Foreign Correspondence

[Amaunet]

It seems that Uzbekistan came under terrorist attacks as a US ally in the anti-terrorist coalition. The spiritual leaders of IDU-IPT who have in effect become an al-Qaeda subsidiary in Central Asia are nurturing plans to overthrow constitutional power in the countries of the region. This has got to strike fear in the heart of long time U.S. ally, Georgia, who when the news hit the stands found a sudden affection for the great Russian bear and is expected to sign on Wednesday a plan of cooperation between the defense ministries of the two countries.

The fight for Caspian oil just became a whole lot more complicated. -Am


Uzbekistan attacked by terrorists as a U.S. ally in anti-terrorist coalition

16:53 2004-03-30

The Anti-Terrorist Center of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) does not rule out that Uzbekistan came under terrorist attacks as a US ally in the anti-terrorist coalition.

It is believed at the center that the terrorist organization Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IDU) now renamed into the Islamic Party of Turkestan (IPT) was directly concerned with these acts.

RIA Novosti was told at the center on Tuesday that IDU-IPT activities have been seen practically in all Central Asian states. These activities are not only limited to terrorist acts, and arms and drugs traffic, the center said. According to its information, IDU-IPT spiritual leaders are nurturing plans to overthrow constitutional power in the countries of the region.

It was noted at the center that the acts staged in Uzbekistan bear all the hallmarks of Al-Qaeda.

"IDU-IPT has in effect become an Al-Qaeda subsidiary in Central Asia. This is raising concerns among law enforcement bodies of the countries of the region and all CIS states," it was said at the center.

http://newsfromrussia.com/world/2004/03/30/53100.html


Georgian defence minister coming to Russia

30.03.2004, 12.12

MOSCOW, March 30 (Itar-Tass) -- Russian Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov and his Georgian counterpart Gela Bezhuashvili are expected to sign on Wednesday a plan of cooperation between the defence ministries of the two countries for the current year on the results of his talks on Moscow, a representative of the Russian Defence Ministry said.

“Georgia did not express the desire to take part in the drafting of the document, a basic one for cooperation of the two defence ministries. This is why it was drafted by Russian military experts. If Georgian officials make any changes or amendments to it at the talks, they could be discussed right away,” the Defence Ministry official said.

The officials of the two countries will discuss at the talks time limits for the deployment of Russian military basis in Batumi and Akhalkalaki, free supply of cargoes to the bases and the rotation of their personnel, a passage of Russian warplanes across the air space of Georgia, the training of the Georgian military personnel in Russia and the continuation by Russia of its peacekeeping activities in Georgia.

Russia stated on more than one occasion that the time limits for the deployment of its bases in Georgia were not connected in any way with the commitments assumed under the Istanbul Agreement on the adaptation of the Conventional Force in Europe (CFE) Treaty. The problem is within the exclusive competence of Russia and Georgia, and can be settled only on the basis of a bilateral agreement ratified by their parliaments. Moscow believes that the time limits for the withdrawal of the personnel of the Russian bases, of their armaments and military hardware should be discussed in close connection with two problems: the creation of an adequate infrastructure in Russia and the financing of the project.

Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov stressed in this connection that what happened in Germany early in the 90s would never happen again, that “we shall not withdraw our men and leave them right in the field.” On Monday Ivanov told President Vladimir Putin about the visit of Gela Bezhuashvili to Moscow, which begins on Tuesday. “We are going to discuss ways of developing military cooperation by the two countries, which is almost on the zero level now,” he said at the meeting in the Kremlin.

The Georgian defence minister does not regard the problem of the deployment of Russian military bases in Georgia as the key problem to be discussed in Moscow. “We shall mention it at the talks, but it is not the most important problem on the agenda of our talks in Moscow,” Bezhuashvili said in Tbilisi. He said he was going to put forward in Moscow concrete proposals of Georgia on bilateral cooperation in the sphere of defence, including the training of a group of Georgian officers and sergeants in Russian military schools. “We are taking with us a list of military professions, in which we would like to train a group of our officers in Russia,” he said.

According to Bezhuashvili, he is going to discuss with Russian officials some problems connected with cooperation in maintaining regional security and fighting international terrorism. “Georgia and Russia can and should become partners in fighting international terrorism. Our cooperation in that direction could develop both in the bilateral and multilateral format, within the framework of the efforts of the world community in the war on terrorism,” he said.

http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=625097&PageNum=0