/

20051011
• Kyrgyzstan - US - Afghanistan - Uzbekistan - "Kyrgyzstan says U.S. troops can continue using base." ... "Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice received firm assurances Tuesday that U.S. military forces can use a key logistics base here [in Kyrgyzstan] to support combat operations in Afghanistan and face no near-term deadline to withdraw." ... "The commitment comes 10 weeks after the government of neighboring Uzbekistan served an eviction notice on U.S. troops operating from a larger base there. The move was in retaliation for Washington's criticism of Uzbekistan's bloody crackdown on unarmed protesters." -By Warren P. Strobel -Knight Ridder via -MercuryNews

  ---

20050617
• -  - "Kyrgyz protesters storm HQ." ... "Police and Interior Ministry troops regained control of the building about an hour after the crowd of about 2,000 had gathered, shouting slogans in support of the candidate, Urmat Baryktabasov." ... "His registration was denied because Kyrgyz officials said they had proof he was a citizen of neighboring Kazakhstan." -AP via -CNN 

  ---

20050519
• Uzbekistan - Kyrgyzstan -  - "Uzbek troops enter border town after unrest." ... "Uzbek forces retook control of the eastern border town of Qorasuv early on Thursday after days of unrest in the aftermath of bloody clashes in nearby Andizhan." ... "Interior ministry troops rolled into the town on the border with Kyrgyzstan at 4 a.m. and, encountering little if any resistance, quickly established control over bridges and other key points, local people said." ... "The small town of about 25,000 has seethed with unrest since last Saturday when about 200 or so people rebelled and destroyed a local police headquarters." (1, 2) -By Dmitry Solovyov with contributions by Maria Golovnina -Reuters

  ---

20050515
• Uzbekistan -  -  - "Thousands Flee Uzbek Violence: After the slaying of protesters, panicky throngs gather at the border only to find the crossing closed. Fires and rioting break out." ... "Police stations, tax offices, the prosecutor's office and the customs terminal were set ablaze in the town of Korasuv, on the border of Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, the Russian news agency Itar-Tass reported. About 5,000 people had fled there Saturday from Andijon, 30 miles to the west, it said." ... "Uzbek troops and police in Andijon fired into crowds of thousands of protesters Friday, which included armed militants and unarmed civilians. Human rights activists in Andijon put the death toll there at 300 to 500. This morning, a doctor told Associated Press that she had seen about 500 corpses laid out at a school guarded by soldiers." -By David Holley-LAtimes 

  ---

20050514
• Uzbekistan -  - "Uzbek Unrest Spreads to Kyrgyz Border: Uzbek Unrest Spreads to Kyrgyz Border As Protesters Beat Border Guards, Overrun Government Buildings." ... "Thousands of terrified Uzbeks trying to flee into Kyrgyzstan burned a government building Saturday and attacked border guards, a second day of violence triggered by a brazen jail break to free accused Islamic militants and a massive demonstration against economic conditions under the iron-fisted rule of President Islam Karimov." ... "There was no immediate word on casualties in the latest violence in the former republic of the ex-Soviet Union, but witnesses to Friday's mayhem said more than 200 people were killed in gunfire after government troops confronted the huge demonstration." ... "Andijan is Uzbekistan's fourth-largest city, about 30 miles from the country's easternmost border in the narrow finger of territory that protrudes deep into Kyrgyzstan, where an uprising in late March ousted that country's only post-Soviet leader." (1, 2, 3) -By Bagila Bukharbayeva with contributions by Burt Herman -AP via -ABCNEWS.com 

  ---

20050411
• - "Akayev Resignation Accepted in Kyrgyzstan." ... "Kyrgyzstan's parliament accepted the resignation of ousted President Askar Akayev on Monday, ending a debate that has paralyzed the new leadership." -AP via -SFGate.com 

  ---

20050405
• - - "Kyrgyz president resigns, opening way for election: Deal grants him immunity from prosecution." ... "President Askar Akayev of Kyrgyzstan resigned Monday after receiving assurances that he would not face prosecution for any wrongdoing during his 14 years as the country's only post-Soviet leader." ... "Akayev's resignation, effective Tuesday, removed the last legal obstacle to holding a new presidential election, now scheduled for June, and could reduce political tensions that have divided the opposition leaders now jockeying for power." -By Steven Lee Myers -NYTimes via -IHT.com 

