Boucher Interview With Azattyk Radio and State TV

18 April 2006

Interview With Azattyk Radio and State TV

RichardA. Boucher, Assistant Secretary for South and CentralAsian Affairs

Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan April 11,2006

QUESTION: Despite the pressure from Uzbekistan theKyrgyz Government protected and sent to a third countryabout 400 Uzbeks seeking refuge. But the fate of four ofthem is still unclear, and they are still being kept in aKyrgyz prison. What does the U.S. Government think thesolution should be? What steps does the Kyrgyz Governmenthave to undertake?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY BOUCHER: I thinkthe first thing to say is that there are over 400 peoplewho found safety and better lives because of the actions theKyrgyz government took. I think it is very important andsomewhat difficult, but those were courageous actions.There are still four people left. We think these people alldeserve the same considerations and the same treatment asthe others who were able to leave. So we, and the UnitedNations, continue to advocate for them to be considered asrefugees and allow them to go through the normal refugeeprocess.

QUESTION: What are the relations between theU.S. and Uzbekistan after last year's Andijan events? Arethe economic, political, and military programs still goingon, or they stopped?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY BOUCHER: Well,most of it, frankly, had to stop. The problem is not thatwe wanted it all to stop. There were many things that we wanted to continue. We want to be able to work withUzbekistan and the people of Uzbekistan to help them toachieve the same goals as other people in this region have.But the government makes it increasingly hard to work withthe organizations there. They close down localorganizations. They've closed down organizations that workwith us. They closed down organizations that work with theUnited Nations. They closed down the people to whom weoffered scholarships and the people who go out and teststudents to find eligible candidates for our scholarships.Coming after the massacre in Andijan, where such horribleabuses occurred from the government, we find there is verylittle that we can do. We are not going to support agovernment that would act that way to its own citizens andwe are not going to be able to work with the citizens if thegovernment keeps acting this way. So, it is getting more andmore difficult. Let me say one more thing about Uzbekistan.We want to try to have a relationship there and I will betraveling there some time I am sure. Our goal forUzbekistan is to help them with their independence. Helpthem to find economic opportunity. Help the people find thevoice in their government. Help to find ways of cooperatingwith everyone in the regions based on law and help thememerge as one of the stable and prosperous countries in astable and prosperous region. So, we don't have differentideas about Uzbekistan than we have about any other countryin the region. But their government makes it very hard towork on these things.

QUESTION: What is your opinionabout how reforms are going on in the post-Soviet countrieswhere revolutions took place: in Ukraine, Georgia, and especially in Kyrgyzstan? Can one hope that the situation ischanging for better? How does Washington, D.C. evaluate thework of the new Kyrgyz government?

ASSISTANT SECRETARYBOUCHER: That is a very complicated question and it would be complicated even if you asked about France, Britain,Germany and the United States. We are always trying to moveforward. We are always in a state of reform. I suppose insome areas some countries are out ahead and in some areas its others. There are a lot of good things here inKyrgyzstan. However, there is also a lot of work to bedone. Constitutional reform has to be finished for thepeople to decide on their form of government. Whatever theform of government the Parliament has to be strengthened.Judiciary needs independence and a stronger and moreconfident role. There are economic reforms if you want toattract investment and opportunities. So, I think thatanyway you look at it there is a lot to do. Any time youlook at us, you will find the same thing in America. Anytime you look at France, you will find a lot to do. I thinkif you really get started on some of these fundamentalissues, it will be easier going later.

QUESTION: On April9 Rysbek Akmatbaev, who is considered as one of the leaders of the criminal world of Kyrgyzstan, was elected as a Memberof [Kyrgyz] Parliament. Some opinions call this in questionbecause Akmatbayev has previous convictions, some of themwere not removed yet. In her March 24 Op-ed before theelection Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch expressed her concernregarding criminals seeking seats in the government. Whatadvice would the U.S. Government give the Kyrgyz Governmentin this regard?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY BOUCHER: I thinkthere are couple issues here. One, if a criminal can enterParliament then this is going to raise a lot of concerns about the investment environment and the politicalenvironment in Kyrgyzstan. That is bad for the country as awhole. Second, it raises questions about the independenceof the judiciary. Every democracy has rules about criminalsnot being able to compete for office and one wonders whythese rules do not get applied here. Third, it raisesquestions about the fairness of that vote. One has towonder how a man like that got so many votes. So, this hasto be solved by Kyrgyzstan within the Kyrgyz politicalsystem. But I think that people understand that there issomething fundamentally wrong for a notorious criminal toenter Parliament.

QUESTION: There are opinions expressedthat President Bakiyev, who came to power after the March24th Revolution, doesn't do constitutional reforms becauseAkayev-era officials are still working in the government. Isthe constitutional reform really needed for Kyrgyzstan?What form of government do you think is right forKyrgyzstan?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY BOUCHER: I think theKyrgyz people have to decide what form of government isright for them. It is not simply between a presidential or prime-minister/parliamentary type system. In ourpresidential system, the President has a lot of power, butthe Parliament has control over the money. So, there is abalance together with the judiciary. From that point ofview, I think everyone agrees that Kyrgyzstan needs a newconstitution. The old constitution had so many changes thatall of the power ended up concentrated with the President.So you need to do this: You need to complete this process to rebalance the powers of government and to ensure thateach can operate independently but not independent of theothers. And that is why we, like many others, would like tosee the constitutional reform process completed. We are willing to help, if we can, in that regard.

