In this issue:
President Bush Applauds Kazakhstan’s Help in Iraq and Afghanistan
Kazakhstan Confirms Interest in Taking on OSCE Chairmanship in 2009
Four Political Parties Call on President to Veto News Media Bill
Constitutional Council Rules New Election Bill Valid, Paving Way for Signing by President
Caspian States Foreign Ministers Propose Presidential Summit in Second Half of 2004
Kazakhstan’s Gold and Currency Reserves Reach US$9.5 Billion, While Foreign Investment Reaches Record High
Kazakhstan to Produce 55 Million Tons of Oil in 2004, Energy Minister Announces
Say it in Kazakh:
Kazakhs were traditionally nomadic people and valued their animals.
Nomad ---Koshpeli
Horse --- At
Sheep --- Koi
Camel --- Tooyeh
Dog --- Yet
President Bush Applauds Kazakhstan’s Help in Iraq and Afghanistan
President George W. Bush, who had lauded Kazakhstan’s help in Iraq in a White House speech on March 19, followed up his comments on Kazakhstan’s participation with a letter to President Nursultan Nazarbayev. The full text follows:
“Dear Mr. President:
As we mark the anniversary of the start of the campaign to liberate Iraq, I would like to express on behalf of the American people our admiration for the courageous and indispensable role Kazakhstan has played to free the people of Iraq and for its support in Afghanistan, as we work together to create a safer world.
As leaders, we have been called to uphold the universal truth that human life is precious and that man’s natural calling is to live in freedom. For peace and freedom to flourish, we must have the courage to confront those who would enslave us be terror and fear.
History will judge us well for giving the people in Iraq and Afghanistan the opportunity to shape their destinies. The world we live in is still dangerous, but we have made it safer through our resolve to combat terror and repression, replacing them with freedom and hope.
Sincerely, George W. Bush”
Earlier on April 9, the Government of Kazakhstan confirmed its continued commitment to ensuring security and stability in Iraq and said “Kazakhstan does not for the time being intend to withdraw its military contingent from Iraq.”
Kazakhstan Confirms Interest in Taking on OSCE Chairmanship in 2009
Kazakhstan continues its drive toward taking on the OSCE Chairmanship in 2009. OSCE’s news release follows:
ALMATY, 6 April 2004 - On his second stop during a five-day visit to the Central Asian States, the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Bulgaria's Foreign Minister Solomon Passy, discussed Kazakhstan's bid to take on the OSCE Chairmanship in 2009, suggesting it develop an action plan to prepare for this challenge before the candidacy comes up for consideration by the 55 participating States in 2006.
The Chairman-in-Office was received by Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbayev, and later held separate meetings with Nurtay Abykaev, the Speaker of the Senate, and Kairat Abusaitov, the Deputy Foreign Minister.
In the meetings, Minister Passy praised the advance of reform and expressed his appreciation for the co-operation of the Kazakh Government with the OSCE. The broad spectrum of OSCE activities was reviewed.
The CiO agreed on the need to broaden the scope of regional co-operation between all Central Asian States, where the OSCE could act as a clearing house for best practices and new initiatives.
As an illustration, he expressed his satisfaction with the transfer of the prison system from the Ministry of the Interior to the Ministry of Justice: "We hope that other States in the region that have not already done so will follow your good example."
He discussed the draft of the new election law in a meeting with the Chairman of the Central Election Commission, Zagiba Baliyeva. "We are following this issue, and we shall be seeking the opinion of the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights as the appropriate body to provide comment", he said.
Minister Passy raised the issue of the media law recently passed by Parliament, suggesting that such an important piece of legislation should fully meet international and OSCE standards.
In the OSCE Centre in Almaty, he held discussions with representatives of political parties, non-governmental organizations and the mass media, and received a briefing on the Centre's current projects by its new Head, Ivar Vikki.
(News release by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, also available here)
Four Political Parties Call on President to Veto News Media Bill
Four political parties of Kazakhstan have called on President Nursultan Nazarbayev to veto the pending news media bill, saying it runs counter to the President’s very policies of building civil society institutions and could give bureaucracy greater control over news media.
The four parties, Asar, Ak Zhol, Auyl and the Party of Patriots of Kazakhstan, in their joint letter to President Nazarbayev made public in Astana on April 8, said “the media bill, in the form approved by the Parliament, does not fully correspond with your continuing policies of developing civil society institutions.”
The parties, two of which have representatives in Parliament, said the bill’s provisions “expand further the bureaucracy’s capabilities to limit the professional activity of journalists and create obstacles for the public to get objective information about all processes in the country.”
The bill also “limits possibilities for establishing new news media outlets and expands grounds for news media outlets to be closed.” Instead, the law should “ensure legal basis for the balance of the freedom of speech and the journalists’ responsibility to the society… and become a solid barrier to arbitrary intervention by anybody into professional activity of journalists,” the political parties noted
President Nazarbayev sent the bill to the Constitutional Council for review on March 31. On April 8, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Miklos Haraszti, has expressed his satisfaction with the decision of President Nazarbayev to send the draft media law to the Constitutional Council.
According to OSCE’s news release of April 8, in a letter sent to President Nazarbayev, Mr. Haraszti urged a presidential veto and pointed out “the present draft law would worsen the working conditions for journalists and the general state of media freedom in Kazakhstan.” The letter was sent prior to the President’s decision to consult the Constitutional Council.