  ---

20050403
• - "Ousted Kyrgyzstan leader has agreed to resign abroad: speaker." ... "Akayev has said in media interviews that he is outside the Russian capital and is prepared to resign if given adequate security guarantees." ... "Opposition leaders now in power want to secure Akayev's resignation to boost their legitimacy after the forceful takeover, but have disagreed over whether Akayev must return to surrender power." -AP via -cbc.ca

  ---

  
• - "Kyrgyzstan's Exiled Chief Agrees to Resign Without Conditions." ... "Mr. Akayev has demanded that in return for his resignation he be allowed to address the Parliament and the nation. But Kyrgyzstan's new government is reluctant to give him such a platform, fearing it could incite new unrest." -By Craig S. Smith -NYTimes



---

20050402
• -  - "Kyrgyz Poll Legal if Akayev Resigns or Not - Judge." ... "Elections for a new Kyrgyz president can legally go ahead whether deposed leader Askar Akayev formally resigns or not, the Central Asian state's top judge said Saturday."-Reuters 

  ---

  
• -  - "Kyrgyz group to visit ex-leader: A parliamentary delegation from Kyrgyzstan is to travel to Moscow to negotiate with the deposed president, Askar Akayev, about his resignation.." ... "The announcement came hours after the country's Constitutional Court said Mr Akayev could legally resign in exile." ... "Court chairwoman Cholpon Bayekova said the deposed president could sign a statement before witnesses, which would then be brought back to Kyrgyzstan." ... "Mr Akayev has said he was prepared to resign under certain circumstances."-BBC /News 

  ---

20050330
• - "Akayev Told Not to Return to Kyrgyzstan." ... "Kyrgyzstan's interim leader [Kurmanbek Bakiyev] told the ousted president to stay away from the country for now, warning on Wednesday that Askar Akayev could cause more unrest if he returned and that the government could not guarantee his safety." ... "Akayev, who fled this former Soviet republic last week after violent protests, hinted in a Russian television interview Tuesday that he might be willing to submit a formal resignation if he received security guarantees from parliament. He also said he wanted to come home." -By Kadyr Toktogulov -AP via -Guardian.co.uk

  ---

  
• -  - "Kyrgyz president: "I haven't resigned"." ... "Askar Akayev, the Kyrgyz president who disappeared when protesters overran his office last week, resurfaced in Russia yesterday, saying he would not resign his position but holding out the possibility of returning to talk things over." ... "Akayev made his statements to Russian reporters near Moscow, where he said he retreated for his own security." ... ""My term in office will expire on Oct. 30, 2005. I haven't resigned yet," he said in an interview with Ekho Moskvy radio broadcast yesterday evening. "Currently, I can see no reason to resign."" -By Karl Vick -WashingtonPost via -SeattleTimes.NWsource 

  ---

20050329
• -  -  -  - "[U.S.] Troops in Kyrgyzstan Focus on Afghanistan." ... "When revolution hit the capital of Kyrgyzstan, U.S. soldiers at this nearby air base hunkered down and got on with their jobs -- focusing on another troubled Central Asian country, Afghanistan" ... "For the 800 U.S. troops providing support to planes and troops going in and out of Afghanistan, it was impossible to completely ignore the chaos that broke out in Kyrgyzstan after last week's forced ouster of its longtime leader." ... "Ganci Air Base is only 19 miles northwest of the capital, Bishkek, where throngs of protesters stormed the presidential headquarters Thursday and forced longtime leader Askar Akayev to flee." -By Mara D. Bellaby -AP via -Newsday 

  ---

20050328
• Kyrgyzstan - "Disputed Parliament Takes Over in Kyrgyzstan." ... "Kyrgyzstan plunged deeper into confusion Monday when a parliament, whose disputed election led to a coup ousting President Askar Akayev, assumed authority and the new leaders jostled for power." ... "With the impoverished Central Asian state looking increasingly rudderless, differences emerged between acting president Kurmanbek Bakiyev, named within hours of the March 24 coup that forced Akayev to flee, and Felix Kulov, a popular opposition leader in charge of security." (1, 2) -By Christian Lowe -Reuters 

