Today news:

* Albanianews (Albania, Italy and Kosovo)

 Un altro passo verso le 28 stelle: c’è Scutari nell’agenda Ue del 2010

Posted: 15 Dec 2009 02:13 AM PST

Un altro passo verso quelle che l’Albania spera diventino presto 28 stelle. All’inizio del 2010 il vicepresidente del Parlamento europeo Gianni Pittella sarà a Scutari per una missione istituzionale e una serie di incontri ufficiali con le autorità nazionali e locali, la Camera di Commercio, l’imprenditoria e l’Università, dove terrà una lezione sulle istituzioni comunitarie.

> For further information: www.albanianews.it

* Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (Bosnia and Balkans)

 Balkan Investigative Reporting Network Balkan Insight Daily No. 426, December 16 2009

 Balkan Investigative Reporting Network Balkan Insight Daily No. 427, December 17 2009

 Balkan Insight n. 218

> For further information: www.birn.eu.com

* Bsec (Turkey)

Attached herewith is the press release issued by the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) on the meeting held with the Working Party on Eastern Europe and Central Asia (COEST) of the Council of Ministers of the European Union (EU) in Brussels on 14 December 2009.

> For further information: www.bsec-organization.org

* Central Asian News Service (Kyrgyzstan and Central Asia)

 Daily news report of 16 December

 Daily news report of 17 December

> For further information: www.ca-news.org

* Center for Investigative Reporting (Bosnia)

OCCRP Newsletter No. 5 - In this issue:

 Visa Woes, Fraud Infest Region

Ordinary citizens seem to accept the ordeal of visas and passports as a way to keep criminals and terrorists out of their counties, but there is a separate, shadow market that takes care of people who are willing to deal in illegality.

 RUSSIA: A Price for Everything

Russians looking to leave their country to do business abroad, visit relatives or take a relaxing holiday face long odds and bureaucratic obstacles if they try to play by the rules. Those with money, political connections and no qualms about using them have an easy path to worldwide travel, or even a second citizenship and passports under a new name.

 BULGARIA: Persistent, Growing Problems

Drug dealers, street thugs and common criminals from across Central and Eastern Europe are winning Bulgarian passports and visas even though they don’t meet even the lowest requirements. Meanwhile, those seeking to reclaim their heritage and get a passport to their ancestral home face daunting, often impossible, odds.

 MACEDONIA: Turning Away from the Law

Archaic rules, Communist-era red tape and overwhelming backlogs have forced law-abiding Macedonians to make uncomfortable choices. An elderly woman hoping to visit her son and granddaughter must decide what to do before it’s too late.

 MOLDOVA: The Wait and Ways to Beat It

Moldovans are flocking to get Romanian passports, reclaiming their birthright but also grabbing the perks and freedoms that come with citizenship in an EU country. The desire for such a prize is leading to widespread corruption, forgery and bribery – and opportunity for shady characters to roam freely in a borderless world.

 UKRAINE: Visa Inequality

One of many companies in Ukraine charges significant fees for visas from various embassies and guarantees a positive result, without requiring a visit to the embassy. Ordinary citizens who follow the rules face a grueling and sometimes humiliating ordeal.

 A Visit to Visa Hell

Dealing with foreign embassies and impatient, rude workers is a difficult and sometimes unavoidable part of applying for holiday and work visas. But sometimes the standards drop to shocking levels that bring outrage and attention.

 Honorary Consuls: Wealth Can Beget Wealth

The designation of Honorary Consuls often is often a ticket to unfathomable convenience for those lucky passport holders, who gain immunity for nearly every wrongdoing they may commit. The title and status goes almost exclusively to the wealthy, privileged or corrupt.

 What’s Available on the Dark Side

Visas, passports, letters of invitation from businesses to prospective employees—all have a place in the market that supplies fraudulent or “arranged” documents for travel or work.

Read

> For further information: www.cin.ba

* Civil Georgia (Georgia)

 Daily news online of 15 December 2009

 Daily news online of 16 December 2009

> For further information: www.civil.ge

* Le Courrier des Balkans (France and Balkans)

 Le Bulletin du Courrier des Balkans N°678

 Vins de Serbie // dernières commandes avant Noël

> For further information : http://balkans.courriers.info

* Ebrd (England, Eastern Europe, Russia, Caucasus and Central Asia)

Procurement notices - Opportunities for suppliers, contractors and consultants worldwide:

 Kutaisi Municipal: Supply of flow meters, Georgia

 Power Distribution - No. EPBiH-ECSEE-APL3-C1-W-06/08-EBRD, Bosnia and Herzegovina

 BIDSF Jadrová a vyraïovacia spoloènos , a.s. (General)

 Tbilisi Railway Bypass - Design and Construction

 BIDSF (SEPS, a.s.), Slovak Republik

 D1 motorway Phase I, Slovak Republic

 UKRAM, Ukraine

> For further information: www.ebrd.com

* Ec Delegation Bosnia (Bosnia/Belgium)

 30th years of UN Women’s Rights Convention: the EU underlines the power of human rights to eradicate gender-based discriminations - 30-ta godisnjica UN Konvencije o pravima zena: EU naglasava snagu ljudskih prava za iskorjenjivanje diskrimi

 Closing ceremony of the project „Technical Assistance for Support to Energy Department“ - Ceremonija zavrsetka Projekta podrske sektoru energetike

 Support to the Reform of Higher Education in Bosnia and Herzegovina - Podrska reformi visokog obrazovanja u Bosni i Hercegovini

 Joint statement of the EU Presidency and the European Commission on the state of play of the climate change negotiations in Copenhagen - Zajednicka izjava EU Predsjednistva i Evropske komisije o trenutnoj situaciji u pre

 Your internet, your choice - Vas internet, vas izbor

> For further information: www.europa.ba

* Eurasia Partnership Foundation (Armenia)

Hay ev Turk lragroghneri handipum Erevanum

Երևանում կհանդիպեն են հայ և թուրք լրագրողները

Երևան- Եվրասիա համագործակցություն հիմնադրամը (ԵՀՀ) Գլոբալ քաղաքական միտումների կենտրոնի (GPOT, Թուրքիա) հետ համատեղ կազմակերպում է հայ և թուրք լրագրողների հանդիպում: Հանդիպումը կկայանա ս.թ. դեկտեմբերի 17-20-ը Երևանի Կոնգրես հյուրանոցում: Այն ֆինանսավորվում է Նորվեգիայի կառավարության և ԱՄՆ Միջազգայիյն զարգացման գործակալության կողմից: Հանդիպումն սկսվելու է դեկտեմբերի 17-ին ժամը 14:00-ին: Ողջույնի խոսքից հետո` 14:30-ին լրագրողներին հարցազրույցների հնարավորություն կընձեռնվի:

Հանդիպմանը կմասնակցեն մի շարք հայտնի լրագրողներ Թուրքիայի ու Հայաստանի առաջատար լրատվամիջոցներից, ինչպիսիք են CNN Türk-ը, Milliyet-ը, Sabah-ը, Hurriyet-ը, NTV-ն, Cumhuriyet-ը, Akşam-ը, «Ազգ» օրաթերթը, «Կենտրոն» հեռուստատեսությունը, «Երկիր Մեդիա» հեռուստատեսությունը, Tert.am-ը, News.am-ը և այլն: Սույն հանդիպումը մասն է Հայաստանի ու Թուրքիայի մամուլի անաչառության բարձրացմանն ուղղված ԵՀՀ նախագծի, որի նպատակն է Հայաստանի ու Թուրքիայի քաղաքացիների միջև հաստատել կապեր ու ամրապնդել փոխադարձ ըմբռնումը` երկու երկրներում երկկողմանի հարաբերությունների լուսաբանման հարցում լրատվության որակի ու ճշգրտության բարելավման միջոցով:

Նախագծի շրջանակներում հայ և թուրք լրագրողներն ու խմբագիրներն առաջին անգամ հանդիպեցին ս.թ. հոկտեմբերի 13-14-ը Բուրսայում: Նրանք քննարկեցին նույն նախագծի շրջանակներում իրականացված համատեղ հետզոտության արդյունքները: Հայ և թուրք լրագրողները վերլուծեցին հայ-թուրքական հարաբերությունների ներկայիս վիճակը, նորմալացման գործընթացը, ինչպես նաև այն ուղիները որոնցով ԶԼՄ-ները կարող են դրականորեն ազդել այս գործընթացի վրա:

> For further information: www.epfound.am

* Informest (Italy, Eastern Europe, Russia, Caucasus and Central Asia)

Newsletter n. 43 del 2009

> For further information: www.informest.it

* Interfax (Russia and Cis)

 Interfax Russia & CIS Diplomatic Panorama, December 16

 Interfax Russia & CIS Diplomatic Panorama, December 17

> For further information: www.interfax.com

* Interfax CNA Reports Year End Offer

End of year Interfax CNA Industry - Reports Offer

Interfax industry-specific reports provide reliable information on major market trends, biggest players, market characteristics, industry financial position, prices and other useful market data.

With our reports, you will better understand, plan, tailor, negotiate and budget your business in Russia and CIS.

Why not start your next business year equipped with accurate and reliable reports?

Order one of the reports below before year end, at our special, end of the year rates and give yourself and your company a useful Christmas gift with long-term benefits.

 Major Russian Holdings in 2009: Withstanding Global Recession

Report Description

The survey provides an insight in structure and performance of 17 top holdings in their key business areas (Gazprom, Lukoil, Alfa Group, Rosneft, Renova, Surgutneftegaz, Severstal, Norilsk Nickel, Evraz Group, AFK Sistema, Russian Technologies, Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works, Novolipetsk Steel, Mechel Steel Group, Gazmetal, Tatneft, Basic Element).

Price: £299

 A Comprehensive Insight in Russia’s Retail Market in 2008

Report Description

The survey provides information and analysis covering key trends and challenges of Russia’s retail market, structure of retail trade by products and regions, price trends, drivers of consumer demand, expansion of retail chains as well as key market segments (foodstuffs, alcohol beverages and beer, clothes and footwear, white goods and consumer electronics). The survey covers regional retail markets’ potential, including market volume, incomes and spending of population.

Price: £299

 Russia’s Coal Industry in 2008-2009

Report Description

The survey provides information on major trends in the industry (reserves, production, ranking of key producers of bituminous and coking coal in 2008, regional production, transportation issues, sector’s restructuring, export performance, holding’s structure, major projects,) as well as recent performance of 7 top holdings and companies: SUEK, Kuzbassrazrezugol, Mechel (Yuzhny Kuzbass, Yakutugol), Evraz Holding (Raspadskaya, Yuzhkuzbassugol), Sibuglemet Severstal (Vorkutaugol), Russian Coal, SDS-Coal, Belon. The survey also gives an insight in financial positions and debt burden of Russia’s coal industry.

Price: £299

 Russia’s Ferrous Metals Industry in 2008

Report description

The survey provides information on major trends in Russia’s ferrous metals industry in 2008-2009 (production and exports of iron ore, pig iron, steel, rolled stock, steel pipes, metalware, financials), holdings structure as well as performance of top steel and pipe producers in 2008-2009 (Severstal, Evrazholding, Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works, Novolipetsk Steel, Mechel Steel Group, Metalloinvest, TMK, United Metallurgical Company, ChTPZ Group).

Price: £299

 Russia’s Non-Ferrous Metals Industry in 2008-2009

Report description

The survey provides information on major trends in Russia’s non-ferrous metals industry in 2008-2009, reserve base, production, exports, industry’s holding structure, performance of key industries in financial crisis environment (aluminum, nickel, copper, zinc, lead, titanium, magnesium) as well as operation summary on key holdings and top companies (United Company RusAl, GMK Norilsk Nickel, Ural Mining and Metallurgical Company, Russian Copper Company, Chelyabinsk Zinc Works, Electrozinc, Verkhnaya Salda Metallurgical Production Association). The survey also studies financial position and debt burden of major non-ferrous enterprises.

Price: 299

 Russia’s Fertilizers Industry in 2008-2009

Report description

The survey provides information on major trends in development of world and Russia’s fertilizer industry, output of nitrogen, phosphate and potash fertilizers, exports by volumes and destinations, regional production, holding’s structure (EuroChem, Acron Holding, Phosagro, UralChem, SIBUR-Fertilizers), performance of 14 key companies (Uralkalii, Silvinit, Togliattiazot, Ammophos, Novomoskovsky Azot, Acron, Kuibishevazot, Nevinnomyssky Azot, Minudobreniya, Kemerovo Azot, Cherpovets Azot, Berezniki Azot, Dorogobuzh Balakovo Mineral Fertilizers). The survey also gives an insight in financial positions and debt burden of Russia’s fertilizer industry.

Price: £299

 Russia’s Gold Industry in 2008-2009

Report description

The survey provides information on major trends in Russia’s gold industry in 2008-2009 (demand, gold reserves, mine, incidental, secondary gold production, output by regions and companies as well as performance of top gold producers in 2007-2008 (Polyus Gold, Kinross Gold, Peter Hambro Mining, Polymetal, Highland Gold Mining, High River Gold Mines, Yuzhuralzoloto, Amur Cooperative, Susumanzoloto, Vysochaishy,). The survey also studies financial positions and debt burden of major gold producers.