“This step of goodwill on your part would be greatly welcomed by the international community and would also be a crucial step in attaining your goal of achieving the OSCE Chairmanship in 2009,” Mr. Haraszti said.
Constitutional Council Rules New Election Bill Valid, Paving Way for Signing by President
The Constitutional Council voted the election bill valid on constitutional grounds, paving the way for President Nursultan Nazarbayev to sign it into law.
The decision came a week after the President sent the bill, which would introduce major reforms in the way elections are held in Kazakhstan, to the Council for review. The decision cannot be appealed.
The Parliament had approved the bill on March 15. Among the bill’s key provisions are changes into the way local and regional election commissions are formed. As opposed to past practices, where local authorities appointed such commissions, these bodies would now be formed by regional maslikhats (local assemblies) based on proposals from and consultations with political parties running in the elections. Such commissions are to have 7 members.
Another set of changes deals with the vote count. To prevent ballot stuffing, deputies voted for the introduction of transparent ballot boxes, and required the Government to spend 390 million tenge ($1=139 tenge as of March 15) to replace the existing ones before the parliamentary election in October 2004. The bill also provides for the introduction of electronic vote, although for financial and technical reasons the electronic vote will only be tried as a pilot during the election later this year.
Members of Parliament also approved amendments requiring local Akims (Mayors) to present voter lists to election commissions no later than 20 days in advance of balloting. The law would set a framework for the upcoming parliamentary election in October 2004 and the presidential one in 2006.
Caspian States Foreign Ministers Propose Presidential Summit in Second Half of 2004
The Foreign Ministers of the Caspian Sea littoral states this week called for a summit of the five states in Teheran during the second half of 2004. Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan all border the Caspian Sea, known for its richness in oil and caviar-producing sturgeon.
After their meeting in Moscow on April 6, the ministers issued a communiqué saying they had “examined the question of holding a second Caspian Summit in Teheran in the second half of 2004, as well as a possible program, including forms of further development of bilateral cooperation.” The five presidents last met on the issue of the Caspian in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, in April 2002 where they agreed to hold such meetings regularly.
The communiqué said the ministers “exchanged views on a broad range of regional problems, paying special attention to the questions of cooperation between the Caspian littoral states. They see their common task in ensuring the Caspian is a region of peace, stability, good-neighborliness and mutually beneficial cooperation.”
The ministers noted “substantial progress” in drafting the future Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea and gave “a positive assessment” to the activities of the Special Working Group at the level of the Caspian states’ deputy foreign ministers. At the same time they noted “differences still persist in the approaches of the parties” concerning key aspects of the Caspian’s status and agreed to “continue their efforts for a just settlement of the remaining unsolved issues of the Caspian status on the basis of common agreement and of the generally recognized rules and principles of international law.”
The five ministers welcomed the signing of the Framework Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Caspian Sea in 2003. They “spoke for the earliest possible completion by all parties of their internal state procedures necessary for its entry into force.”
“The ministers regard the struggle against international terrorism, aggressive separatism, organized crime, illegal drug trafficking and other new threats and challenges as a fundamentally important area for cooperation among the Caspian states,” the communiqué says. Attending the meeting were Deputy Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Khalaf Khalafov, Foreign Minister of Iran Kamal Kharrazi, Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan Kassymzhomart Tokaev, Foreign Minister of Russia Sergey Lavrov, and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov.
Kazakhstan’s Gold and Currency Reserves Reach US$9.5 Billion, While Foreign Investment Reaches Record High
The National Bank of Kazakhstan announced on April 7 that Kazakhstan’s gold and foreign currency reserves grew 2.2 percent in March 2004 to reach a historic high of 9.433 billion US dollars.
This amount includes 3.744 billion US dollars in the National Fund, created in 2000 to accumulate excess revenues from oil producers and companies working in certain other industries.
According to Kazinform (www.inform.kz), National Bank Chairman Anvar Saidenov announced current account deficit in 2003 plummeted from US$868 million in 2002 to just US$ 69 million. He credited this to the 32 percent jump in export revenues. Exports in 2003 reached 13.2 billion US dollars.
In 2003, Kazakhstan attracted a record level of foreign investment—US$4.6 billion.
Kazakhstan to Produce 55 Million Tons of Oil in 2004, Energy Minister Announces
Vladimir Shkolnik, Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, announced that 54 to 55 million metric tons of oil will be produced by all producers in Kazakhstan in 2004.
Speaking in the national Parliament in Astana on April 5, Minister Shkolnik said 51.4 million metric tons (appr. 1 million barrels per day) of oil and gas condensate were produced in Kazakhstan in 2003, an 8 percent increase over 2002. Of that the government firms produced 11 million tons.
The Minister said oil and gas production is projected at 60 to 61 million tons in 2005, 90 million tons in 2010 and more than 150 million tons (in excess of 3 million bpd) in 2015 as Caspian offshore production comes fully on stream. He said “oil production brings with it an annual growth of capital investment”, which is expected to reach 4.5 billion US dollars in 2015. The 40 years expected for full development of the Kashagan oil field in the Caspian will require 57.1 billion US dollars in investment.
Things to Watch:
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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