  ---

20050325
• Kyrgyzstan - "New Kyrgyz leader promises polls: Kyrgyzstan will hold fresh elections in June, says the central Asian republic's acting president Kurmanbek Bakiev." ... "The pledge came a day after opposition protesters stormed parliament, ending the 15-year rule of Askar Akayev." ... "Mr Bakiev told a crowd in the capital Bishkek that parliament had picked him as president and prime minister."" ... "The acting president told parliament "elections must take place within three months" under the existing constitution." ... "However, he did not set a date for the vote."-BBC /News 

  ---

  
• Kyrgyzstan - "Protests Force Leader to Flee in Kyrgyzstan." ... "Protesters alleging corruption, repression and electoral fraud forced the longtime president of this central Asian country to flee his palace on Thursday, the third time a government of a former Soviet republic has been toppled in a popular uprising in a year and a half." ... "President Askar Akayev and his family fled Bishkek, the Kyrgyz capital, after crowds at a large opposition rally seized control of the presidential palace and began looting it. Kyrgyzstan's Parliament elected a former opposition lawmaker, Ishenbai Kadyrbekov, as the country's interim president. It was unclear whether the decision was legally binding, in part because of uncertainty over whether Mr. Akayev, whose whereabouts were unknown, had stepped down." (1, 2) -By Christopher Pala -NYTimes via -Moreover 

  ---

20050324
• Kyrgyzstan - "Kyrgyz Opposition Leader Promises New Election." ... "" -By Olga Dzyubenko -Reuters 

  ---

  
• - Kyrgyzstan - "Kyrgyzstan Protesters Storm Gov't Building." ... "Protesters stormed the presidential compound in [the capital, Bishkek] Kyrgyzstan on Thursday, seizing control of the symbol of state power after clashing with riot police who had surrounded it during a large opposition rally. The defense minister was led out of the building by demonstrators." ... "About 1,000 protesters managed to clear riot police from their positions outside the fence protecting the building, and about half that number entered the compound and went into the building through the front entrance. Others smashed windows with stones, while hundreds of police watched from outside the fence." -By Steve Gutterman -Guardian.co.uk

  ---

20050323
• - Kyrgyzstan - "Kyrgyz capital sees first protest." ... "Riot police have broken up a protest in Kyrgyzstan's capital Bishkek, the first since anti-government demonstrations swept the country's south." ... "Up to 200 people gathered in Bishkek's main square, but police broke up the rally before it could get going." ... "Police reportedly hit some of the crowd with sticks and arrested 10 organisers." ... "It is not clear how closly the event was linked to protests in the south, where the cities of Osh and Jalal-Abad are under effective opposition control."-BBC /News 

  ---

  
• -  -  -  -  - Kyrgyzstan -  - "Kyrgyzstan Must Tackle Poll Irregularities, U.S. Says (Update2)." ... "Kyrgyzstan, which borders China and the Central Asian republics of Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, is a strategically important country. Both the U.S. and Russia maintain military bases in the country, with the U.S. using its Manas base to aid operations in Afghanistan, to the south." ... "Opposition supporters took over government offices in a third southern town late yesterday, Interfax reported. The protesters occupied offices in Kyzyl-Kiya, the news agency said, citing unidentified police officials. Protests have taken place in Osh and Jalal-Abad in recent days." -By Paul Tighe -Bloomberg 

  ---

  
• - Kyrgyzstan - "Kyrgyz President Makes Hardliner Security Head." ... "[President] Akayev, who promised not to resort to a massive use of force against demonstrators on Tuesday, named the head of police in the capital Bishkek as new interior minister to deal with protests which are trying to force him from office and are dividing the mountainous Central Asian country." ... "In his first public comments after becoming [interior] minister, Keneshbek Dushebayev made clear that security forces were ready to get tough to restore order." ... "Shortly before he spoke, riot police moved in and broke up an anti-Akayev demonstration of about 200 people in the capital." ... "Reuters correspondent Dmitry Solovyov said police beat demonstrators and drove several away in buses. "It was very brief and very violent," he said." -By Olga Dzyubenko with contributions by Dmitry Solovyov and Michael Steen -Reuters via -Wired 