Price: £299

 Russia’s Agriculture in 2008-2009

Report description

The survey provides information on major trends in Russia’s agriculture in 2008-2009, regulation, export performance, import penetration, fixed-capital and foreign investments, financials, debt burden, regional production of key products, holding’s structure (Razgulay Group, Cherkizovo Group, APK Agros, Prodimex-Holding, Stoilenskaya Niva, BEZRK-Belgrankorm, Prioskolye, Rusagro, Firma Agrokompleks, Ravis-Sosnovskaya Poultry Plant, Prodo), performance of key sectors (plant growing, livestock agriculture).

Price: £299

 Russia’s Gas Industry in 2008-2009

Report description

The survey provides information on major trends in Russia’s gas industry in 2008-1H2009 (demand, gas reserves, production, exports, transportation issues, gas distribution and gasification of Russian regions, regulation of prices for natural gas, setting of domestic gas market). The survey also covers performance of top gas producing companies (Gazprom, NovaTEK, Surgutneftegas, Rosneft, Lukoil, TNK-BP).

Price: £299

 Russia’s Oil Sector in 2009

Report description

The survey provides information on major trends in Russia’s oil industry in 2008-2009 (oil reserves, drilling, wells fund, new wells, oil and gas production, refining, exports of oil and oil products, transportation issues, regulation, stock market). The survey covers performance of 9 Russian oil companies in 2008-2009 (Rosneft, Lukoil, Surgutneftegaz, TNK-BP, Gazprom Neft, Tatneft, Russneft, Slavneft, Bashneft) as well as structure of oil holdings, strategy, key financials.

Price: £299

 Russia’s Oil Refining Sector in 2009

Report description

The report provides information on major trends in Russia’s oil refining in 2009 (primary refining, output of gasoline, jet kerosene, diesel fuel, fuel oil, lubricants by companies, regional markets for petroleum products, price trends, exports of oil products by volume and destinations) as well as financial performance and debt burden of the sector. The survey covers performance downstream units of 7 Russian oil companies in 2009 (Rosneft, Lukoil, Surgutneftegaz, TNK-BP, Gazprom Neft, Russneft, Slavneft) and refining sector of AFK Sistema. The 62 page report, followed by 27 tables and 11 charts, is available English.

Price: £299

 Russia’s Meat and Meat Products Market 2008-2009

Report description

The report provides information on meat and meat products market in Russia, import penetration, major trends in meat-processing industry, meat and poultry farming, key holdings as well as ranking of regional meat and sausage producers by output. The 59 page report, followed by 10 tables and 10 graphs, is available English and Russian.

Price: £299

 Russian Top Regional Companies 2009: Key Financials, Debt Burden...

Report Description

The survey provides ranking of 200 top non-financial companies in each of seven Russian federal districts by sales revenue, as well as key financials of each company (sales revenue, operating and net income, ROS, ROA, net assets, net debt, net working capital). The survey also contains estimates of debt burden (net debt via owners’ capital and operating income) and key liquidity ratios. The report studies companies’ bankruptcy risk measured by Altman’s Z-Score and Formula of Saifullin-Kadykov.

Price: £299

 Top Russian Holdings at a Glance: Business Priorities and Key Companies

Report description

The survey provides an insight in business models of 17 top holdings (Gazprom, Lukoil, Alfa Group, Rosneft, Renova, Surgutneftegaz, Severstal, Norilsk Nickel, Evraz Group, AFK Sistema, Russian Technologies, Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works, Novolipetsk Steel, Mechel Steel Group, Gazmetal, Tatneft, Basic Element). The survey reveals distribution of major assets by industries as well as key drivers of holdings growth.

Price: £299

> further information: www.interfax.com

* Latvian Centre for Human Rights (Latvia)

 Newsletter of 16 December 2009

 Newsletter of 17 December 2009

> For further information: www.humanrights.org.lv

* Lukoil (Russia and Cis)

LUKOIL CLOSES BOOK ON OFFERING OF STOCK EXCHANGE BONDS WORTH RUR 10 BILLION

> For further information: www.lukoil.com

* Memorial (Russia and Cis)

 Sakharov Prize. Online Broadcast

Sakharov Prize for the Freedom of Thought will be awarded today in Strasbourg. For live broadcast on-line visit European Parliament’s website (12pm CET): http://tinyurl.com/sakharov-prize

Press-conference with the laureates Oleg Orlov, Sergei Kovalev, and Lyudmila Alexeeva representing Memorial and human rights activists of Russia will be broadcasted live (12:25 pm CET): http://tinyurl.com/press-conf-prize

 Memorial, International Human Rights Groups Return to Chechnya

Five months ago the human rights community in Russia and beyond lost a friend and colleague, Natalya Estemirova, Memorial’s lead researcher in the Chechen Republic of the Russian Federation. After her murder on July 15, 2009, Memorial suspended its work in the republic. Since that time, the authorities in Chechnya have continued to intimidate and persecute human rights defenders and those who seek justice for abuses; several were forced to leave Russia due to threats to their lives.

As a result, victims of human rights violations in Chechnya have nowhere to turn. There continue to be reports of human rights abuses such as enforced disappearances, torture and ill-treatment, and extrajudicial executions. Houses of families of alleged fighters are being burnt down. The perpetrators of such crimes continue to enjoy impunity.

The vacuum of human rights monitoring and reporting in this situation is significant and painful. In November, a letter sent by more than 80 Russian human rights organizations urged Memorial to return to Chechnya and pledged to support Memorial in whatever way they could. Several of these organizations have joined together to form a Monitoring Mission in Chechnya and recently began to work in the Chechen Republic.

Today, 16 December 2009, Memorial, represented by Oleg Orlov and Sergei Kovalev, as well as Ludmila Alekseeva of the Moscow Helsinki Group, received the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of thought, awarded by the European Parliament. We can only be saddened that our friend and colleague Natalia Estemirova is no longer alive to receive this honour.

In his Nobel Prize speech, Andrei Sakharov said “we must today fight for every individual person separately against injustice and the violation of human rights. Much of our future depends on this.”

We, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, FIDH, Memorial, Civil Rights Defenders and Moscow Helsinki group will work jointly with Russian and other international human rights organizations to monitor the situation in Chechnya. We consider monitoring and reporting on human rights violations in the Chechen Republic as our common responsibility. We will continue our work to end human rights violations in the republic and ensure that perpetrators are held accountable. People in Chechnya must not be left without access to justice and redress.

