In a nationally televised address on 17 February, Kyrgyz President Askar Akaev said that he intends to file a defamation suit against the opposition newspaper \"MSN,\" RFE/RL\'s Kyrgyz Service reported. The president called the newspaper\'s recent publication of materials about property belonging to him and his family inaccurate and defamatory; he stressed that \"the lawsuit will be withdrawn only if the newspaper publishes a proper denial of the allegations smearing me and my family,\" Kyrgyz Television 1 reported. Compounding the newspaper\'s problems, the heads of state-owned telecom, gas, and power companies held a press conference on 17 February to announce that they also intend to file suit against \"MSN\" for articles claiming that the companies are controlled by members of the president\'s family, RFE/RL\'s Kyrgyz Service reported. The embattled newspaper already faces a defamation suit filed by rival newspaper \"Vechernii Bishkek.\" (RFE/RL)