In this issue:
Kazakhstan's Parliament Moves for Election Reform, Approves Key Amendments to Existing Law
Journalists Call on Parliament to Reject Proposed Media Law
Government Plans Nuclear Medicine and Biophysics Center
Economy Grows 9.2% in 2003, Foreign Trade Grows 31%
Kazakhstan's "Zhusgysh" Takes Title in Florida
Foreign Investors' Faith in Kazakhstan Economy Brings Investment of US$ 24,500,000,000 in Decade of 1993-2003
Say it in Kazakh:
What would you like to do now? --- Siz kazir ne steginiz kelip tur?[Siz ka-ZYR nye stay-ghi-NIZ Ke-LEAP tour]
[City, regional, district] council --- Maslikhat
Mayor --- Akim
Swimmer --- Zhusgysh
Kazakhstan's Parliament Moves for Election Reform,
Approves Key Amendments to Existing Law
Kazakhstan's Parliament, on February 20, approved a proposed election reform bill at its second reading, adopting key new provisions and setting the stage for another hearing on the bill on March 15, 2004.
According to Kazakhstan Today news agency, deputies approved several changes meant to ensure elections are held openly and transparently, including changes into the way local and regional election commissions are formed. In a break from the past when local executive authorities held sway over such commissions, the commissions are now to be formed by regional maslikhats (local assemblies) based on proposals from political parties participating in the elections. Members of Parliament also approved amendments which will require local Akims (Mayors) to present voter lists to election commissions no later than 20 days in advance of balloting. Another set of amendments approved by lawmakers will prohibit persons under criminal sentence from running for Parliament.
Journalists Call on Parliament to Reject Proposed Media Law
The Congress of Journalists of Kazakhstan has urged members of Parliament to reject a proposed bill on the media, and to keep the existing one in place with amendments.
The appeal was made at the conclusion of the third Annual Congress of Journalists of Kazakhstan held in Atyrau, western Kazakhstan, on February 20.
The Congress' final resolution said journalists played an active role in drafting the proposed news media bill, submitting hundreds of amendments the majority of which were incorporated. However, the Congress pointed out, "several crucial proposals were not taken into account either by the Government or the Parliament."
The Congress took issue with several amendments to the bill as approved by the Senate. The bill "unreasonably expands the authority of a regulating body in relation to suspending and closing a media outlet," the journalists said. Such decisions must be "made only by an owner of the media outlet or by the court."
The journalists also proposed taking out of the bill "a notion of product of erotic nature" because of difficulties in defining "erotic nature" in clear legal terms. They also made known their reservations about weak legal protection of journalists in the bill, and called for preserving the existing law regulating media, but with amendments.
"The existing law on the media creates normal conditions for the operations of all media outlets and has potential for further improvement in light of changing circumstances," the Congress said and called upon legislators to reject current draft.
Government Plans Nuclear Medicine and Biophysics Center
Prime Minister Daniyal Akhmetov announced Kazakhstan is planning the establishment of a Nuclear Medicine and Biophysics Center.
PM Akhmetov, speaking at a Cabinet meeting in Astana on February 17, said Kazakhstan has the potential to develop this challenging dimension of medical science based on its experience and resources, such as skilled doctors and developed industrial capabilities.
The term "nuclear medicine" means the modern methods for diagnoses and treatment which utilize radioactive materials. Such methods allow for the most precise diagnoses and treatment of different illnesses, including cancer. The World Health Organization estimates one in three patients on the planet would benefit from the use of nuclear medicine.
PM Alkmetov said: "Such project is a forward-looking one. Nuclear medicine is widely used across the world. Up to 13 million studies and 100 millions tests are carried out with nuclear physics in the United States alone. Other developed countries also use this technology. Kazakhstan certainly has capabilities to establish such a center."
Economy Grows 9.2% in 2003, Foreign Trade Grows 31%
Kazakhstan's economy grew 9.2 percent in 2003 over 2002, while all other major economic indices demonstrated solid growth and inflation held steady at 6.4 percent, the Kazakhstan Agency on Statistics announced February 13.
The GDP growth was sustained by 8.8 percent increase in industrial production, 12.4 percent growth in construction, and a strong showing by the services sector with growth levels of 7.8 %, 24.8 %, and 10 % in transportation, communications and trade respectively. Capital investment increased by 17.2 percent.
Industry remains the largest contributor of the gross domestic product, accounting for 29.5 percent. Production of goods contributes 43 percent of the GDP, while services account for 51.5 percent.
Sustainable GDP growth over the past five years averaged as much as 10 percent per year, and led to the situation where Kazakhstan's GDP indexes exceeded those of 1991, the last year Kazakhstan was part of the USSR 6.3 percent. Such comparisons must take into account the different structure of the growing economy in Kazakhstan today as versus the economy under Soviet rule.
Average wage grew in December 2003 by 15.6 percent over the same figure for December 2002 and amounted to 28,192 Tenge (US$1 = 139 Tenge as of February 19). With inflation taken into account, real wages grew 8.3 percent compared to December 2002.
At year's end, unemployment stood at 670,000, or 8.8 percent of the economically active population.
Kazakhstan's "Zhusgysh" Takes Title in Florida
Vladislav Polyakov of Kazakhstan swam
to a win in the men's 100-meter
breaststroke during the Spring National
swimming championships in Orlando,
Fla., Friday, Feb. 13, 2004.
Vladislav Polyakov was born in 1983.
Foreign Investors' Faith in Kazakhstan Economy Brings Investment of US$ 24,500,000,000 in Decade of 1993-2003
Total foreign direct investment in Kazakhstan's economy during the period of 1993-2003 was US$ 24.5 billion, Yerlan Arinov, head of the Investment Committee of the Industry and Trade Ministry announced February 17.
The main investors in this period were the United States, Britain, Italy, South Korea and Switzerland, he noted. The largest share of foreign direct investment went in the mining and petroleum-based sectors.
In 2003 the volume of foreign trade grew 31 percent from the year before to US$ 21.2 billion, according the Agency on Statistics. Exports reached US$ 12.9 billion, growing by 33 percent, while imports increased by 28 percent and reached US$ 8.3 billion. To a large extent, export growth was linked to higher commodity prices, according to the Ministry of Economy and Budget Planning.
Words for the Times:
- Lt. Col Kairat Smagulov, former commander of Kazakhstan's contingent of army engineers in Iraq, returned home on February 16 as his group rotated out and was replaced by fresh troops. Asked about his experience in Iraq, he said: "The most important thing is Mission Accomplished, and everybody OK."
____________________________________________________________
News Bulletin of the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the USA and Canada
(Compiled from own sources and agenciy reports)
Contact person: Roman Vassilenko
1401 16th Street NW, Washington DC 20036
Tel.: (202) 232- 5488 ext. 104, Fax: (202) 232- 5845
