Tumulti in Kirghizistan – Decine di morti e centinaia di feriti
● Il cambio di potere in Kirghizistan potrebbe provocare tensioni tra gli USA e la Russia, che ha continuato a considerare il paese, ex repubblica sovietica, parte della sua sfera di influenza.
– Le divergenze Usa-Russia sul Kirghizistan sono emerse durante l’incontro di Praga per la firma del trattato sulle armi nucleari:
o la Russia intende sollecitare il nuovo governo kirghiso perché chiuda la base aerea americana di Manas.
– [Faz] La dirigenza russa ha dichiarato di recente che il successo degli americani in Afghanistan è nell’interesse della Russia; ha offerto che in futuro il trasporto non militare per le truppe in Afghanistan avvenga su rotaie attraverso il suo territorio.
– Il ministro Usa alla Difesa, Robert Gates, accusa la Russia di doppio gioco nella sua politica per l’Afghanistan:
o segnali positivi per la cooperazione con gli Usa, da una parte; dall’altra sull’aeroporto di Manas, importante per gli Usa, lavora contro.
o Le massicce proteste con sanguinose battaglie di strada nella capitale, Bishkek, che hanno portato ad un cambio della guardia al potere, sono state scatenate dai forti aumenti di prezzi dei servizi pubblici e dal risentimento per il nepotismo praticato da Bakijev per le alte cariche di governo.
o Da Bishkek sono giunte immagini di giovani dimostranti dotati di armi da fuoco.
o L’ex ministro Esteri, Rosa Otunbajeva, già all’opposizione nella Rivoluzione dei Tulipani, è stata nominata capo di un “governo di fiducia nazionale”.
o La Russia ha di recente attaccato il governo Bakijev, irritata dalla sua decisione di accettare un centro di addestramento anti-terrorismo nel sud del paese, voluto dagli Usa.
– Il primo ministro russo, Putin, respinge le voci secondo cui la Russia sarebbe dietro alla sommossa; accusa Bakijev degli stessi errori del suo predecessore, Akaijev, nepotismo e corruzione.
– L’esperto americano per la Russia del National Security Council: Non è un colpo di Stato anti-americano, e non è neppure sponsorizzato dalla Russia.
– Il nuovo governo ad interim del Kirghizistan ha riaperto ai voli militari Usa la base aerea di Manas, snodo principale per truppe e rifornimenti per l’Afghanistan, chiusa a seguito della decisione del parlamento di giovedì 18 febbraio 2010; agli Usa venivano dati 180 giorni per andarsene.
o la sorte di Manas non è però ancora definita: l’opposizione kirghiza potrebbe farla chiudere o chiedere un prezzo molto maggiore per il suo utilizzo;
o divergenze nell’opposizione, con la leader Rosa Otunbayeva favorevole a mantenerla aperta, ed altri più critici.
– La Otunbayeva (ex ministro Esteri ed ambasciatrice negli Usa) si è incontrata con un rappresentante degli Usa.
– Gli Usa, che hanno mantenuto relazioni amichevoli con il governo Bakijev in cambio della base di Manas, non hanno ancora riconosciuto la sua caduta.
– Il deposto presidente Kurmanbek Bakijev si è rifugiato a Jalalabad nel sud del paese, si è rifiutato di dimettersi pur riconoscendo di aver perso il controllo delle forze armate e della polizia. Timori di una frattura Nord-Sud, con conseguente conflitto armato.
– Il clan del ministro Interni di Bakijev, catturato e percosso dalla folla, ha bloccato la principale arteria Nord-Sud e chiede la restituzione del ministro.
o Bakijev salì al potere nel 2005, con la Rivoluzione dei Tulipani, che depose il presidente Askar Akajev; seguirono diversi giorni di saccheggi e assassinii a contratto, tra i quali anche alcuni noti politici.
Principale esportazioni: cotone, tabacco, oro, mercurio, uranio e gas naturale;
Storia: indipendenza nel 1991 con il crollo dell’Urss. Russia e Usa hanno entrambe corteggiato il Kirghizistan per l’influenza nella regione. Dalla salita al potere, il presidente Bakijev ha trasformato il paese in un altro stato autoritario con un sistema di controlli politici molto simile a quello della Russia.
Relazioni con gli Usa: dopo l’11 settembre, gli Usa vi hanno creato una base militare di appoggio per la guerra in Afghanistan. Nel febbraio 2009, in occasione della conferenza stampa in cui comunicò $2,1 MD di aiuti economici e crediti da parte della Russia al Kirghizistan, Bakijev comunicò anche la chiusura della base aerea Usa. In seguito fece marcia indietro, offrendo di nuovo l’utilizzo della base agli Usa, ma a prezzo triplo del precedente.
– BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan—Hundreds of defiant protesters gathered in the downtown square of Bishkek Friday in a day of mourning, as their leaders moved to consolidate their control over this strategically important Central Asian nation with a caretaker government.
– In a bit of good news for Washington, Kyrgyz authorities reopened a key air base to U.S. military flights Friday, according to American officials. The sprawling Manas air base, the main American transit point for troops and supplies bound for Afghanistan, had been closed to U.S. military flights since Wednesday. The base’s future remains unclear, however, as Kyrgyz opposition leaders may push Washington to either close the base or pay substantially higher rents for its use.
The streets of Kyrgyz capital Bishkek were calm early on Friday, but signs of night-time looting remained. This just one day after the country’s new leadership dissolved parliament following clashes between protesters and police. Courtesy Reuters.
– While the leader of the opposition, Roza Otunbayeva, has said they had no plans to interrupt operations of the base, other members of her coalition have been more critical of it. "The status quo [on the base] remains in place," said Ms. Otunbayeva, a former foreign minister and ambassador to the U.S. "We won’t rush to decide on such issues."
– The country’s deposed president, Kurmanbek Bakiyev, meanwhile, has taken refuge among supporters in the country’s south, where he acknowledged he had lost control of armed forces and police, but refused to resign.
– He denounced protests as a "Bacchanalia," predicted chaos in the coming days, and said opposition leaders would prove themselves incompetent.
While unrest continued at night between police and looters—the Health Ministry said dozens sought medical attention for gunshot wounds and injuries from rubber bullets overnight—there were no reported fatalities, and leaders said they were gradually restoring order.
– The Kyrgyz capital has been tense since Wednesday’s bloody protests that forced the president and his government to flee. Health Ministry officials said 75 people died in in Wednesday’s violence, while more than 1,000 were injured.
Protesters rallied in Bishkek’s central square Thursday.
– That government said it was in control of security services, and by Thursday was beginning to deploy them to prevent looting after nightfall. Police and military vehicles resumed patrols of the capital in the evening after a day of absence from the streets. Sporadic gunfire, heard early in the day in central Bishkek, had faded by midnight.
– The U.S. charge d’affaires met with Ms. Otunbayeva Thursday, Reuters reported, as Washington sought to ensure smooth operations at Manas while calling for a peaceful resolution to the Kyrgyz unrest.
– The U.S. had tried to keep friendly relations with the Bakiyev government in exchange for its hosting of the military base, and has yet to say it believes Mr. Bakiyev’s government has fallen.
– The State Department said U.S. officials met with Mr. Bakiyev’s foreign minister in Washington Thursday. Mr. Bakiyev’s son and heir apparent, Maksim, had been scheduled to take part in those meetings but didn’t, U.S. officials said.
– A change in power in Bishkek could provide a fresh irritant to relations between the U.S. and Russia, which has considered Kyrgyzstan, a former Soviet republic, part of its traditional sphere of influence.
– Opposition protests were sparked by outrage over massive utility price hikes and long-simmering resentment of Mr. Bakiyev’s appointment of family and friends to high government posts.
– Russia had lately stepped up its criticism of Mr. Bakiyev’s government, angered by its decision to accept a U.S.-sponsored counterterrorism training center in southern Kyrgyzstan.
– The U.S.-Russian differences over Kyrgyzstan were on display at a meeting in Prague, where presidents Barack Obama and Dmitri Medvedev signed a nuclear arms treaty Thursday.
– A member of the Russian delegation told reporters that Russia would push for the new Kyrgyz government to shut down the U.S. base at Manas.
Michael McFaul, the National Security Council’s Russia expert, insisted that the change in government doesn’t represent a victory for Russia or the U.S.
– "This is not some anti-American coup. That we know for sure," he said. "And this is not some sponsored-by-the-Russians coup. There’s just no evidence of that."
– Mr. Bakiyev came to power in 2005 in another popular revolt, known as the Tulip Revolution. Then, the toppling of the government of President Askar Akayev was followed by several days of looating and a spate of contract killings that claimed the lives of some well-known politicians.
Memories of 2005 fed worries of further unrest Thursday, as Mr. Bakiyev appeared to be trying to hang on to authority from his haven in the southern province of Jalalabad—raising the possibility of a north-south split that politicians here worry could erupt into serious conflict.
