The Kyrgyz government supported diplomacy in the Iraq issue. Officialdom is now silent, neither publicly condemning the American-British invasion of Iraq, nor supporting it. The country has found itself in a contradictory position. Taking a definite position would mean the cooling of relations with one of its two economic sponsors, Russia and the U.S. and may negatively affect the country¡¦s economy.

When asked his opinion on the war, Bolot Januzakov, head of defense and security department of President¡¦s administration, responded hazily, ¡§I am not quite competent to comment this. My duty is to provide security in the country. The Iraq situation may be used by terrorists and religious extremists, who have not disappeared, but dissolved among the people. Our police and special services do their best to prevent possible incidents in Kyrgyzstan, all important strategic objects are under strict control.¡¨ Other officials prefer to avoid giving any comments on military actions in the Gulf.

A first pacifist meeting took place in Bishkek, near the Gorky monument, on March 14, gathering about 500 people. The Association of non-governmental and non-commercial organizations (considered as a pro-governmental structure) that was responsible for the protest measure failed to get permission from the city administration for holding it in the central square. Among participants were members of the Soldiers¡¦ Mothers Committee, the charity foundation ¡§Victoria¡¨, the Social Protection Community, students, human rights defenders, and politicians. There also were the local unemployed paid by organizers for taking part in the meeting.

¡§We must protect sons from war. No one woman wishes death of her child, wherever„oin the United States, in Iraq or in Kyrgyzstan. It¡¦s our civic position. We are for peace, since we have no future without it,¡¨ said Galina Afonina, Soldiers¡¦ Mothers Committee Director. ¡§I know what war is. I saw young men dying. War is always grief, suffering, pain and blood. It was really hard to see people who had lost their families. I don¡¦t want it happen again somewhere else,¡¨ said Lidiya Golubeva, representative of Afghanistan warriors.

The meeting was under strict control of local police. The pacifists did not make themselves guilty of disorder in the streets or of any crimes. However, the protest was considered illegal since it had not been allowed by the city administration.

A pacifist program dominates the Kyrgyzstan media. The most popular newspaper Vecherny Bishkek, which is pro-presidential, focused its attention on the war in Iraq. It has started holding an information campaign ¡§Our resolution is ¡¥No war!¡¦¡¨ The daily in each issue prints articles reflecting the opinions of readers who are against the military actions in Iraq. VB publishes coupons for protestors to sign and send it to the newspaper. Recently, Vecherny Bishkek mailed almost 15 thousand signatures and petitions from Kyrgyzstan citizens gathered during two weeks to the UN Security Council Headquarters in New York.

The pacifist campaign was supported by students and some professors of the American University in Central Asia (AUCA), located in Bishkek. They held a march for peace in the city streets under the motto, ¡§Not In My Name¡¨. Many students and lecturers alike expressed their opposition to the war. However, some AUCA people, including Kyrygz faculty, do justify the war in the Gulf.

On March 28, the Bishkek central square was overcrowded by pacifists, who held an antimilitary meeting allowed by the city administration. The measure gathered mostly students, representatives of NGOs, and politicians. ¡§Today, in such a complicated situation, all progressive forces must unite. We, the people of Kyrgyzstan, did it despite differences in political views and positions. Government, opposition, journalists, and civil society consolidated against violence on the planet¡¨, said parliament deputy Omurbek Tekebaev, leader of the socialist party ¡§Ata-Meken¡¨.

Another thing about the war in Iraq that worries the Kyrgyzstani citizens is the possible ecological impact on Kyrgyzstan. According to the forecast of Kulubek Bokonbaev, an ecological geochemistry specialist of the Kyrgyz National Academyof Science, the oil fires in Iraq create soot in the atmosphere, which western winds then bring to the Central Asian countries. The soot subsides on glaciers and makes them melt. Burning carbon hydrogen is followed by the secretion of chemicals harmful for human health and ground ecology. Kyrgyzstan may allegedly face two problems„oloss of glaciers with pure water, and damage to the nation¡¦s health.

The economy of Kyrgyzstan, however, is unlikely to be seriously influenced by the military actions in Iraq, local experts say. Kyrgyzstan is not actively involved in world trade, and the state is not going to suffer a significant impact. However, the rate of the U.S. dollar¡¦s rate is slowly creeping down, causing worry.