 Sakharov Prize Awarded to Memorial

On December 16, 2009 in Strasbourg the awarding ceremony of Sakharov prize "For Freedom of Thought" 2009 took place.

Sergey Kovalev, chair of the Russian Memorial, Oleg Orlov, chair of the Council of the Human Rights Center Memorial, and Lyudmila Alekseyeva, chair of the Moscow Helsinki Group, received the European Parliament’s prize. President of the European parliament Erzy Buzek presented awards of honour to the laureates.

On behalf of laureates Sergey Kovalev spoke. He pointed out another time that the Prize was awarded not only to Memorial but also to the whole human rights community of Russia. Kovalev said that for forty years now – first in the Soviet Union and then in Russia – human rights defenders have been standing up for "European", that is to say, universal values. This struggle has never been easy. In recent years it has become even more tragic, as it increasingly claims the lives of the best, the most committed and the most fearless activists. "I am sure that, in awarding the Sakharov Prize to the Memorial organization, the European Parliament had them in mind, first and foremost – our dead friends, comrades-in-arms, kindred spirits. This prize belongs by right to them," – said Kovalev. Those present stood up in honour of deceased Natalia Estemirova, Stanislav Markelov, Anna Politkovskaya, Anastasia Baburova, Nikolay Girenko, Farid Babayev (see attached the whole text of Kovalev’s speech).

Online broadcasting of the ceremony was held on the European parliament’s web-site (see Erzy Buzek’s welcoming speech, Sergey Kovalev’s speech and the awarding of the prize: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/wps-europarl-internet/frd/vod/player?date=20091216&language=or&askedDiscussionNumber=4#).

Press-conference of the laureates and Mr. Buzek was held after the awarding ceremony.

Oleg Orlov stated that HRC Memorial and some other international human rights organizations return to Chechnya (see the text of the statement on Memorial’s site: http://www.memo.ru/eng/news/2009/12/17/1712091.htm). Moreover, Orlov repeated that European Union has to press Russia. At the press-conference recommendations, worked out by a number of Russian and international human rights organizations, were distributed. The authors of the recommendations believe that the fundamental claim from Russia has to be stopping of extrajudicial executions, abductions and other grave violations of human rights (see the whole text of the recommendations on Memorial’s site: http://www.memo.ru/eng/news/2009/11/30/3011095.htm). Most sharply these problems exist in the North Caucasus, and HRC Memorial reports on it constantly (for example, see the report by HRC Memorial prepared for another round of the consultations EU-Russia on human rights in November 2009: http://www.memo.ru/eng/news/2009/11/30/3011098.htm).

Photo from the awarding ceremony can be found on Memorial’s web-site: http://www.memo.ru/2009/12/17/1712091.htm

> For further information: www.memo.ru

* Osce (Austria, Eastern Europe, Russia, Caucasus and Central Asia)

 OSCE Centre in Ashgabat announces photo contest winners

ASHGABAT, 17 December 2009 - The winners of the photo contest launched by the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat to celebrate its tenth anniversary were announced today, with the first prize awarded to Igor Lomov for his photo "Twin souls".

Vladimir Kobushko received the second prize, and the third prize was awarded to Maya Kravtsova. A total of 38 photographers from across Turkmenistan submitted their entries on themes related to combating drug abuse and trafficking, environmental protection and promoting gender equality.

"The winning photo addresses the theme of environmental protection and reminds us that a true love for and harmony with nature will help us preserve its beauty for the next generations," said Ambassador Arsim Zekolli, the Head of the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat. "We welcome the aspiration of Turkmenistan’s photographers to make use of their creativity to share their vision of some important aspects of life."

Lomov received a Canon EOS-45D camera kit. The prizes were handed out at the opening of a two-day photo exhibition featuring the 50 best photographs submitted for the photo contest.

The photo contest aimed to strengthen photojournalism in Turkmenistan and raise awareness of aspects of comprehensive security promoted by the OSCE Centre.

Read

> For further information: www.osce.org

* Osservatorio sui Balcani e Caucaso (Italy, Balkans and Caucasus)

 Pantano corruzione

Ora tocca anche all’ex premier Sanader. In Croazia si susseguono gli scandali legati alla corruzione. La premier Kosor sembra decisa a far luce su una pratica che sta mettendo in ginocchio il paese. Ma deve superare forti resistenze all’interno del suo stesso partito

Read

> For further information: www.osservatoriobalcani.org

* Parlamento Europeo (France/Belgium)

 A Memorial il premio Sacharov: "la libertà di pensiero è la madre di tutte le libertà"

Oggi mercoledì 16 dicembre l’ONG russa per i diritti umani Memorial ha ricevuto il premio Sacharov per la libertà d’espressione. Durante la cerimonia, i tre attivisti russi Oleg Orlov, Sergei Kovalev and Lyudmila Alexeyeva hanno chiesto all’Europa di fare di più per i diritti umani in Russia. "Ci sono giorni in cui mi sento particolarmente orgoglioso di presiedere questo Parlamento. E oggi è uno di quei giorni": così il presidente Buzek ha introdotto i tre ospiti. Un emiciclo emozionato ha accolto i tre vincitori: il direttore di Memorial Oleg Orlov, 56 anni, l’anziana dissidente Lyudmila Alexeyeva, 82 anni, e l’ex-prigioniero politico e oggi dirigente di Memorial Sergei Kovalev, 69 anni, che ha pronunciato il discorso per il ricevimento del premio.

Amarezza per l’assenza di chi avrebbe dovuto condividere il riconoscimento, ma non c’è più: " Natalya Estemirova e Anna Politkovskaya dovrebbero essere qui oggi", ha detto Buzek, "i loro assassini devono essere portati davanti alla giustizia".

Sergei Kovalev: "i nostri colleghi che non sono qui"

"Sono sicuro che, premiando Memorial, il Parlamento aveva in mente prima e soprattutto loro, i nostri amici adorati, compagni di battaglia, anime sorelle. Il premio appartiene a loro - ha esordito Sergei Kovalev, visibilmente emozionato - E non posso esimermi dal citare Natalya Estemirova, membro di Memorial, ardente militante per i diritti umani, uccisa in Cecenia quest’estate. Non posso non ricordare l’avvocato Stanislav Markelov e le giornaliste Anna Politkovskaya e Anastasia Baburova, assassinate a Mosca, l’etnologo Nikolai Girenko, sparato a San Pietroburgo, Farid Babayev, ammazzato in Dagestan, e molti altri. Purtroppo questa lista potrebbe continuare a lungo."

