Gulbanu ABENOVA
ASTANA, July 7 (THE GLOBE)
�It is necessary to reconsider the leasing of �Baikonur� space-vehicle launching site in order to gain profit from commercial launches. �Baikonur� should not be closed, but it should be used not only for the benefit of Russia, but Kazakhstan as well,� the member of the Committee of International Affairs, Defence and Security of the RK Mazhilis announced on July 7 in Astana.
Zhumangali Nauryzbai thinks that such an incident as the fall of the rocket-carrier should have been expected long ago, as the law of averages determined that there might be an error. �When such things happen in a peaceful period, and a multi-ton rocket-carriers falls on people�s heads, it is terrible,� he said. Mr. Nauryzbai is sure that people are not safe because of the possibility of chemical and radioactive contamination. That is why the Committee member completely agrees with the decision of the government to create a commission to consider the accident. Nauryzbai also supports the resolution to temporarily stop launches from the� space-vehicle launching site. �I, as a deputy, did not just make the announcement today because this had been done by the government,� he stated.
The Mazhilis deputy said that it is necessary to reconsider the contract for �Baikonur� leasing. According to the deputy, the annual leasing amount of US$ 120 million is, first, really of miserable sum; second, Kazakhstan does not receive a cent from this amount. But Russia is increasing the number of commercial launches from year to year. If in 1995, there were no commercial launches, in 1999 Russia has made 24. If in 1995, only 19 launches were made, in this year 36 ones have been made. �But Kazakhstan does not receive a cent from these launches,� Mr. Nauryzbai emphasised. According to the deputy, each space flight costs up to US$ 90 million. It is necessary to stop, research and punish the persons guilty in the accident, and take measures to clean up the consequences, Zhumangali Nauryzbai thinks.
According to Mr. Nauryzbai, deputies of the Karaganda region have left for the place of the accident. When the deputies have obtained accurate data of the damage, this issue will be considered at the meeting of the Committee of International Affairs, Defence and Security of the Mazhilis.
According to Parliamentary deputy Tasbai Simambaev, the Russian-American company established at �Baikonur� deals with commercial flights and earns US$ 1 billion/year. However, Kazakhstan does not receive anything from these amounts. �But this is not the main thing. The matter is that the ecological situation is worsening in our country,� he announced.
Mr. Simambaev said that launches influenced the ecological situation, toxic fuel did a lot of harm to flora and fauna, and to people�s health. �The conditions of the contract for leasing of the space-vehicle launching site should be regulated,� the deputy emphasised.
�Russia should understand this and give a fair evaluation of the accident which occurred,� deputy Argynbai Bekbosyn stated. The deputy hopes that Russia will completely repay its debts and compensate the damage incurred by Kazakhstan. According to the deputy, specialists-ecologists worry about the toxic consequences of this accident.
�Kazakhstan has suffered much from nuclear explosions and if the republic also suffers from such accidents, it will be revolting,� he announced.
The deputy thinks that the government of Kazakhstan took the right decision to when it forbid the next launches from �Baikonur� until the reasons for the accident have been revealed. �If the safety of the launches is not guaranteed, the contract must be cancelled. Russia is using �Baikonur� free of charge,� the Mazhilis deputy stated.
ALMATY, July 6 (AFP)
Kazakhstan banned Russian launches from the Baikonur space base Tuesday after its military satellite crashed in Siberia following a botched liftoff.
The Kazakh foreign ministry sent a note to Moscow advising Russia there would be no more launches from Baikonur until a full investigation into the failed mission was completed.
Baikonur base is used by Russia to reach its Mir space station and was due to send the first crew to the new International Space Station (ISS) early next year.
�We will create a governmental commission made up of Kazakh and Russian representatives to investigate this incident,� a Kazakh foreign ministry official said. �This is connected with the halting of flights from Baikonur.�
The Raduga-1 military communications satellite was launched from the Baikonur on Monday, but mission control lost contact with the device about five minutes after liftoff.
The satellite was later found in Russia�s Altai region, near Mongolia but part of the Proton-K launcher weighing some 200 kilograms (some 440 pounds) fell in the backyard of a villager on the steppe of the northern Kazakh region of Karkaralinsk.
