By empty (3/9/2005 issue of the CACI Analyst)

The mayor\'s office of Osh, Kyrgyzstan\'s second-largest city, is ready to introduce a state of emergency due to an unsanctioned protest organized by the opposition on the city\'s central square, Osh Mayor Satyvaldy Chyrmashev told a press conference on Wednesday. \"The city\'s authorities are ready to do everything necessary to preserve calm among Osh\'s 500,000 citizens,\" Chyrmashev said. The city\'s authorities are currently negotiating with the rally organizers, Chyrmashev said.

By empty (3/9/2005 issue of the CACI Analyst)

Kazakhstan\'s troubled opposition groups said Wednesday they would form an alliance for upcoming elections in a bid to unseat President Nursultan Nazarbayev. \"We are uniting to put an end to the uncontrolled and irresponsible rule of the current regime,\" said Zharmakhan Tuyakbai, one of the leaders of the new alliance, For Fair Kazakhstan. Tuyakbai said by the end of March the alliance would announce a single opposition candidate to run against Nazarbayev in the December elections.

By empty (3/9/2005 issue of the CACI Analyst)

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed the federal law \"On ratification of the agreement between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Kazakhstan on joint military planning in the common security interests of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Kazakhstan,\" said the press service of the Russian president. The agreement allows fuller realization of the provisions of the agreement between Russia and Kazakhstan on military cooperation as of March 28, 1994 to provide security of the two countries and to expand cooperation between the armed forces of the two countries. The agreement provides regional security, above all, for Central Asian nations, the supplement to the law reads.