KABUL, Sept 6 (AFP)
Afghanistan�s ruling Taliban Monday accused France of militarily supporting opposition factions after a delegation from Paris visited anti-Taliban leaders in the Panjsher Valley.
�The trip by the French delegation to the Panjsher and talks between French political and military experts ... proves this reality once again that the opposition have yielded to slavery,� authorities said on Radio Shariat.
This was done �in order to safeguard their individual interests and to ascend to power. They are ready to resort to every illegal deed by standing against Islamic demands and values and national interests.�
It was the first time the Taliban had openly accused France of supporting forces loyal to opposition commander Ahmad Shah Masood who has heavily fortified his troops in the Panjsher, 100 kilometres (60 miles) north of here.
The French presence in Afghanistan has been restricted to foreign aid workers. But privately the Taliban had previously expressed their suspicions of the French government which stem largely from Masood�s background.
Masood was believed to be backed by Paris when he fought 1979-89 occupation by the former Soviet Union. French documentary makers have lionised Masood, who was dubbed �Lion of the Panjsher�.
Independent sources confirmed the visit. One western observer said: �We know there�s a delegation there but we have absolutely no idea what they are up to.�
�In order to obtain the country�s natural resources, these self-interest and anti-Islamic groups (French) have been in league and in cooperation with Masood,� the official Radio Shariat commentary said.
It said Masood �enjoyed their necessary political consultations and politico-military plans and assistance.�
�If this trip did not have political objectives and non-Moslem aims, why the said delegation did not visit Kabul city at least for once instead of travelling to a small and mountainous valley.�
�There is no doubt that this visit ... was a political trip to renew and speed up cooperation and assistance and to offer plans and consultations to a group which was in league with self-interested and anti-Islamic circles since long before,� it said.
The Taliban control 80 percent of Afghanistan after a five year civil war with the Mujahideen factions who once fought the Soviet Union. Masood remains the last obstacle to total Taliban control.
Accusations by both sides that the other is recieving outside help have become commonplace in Afghanistan.
According to the Taliban Masood is also backed by Iran, Russia, Tajikistan and India. At various times central Asian states, which once belonged to the Soviet Union, and Israel were also supposedly aiding Masood.
Meanwhile, anti-Taliban forces accuse Pakistan of aiding the militia and enjoying the support of foreign mercenaries and alleged terrorist Osama bin Laden.
All countries have denied any military involvement in Afghanistan despite consistent warnings from the United Nations for neighbouring countries to stop meddling in Afghan affairs.
NOVOLAKSKOYE, Russia
Sept 6 (AFP)
Russian forces waged fierce battles against Chechen rebels in Dagestan Monday and bombed villages in Chechnya as the war against Islamists in the northern Caucasus heated up with dozens of casualties reported.
Russian helicopter gunships and artillery attacked the rebels in this village as an armored column of troops advanced towards the latest battlefront in the month-long war in the southern republic of Dagestan.
In the Chechen capital of Grozny meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Kazbek Makhashev said Russian warplanes had struck five villages in eastern Chechnya, killing 43 people including at least 12 children.
The air assault on Chechnya however could not be immediately confirmed by the Russian defense ministry.
While Moscow beefed up its military presence in western Dagestan, the ranks of the insurgents were also swelling with an estimated 5,000 militants now massed along the border, the interior ministry said.
Some 2,000 rebels who crossed into the southern republic early Sunday were in control of at least eight villages in western Dagestan, the press center of the defense ministry said.
The press center of rebel command in Grozny said its fighters had entered Khasavyurt, Dagestan�s second city, taken some 30 prisoners among the special forces of the interior ministry and captured four armored vehicles.
Fighting was heavy near Novolakskoye and Duchy between the Russian forces and the rebels led by Chechen warlord Shamil Basayev who led an assault on Dagestan last month.
Ten police died in fighting over the past 24 hours against the rebels who laid siege to a police station in Novolakskoye, Interfax reported quoting the interior ministry.
Among the ten was one member of the crack troops of the interior ministry, while seven others were injured, the interior ministry said.
Some 40 police and special forces had been trapped in the station in Novolakskoye, one of four vil
ALMATY, Sept 6
(THE GLOBE)
�Despite the economic difficulties, Kazakhstan is still a business-capital of Central Asia. In the sixth Kazakhstan International exhibition Kazbuild�99 120 companies from 23 countries of the world will take part,� the manager of the exhibition announced on Monday in Almaty.
According to Yury Borodihin, about 30 new participants were attracted to Kazbuild�99, thus, 20% of the expositions will be presented by companies, which have not work in the Kazakhstan market.
Kazbuild�99 will be held on September 7 to 10 in Almaty in the exhibition complex �Atakent�. The organisers of the exhibition are ITE Group PLC and its exclusive partner in Kazakhstan and Central Asia Iteca under the support of the Committee on constructional issues of the Ministry of Energy, Industry and Trade.
Taking into consideration interest to the exhibition, Iteca company opened a new web-page in Internet in the web-site: www.iteca.kz.
ALMATY, Sept 6
(THE GLOBE)
�In this year 25 companies from more than 10 foreign countries will take part in Kazmin�99 exhibition. This is a record number in comparison with the previous annual exhibitions,� the manager of the exhibition announced on Monday in Almaty.
According to the organisers (ITE Group PLC and its Kazakhstan partner Iteca), the biggest forum in the field of up-to-date mining technologies will start its work on September 7 simultaneously with Kazbuild�99 exhibition.
�Kazmin�99 is the only exhibition of this profile in Central Asia,� Daniel Turlow emphasised.
It is known that recently the similar exhibition Uzmin�99 was abandoned in Uzbekistan due to the absence of participants.
�International companies preferred to come to Kazakhstan, as they consider our country more perspective,� the manager of the exhibition Kazmin�99 stated.
For the first time the re-established Mining Association of RK, which unites companies working in this industry, will take part in the exhibition.
Erkanat ABENI
ALMATY, Sept 6
(THE GLOBE)
A famous writer and the ambassador of Kazakhstan to Italy Olzhas Suleimenov will not be a candidate to the Parliament, a member of the party People�s Congress of Kazakhstan announced on Monday in Almaty.
Gulzhan Yergalieva said that the leader of PCK Mr. Suleimenov had stated that he would pay more attention to objectives of the movement �Nevada-Semipalatinsk� and beside that he was going to continue his activity as a writer.
In the appeal of Olzhas Suleimenov to electors, its is stated that one of the priority tasks of the People�s Congress of Kazakhstan is to promote the approval of the new wording of the Constitutional article �Land and soil are to belong to Kazakhstan.�
According to Mrs. Yergalieva, since 1991 PCK repeatedly proposed the society and authorities to fix the population�s ownership on land, but not the state�s one, as it is stipulated in the present Constitution of RK (article 6, point 3). The party explained that it were functionaries who acted on behalf of the state, and they will become an absolute owners of the land.
�The sale of a big part of the stocks of �Tengiz Chevroil� is only a part of the list of the richest mineral deposits which have been sold for 9 years. And these sold deposits are lost for the population forever,� the member of the People�s Congress believes.
Mrs. Yergalieva declared that PCK was going to nominate 15 candidates to the Mazhilis and 25 candidates to the local Maslikhats at the next election.
All Over the Globe is published by IPA House.
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