Kazakh lower house approves CIS antiterror document
Interfax-Kazakhstan news agency, Almaty
23 Jun 04
ASTANA
The Majlis (the lower house) of the Kazakh parliament approved at a
plenary sitting today the ratification of the protocol approving the
provision on the procedure for organizing and holding joint antiterror
exercises in CIS member states.
The document was sent to the parliament’s Senate (the upper chamber)
for further consideration.
Presenting a relevant draft law to the Majlis deputies, the first
deputy chairman of the Kazakh National Security Committee, Vladimir
Bozhko, noted that Kazakhstan would ratify the document “without
reservation”, although four of the 10 CIS states that signed the
document earlier had ratified the document with reservations.
The provision on the procedure for organizing and holding joint
antiterror exercises in the CIS member states was signed in Chisinau
by Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,
Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan and Ukraine on 7 October 2002.
The provision “provides for joint efforts from the sides to thwart
terrorist activities, as well as to secure the release of hostages, to
render explosive devices harmless and to wipe out terrorist groups and
so on”, the Majlis’s committee for international affairs, defence and
security stated in conclusion at the plenary sitting.
The document also provides for the joint training of special
antiterror formations during exercises.
In accordance with the provision, the antiterror centre, which was set
up under a decision from the CIS heads of state in 2000, will
coordinate the issue of organizing and holding antiterror exercises.
In order to control directly the special antiterror formations during
joint exercises the interested side will set up a supervising body to
define the procedure for holding the exercises, including the use of
forces and special means.
The document also mentions that interference with the holding of joint
exercises is allowed only by instruction from the head of the
interested state.