[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 21 (Wednesday, March 1, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E209]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             THE NEED FOR A NATIONAL DIALOGUE IN KAZAKHSTAN

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BENJAMIN A. GILMAN

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, March 1, 2000

  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, last December President Nursultan Nazarbayev 
of Kazakhstan visited Washington for the annual meeting of the U.S.-
Kazakhstan Joint Commission. The purpose of these meetings, which are 
alternately held in the United States and Kazakhstan, is to promote 
economic and political cooperation between our two countries. Among 
other things, the U.S. side regularly presses the government of 
Kazakhstan to improve its human rights record and undertake economic 
and political reforms.
  I understand that U.S. officials pressed the Kazakh side especially 
hard this year, because of international criticism of parliamentary 
elections that were held last October, heightened corruption, and an 
acceleration of abusive action taken against opponents of President 
Nazarbayev's government. In an apparent move to blunt the severity of 
U.S. pressure as the Joint Commission meeting approached, President 
Nazarbayev reportedly issued a statement on November 4th, 1999 saying 
that he was ready to cooperate with the opposition in Kazakhstan and 
that he would welcome the return of former Prime Minister Akhezan 
Kazhegeldin, the exiled leader of the main opposition party.
  On November 19th, Mr. Kazhegeldin responded to President Nazarbayev 
by calling for a ``national dialogue'' to examine ways to advance 
democracy, economic development and national reconciliation in 
Kazakhstan. Mr. Kazhegeldin pointed out that convening a national 
dialogue would be an ideal way to initiate cooperation between the 
opposition and the government.
  President Nazarbayev, however, has reacted with silence to Mr. 
Kazhegeldin's proposal and a court reportedly convicted an opposition 
leader for having the temerity to criticize Nazarbayev's government. 
Finally, investment disputes with foreign companies that have lost 
millions of dollars because the government failed to honor its 
commitments remain unresolved and an investigation and trial seem to 
have failed to find anyone to blame for the delivery last year of 40 
MiG fighter aircraft from Kazakhstan to North Korea.
  Mr. Speaker, the cause of freedom and democracy in Kazakhstan appears 
to be in jeopardy. Our government should consider supporting a national 
dialogue along the lines proposed by former Prime Minister Kazhegeldin. 
At the very least, the government of Kazakhstan should make an hour of 
state-controlled television available every week for the use by the 
opposition. For its part the U.S. should also assist the democratic 
opposition by providing printing presses to replace those that have 
been confiscated by the government. It is time to stand up for 
democracy in Kazakhstan.




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