Andrei Sacharov, "un pensiero libero"

Andrei Sacharov, morto esattamente 20 anni fa, a cui il premio è intitolato "non era solo un combattente per i diritti umani nell’Unione sovietica. Era anche un pensatore illuminato. La comunità europea, che ha istituito questo premio in suo onore quando era ancora vivo, è forse l’esempio più vicino all’ideale di umanità fraterna che lui sognava ".

Russia: il potere non è così compatto

Parlando della situazione in Russia, Kovalev ha tenuto a sottolineare che "non è tutto così lineare come può apparire. Abbiamo molti alleati nella società russa, sia nella nostra lotta per i diritti umani che nella lotta contro lo stalinismo. E il potere in Russia non è così omogeneo e compatto come può sembrare a un primo sguardo".

L’Europa può fare molto di più

L’appello di Memorial è chiaro: " Quello che ci aspettiamo dai politici e dai cittadini europei, lo ha già detto Andrei Sacharov più di 20 anni fa: ’oggi il mio Paese ha bisogno di sostegno e di pressioni’".

"Un’Europa unita può avere una politica ferma e allo stesso tempo amichevole con la Russia, basata sul sostegno e la pressione. Purtroppo è molto lontana da usare al meglio entrambi gli strumenti".

E ha continuato: "L’Europa dovrebbe comportarsi con la Russia come con ogni altro Paese europeo che si è impegnato su certe cose, e che deve prendersi la responsabilità di mantenerle. Il ruolo dell’Europa non è di stare zitta, ma di ripetere, ricordare, ridire e insistere che la Russia deve rispettare i suoi impegni".

L’autore della Dichiarazione dei Diritti umani in Russia ha concluso con una riflessione sulla libertà d’espressione, considerata la "base di tutte le altre libertà". Per questo "è un onore ricevere oggi il premio Sacharov per la libertà d’espressione".

Il discorso è stato accolto con un’ovazione da parte dell’Aula, e dall’abbraccio del presidente Buzek visibilmente commosso.

> For further information: www.europarl.europa.eu

* Presidency of Russian Federation (Russia and Cis)

 Daily news report of 16 December 2009

 Daily news report of 17 December 2009

> For further information: http://president.kremlin.ru/eng

* Rai - trasmissione Estovest (Italy)

Il paese del grande freddo adesso è anche un paese senza energia. Estovest, la rubrica della Tgr prodotta dalla sede Rai per il Friuli Venezia Giulia, apre la puntata di sabato 19 dicembre, in onda alle 11.15 su Raitre, con un servizio di Andrea Vardanega e Renato Orso realizzato in Lituania, dove era situata una delle vecchie centrali nucleari dell’impero sovietico. E dalla vecchia e pericolosa centrale di Ignalina, il paese prendeva circa l’80 per cento della sua elettricità. Dopo la chiusura di questo impianto, imposta dall’Unione Europea per ragioni di sicurezza, la Lituania dipende dall’estero praticamente in modo completo.

Segue un servizio di Lucio Giudiceandrea e Godele von der Decken, che arriva dall’Austria. A Telfs, paese di 15 mila abitanti, un sesto dei quali è di religione islamica, la costruzione di un minareto accanto alla già esistente moschea aveva suscitato le perplessità degli abitanti. Il dialogo e il rispetto reciproco tra le diverse comunità hanno dato luce ad un compromesso accettato da tutti: il minareto è stato costruito con un’altezza di 15 metri, anzichè 20, e inoltre il muezzin non lo utilizza per chiamare i fedeli alla preghiera.

In Polonia è stata approvata pressochè all’unanimità una legge che vieta la produzione, distribuzione, vendita o solo il possesso di oggetti che richiamino al comunismo, al fascismo o altri simboli di totalitarismo. Gian Paolo Girelli ci spiega come, indossando solo una maglietta con il volto di Che Guevara o solamente canticchiare l’Internazionale nelle strade polacche, si potrebbe rischiare fino a due anni di carcere.

In chiusura un servizio realizzato in Slovenia, dove inizia a farsi largo tra la popolazione quel sentimento che è stato definito "Jugonostalgia", ovvero il rimpianto della Jugoslavia unita. Dušan Jelinčič si è recato a Lubiana e ha intervistato il presidente del Partito nazionale sloveno Zmago Jelinčič, e l’editore Rok Zavrtanik, della casa editrice "Sanje" (sogno), che ha di recente ripubblicato il "Manifesto del Partito Comunista" di Marx e Engels, riscuotendo un grande successo, visto che il libro è già da sei mesi tra i più venduti in Slovenia.

Estovest è curato da Giovanni Marzini e Gian Paolo Girelli.

> For further information: www.estovest.rai.it

* Rai - trasmissione Levante (Italy)

Nuovo appuntamento con "Levante", la rubrica nazionale della TGR realizzata dalla redazione Rai di Bari a cura di Giancarlo Spadoni e Pino Bruno, con la collaborazione di Nando Nunziante, in onda sabato 19 dicembre alle 11.30 su Rai Tre. In questa puntata:

L’ITALIANO DI FRONTE di Pino Bruno

L’italiano piace sempre di più ai non italiani. Da trent’anni c’è un ponte tra l’Italia e chi parla italiano all’estero. E’ la comunità radiotelevisiva italofona, promossa dalla RAI in collaborazione con le emittenti televisive pubbliche di numerosi paesi.

IL VELIERO DI NATALE di Annarosa Macrì

C’è una comunità di coppie miste numericamente assai consistente a Salonicco: donne italiane che, negli anni 70-80, hanno sposato uomini greci. Si tratta di una borghesia colta che "conta" nella società tessalonicese: medici, insegnanti, piccoli imprenditori. Ogni anno, per Natale, un centinaio di donne italiane offre simbolicamente un thé alle signore greche. E tra musica, chiacchiere e dolci fatti in casa, si raccolgono fondi per i poveri di Salonicco.

SPAZI LIBERI di Tarcisio Mazzeo

Profughi dimenticati. Sono i croati fuggiti dal Kosovo a causa della pulizia etnica. Vivono nelle baracche, da quasi dieci anni, alla periferia di Zabagria. Tante promesse non mantenute. Disagi alleviati da una religiosa italiana, suor Antonietta Petrosino, che dal 1977 opera nei Balcani con la fondazione Spazi Liberi.

ROMEO E GIULIETTA TRA I ROM di Alberto Severi

Al teatro Fabbricone di Prato originale messa in scena di Romeo e Giulietta. Il dramma shakespeariano è ambientato in un campo di profughi o di rom alla periferia di una grande città. Le vicende dei Capuleti e Montecchi hanno per protagonisti gruppi di emigranti slavi.