– A Kyrgyz news agency reported that relatives of Mr. Bakiyev’s interior minister, who was captured and beaten by a mob Wednesday, had blocked the main north-south road, demanding the minister’s return. The caretaker government said it has comparatively less control in the south, which has been a traditional political stronghold for Mr. Bakiyev.
In his radio interview, Mr. Bakiyev dismissed reports that he was gathering and arming supporters to stage a return to Bishkek. "How do you think an elected head of state could go against his own people with arms in his hands? Who is making this up?"
Ms. Otunbayeva said Thursday the interim government wouldn’t rule out arresting Mr. Bakiyev. "I think 75 [casualties] is way too many" to dismiss, said Temir Sariyev, an opposition leader. "There’s no doubt who gave the order to fire [at protesters]."
Umsturz in Kirgistan – Dutzende Tote und Hunderte Verletzte
– In Kirgistan hat die Opposition am Mittwochabend nach heftigen Straßenschlachten in der Hauptstadt Bischkek die Machtübernahme verkündet.
o Die von der Opposition als Führerin einer „Regierung des nationalen Vertrauens“ benannte frühere Außenministerin Rosa Otunbajewa sagte, man tue alles, um die Stabilität im Lande sicherzustellen. Der Verbleib von Präsident Kurmanbek Bakijew war zunächst unklar; er soll das Land verlassen haben. Frau Otunbajewa gehörte schon bei der „Tulpenrevolution“ vor fünf Jahren, durch die Bakijew an die Macht kam, zu den Oppositionsführern.
– Zuvor waren im Laufe des Tages bei Auseinandersetzungen zwischen Sicherheitskräften und Demonstranten nach offiziellen Angaben mehr als 40 Menschen getötet und mehr als 400 verletzt worden; nach Angaben der bisherigen Opposition liegt die Zahl der Toten dagegen bei hundert. Die Sicherheitskräfte hatten vor dem Regierungssitz in der Hauptstadt Bischkek mit scharfer Munition in die Menschenmenge gefeuert, die versucht hatte, Gebäude zu stürmen. Oppositionelle sprachen davon, dass auf dem Dach des Gebäudes Scharfschützen postiert gewesen seien.
Demonstranten mit Schusswaffen in Bischkek
– Die Demonstranten hatten das Gebäude des staatlichen Fernsehens unter ihre Kontrolle gebracht und später das Parlament gestürmt. Das Gebäude der Generalstaatsanwaltschaft ging in Flammen auf. Auf Bildern aus Bischkek waren jugendliche Demonstranten mit Schusswaffen zu sehen. Laut der Nachrichtenagentur Interfax wurde das offenbar leerstehende und nicht bewachte Privathaus von Präsident Bakijew geplündert und angezündet.
– Die Unruhen hatten am Dienstag in der Stadt Talas begonnen und auf Bischkek und andere Städte übergegriffen, nachdem die Regierung in der Nacht zum Mittwoch mehrere Oppositionsführer hatte festnehmen lassen; diese wurden im Laufe des Tages allerdings wieder freigelassen. In Talas waren der Innenminister und der stellvertretende Ministerpräsident in die Hände von Demonstranten gefallen und offenbar schwer misshandelt worden. Dort und in einigen anderen Provinzen hatte die Opposition schon im Laufe des Tages erklärt, sie habe die Macht übernommen.
Putin weist Anschuldigungen gegen Russland zurück
– Die Opposition versuchte im Laufe des Abends offenbar, Ordnungskräfte aufzustellen, um Plünderungen Einhalt zu gebieten. Der russische Ministerpräsident Putin wies Gerüchte zurück, Russland stehe hinter den Unruhen. Er kritisierte allerdings Präsident Bakijew, der dieselben Fehler gemacht habe wie sein vor fünf Jahren gestürzter Vorgänger Akajew, dem Korruption und Nepotismus vorgeworfen worden war.
– In der Nähe der Hauptstadt Bischkek unterhalten sowohl Russland als auch Amerika Militärstützpunkte.
– Über den amerikanischen Stützpunkt am Flughafen Manas läuft ein Teil des Nachschubs für die Truppen in Afghanistan.
o Die Organisation für Sicherheit und Zusammenarbeit in Europa (OSZE), in der dieses Jahr Kirgistans Nachbar Kasachstan den Vorsitz hat, rief die Konfliktparteien zu Zurückhaltung auf.
o Für die Unruhen gebe es politische, wirtschaftliche und soziale Gründe, die einen breiten politischen Dialog erforderten, hieß es in einer am Vormittag verbreiteten Erklärung des amtierenden OSZE-Vorsitzenden, des kasachischen Außenministers Saudabajew. Die OSZE sei zur Vermittlung bereit.