DUSHANBE


, December 14, Asia-Plus Issues related to a scheme of organization of a system of mutual relationships between


Tajikistan


’s open joint-stock company (OJSC) “AgroInvestBonk” and the Asia Development Bank (ADB) Microfinancing Program were discussed in the “AgroInvestBonk” headquarters in


Dushanbe


on December 13.  

The source in “AgroInvestBonk” noted that such schemes were needed for microlending units for development of rural areas. 

Mr. David Lucok (as pronounced), consultant  of the banking and rural development department within the ADB Center fro Development of Microlending System in Tajikistan, noted at the meeting that ADB was studying potentials of commercial banks for implementation of the ADB project on placing loan resources in microlending units (already functioning and newly established) through local commercial banks.  

During the meeting the ADB expert was informed of a deposit basis of AgroInvestBonk, its free loan resources and the bank opportunities on redistributing them between its branches in the republic.  

KHUJAND, December 14, Asia-Plus So far this year, Tajik border troops stationed in Sughd Province have seized almost 6 kilograms of heroin, which is almost two kilograms more compared to 2004, deputy Head of the Operational Group of the Tajik Border Protection Committee (BPC), Odinamahmad Malikov, announced at a meeting with journalists in Khujand on December 13.      

According to him,  Tajik border troops have also seized some 56 tons of contraband building materials in Sughd Province this year, which is much more compared to last year, when little more than 20 tons of contraband building materials were intercepted in the region.  “6,000 citizens of neighboring countries have been detained for not fulfilling requirements of crossing border,” Malikov said.   

The other deputy head of the “Sughd” Group, Sharifkhon Odinayev, telling journalists expressed hope that a process of delineation of borders between three neighboring countries (Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan) would be completed soon.  

“In accordance with border requirements, the national border should have border line, on both side of which there should no be residential buildings closer than two kilometers to this line” said Odinayev, “At present, in order to cross the border one have to ask permission of holders of houses because in some areas, the border passes through households of some border villages.” .

DUSHANBE


, December 14, Asia-Plus The deputy head of the Tajik Mine Action Cell (TMAC), Parviz Mavlonqulov, says that seven people have been killed and 12 others have been injured in mine explosions in


Tajikistan


this year.  The majority of incidents have been reported in Sughd Province, according to him.     

The TMAC deputy head says that although Uzbek authorities stated several weeks ago that they started demining of the Uzbek-Tajik border but this has not yet been confirmed.  “We have talked to residents of border areas and Tajik border troops but have not found any evidence that demining operations are being carried out,” said Mavlonqulov, “However, it does not mean that that they did not start deminig of the border but it means that we need close cooperation with Uzbekistan in order to tell people with confidence which areas of the border are safe and which not.” 

We will recall that Rashid Habibov, deputy head Uzbekistan’s border guard service, said at a meeting of the CIS border forces heads in Dushanbe on October 20 that Uzbekistan has started demining of the Uzbek-Tajik border.  According to him, demining started in the western part of the border and around 20 percent of the mined areas had been cleared.  Russian news agency Itar-Tass quoted new Uzbekistan Ambassador to Tajikistan, Shoqasim Shoislamov, as telling journalists on December 12 following his meeting with President Rahmonov that he had formally briefed the authorities of Tajikistan on progress in the mine-clearing operation on the Uzbek-Tajik border.  So far all mines have been removed along the West Babatag section of the state border, the Uzbek ambassador said.  

DUSHANBE, December 14, Asia-Plus Over the past month, demining teams of the Swiss Foundation for Mine Action (FSD) have destroyed 680 landmines detected in the Dashti Yazgulem area in Vanj District of Gorno Badakhshan, Asia-Plus has learned at the UNDP Dushanbe Office.

According to the source, demining operations in this area will continue approximately for one more week because bad weather conditions do not allow continuing work on detecting landmines and unexploded ordnances.  In other areas, the demining operations have already been suspended till the new season in 2006.  

This year, Tajik deminers from the Swiss Foundation for Mine Action have cleared more than 100,000 square meters of contaminated areas in the central region of the country and along the Tajik-Afghan border.  They have detected and destroyed more than 1,300 antipersonnel landmines and unexploded ordnances, according to the source.  

We will recall that Tajikistan signed the Convention on the Prohibition on the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Antipersonnel Mines and on their Destruction (the Ottawa Convention) in 2000. All signatory states undertook to ensure the destruction of all anti-personnel land mines they possess, as soon as possible but no later than 10 years after signing the convention. In the case of Tajikistan, this means that the country should be mine-free by 2010.

DUSHANBE, December 14, Asia-Plus A two-day international conference on preventing conflicts in Central Asia entitled “Regional Cooperation in Fighting Terrorism, Extremism, Drug Trafficking and Crime” is opening in Dushanbe today.  

According to information from the Tajik MFA, the conference is expected to bring together foreign ministers of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan.  Secretary General of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) Nikolai Bardyuzha and Secretary General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Jan Deguan as well as Regional Resident of the UN Office for Drugs and Crime Prevention (UNODCP) in Central Asia James Callahan and UN representatives are also scheduled to attend the conference in Dushanbe.

Igor Sattarov, a spokesman for the Tajik MFA, has told Asia-Plus that the conference is staged by the UN Department for Political Matters, the OSCE and the UN Forum of Experts on Conflict-Prevention and Peace-Building with support of the Tajik Government.  The conference is held behind closed doors.