There were no victims although a woman and her son were at home when the rocket part fell from the sky, Khabar television said.
The falling rocket may have been the last straw for Kazakhstan, which has harbored bitter feelings towards Russia over Baikonur.
Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev recently said that Russia had not paid Baikonur�s rent since early 1995 despite a 1992 agreement according to which Moscow was to pay a 150-million-dollars annual fee.
Several Kazakhs told AFP they support a decision to temporarily ban the Russian space flights until the reasons for the accident are determined.
�It is a completely fair and natural step,� said Galim Abilsitov, co-leader of the Azamat opposition party, calling Russias failure to pay rent for the space center as �swinish�.
�This could be the reason for such a sharp decision by the government,� he said.
In the January presidential election, opposition candidate Engels Gabbasov campaigned on a platform that called for closing the cosmodrome altogether, a stance he maintained enjoyed broad support from the rural communities of Kazakhstan.
Gabbasov, a parliamentary deputy, claimed that the rockets launched from Baikonur were harmful to the environment.
In the Kyzlorda region where the cosmodrome is located, villagers and some health officials are convinced that radiation from the rockets is ruining their health.
The region is also home to the shrinking Aral Sea which also has harmed the populations health.
Many Kazakhs resent the Russian presence at the cosmodrome, a haven for scientists and military experts that remains off limits to them.
They complain that Russians who live inside Baikonur have a much higher standard of living than the Kazakhs who live near the cosmodrome but are forbidden from entering the closed city.
The Raduga-1 satellite launched on Monday was to have been placed in geostationary orbit, at a height of 26,000 to 37,000 kilometers (16,000 to 23,000 miles) from the Earth.
The launch initially scheduled for May 7 was postponed to last Sunday and then rescheduled again for Monday.
There are currently 34 Raduga satellites in orbit.
July 8 (Press Release)
Inter-Continental Hotel Astana�s General Manager, Jan Hilhorst, will leave Kazakhstan on July 15.
�It�s too quiet for me; I need a lot of action , such as conferences, full restaurants and bars and at least a 50% occupancy but it is not happening in Astana�, says Hilhorst who leaves with mixed feelings.
The hotel�s occupancy is far below expectations while the commercial activities still take place in Almaty. Hilhorst is afraid that it may take another 3-5 years before �Astana becomes Almaty�.
The Tenge devaluation has seriously hurt the business as well and the hotel was forced to reduce 20% of the staff.
Although the 5 star hotel�s prices were reduced by as much as 30-50% since Hilhorst came to Astana, the hotel is still considered to be expensive, especially for the locals.
�When I read in the newspapers about all the Government and other major commercial activities still taking place in Almaty, I wonder why these do not take place in Astana, the new Capital ?�.
According to Hilhorst, the social and business life in a city normally takes very much place at the 4-5 star hotels in any city � people meet eachother, make new friends, enjoy to see and to be seen, enjoy good food with a glass of wine and the entertainment- After all life is too short not to enjoy it � mixing business with pleasure ; In Astana this is not the case where it seems as if government officials and businessmen are afraid to be seen in public ?
Hilhorst moves on to be the General Manager of a 350 Rooms 5 star hotel in one of the major capitals in the Asia Pacific with plans to manage 3 major hotels in Indonesia after two years; �It was an offer I simply could not refuse�.
�I am very impressed with the performance of our local staff and for them I hope that the conditions will change rapidly � if they do, our staff have a great future in our Hotel�.
Hilhorst will keep very good memories of Kazakhstan : �It�s a beautiful country with very nice people, a rich culture and a huge country too; I am, however, extremely upset with the treatment of people at the airports, especially in Almaty � The airport officials are extremely rude, do not speak english at all, they are impolite while arriving passengers wait up to two hours to have their passports checked; Departing passengers are subject to extremely rude behaviour by customs officials who, as everybody knows, �steal� as much money from innocent people as possible ; I myself was a near victim of such behaviour would I not have shown my business card; My wife, while leaving for a short break, got upset when the official took all her money � She quickly grabbed the money from his hands, ran out of the airport and checked into the VIP terminal after paying USD 50 !�.
While everybody is aware of these barbaric situations, why does the government not take any action ?
All Over the Globe is published by IPA House.
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