"Levante" va in onda anche sul canale satellitare Rai Med, ogni giovedi’ alle 21.22 e alle 23.17. Rai Med e’ trasmesso in chiaro anche dalla piattaforma SKY, sul canale 804. L’intera puntata si può vedere sul sito Internet www.levante.rai.it

> For further information: www.levante.rai.it

* Sarke (Georgia)

 News in brief of 15 December 2009

 News in brief of 16 December 2009

> For further information: www.sarke.com

* Seenews (Bulgaria & Balkans)

 Daily news report of Albania (16/17 December 2009)

Read and click ALBANIA on menu bar

 Daily news report of Bosnia-Herzegovina (16/17 December 2009)

Read and click BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA on menu bar

 Daily news report of Bulgaria (16/17 December 2009)

Read and click BULGARIA on menu bar

 Daily news report of Croatia (16/17 December 2009)

Read and click CROATIA on menu bar

 Daily news report of Macedonia (16/17 December 2009)

Read and click MACEDONIA on menu bar

 Daily news report of Moldova (16/17 December 2009)

Read and click MOLDOVA on menu bar

 Daily news report of Montenegro (16/17 December 2009)

Read and click MONTENEGRO on menu bar

 Daily news report of Romania (16/17 December 2009)

Read and click ROMANIA on menu bar

 Daily news report of Serbia (16/17 December 2009)

Read and click SERBIA on menu bar

 Daily news report of Slovenia (16/17 December 2009)

Read and click SLOVENIA on menu bar

> For further information: www.seenews.com

* The Times of Central Asia (Kyrgyzstan and Central Asia)

Free newsletter – December 17, 2009

In this issue:

1. POINT OF VIEW: Kyrgyz diplomats obliged to use Kyrgyz language

2. Tajikistan’s cotton industry needs drastic reform

3. Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, China launch gas pipeline

4. LETTER FROM THE STEPPE: When white turns to grey

1. POINT OF VIEW: Kyrgyz diplomats obliged to use Kyrgyz language (Kyrgyzstan, December 17, 2009-issue 595) By Giorgio Fiacconi TCA publisher

BISHKEK (TCA) – Every now and again the need to affirm a national identity through the use of the Kyrgyz language seems to be on the agenda of this or that Kyrgyz parliament member or government official. Ministerial orders were issued to request military personnel, medical doctors, and employees of other governmental institutions to learn the Kyrgyz language in March 2008. So far very little has been achieved. Now the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the target of a new Kyrgyzination drive. This time the request has come from the Parliament, which demands that the country’s diplomats speak and write in Kyrgyz. A recent news report reads, “The Kyrgyz Parliament has amended the law on the state language that would require all paperwork in Kyrgyzstan’s diplomatic representations abroad to be completed in Kyrgyz.” Most Kyrgyz diplomats currently use Russian in their official correspondence. Although the legislation has not yet been signed by the President, it is evident that developing such an approach is the last thing that a poor landlocked country like Kyrgyzstan needs. In a period when we are talking about attracting more investment, when a new agency for investment and innovation has been created, there are people that plan to abolish the use of the Russian language by making diplomats abroad do all paperwork in Kyrgyz. Although it is not clear if this paperwork refers to notes to be sent to foreign counterparts or just back home, the entire exercise seems to be a waste of time and a search for isolation. In a time when the country needs to join efforts to expand its foreign connections to bring in more business and to develop a new class of leaders, we are going backward without realizing that this approach is damaging not only the image of the country but is also creating a self-inflicting isolation. Today Kyrgyzstan needs to expand is exports, to approach new markets, and to develop foreign tourism, and its embassies are certainly the outpost of the country’s strategy toward a policy of internationalization that should support an expanded economy. By the same logic, if today we are asking all diplomats to write only in Kyrgyz, tomorrow they would be requested to conduct all their meetings and negotiations in Kyrgyz, which may result in placing this country in a forgotten corner of the international diplomacy. The policy of teaching only Kyrgyz in primary and secondary schools (especially in rural areas) is already creating thousands of second-rate students. The matter is not only that the country lacks qualified Kyrgyz-language teachers and adequate textbooks, but that the higher education remains primarily in Russian and new development demands that other foreign languages be added. For sure many senior diplomats, as well as young graduates employed at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, do not grasp the Kyrgyz language at the same level they speak Russian. For sure other countries will not have on their staff adequate personnel capable of translating from Kyrgyz into their own language, and every thing will get even more complicated in a time when simplification is needed. So why not leave the situation as it is and continue making verbal notes in Russian and English, and eventually use the Kyrgyz language only for internal communication, without amending the law but simply issuing an internal Ministerial order? I have a feeling that the amendment to the legislation was initiated by some parliament deputies that have been educated only in Kyrgyz and that are unable to follow up an erudite discussion in Russian. It would certainly be better if the Parliament develops strategies and proposals on how to eliminate unemployment and bring in business irrespective of the language issue. The common sense demands that Kyrgyzstan remain a multi-ethnic country where each ethnic group speaks its own language. Today we have a State (Kyrgyz) and Official (Russian) language, which have the same importance, and this situation should not be changed. All this is irrespective of the fact that when it comes to international relations Russian is certainly the language to be adopted, and its alternative remains the worldwide accepted language of English. Since the legislation is yet to be signed by the President, we can only hope that the document will be rejected or sent back to Parliament for further consideration with the purpose to develop a step-by-step introduction in a phased approach that may last several years.

2. Tajikistan’s cotton industry needs drastic reform Tajik farmers fail to fulfill this year’s cotton harvest plan (Tajikistan, December 17, 2009-issue 595) By Rakhim Nazarov TCA correspondent

DUSHANBE (TCA) – Tajikistan has finished its cotton-picking campaign and the yield totaled 295,800 tons, 51,300 tons less than last year.

According to Saidmurod Bakhridinov, head of the crop production department at Tajikistan’s Agriculture Ministry, despite the decrease in cotton harvest this year, its yield made up 17.4 centners per hectare (1 centner = 100 kilograms), which is 2.6 centners more than in 2008 when it was 14.8 centners per hectare. In the beginning of this year, it was planned to sow cotton on 200,700 hectares, but due to heavy rains during the sowing season the area under cotton was reduced to 170,400 hectares. The Agriculture Ministry planned this year’s cotton harvest at 350,000 tons.

