Tashkent denies Dushanbe`s railway blockade accusations

DUSHANBE, August 9 (Itar-Tass) - Tashkent denied Dushanbe's
accusations of railway blockade. In an official statement of the Uzbek
Embassy in Tajikistan, Tashkent called the accusations "groundless,"
saying they undermined the principles of good neighborly relations and
partnership between the two countries.
The Uzbek Embassy issued the official statement after the Tajik
Railways had claimed Tajik cargoes had been held for months without valid
reasons in neighboring Uzbek areas. It said more than 1,000 railway cars,
including those with foodstuffs, have amassed in Uzbekistan on the way to
Tajikistan.
The Uzbek Embassy stated that Uzbekistan has been taking "all the
necessary measures to ensure unhindered passage of transit cargos to
Tajikistan through the republic."
"The handling of transit cargoes through the Kudukli and Bekabad
border checkpoints to the checkpoints of the Duashanbe and Sogdidi
stretches of the Tajik Railway is effected on time, without any delays or
obstacles," the document said.
"There have been certain problems in the southern Khatlon direction
due to the necessity to repair the stretch of the Termez-Amuzagan road
ruined by floods and mudslides.
"However, even despite the repairs, 1,337 cars with construction
materials, fuels and foodstuffs have passed through this stretch of road
to Tajikistan," the Embassy said.
According to Uzbekistan, the "volume of transit cargo shipments to
Tajikistan increased 2.7 percent in May, compared with the same period
last year, i.e. daily shipments to the neighboring republic have increased
by 220 tons compared with last year."
Independent experts said the "chill" in bilateral relations between
the two countries -- that have a lengthy joint border -- set in after the
Tajik authorities' decision to finish the construction of the Rogun
Hydroelectric Power Plant, with a rated capacity of 3,600 megawatt and a
335-meter dam, the highest in the Commonwealth of Independent States.
Uzbekistan is concerned over the construction of the super dam,
viewing it as the potential threat of an environmental or man-made
disaster. Tashkent insists on an international independent expert
examination and suspension of all construction works on Rogun. Kazakhstan,
too, has called for an expert examination of the Tajik project.
-0-myz/gor