By empty (4/1/2005 issue of the CACI Analyst)

Interim President Kurmanbek Bakiyev said he was \"sure that Islamic extremism had nothing to do\" with the recent revolution in Kyrgyzstan. \"In Bishkek, in the north [of Kyrgyzstan] as a whole, Islamic extremism has a very low influence on the masses,\" Bakiyev said in an exclusive interview with Interfax. In the south, where Bakiyev comes from, Islamic extremism has a \"weak\" influence on the population as well, he said.

By empty (3/31/2005 issue of the CACI Analyst)

The Georgian communities of Batumi and Akhalkalaki are witnessing large-scale protests against the Georgian government\'s decision to speed up the pullout of Russian military bases deployed there. Participants in the Batumi rally, mainly members of the Ajarian Patriotic Union, told journalists they were categorically against the Georgian leadership\'s policy which they said causes tensions with Russia. \"The Russian base guarantees peace and stability in our region, and its withdrawal is not in Georgia\'s interests,\" they said.

By empty (3/31/2005 issue of the CACI Analyst)

Representatives of the new Kyrgyz authorities are holding preliminary negotiations with President Askar Akayev about the possibility of him stepping down from his post as president, Kyrgyz parliamentary speaker Omurbek Tekebayev said at a meeting with OSCE Chairman-in-Office and Slovenian Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel in Bishkek on Thursday. Tekebayev earlier said he was prepared to hold talks with Akayev. \"I am prepared to negotiate with Akayev, but only if this is an official decision made by the Kyrgyz parliament,\" the speaker said.