Over the past several years, Tajikistan has seen decreasing cotton production. Economists believe that this happens because cotton cultivation has become unprofitable, with cotton prices decreasing in the world market. This is also the reason why farmers still can not sell last year’s harvest of 380,000 tons, and even if they manage to sell cotton at low prices, it does not cover their costs. Moreover, the cotton industry requires large financial investment. In 2009, the government planned to allocate 180 million somoni ($1= 4.35 somoni) for the development of this sector but it spent only 97 million somoni. In 2010, 140 million somoni is planned for the cotton industry.

According to Tajikistan’s State Statistics Committee, the export of cotton fiber made up 8.5 percent of the country’s total export in January-October 2009. Since the beginning of the year, cotton exports amounted to 63,900 tons worth $68.8 million. The average price of cotton, compared to the same period last year, fell by $260 to $1,076 per ton.

Tajikistan has adopted a program for the cotton industry development until 2014, which aims to increase the yield of cotton to 30 centners per hectare and keep the area under cotton at 200,000 hectares. In 2010, however, the Agriculture Ministry plans to sow cotton on 182,000 hectares to harvest a total of 370,000 tons, that is 20-21 centners per hectare. It is also emphasized that a yield of less than 25 centners per hectare would mean a loss for farmers. It is unprofitable to grow cotton also because the soil needs to be fertilized and because every year the cotton fields suffer from pests.

According to Safar Makhmadaliyev, head of economic policy and forecasting at the Agriculture Ministry, despite the fact that farmers get little profit from growing cotton, this crop’s cultivation is important for the development of Tajikistan’s industry. Today, there are more than 60 industrial enterprises in the country whose production activities are related to cotton. In the future, Tajikistan plans processing of all cotton produced in the country by launching new textile facilities.

According to the Energy and Industry Ministry, more than 90 percent of cotton grown in Tajikistan is left unprocessed. The country’s textile enterprises, with annual capacity of about 100,000 tons of cotton fiber, are only able to process 7-8 percent of the total cotton volume.

According to Gulchekhra Sanginova, head of the light industry department of Tajikistan’s Energy and Industry Ministry, the reasons are the enterprises’ worn-out equipment, the absence of circulating capital and sales market. Since the beginning of 2009, as little as 8,000 tons of cotton fiber has been processed, and the figure is expected to reach only 9,500 tons by the year’s end.

According to the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, the situation with cotton fiber processing will improve in 2010 because by the end of this year, it is planned to put two new textile factories into operation. Two more cotton spinning factories will be launched in the first half of 2010. The annual processing capacity of each factory will be up to 3,500 tons of cotton fiber. In the next five years, it is planned to build seven more textile factories, which will allow processing more than half of all cotton produced in the country. The main goal is full processing of cotton into finished products. And still, the country keeps exporting raw cotton.

3. Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, China launch gas pipeline New pipeline breaks Russia’s hold over Central Asian gas (Central Asia, December 17, 2009-issue 595)

SAMANDEPE, Turkmenistan (TCA) – China’s President Hu Jintao opened a pipeline linking a gas field in Turkmenistan with his country’s Xinjiang region on Monday, extending Beijing’s reach into Central Asia’s natural resources. The presidents of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan joined the Chinese leader at a remote spot near the Turkmen-Uzbek border to commission the pipeline that goes through their countries. The pipeline is about 7,000 kilometers long, with 188 kilometers laid in Turkmenistan, 525 kilometers in Uzbekistan, 1,293 kilometers in Kazakhstan, and 4,860 kilometers in China. With the opening of the pipeline, Russia’s long-standing dominance and near monopoly over Central Asian natural gas exports officially came to an end. It is the first time in more than a decade that a pipeline has been constructed to pump gas out of the region, and the biggest-ever effort to export Central Asian gas without using Russian routes. The ceremony in Samandepe, the starting point of the pipeline that originates in Turkmenistan’s gas-rich but previously untapped east, took place just over three years after the China-funded project was agreed upon. Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov called the launch of the new pipeline "a new chronicle in the relations of our countries" that "will stand as a golden page" in their history.

‘Quite a bit bigger’

Jennifer DeLay, editor of "FSU Oil And Gas Monitor", a weekly publication from the Scotland-based Newsbase Group, says the significance of the new route rests primarily in the fact that it is the first high-volume export route opening up for Turkmenistan that does not go through Russia. DeLay notes that a gas pipeline connecting Turkmenistan to northern Iran was constructed in 1997. But she says its rather modest annual capacity of 8 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas pales in comparison to the new route to China. "That’s still pretty small compared to the one they [Turkmenistan] have to Russia, which is handling upward of 50, 60, 70 bcm per year," DeLay says. "The new pipeline to China is going to be handling 30 to 40 billion cubic meters a year, and that’s quite a bit bigger than 8 [billion bcm]." According to plan, the Turkmenistan-China pipeline’s full capacity of 40 bcm should be achieved by 2012, but Turkmenistan and China have already signed preliminary agreements to add another 10 bcm eventually. Russian energy giant Gazprom is contracted to purchase between 50 to 65 bcm annually from Turkmenistan, accounting for about 90 percent of the Central Asian country’s gas exports. But since an explosion along the pipeline connecting Turkmenistan to Russia in April, no gas has been flowing, stoking tensions between the two countries and leading Turkmenistan to speed up efforts to find alternative export avenues. The two sides are close to agreement on renewing supplies, but when the flow of gas does resume Gazprom’s share of Turkmen gas will have fallen to just over 50 percent as a result of the new China route and others expected to go on line soon. A new pipeline to Iran, due to be launched later this month, will eventually send another 8 bcm — with plans to add 4 bcm more — to Iran, bringing the total slated for the Turkmenistan’s southern neighbor to 20 bcm. The Turkmenistan-China pipeline is also due to take some gas from Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan to China. Uzbekistan has already said it is contracted to provide 10 bcm to the project. A second section of the pipeline that will extend through Kazakhstan from north of the Aral Sea to China — the Beyneu-Bozoy-Kzylorda-Shymkent pipeline — will provide 10 bcm of Kazakh gas. During a visit to Kazakhstan on December 12 en route to Turkmenistan, Chinese President Hu attended the opening of the Kazakh-China spur of the pipeline and held discussions with Kazakh President Nazarbayev.

