DATE=8/25/1999
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=KYRGYZSTAN SUMMIT (L)
NUMBER=2-253101
BYLINE=PETER HEINLEIN
DATELINE=MOSCOW
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: The presidents of Russia, China and three
Central Asian countries have held a one-day summit in
Kyrgyzstan on improving security cooperation and
economic ties. V-O-A's Peter Heinlein in Moscow
reports the Russian and Chinese leaders also held
bilateral talks.
TEXT: Russia's Boris Yeltsin and China's Jiang Zemin
had a working breakfast Wednesday in the Kyrgyz
capital, Bishkek, where the summit was held.
Afterward, Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov
described ties between Beijing and Moscow as being "at
their peak."
Mr. Ivanov said Presidents Yeltsin and Jiang expressed
support for a "multi-polar world," a concept aimed at
limiting U-S influence in global affairs.
/// IVANOV ACT - IN RUSSIAN - FADE UNDER ///
He says the two leaders talked about the active
struggle throughout the world over the future world
order.
Without mentioning the United States directly, Mr.
Ivanov said attempts are being made to impose what he
called a different world order that would be uni-polar
or bi polar. He told reporters "Russia has spoken
against the dominance of one country, and will
continue to do so".
/// OPT /// Opposition to U-S dominance in post-
cold war affairs has been a recurring theme in
President Yeltsin's meetings with other leaders. When
he arrived in Bishkek Tuesday, he joked that he was
feeling fit, and "ready for combat, especially with
Westerners".
/// OPT /// China's President Jiang, in his
remarks, also expressed concern about the dominance of
one country in world affairs. He said "the process of
forming a multi-polar world is difficult, but it has
become an irreversible trend." The Chinese leader
also avoided mentioning any particular country, but
spoke of "a new display of hegemony relying on force,
which has already drawn concern on the international
scene." /// END OPT ///
In closing the summit, the host, Kyrgyzstan's Askar
Akayev, said his country welcomes a greater role in
regional affairs by Moscow and Beijing.
Regional stability has been threatened this week by an
invasion of southern Kyrgyzstan by an armed group from
Tajikistan that occupied several small villages and is
holding hostages, including four Japanese geologists.
President Akayev met Wednesday with visiting Tajik
President Emomali Rakhmonov. The two men are reported
to have agreed to temporarily close the border between
Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.
A declaration signed by the five leaders at the end of
their summit calls for increased cooperation in
fighting terrorism and drug smuggling. The statement
also expresses concern about troubles in nearby
Afghanistan. (Signed)
NEB/PFH/JWH/KL
25-Aug-1999 06:57 AM EDT (25-Aug-1999 1057 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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