Kyrgyzstan Leadership on Global Security, Development and Democracy

KYRGYZSTAN LEADERSHIP ON GLOBAL SECURITY, DEVELOPMENT AND DEMOCRACY -- (Extensions of Remarks - October 07, 2005)

SPEECH OF
HON. GREGORY W. MEEKS
OF NEW YORK
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2005

Mr. MEEKS of New York. Mr. Speaker, in his September 17, 2005, address to the 60th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Kurmanbek Bakiev, President of the Kyrgyz Republic, called on his fellow Heads of State to join him in supporting U.N. peace keeping by fighting poverty and promoting democratic development. President Bakiev told the U.N. General Assembly ``it is no accident that exactly in the poorest regions of the world the most serious regional conflicts arise''.

Kyrgyzstan, the only state in Central Asia that participates in peace making efforts by the United Nations, has directed military observers and staff officers to the missions of the United Nations in Liberia, Burundi, Sierra Leone, Serbia, Kosovo, and Sudan. On September 23, 2005, Leandro Despouy, Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, praised Kyrgyzstan's courageous leadership in supporting the resettlement of Uzbek refugees to third countries along with its commitment to the Geneva Convention. Mr. Despouy called on international donors to provide financial support for Kyrgyzstan's reform programs.

Kyrgyzstan has also been a critical ally in the international community's efforts to rebuild and strengthen Afghanistan. It has made its territory available to the coalition to combat terrorism and promote regional safety and security.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to share with my congressional colleagues President Bakiev's September 17, 2005, address to the United Nations' 60th General Assembly and ask that it be printed in the CONGRESSIONAL RECORD.

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