Kazakhstan
News Bulletin
Released weekly by the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan
December 5, 2002 Vol. 4, No.10
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In this issue:
Leila's Prayer gets first screening in Moscow
President Nazarbayev urges closer Euro-Atlantic ties in fighting new threats
Parliament approves 2003 budget
New permanent Council on Democratization established
Central Election Commission concludes registration of candidates for Parliamentary by-election
Leila's Prayer gets first screening in Moscow
Film depicts horrors of nuclear testing at Semipalatinsk
Leila's Prayer, the first stereo
film of Kazakh National Film
Company "Kazakhfilm", was shown
in Moscow last week to the acclaim
of visibly moved spectators and
It tells the horrible story of
human sufferings inflicted by 40
years of nuclear testing at
Kazakhstan. Through the life of Leila,
a little shepherd, her family and
neighbors in the village Degelen,
which is the closest to the testing
site, the producers tell how more than 400 nuclear tests destroyed and continue to take their horrendous toll on the lives of hundreds of thousands of people.
"I was born not far from this place," said Oralbai Abdykarimov, the Senate speaker of Kazakhstan. "The film shows what horror tests upon the people can bring."
"By employing very simple means, the director managed to be both a friend for these people, and a thinker who expressed pain in such a poetic form," noted Georgi Daneliya, a renowned Soviet and Russian director.
Satybaldy Narymbetov, the "rising star" director who earlier won international awards, including the George Sadule prize, directed the movie. Ayana Esmagambetova, a middle school student from Almaty, and Dulyga Akmolda, a young gifted actor from Kazakh Drama Theater, starred in the picture.
Elsewhere, the UN General Assembly in New York adopted last week the resolution calling for the world to live up to its commitments of 5 years ago in helping Kazakhstan to rehabilitate the lives of 1.6 million people and enormous swaths of land devastated by nuclear testing in Semipalatinsk. The UN plans to implement 38 projects in the area, but it needs outside financing to do that.
President Nazarbayev urges closer Euro-Atlantic ties in fighting new threats
Says terrorists trying to recruit people in Central Asia, calls for permanent ties between intelligence agencies, better use of NATO's PfP's potential
The Euro-Atlantic community urgently needs to address jointly issues of strengthening non-proliferation regime, dealing with Iraq, fighting terrorism, pacifying Afghanistan and stemming drug trafficking emanating from it, President Nazarbayev said in his speech to the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council in Prague on November 22.
"The threat of the weapons
of mass destruction falling into
the terrorists' hands has become
real, thus dramatically increasing
the destructive potential of the
international terrorism," the
President said urging more
coordinated efforts to fight this
threat.
"Kazakhstan welcomes the
consensus reached at the UN
Security Council" on Iraq,
Mr. Nazarbayev said, adding that
the adopted resolution opens a Presidents Nazarbayev and Bush met on the
path to settlement of the problem fringes of the NATO and Euro-atlantic Partnership
only provided that Iraq will not Council summits in Prague, November 21, 2002
remain in material breach of its
obligations.
He pointed out that "Kazakhstan from the very beginning has resolutely supported counter-terrorist campaign of the US-led international coalition in Afghanistan," because "peace in this country is a key element of the security in Central Asia."
"Unfortunately the situation in Afghanistan remains unstable and far from being fully normalized," the President noted, saying the problem of illicit drug trafficking from Afghanistan has not diminished but, on the contrary, has increased. This "enables the criminal groups to finance the terrorists' training and to commit the acts of terror worldwide."
The President expressed Kazakhstan's concern that international terrorist organizations "began to actively recruit people in Central Asia in order to infiltrate into Europe through our region."
To counter these threats, Kazakhstan proposed to establish "permanent working contacts among intelligence agencies of interested EAPC countries", and ensure better use of the Partnership for Peace.
"Kazakhstan is absolutely convinced that security in Central Asia is directly linked to the situation in Europe," Mr. Nazarbayev said. "We call upon EAPC countries to embark on the course of concrete and resolute actions. We deem it extremely important to make use of the NATO potential to the full extent in order to respond together to the challenges of the modern civilization."
