ID :
128744
Sun, 06/20/2010 - 06:58
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/128744
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US envoy to meet with interim officials, public figures in Bishkek.
BISHKEK, June 19 (Itar-Tass) -- US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, Robert Blake, is due to arrive in Bishkek on Saturday for talks with the interim government, as well as representatives of public and human rights organizations, the US embassy in Kyrgyzstan told Itar-Tass on Friday.
The embassy would not disclose the theme of the
forthcoming meetings in Bishkek. Blake is expected to speak about the
purpose of his visit at a scheduled news press conference on Saturday.
However, most Kyrgyz politicians are convinced that the arrival of a
senior U.S. official has a direct bearing on the tragic events in the
country that are known to have claimed 192 lives and left about two
thousand people injured. Meanwhile, the situation in the Osh and
Jalal-Abad regions of Kyrgyzstan has stabilized somewhat. According to
eyewitnesses, in both heavily damaged cities life is slowly returning to
normal. Outdoor bazaars and small shops have re-opened, passers-by and
cars are back on the streets. The authorities are taking all measures they
can to normalize the situation and provide people with humanitarian aid
and medicines. Uzbek refugees, who had to flee for life days ago, have
begun to return to their homes. According to the press center of the
Border Guards Service, on Friday alone about 2,000 crossed back from
neighboring Uzbekistan. In all, according to various estimates, there are
30,000 to 75,000 refugees. But the country is still very far away from
pre-war life. In Osh sporadic fire can be heard on the outskirts, the
military and police are still afraid to appear near some areas of the city
that were surrounded by barricades at the very beginning of the conflict.
From time to time snipers hiding there may fire shots at civilians. On
Thursday, two mined fuel tank trucks were spotted on a busy highway near
Osh. Bomb disposal specialists managed to defuse both.
The scale of the damage caused to Osh, its suburban areas and the
whole of the Jalal-Abad region during the riots is still being determined.
According to earlier reports a total of 360 buildings were ruined.
However on Friday, the acting governor of Jalal-Abad Region, Bektur
Asanov, mentioned a very different figure. He said that in the
administrative territory under his control alone 5,000 homes had been
destroyed.
"When interim President Rosa Otunbayeva had a bird's eye view of the
city from a helicopter, she barely held back her tears, struck by the
extent of destruction," sources in the Kyrgyz leader's entourage said. The
news of her visit to the affected city triggered a rally near the office
of the regional administration. The 1,500 demonstrators demanded that the
authorities promptly secure the release of all hostages held in some
quarters of the city, including a doctor from the local children's
hospital, Dzhusup Akmatov and traffic police. The deadline for meeting the
demand is 24 hours. What may begin when it expires is anyone's guess.
Contrary to any logic, the Kyrgyz interim government is determined to
go ahead with the constitutional reform referendum, scheduled for June 27.
In the case of a positive outcome it will give the Opposition leaders, who
have come to power by not very democratic means, a chance to gain at least
some legality. The interim government keeps persuading the people the
referendum is a vital need. It warns that otherwise the period of
instability in the country will last. By and large the population agrees
the government has been taking the correct steps, but its popularity keeps
dwindling.
The riots began in the regional center of Osh and its suburbs in the
small hours of June 11. The next day they spread to the neighboring
Jalal-Abad Region. The interim government declared a state of emergency in
the conflict zone and imposed a curfew.
Army reinforcements, Interior Ministry troops and police, as well as
volunteers were moved to the south. In the first days of the conflict the
authorities felt an urgent need for reinforcements, for which purpose they
had to declare partial mobilization. In the first place, it mobilized
reservists with combat experience. However, as acting Defense Minister
Ismail Isakov has said, the presence of reserves is no longer necessary
for restoring order to Osh and the Jalal-Abad Region. Nor is there any
need for the arrival of foreign peacekeeping forces. The Kyrgyz
authorities addressed Russia with a request for such a measure just days
ago.
-0-str
The embassy would not disclose the theme of the
forthcoming meetings in Bishkek. Blake is expected to speak about the
purpose of his visit at a scheduled news press conference on Saturday.
However, most Kyrgyz politicians are convinced that the arrival of a
senior U.S. official has a direct bearing on the tragic events in the
country that are known to have claimed 192 lives and left about two
thousand people injured. Meanwhile, the situation in the Osh and
Jalal-Abad regions of Kyrgyzstan has stabilized somewhat. According to
eyewitnesses, in both heavily damaged cities life is slowly returning to
normal. Outdoor bazaars and small shops have re-opened, passers-by and
cars are back on the streets. The authorities are taking all measures they
can to normalize the situation and provide people with humanitarian aid
and medicines. Uzbek refugees, who had to flee for life days ago, have
begun to return to their homes. According to the press center of the
Border Guards Service, on Friday alone about 2,000 crossed back from
neighboring Uzbekistan. In all, according to various estimates, there are
30,000 to 75,000 refugees. But the country is still very far away from
pre-war life. In Osh sporadic fire can be heard on the outskirts, the
military and police are still afraid to appear near some areas of the city
that were surrounded by barricades at the very beginning of the conflict.
From time to time snipers hiding there may fire shots at civilians. On
Thursday, two mined fuel tank trucks were spotted on a busy highway near
Osh. Bomb disposal specialists managed to defuse both.
The scale of the damage caused to Osh, its suburban areas and the
whole of the Jalal-Abad region during the riots is still being determined.
According to earlier reports a total of 360 buildings were ruined.
However on Friday, the acting governor of Jalal-Abad Region, Bektur
Asanov, mentioned a very different figure. He said that in the
administrative territory under his control alone 5,000 homes had been
destroyed.
"When interim President Rosa Otunbayeva had a bird's eye view of the
city from a helicopter, she barely held back her tears, struck by the
extent of destruction," sources in the Kyrgyz leader's entourage said. The
news of her visit to the affected city triggered a rally near the office
of the regional administration. The 1,500 demonstrators demanded that the
authorities promptly secure the release of all hostages held in some
quarters of the city, including a doctor from the local children's
hospital, Dzhusup Akmatov and traffic police. The deadline for meeting the
demand is 24 hours. What may begin when it expires is anyone's guess.
Contrary to any logic, the Kyrgyz interim government is determined to
go ahead with the constitutional reform referendum, scheduled for June 27.
In the case of a positive outcome it will give the Opposition leaders, who
have come to power by not very democratic means, a chance to gain at least
some legality. The interim government keeps persuading the people the
referendum is a vital need. It warns that otherwise the period of
instability in the country will last. By and large the population agrees
the government has been taking the correct steps, but its popularity keeps
dwindling.
The riots began in the regional center of Osh and its suburbs in the
small hours of June 11. The next day they spread to the neighboring
Jalal-Abad Region. The interim government declared a state of emergency in
the conflict zone and imposed a curfew.
Army reinforcements, Interior Ministry troops and police, as well as
volunteers were moved to the south. In the first days of the conflict the
authorities felt an urgent need for reinforcements, for which purpose they
had to declare partial mobilization. In the first place, it mobilized
reservists with combat experience. However, as acting Defense Minister
Ismail Isakov has said, the presence of reserves is no longer necessary
for restoring order to Osh and the Jalal-Abad Region. Nor is there any
need for the arrival of foreign peacekeeping forces. The Kyrgyz
authorities addressed Russia with a request for such a measure just days
ago.
-0-str
