By empty (11/2/2004 issue of the CACI Analyst)

Aleksandr Andrianov, deputy director of Tajikistan\'s passenger railway company, told Asia Plus-Blitz on 2 November that Uzbek rail authorities are waging an \"undeclared war\" against their Tajik counterparts. Andrianov said that the recently introduced requirement of an Uzbek transit visa for Tajik citizens en route through Uzbekistan by train began with a 21 October telegram from Uzbek railroad authorities. He said that the telegram and the requirement violate an existing agreement between the two countries that allows rail travel without a visa.

By empty (11/2/2004 issue of the CACI Analyst)

Alikhan Baimenov, co-chairman of the opposition party Ak Zhol, announced on 2 November that his party is giving up its single party-slate seat in the Mazhilis (lower chamber of parliament) to protest violations in the course of 19 September elections. \"Our party has never entertained any illusions about the desire and ability of the current authorities to hold these elections on the basis of fair and honest competition. But the extent of violations and falsifications exceeded our most negative expectations,\" an Ak Zhol press release said.

By empty (11/2/2004 issue of the CACI Analyst)

A ruptured gas pipeline exploded and caught fire in western Kazakhstan, killing three workers and injuring three others. The cause of the rupture is being established. The incident on the Central Asia-Center pipeline occurred Monday morning, interrupting gas supplies from Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan to Russia, according to the Emergencies Agency.