DATE=6/29/2000
TYPE=BACKGROUND REPORT
TITLE=CHINA-IRAN- UIGHERS
NUMBER=5-46586
BYLINE=LETA HONG FINCHER
DATELINE=BEIJING
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: Iranian President Mohammad Khatami has just
completed his first trip to China, with both countries
pledging to upgrade ties in everything from trade to
gas and oil exploration. But President Khatami
surprised many with his visit to the predominantly
Muslim Chinese province of Xinjiang, which has been
racked with violent separatist activity of late. From
Beijing, VOA's Leta Hong Fincher looks at why the
Chinese may have allowed the Iranians to visit this
volatile region.
TEXT: During his visit in mid-June, Iranian President
Mohammad Khatami flew into perhaps the most explosive
province in China: the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous
Zone. Muslim Uighurs account for more than 40 percent
of the region's 17
million people. Some of them are agitating for the
creation of an independent Muslim state called East
Turkestan.
In an effort to keep control of this far-reaching
province, Beijing has launched an often-violent
campaign to crack down on Uighur culture. Less than
two weeks before President Khatami's visit, five
ethnic Uighurs from Xinjiang were executed for
separatist activity.
Catherine Baber, of Amnesty International in Hong
Kong, says Beijing has banned traditional forms of
sports and cultural activities and has tried to
repress other forms of cultural expression.
/// BABER ACT ///
Within the crackdown, there have been
reports of young women being detained
simply for wearing the veil because the
authorities saw it as an indication of
their sympathy for the nationalist cause or
even as an indication of involvement with
separatist activities.
/// END ACT ///
Despite widespread documentation of Chinese oppression
of the Uighurs, President Khatami praised what he said
was the religious freedom of Muslims in China during
his visit to the Xinjiang city of Kashgar and
indicated Iran may be willing to extend aid to
Xinjiang province.
Julia Nanay, director of the Petroleum Finance Company
in Washington D.C., says this was apparently an
attempt to help Beijing with relations in the region
and yet not jeopardize new oil and trade deals with
China.
/// NANAY ACT ///
To somehow try and create some sort of
feeling within the Muslim population in
China that they're part of a bigger union
there and they should be working to try and
settle their differences with the central
government.
/// END ACT ///
But Paul Wilkinson, a terrorism expert at the
University of St. Andrews in Scotland, believes the
Khatami visit had a more important purpose.
He says it was a sign Beijing -- which would have been
loath to allow a prominent Muslim head of state to
visit such an unstable region -- is increasingly
looking for help from abroad to help stem Muslim
uprisings in China and elsewhere.
/// WILKINSON ACT ONE ///
The Chinese authorities have tried to
tackle the situation in a purely security
mode. And they're now turning to links with
what they perceive as friendly Muslim
states to see whether they can reduce any
support that might be coming from abroad
and helping the separatist campaign.
/// END ACT ///
Islamic fundamentalists in nearby Afghanistan are of
particular concern for the Chinese government. There
have been a number of unconfirmed reports that
Afghanistan's Taliban movement has provided military
training to Uighur separatists in Xinjiang. Chinese
President Jiang Zemin and Iranian President Khatami
pledged to find a solution to what they called the
Afghanistan issue when they met in Beijing. Mr.
Wilkinson again:
/// WILKINSON ACT TWO ///
I think that Beijing sees President Khatami
as a possible source of help, as leader of
a very important Muslim state. But of
course the difficulty with looking to
President Khatami is that he doesn't have
good relations with the Taliban regime in
Afghanistan, which is a regime that is
thought to be giving assistance to the
Uighur separatists. And it's also clear
that supporters of the Uighur movement are
based in Turkic countries, not likely to be
influenced by the Iranian leader.
/// END ACT ///
Mr. Wilkinson says enhanced cooperation between Iran
and China will not be enough to address the grievances
of the Uighur in Xinjiang.
/// WILKINSON ACT THREE ///
The Chinese authorities have taken more and
more interest in discussions of terrorism
held in countries quite a long way from
China's borders because they realize it's a
problem they are not immune from. But when
you're dealing with separatism that has
such strong indigenous roots, international
assistance or cooperation can only be of
marginal value.
/// END ACT ///
But it is a departure for Beijing to look outside for
help in dealing with internal affairs.
Before he left Xinjiang province, President Khatami
said he hoped the region could serve as a bridge
connecting China with the Muslim world.
But it seems unlikely that such a bridge will create
peace in the volatile region anytime soon.
(Signed)
NEB/HK/LHF/JO/TVM
29-Jun-2000 08:18 AM EDT (29-Jun-2000 1218 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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