Parliament approves 2003 budget
Education, healthcare are priorities
The parliament approved the draft 2003 budget at its second and final reading November 29, providing for revenues of 631.6 trillion tenge ($1=KZT154), or 15.2% of GDP, while spending will come to KZT714.4 trillion, or 17.2%.
Thirty-three percent of budget expenditures are directed into the social sphere, with education getting 38.5% more in 2003 than in 2002, and healthcare expenses increasing by 40 percent. The spending on agriculture is also to grow by 50%.
"While budgets from 1998 through 2000 were those of "survival", the new one can be called "a budget of creation" with social sphere as its priority," Prime Minister Imangali Tasmagambetov said in the parliament during the debates.
The 2003 budget has a deficit of 2% of gross domestic product, compared with a gap of 2.3% in 2002. The government plans to finance 0.5% of the deficit with privatization revenue, and the remainder by borrowing on the domestic financial market.
Annual GDP growth is forecast at 6% next year compared with an expected 8.5-9% in 2002. The GDP in 2003 is estimated at 4,142 billion tenge, while average exchange rate is projected at 161 tenge per dollar. The inflation rate is forecast to decrease slightly to 5.9% in 2003 from the 6% expected this year.
New permanent Council on Democratization established
Provides platform for direct dialogue of all those willing to get engaged
Representatives of political parties and NGOs, members of Parliament and government officials met in Almaty on December 2 to discuss ways to further democratization processes in the republic for lively debates about the future of democracy in Kazakhstan. Representatives of 12 political parties and 12 public associations, religious groups, non-governmental organizations attended the meeting to inaugurate the new permanent Council on Democratization. Certain parties, including the Communists and the Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan, refused to participate putting forward their own preconditions for that.
"The time has come to begin a dialogue talked about by the opposition, from which authorities never refused," said Ermukhamet Ertysbayev, advisor to the President.
"To say that radical opposition is supported by the entire Kazakh people is not true", said Erasyl Abilkasimov, member of Majilis, referring to those who chose not to participate at the meeting in Almaty. "They will not be allowed to hijack all other parties."
"The principle is simple: if you have anything to say or propose, then do it. Everything will be discussed in a candid and open dialogue," said Deputy Prime Minister Baurzhan Mukhamedzhanov.
"We cannot ignore a unique chance [offered by the Council]," said Murat Auezov of Soros Kazakhstan Fund, adding, "the philosophy of the Council corresponds fully to the concept of the Open Society Institute". The idea to establish an open and all-inclusive forum providing a platform for direct dialogue of all interested parties was proposed last month by President Nazarbayev.
Among the issues for discussion during the first sessions of the Council, its participants singled out legislation on the electoral system, local self-government, and the media. The delegates agreed to break down their work into sections of politics, social and economic development and problems of developing civil society institutions.
At their next meeting on December 13, delegates will need to give answers to some key questions on how the Council would operate, what its mandate would be and how its recommendations would be carried out. To support the Council, a permanent center is being set up in Almaty.
Central Election Commission concludes registration of candidates for Parliamentary by-election
On November 29, 2002, the Central Election Commission (CEC) of Kazakhstan announced that 20 candidates had been registered to run in the December 28 by-election for 3 Majilis (lower house of the Parliament) seats vacated by the incumbents.
Of the 20 registered candidates, 2 represent Otan Party, 1 Civic Party, 1 Republican People's Party, 2 Ak Zhol Democratic Party, and 1 candidate represents public association, Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan, the CEC said. Four out of twenty candidates are women.
Specifically, Mr. Zhumabai Dospanov representing the opposition Republican People's Party was registered to run in a local constituency in Atyrau. Also notable is the registration of Mr. Bulat Abilov, cochairman of Ak Zhol Democratic Party, and of Mrs. Karlygash Zhakiyanova. Mrs. Zhakiyanova, wife of former Pavlodar governor Galymzhan Zhakiyanov who was convicted to imprisonment last summer on charges of abuse of office, represents Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan.
According to the Central Election Commission, the registration was conducted in a fair and transparent manner in full compliance with the law.
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News Bulletin of the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan
(Compiled from own sources and various agencies' reports)
Contact persons: Roman Vassilenko, Aibek Nurbalin
Tel.: (202) 232- 5488 ext. 104, 115, Fax: (202) 232- 5845