‘So much the better’

DeLay of "FSU Oil And Gas Monitor" explains that China has a keen interest in diversifying its energy sources. "China is looking, at this point, to gasify as much of its economy as possible," she says. "To date it’s dependent mostly on coal, which is of course a much dirtier burning fuel, and they’re looking to switch over to gas. At present, gas still accounts for a fairly low share of total energy consumption, and I believe it may still be less than 10 percent. "So at the moment they’re looking for gas from pretty much any source they can get it, and if they can get through a secure overland pipeline, so much the better." DeLay says the new Turkmenistan-China route fits the bill. "One of the big attractions of the pipeline from Central Asia is that it’s an overland route. A good amount of the gas that China has started buying lately has come from overseas in the form of LNG [liquefied natural gas], which has to be brought in by tankers," DeLay says. "Sea transport has its own pitfalls; a lot of it has to go through the Straits of Malacca, which is infested with pirates, and there’s some other security concerns. The pipeline from Turkmenistan, by contrast, is going overland and is a little bit easier to predict and protect." The opening of the new pipeline could also have a ripple effect, as Central Asia’s gas-exporting states consider offers to join projects leading west to Europe. The European Union-backed Nabucco gas pipeline aims to carry 31 bcm annually and would be nearly twice as long as the Turkmenistan-China pipeline. So far, however, Central Asian leaders have been hesitant to sign contracts to fill the Nabucco pipeline. That may be about to change. One of Nabucco’s shareholders, Germany’s RWE, in July was awarded the rights to explore Turkmenistan’s offshore gas fields in the Caspian Sea. In October, the company opened a representative office in the Turkmen capital, Ashgabat. Observers see RWE’s activities as the first steps in securing Turkmen gas for Nabucco. And for Nabucco shareholders and supporters, the example of the new Turkmenistan-China pipe going online demonstrates with certainty that it is possible to build a high-volume pipeline that avoids Russia. (RFE/RL, Reuters, Interfax)

P.S.

The chief executive of Italian oil and gas group Eni attended the inauguration on Monday of the gas pipeline in Turkmenistan, two weeks after saying Eni was considering a gas project in the country, Reuters reported. In a statement on Monday, Eni said CEO Paolo Scaroni attended the inauguration of the Turkmenistan-China gas pipeline in Samandepe as an official guest of Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov. The visit enabled Eni to review the recent agreements signed during Berdymukhammedov’s visit to Italy in November, it said. On Dec. 1, Scaroni said Eni was considering a project to transport Turkmen gas through Turkey into Italy. Earlier Scaroni had said the plans Eni was working on with Turkmenistan to export its gas westwards did not involve either the South Stream pipeline or the Nabucco pipeline projects.

4. LETTER FROM THE STEPPE: When white turns to grey (Kazakhstan, December 17, 2009-issue 595) By Charles van der Leeuw special for TCA

ALMATY — This week, a large global seminar attended by high-brow, high-level representatives of most countries around the globe is supposed to come to an end. The final session is expected to be attended by heads of state and heads of governments, including most of those in charge of EU member states, the USA, China, former Soviet republics and what formerly used to be known as the Third World. At that session, cards shuffled in the run-up are supposed to be put on the table, resulting in an updated version, ready to be put into implementation, of the Kyoto Agreement on emissions of CO2 gases, held responsible for most of the global warming currently in process.

Copenhagen seems a long way off the daily headaches of Central Asia’s farmers and their produce’s consumers. For them, water is more important than protocols. According to a recent report by the Eurasian Development Bank, the meltdown of glaciers in the Tien Shan to the immediate south of Almaty, the Alatau to its northeast, the Ala-Too south of Bishkek, and the Pamir-Alai in eastern Tajikistan is set to increase the volumes of river water runoff by up to three times within no more than a decade or so if the current process persists. This will increase the frequency of mudflows by five times, and things are due to get much worse if the development is accompanied by so-called lake bursts. If, for instance, the Adygin basin breaks through its barriers, mudflows are likely to become monthly routine, and when the same happens to larger reservoirs such as Yaschinkul and/or Isfairam, there will be mud avalanches lasting for years without much disruption.

"Kyrgyzstan has 1,923 lakes with a total water surface of 6,840 square kilometres," the EDB report reads. "The largest lakes are Issyk-Kul, Son-Kul and Chatyr-Kul. Freshwater reserves held by these lakes amount to an estimated 1,745 cubic kilometres. Kyrgyzstan’s main lakes account for more than 55 per cent of the total water surface of all the lakes in Central Asia. In all, under present-day conditions Kyrgyzstan withholds between one-fifth and a quarter of the water its landscape generates. Together with Tajikistan’s supplies, this should leave downstream countries with enough water to sustain their agricultural resources.

Apparently, it does not. And the squabbling in Copenhagen’s conference rooms has everything to do with it. As early as by the end of the 2030s Kazakhstan’s arable territories will have to reckon with a loss of more than 10 per cent of its water supplies if the worst case scenario, which the EDB took from a scale developed by a global warming think tank in the Special Report on Emissions Scenarios (SRES), takes place. Under a more moderate scenario, which takes the global implementation of the Kyoto Protocol into account, losses will still be in the order of 6 per cent.

"If the increase in temperature reaches 2 to 3 degrees Celsius, the steppe climate of the upper foothill zone of the Iliysky Alatau will transform into a desert climate," the EDB warns in its report. "These areas, currently covered with grass and bushes, will lose their loess cover and turn into wastelands. Virtually all liquid precipitation is due to result in mud flows, and mudflow sediments will cover the most productive soils in the plains under the mountain. A sharp increase in solid runoff from rivers flowing into the Ili will accelerate the silting process of the Kapchagay reservoir, and change the hydrological conditions in the Ili’s delta and Lake Balkhash. Farms subsisting on irrigation water will face serious problems, as the water is going to be unfit for irrigation and irrigation systems will be filled with debris."

The most astounding element in it all is that there is no overall lack of water anywhere in sight for Central Asia in the near future and beyond — greenhouse effect or not. Even in the worst scenario included in the Kyoto documents, meant to be updated during Copenhagen’s event, the amount of supplies in the region remains basically the same. Only the breakdown of its locations is due to change dramatically, much of which can be controlled and rectified by human ingenuity — in theory as well as in practice. The main difference between the two lies in the difference between incompetent and competent leadership and management. Waiting until the global squabbling over quota ends is waiting for the end to come all the sooner for it. If leaderships cannot do anything about it, it will be up to the population to do something on a smaller scale. Local communities can look ahead more clearly than boardroom folk — for the simple reason that for the latter theory counts more than practice, as opposed to those who are threatened with drowning with a dry throat.

> For further information: www.timesca.com

* Uzreport (Uzbekistan and Central Asia)

 Daily report of 16 December 2009

 Daily report of 17 December 2009

> For further information: www.corp.uzreport.com

* Vest (Slovenia)

 Daily update of 16 December 2009

 Daily update of 16 December 2009

> For further information: www.vest.si