Ousted Kyrgyz president urged to resign

 
0 CommentsPrint E-mail Xinhua, April 10, 2010
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Kyrgyz interim leaders on Friday called on the ousted President Kurmanbek Bakiyev to resign, while claiming they have known his whereabouts.

Prime Minister of the Kyrgyz interim government Roza Otunbayeva told reporters here on Friday if ousted President Kurmanbek Bakiyev agreed to step down, then he would be permitted to leave the country.

"We will guarantee his personal security if he steps down," said Otunbayeva after meeting with an envoy to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

"He wants to turn to courts, and we don't brush away this possibility," Otunbayeva was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency.

Meanwhile the opposition leader excluded the possibility for talks on this issue.

"The deaths of 75 people is the answer to all of his attempts to return. I can't say whether or not he will make a statement on resignation," she said.

Another opposition leader, former defense minister Ismail Isakov, told reporters on Thursday that all senior officials of the Bakiyev government have been banned from leaving the country.

Kyrgyz former parliament Speaker and interim Deputy Prime Minister Omurbek Tekebayev said talks were possible only if Bakiyev agrees to resign.

"Kurmanbek Bakiyev can join the negotiations provided these focus on his resignation and the preservation of immunity," said Tekebayev, adding that the president cannot be denied immunity against criminal prosecution.

Otunbayeva also said some governors in southern part of the country were supportive towards the new government.

"There are governor supporting the new authorities in Osh and Dzhalal-Abad who have many sympathizers. The situation is more difficult there, of course. But we have many supporters there as well. And there are many natives of southern regions in the North, " she said.

The interim leader earlier said there will be no negotiations with Bakiyev, while the deposed president told reporters in the southern Kyrgyz city of Jalalabad that he was ready for negotiation.

Meanwhile acting chairman of Kyrgyz National Security Service Keneshbek Duishebayev told a press conference here on Friday that they have known Bakiyev's whereabouts.

"We know what places he has been visiting. But we have not taken any tough measures in order to avoid armed clashes, " he said.

According to Duishebayev, the president was somewhere in the southern Jalalabad region with the company of 15 to 20 people, while his sons Maksim and Marat have already left the country.

Baikyev's brother, Zhanybek Bakiyev, who was currently wanted by the interim government, should be held fully responsible for Tuesday's bloodshed, said Deputy Prime Minister Azimbek Beknazarov of the interim government in a televised speech.

Zhanybek Bakiyev was in the Chuy region guarded by armed people, said Duishebayev.

Kyrgyz opposition parties on Thursday formed an interim coalition government, while Bakiyev refused to step down after clashes that left at least 75 people dead and more than 1,400 injured.

Uncertainties around the political prospects of the Central Asian country remained foggy.

Military Commandant of Bishkek Turat Madalbekov voiced concerns that supporters of Bakiyev might sabotage the peace and security of the capital, as they possess "a large amount of weapons."

Madalbekov urged Bishkek residents to raise awareness and report suspectable people to the police in time.

Residents in the Jalalabad region were also worried about possible clashes between Bakiyev's and the interim government's supporters.

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