QUESTION: Howare the relations between the Kyrgyz Government and U.S. Government developing since the revolution of last year?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY BOUCHER: Actually, they have beenquite good. We have done very well together. We arecooperating on security issues within the regions, including the airbase out here. We are cooperating oneconomic opportunities for Kyrgyzstan. We have a lot ofassistance to Kyrgyzstan for the development of the economybut are also looking at new ideas and new possibilities of exporting Kyrgyz power to other countries to the south. Weare also working on the political process and democraticreforms. Kyrgyzstan has an open media and a strong civilsociety and has a lot of things going for it. But, there isobviously more to do. So, we have been trying to work withthe Kyrgyz government to promote constitutional reforms,reforms in the judiciary, and a serious fight againstcorruption. I know there is a lot disappointment in thoseareas. People think that it has not moved as fast as itshould have. And we are, frankly, very interested inregaining the momentum on those issues. So, part of mydiscussions here today is how we move forward in all theseareas because we think, frankly, that the political, theeconomic, and the security issues all reinforce each otherfor a better future for Kyrgyzstan.

QUESTION:Ex-President Askaer Akayev made the statement that the MarchRevolution was financed by the U.S. How do you respond tothis?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY BOUCHER: It is wrong. We do notmake revolutions. Our goal is not to overthrow governmentsor disrupt people's politics. Our goal is to help peoplewho want reform and change. To help people who want theirown voice in politics and to help societies achieveprosperity and democratic stability. The people who madethe political changes in this country last March were all the people from this country, with their own ideas from thiscountry, and their own aspirations, and hopes and dreams forthis country.

Released on April 13, 2006

ENDS

THIS ISSUE Lead NZ News NZ Politics World News FeaturesInternational News Australia: PM Howard Appears Before Cole Commission; Comments on David Hicks and Changes to Asylum-Seeking Process - I want to repeat what I said this morning, that this Government, alone amongst governments around the world, has established a public inquiry with the powers of a royal commission. The significance of that is that a royal commission can compel the production of documents and the only way that in my submission, or my view that I can, that one can get to the bottom of something like this is to have a capacity to compel the production of documents. I might observe that there have been two, in a sense, seminal moments in investigating allegations about corruption. See... PM Howard on Cole Com; asylum seekers; David Hicks ALSO:Australia should act, British court backing Hicks

Scoop Audio: Latest UN New Brief... Annan Warns Africa Needs A Million More Health Workers to Meet MDGs -International Migration Landscape Changed Over Last Decade: UNFPA - General Assembly President Describes Darfur Violence as "Ethnic Cleansing" - Egeland Urges World to put Pressure on Sudan - Efforts to Combat Bird Flu on Poultry Farms Showing Success: FAO - WFP to Provide Food Aid in Support of Peace Process in Southern Philippines.

Congo: Life Sentences on Soldiers For Massive Rape - Welcoming the first sentencing of army soldiers in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for crimes against humanity stemming from massive rape, United Nations officials have called for further investigations to help prosecute other military personnel who may be implicated. "The court has validated the statute of Rome that created the International Criminal Court (ICC) in July 2002 and stated that massive rape is considered a crime against humanity and liable to life in prison," See... Congo: Life sentences on soldiers for massive rape

MORE INTERNATIONAL HEADLINES:Botswana: Bushman Hunters Arrested At GunpointNepal: General strike brutally repressedCoca-Cola: University Ignores Community ConcernsAustralia shuts the door on West PapuansChad: Rebel Offensive a Risk of Ethnic Reprisal

FULL COVERAGE: PACIFIC ISLANDS FORUM REPORTAGE FULL COVERAGE: Ahmed Zaoui & Refugee Issues FULL COVERAGE: Reports on the Israel Palestine Crisis FULL COVERAGE: SIS Maori Party Bugging Controversy SCOOP SPECIAL REPORT: - American Coup IIQuick Retirement CalculatorTarget 110 000 ConsumersNZ REAL ESTATE OnlineBook Cheap FLIGHTS OnlineCalculate YOUR NETWORTHTRAVEL: Packages & Deals!MORTGAGE Calculators #this_text { text-align: left; vertical-align: middle;}#this_text a { font-family: "Verdana", sans-serif; font-size: 90%; color: #943517; text-decoration: underline;}#this_text a:hover { font-family: "Verdana", sans-serif; font-size: 90%; color: blue; text-decoration: underline;}Have You Checked Out the Scoop.co.nz Archives? Over 110 News Categories Here! THE WIRES Scoops Parliament Politics World Business Sci-Tech Culture Education Regional Health SEARCH _m1svt='');

Source: scoop

All trademarks and copyrighted information contained herein are the property of their respective owners.