[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 10]
[Senate]
[Pages 14441-14442]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



              THE ARREST OF KAZAKHSTAN'S OPPOSITION LEADER

  Mr. BIDEN. Mr. President, I rise today to highlight the troubled 
transition from communism to democracy of the largest of the new states 
in Central Asia, Kazakhstan. That transition is in serious jeopardy 
because of the authoritarian behavior of Kazakhstan's President, 
highlighted by the recent capricious arrest of the leader of the 
political opposition.
  There are high-stakes, competing forces at work in Kazakhstan: the 
promise of huge sums of money to be made from exploiting the country's 
vast natural resources, and the pull of old dictatorial ways against 
the nascent democratic movement.
  Last month, I met with a man who could help lead Kazakhstan toward 
true democracy--a former Prime Minister and outspoken critic of the 
current regime, Akezhan Kazhegeldin.
  Unfortunately, the Government of Kazakhstan is doing everything 
within its power to see that Mr. Kazhegeldin not get this opportunity.
  Two days ago, he was detained in Rome on an INTERPOL warrant 
instigated by the Kazakh Government. The charges, which range from 
terrorism to money laundering, are regarded by our State Department as 
trumped up and political in nature.
  This morning word came from Rome that the Italian authorities have 
shared our Government's assessment of the case and that they have 
released Mr. Kazhegeldin.

[[Page 14442]]

  But, although I am gratified at this development, the very fact of 
Mr. Kazhegeldin's arrest is a cause for deep concern for every American 
who hopes that democracy can take root in every country where Soviet 
despotism once reigned.
  This latest arrest is doubly troubling, because it suggests that 
authoritarian rulers are having at least temporary success in 
manipulating international organizations, in this case INTERPOL.
  The International League for Human Rights considers Mr. Kazhegeldin's 
arrest to be a ``particularly serious violation of article 2 of the 
INTERPOL Constitution'' because the founders of that organization 
``were careful to provide that the INTERPOL network could not be used 
by authoritarian governments to harass their domestic political 
opponents.''
  The real reason for the arrest was the latest in a series of attempts 
by the President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, to suppress his 
political opposition, which is led by Mr. Kazhegeldin.
  The timing is probably not coincidental. Mr. Kazhegeldin had recently 
offered to testify before U.S. authorities about corruption at the 
highest levels in Kazakhstan.
  This is the second time that President Nazarbayev has had Mr. 
Kazhegeldin detained by national authorities--there was a similar 
occurrence in Moscow last fall. In both cases, President Nazarbayev's 
government filed bogus charges through INTERPOL to have Mr. Kazhegeldin 
detained.
  I understand that our own Department of Justice has routinely ignored 
such INTERPOL notices concerning Mr. Kazhegeldin.
  In an even more sinister vein, the harassment against Mr. 
Kazhegeldin's associates has turned to physical violence--his press 
aide was stabbed in Moscow recently.
  Mr. President, the stakes in Kazakhstan are extraordinarily high. The 
country is four times the size of Texas and is blessed with energy 
resources that even the Lone Star State would envy.
  For example, it has proven oil reserves of some 15\1/2\ billion 
barrels; areas under the Caspian Sea may yield up to another 30 billion 
barrels.
  Estimates of natural gas reserves range from 3 to 6 trillion cubic 
meters. In addition, there are rich deposits of minerals such as 
copper, zinc, chromium, and uranium.
  The Tengiz oil field is currently being worked by U.S., Russian, 
Kazakh, and other companies. Construction is underway on a pipeline to 
the Russian port city of Novorossiisk, and Central Asian leaders have 
signed agreements with Turkey for a Baku-Ceyhan route.
  But this energy wealth is prospective for now. The big fields have 
not yet begun to yield, and the country remains poor.
  Kazakhstan's political landscape remains as undeveloped as its oil 
fields. Elections have been marked by irregularities to the point where 
international monitors agree that they have not met democratic 
standards. In fact--and this speaks volumes about the arrest in Rome--
President Nazarbayev was re-elected in 1999 by banning his only real 
opponent, none other than Akezhan Kazhegeldin.
  Human rights abuses have been reliably documented and include 
extrajudicial killings, harsh prison conditions, and torture of 
detainees.
  The press in Kazakhstan has been constrained by President 
Nazarbayev's desire to curb those who would ``harm the country's image 
in the world.'' In addition, the government owns and controls 
significant printing and distribution facilities and subsidizes 
publications. Restraints on the press are severe enough that self-
censorship is now practiced.
  The right of free assembly is restricted by law and by the 
government. Organizations must apply 10 days in advance to hold a 
gathering, and local authorities are widely reported to deny such 
permits. In some instances, demonstrators have been fined or 
imprisoned.
  There is, however, one piece of good news, in the area of weapons 
nonproliferation. Kazakhstan, which was one of four nuclear states 
formed out of the dissolution of the Soviet Union, has been a vigorous 
partner with the United States in the elimination of weapons of mass 
destruction. In 1995, President Nazarbayev announced that his country 
was no longer a nuclear power, after the last of its nuclear warheads 
had been removed to Russia.
  On the negative side, however, government officials of Kazakhstan 
illegally sold 40 Soviet-built MiG 21 fighter jets to North Korea. The 
officials implicated in the sales have received only minor punishment.
  The United States has worked with Kazakhstan and the other Central 
Asian states to promote democracy, economic reform, development of the 
energy sector, and other goals. In Kazakhstan alone, we provided $600 
million in assistance from 1992 to 1999.
  It is important to note that the Silk Road Strategy Act, passed by 
this Congress, specifically calls for increased aid to support conflict 
resolution in the region, humanitarian relief, economic and democratic 
reform, and institution-building.
  Finally, the United States has pursued a policy of vigorous 
engagement with the Government of Kazakhstan, including visits to that 
country by Secretary of State Albright and First Lady Hillary Clinton. 
We have also received many of their leaders in Washington, including 
President Nazarbayev.
  Kazakhstan, for all of its failings, is important to global 
security--because of its location, because of its wealth of energy 
resources, and because of its commitment to remain a nuclear weapons-
free state.
  But no matter how important Kazakhstan is, the United States must 
forcefully remind President Nazarbayev that acts of harassment such as 
the arrest of Mr. Kazhegeldin endanger the good relations between our 
two countries. He must be made to see the benefits of democracy and a 
free market economy, and the blind alley of authoritarian cronyism.
  Therefore, I call upon President Nazarbayev to stop his harassment of 
Mr. Kazhegeldin and the rest of the legitimate political opposition in 
Kazakhstan. It is these attacks--not the legitimate activities of the 
political opposition--that are serving to tarnish the reputation of 
Kazakhstan. This political repression makes the developed nations--
whose support and investment Kazakhstan desperately needs--wary of 
economic involvement there.
  The United States can work in partnership to build a better life for 
the people of Kazakhstan, but only if President Nazarbayev understands 
that political democracy must go hand-in-hand with economic 
development.

                          ____________________