor, but the authorities are settling down in Astana. When the government invests cash from pension funds to bonds, isn�t it a default?
It is difficult for me to say this, as I supported the regime for three years. I was mistaken as I thought the main thing was to restore the economy, while the policy will come itself. Today, when I am thrice condemned by the regime, including twice when I was absent, when several criminal cases are instituted against me, I assume that I was mistaken, when I considered the policy secondary. We wished to reform the country fast. I was one of those people, who collected votes for B. Yeltsin, as I hoped he would change the old society. I am still convinced that CIS countries� fate depends on situation in Russia. Now I hope that Yeltsin has enough will to transfer power to a new President.
We, Kazakhstanis wish to live in democracy, in a normal society. I like Europe, but I am eager to live in my country. Attract attention of your politicians to Kazakhstan, where literate educated people live. We do not wear a turban, we wear European suits. We want the only thing: to have rights in our country.
The opposition speaks to authorities with stronger expressions, that the disgraced former PM cannot afford.
To name things with their real names means to �defame Kazakhstan�. Meanwhile the authorities had absolutely defamed themselves, and pretend to be clear for the international community. This is impossible.
All Over the Globe is published by IPA House.
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