  ---

20050322
• Kyrgyzstan - "Profile: Askar Akayev: During the early years of Askar Akayev's rule, Western commentators hailed him as a bright hope for democracy in Central Asia." ... "They noted that the softly-spoken intellectual began pushing for privatisation and land reform shortly after he became leader of independent Kyrgyzstan in 1991." ... "He was also hailed as an advocate for an open and liberal atmosphere in the former Soviet republic." ... "But this optimism about Mr Akayev has now waned." ... "Critics accuse him of suppressing the opposition and media, and say his government is mired in corruption." -BBC /News 

  ---

  
• Kyrgyzstan - "Will Kyrgyzstan's protests follow Ukraine's lead? Unlike in the 'Orange Revolution,' violence has marred rallies that erupted here to protest allegedly flawed elections earlier this month." ... "Although a revolution appears to be taking shape in Kyrgyzstan similar to the ones that erupted in Georgia in 2003 and Ukraine last December, experts suggest the violent street revolts rocking Kyrgyzstan could develop very differently from the democratic upheavals that brought peaceful change to the other ex-Soviet states." ... ""There is a quite open and obvious attempt to imitate Ukraine's Orange Revolution by the opposition in these events, but the same methods may lead to very different results," says Irina Zvigelskaya, an regional expert with the independent Center for Strategic and Political Studies in Moscow." ... ""There is a real danger that instability in Kyrgyzstan could unleash the pent-up forces of Islamic fundamentalism or ethnic conflict. It could turn down very ugly streets."" -By Fred Weir -CSMonitor

  ---

  
• - Kyrgyzstan - "Kyrgyzstan Parties Must Apply Restraint, Annan Says (Update1)." ... "Kyrgyzstan's government and opposition must exercise restraint after violent protests in southern towns over the results of this month's parliamentary elections, said United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan." ... "Annan, the UN said. Protesters took over government buildings and blocked the airports in Osh and Jalal-Abad in the past two days, Agence France-Presse reported, citing witnesses in the towns." ... "The opposition charges fraud in the March 13 run-off election won by parties supporting Akayev, who has ruled the central Asian nation of 5 million people since 1991. Kyrgyzstan's economy depends" -By Paul Tighe -Bloomberg 



---


• Kyrgyzstan - "Kyrgyzstan protests 'part of coup' [claims contested President's spokesman]." ... "Protests sweeping Kyrgyzstan in recent weeks are part of a "coup" designed by criminals, President Askar Akayev's spokesman was quoted as saying Tuesday, as the government signaled it has no intention of accepting vote-rigging charges that have fueled the massive rallies." ... "The president sought to stem the mounting tide of protests Monday by ordering a probe into the vote-rigging allegations, but the emboldened opposition vowed to press on to force Akayev to leave office." ... "Meanwhile, the capital Bishkek -- which has so far been calm -- was bracing for possible rallies on Tuesday." -AP via -CNN 

  ---

20050321
• - Kyrgyzstan - "Analysis: Why Kyrgyzstan matters." ... "The outside world has been watching events unfolding in Kyrgyzstan with a mixture of excitement and fear." ... "Excitement because this could be the beginning of another "velvet revolution" in a former Soviet country." ... "Fear because in such a poor and volatile region as Central Asia, it may not be as non-violent or democratic as those in Ukraine or Georgia." ... "Whatever happens, the outcome will be significant because Kyrgyzstan is close to Afghanistan - an area with a history of inter-ethnic conflicts lying on one of the world's major drug trafficking routes." ... "Kyrgyzstan does not border on Afghanistan, but it is close enough to have a direct impact on the country's affairs." -By Leonid Ragozin-BBC /News 

  ---

  
• Kyrgyzstan - "Kyrgyzstan Orders Probe Into Elections." ... "President Askar Akayev on Monday ordered the Central Election Commission and Supreme Court to investigate alleged violations in the recent parliamentary vote that have triggered weeks of opposition protests in Kyrgyzstan, his office said." ... "Akayev ordered the commission and court ``to pay particular attention to those districts where election results provoked extreme public reaction ... and tell people openly who is right and who is wrong,'' his office said." ... "The statement came as more than 17,000 people seized government buildings in the latest protests demanding Akayev's resignation." -AP via -Guardian.co.uk

  ---