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Pastimes : Kosovo -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: MNI who wrote (14269)	9/1/1999 4:19:00 AM
From: MNI	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 17770

Central Asia Looks to Old Master Russia September 1, 1999; www.stratfor.com SUMMARY Kyrgyzstan has asked Russia for help in fighting Islamic guerrillas who are holding approximately 20 hostages near the Tajikistan border. By asking for assistance, the Central Asian republic is effectively signaling the failure to provide regional security. Most significant of all, this is a region where the U.S. has been actively cultivating military allies. ANALYSIS The Kyrgyz defense ministry on August 31 requested Russian military help with fighting Islamic rebels in the south. Kyrgyz Deputy Prime Minister Boris Silayev and Defense Minister Esen Topoyev met Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in Moscow to ask for Russia’s assistance. Putin agreed to provide Kyrgyzstan with military and technical support, but ruled out deployment of Russian troops. Russian Defense Minister Igor Sergeyev said August 31 that he would consider supplying weapons and ammunition, according to ITAR-TASS and other reports. Kyrgyzstan has asked Russia for direct military support as well as technical assistance. Specifically, authorities in the capital Tashkent have asked for communications, night vision goggles and weapons. Kyrgyz forces appear ill prepared for this struggle. Its anti-terrorist unit has been demobilized and some reports in the region indicate that the rebels are better equipped and better trained. Kyrgyzstan is a full member of the Commonwealth of Independent States Security Council, having recently renewed its membership in the alliance with Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Tajikistan, and Kazakhstan. The fighting began last week after mostly Uzbek Islamic rebels crossed the Tajik-Kyrgyz border, seizing four villages and taking more than 20 hostages. Four hostages have been released. The rebels’ intentions are unclear, as they have not declared their demands. About 500 to 1,000 rebels are believed to be hiding in the mountainous region surrounding the villages. In their efforts to deal with the crisis, officials from defense and foreign ministries of Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan met in Osh, Kyrgyzstan, on August 30. They signed a joint declaration of intent to prevent terrorism by using the most severe measures allowed by international law. Still, their efforts so far seem uncoordinated. On the same day, Uzbekistan launched bombing attacks in southern Kyrgyzstan, accidentally killing three civilians. Kyrgyzstan responded by saying the air attack has not been authorized and it would demand compensation from Uzbekistan. The confusion appears to have prompted Tashkent’s plea to Russia. Over the past year, Russia has offered little military hardware to help battle the region’s border disputes. Only 130 Russian border troops are believed to remain in Kyrgyzstan. Authorities dealt with previous hostage incidents, in July and August, by paying ransoms. Failures to deal with Islamic groups, primarily the "Islamic Revival Movement of Uzbekistan," have led President Akayev to reappoint two defense ministers within the last two weeks. The incident has become a profound embarrassment to the local military. Maj. Gen. Anarbek Shankeyev was one of the first hostages taken and guerrillas later abducted 17 reconnaissance troops. The U.S. military has tried hard to cultivate ties with local militaries in an effort to displace Russia as the more influential power. Troops of the 82nd Airborne Division have held exercises with local forces and Special Forces have trained Central Asian troops in an effort to build up talent for joint operations, primarily peacekeeping. Most recently, officers from the region journeyed to MacDill Air Force Base, Florida to practice command and control of their forces. While local troops are considered adequate, Central Asian units generally need better technology. Russia is positioning itself to take advantage of the outbreak of violence in the region. Coordination between Russia and its eastern neighbors in the struggle against Islamic extremism was one of the main issues on President Boris Yeltsin’s agenda at the "Shanghai Five" summit. The joint declaration from the summit said that all the parties recognized the importance of fighting terrorists, separatists, and religious fanatics. Ultimately, Russia appears to be interested in reasserting influence to develop relations with Central Asia’s southeastern neighbor, China. Three high-profile meetings last week confirmed that the two countries are reinforcing their strategic partnership. Russian President Boris Yeltsin and his Chinese counterpart Jiang Zemin discussed closer cooperation. China is privately concerned that Central Asian unrest is feeding separatist rebels in Xinjiang province. Russian military assistance to Kyrgyzstan may, in fact, be Moscow’s first serious favor to Beijing.

To: MNI who wrote (14269)	9/2/1999 11:10:00 AM
From: MNI	Read Replies (4) \| Respond to of 17770

Thaci in London invites Serbs back to Kosovo .... news.bbc.co.uk UK police uncover Kosovo mass grave British police have uncovered a mass grave in Kosovo holding 50 bodies, Foreign Secretary Robin Cook has revealed. Mr Cook said the grave - largest found by British police working in Kosovo - was discovered inside a rubbish dump at Ljubidza, 6km north of the southern town of Prizren. He did not indicate whether the bodies were believed to be ethnic Albanians or Serbs. The discovery brings to 200 the total number of bodies found by British police and army personnel since the withdrawal of Serb forces from Kosovo. The UK estimates that at least 10,000 people were killed in ethnic cleansing by Serbs during the recent conflict. The latest disclosure came as the foreign secretary met the Kosovo Liberation Army commander Hashim Thaci in London to discuss the territory's future. UK will pursue guilty Speaking after the talks Mr Cook said the UK would turn over all the evidence, of alleged atrocities it had discovered, to the war crimes prosecutors. "No country is more committed than Britain to bringing to justice those who carried out the atrocities that outraged the world and led to our action to make sure Belgrade could not continue that tragedy," Mr Cook said. "Already over the past two months that British team has exhumed 200 corpses from different sites, including many children, one of them as young as two." Mr Thaci also condemned the killings, speaking through an interpreter, he said: "We feel terribly sad at the act of violence that took place. There were acts of violence against Albanians, against Serbs, against other groups." He insisted the KLA was committed to demilitarising and becoming a civilian force by the 19 September deadline agreed with Nato. The KLA would work with K-For to rebuild houses and schools in the war-torn territory, he added. KLA reject revenge Both he and Mr Cook stressed that they wanted to create a society in Kosovo which would include Serbs and ethnic Albanians. "We want a multi-ethnic society, and we ask the Serbs to return to Kosovo to build a democratic society," Mr Thaci said. "We're committed to establishing a society where tolerance will rule, not revenge," he said. Mr Cook stressed that Britain wanted to work "with all ethnic communities in Kosovo to build a democratic and free, pluralist Kosovo which offers a future to all its people." He added: "I have discussed violence against Serbs and other minority groups in Kosovo. We are both agreed that such violence and intimidation must stop. "We have an opportunity to break the cycle of violence. We are both determined that opportunity must be seized." Now, who should we laugh at? Thaci or Cook? MNI.