Kazakhstan
News Bulletin
Released weekly by the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan
April 9, 2004 Vol. 1, No. 15
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Special Edition
Kazakhstan Stands by Commitment to Help Stabilize Iraq,
Troops To Stay
The Government of Kazakhstan has issued a statement in connection with recent remarks by Defense Minister Mukhtar Altynbayev. The statement of April 9 follows:
In reference to the statement by Kazakhstan's Defense Minister Mukhtar Altynbayev on April 7 the Government has received requests from a number of foreign governments and news media to comment on the continued presence of Kazakhstan's military contingent in Iraq.
In this connection, the Government says the Republic of Kazakhstan has from the start supported the efforts of the international coalition to restore security and stability in Iraq. With the approval of Parliament, the decision was made to send a detachment of military engineers to that country with the mission of detecting and destroying mines and artillery shells left after military actions. During the eight months of working in Iraq our troops have destroyed more than half a million explosives.
At the same time, the recent events in Iraq have caused an obvious concern in our country. The Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan strongly requests the commanders of the international coalition to ensure the security of Kazakhstan’s troops. This will determine the further presence of the Kazakhstan military contingent in Iraq.
The Government declares that Kazakhstan does not for the time being intend to withdraw its military contingent from Iraq. Kazakhstan’s troops will continue assisting the Iraqi people in freeing themselves from the heavy consequences of war, saving the lives of many inhabitants of that country.
The Republic of Kazakhstan confirms its commitment to the existing obligations regarding the postwar restoration of Iraq and declares its support for the efforts of the United Nations in this direction.
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News Bulletin of the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the USA and Canada
(Compiled from own sources and agency reports)
Contact person: Roman Vassilenko
1401 16th Street NW, Washington DC 20036
Tel.: (202) 232- 5488 ext. 104, Fax: (202) 232- 5845
