Jean-Christophe Peuch

Also by Jean-Christophe Peuch

• March 31, 2005

  Kyrgyzstan: Youth Group Says Fight Is Not Over

  Protests in Bishkek on 24 March. (file photo) In the weeks that preceded the Kyrgyz revolution, many believed the KelKel youth organization would spearhead political changes in the country, just as similar groups had done in Serbia, Georgia, and Ukraine. It isn't clear to what extent KelKel was ultimately responsible for the 24 March upheaval. But KelKel did claim a significant role in helping Kyrgyzstan's new authorities restore order in Bishkek. Life is slowly returning to normal in the Central Asian nation. And KelKel leaders say they will be carefully watching the interim leadership that succeeded the government of ousted President Askar Akaev. For more on the rise of political youth groups, see RFE/RL's special website "The Power of Youth." --> /specials/youth/

• March 29, 2005

  Ousted Kyrgyz Leader Says He's Not Ready To Resign

  Akaev opening parliament last week Bishkek, 29 March 2005 (RFE/RL) -- Kyrgyzstan's ousted president, Askar Akaev, said today that he still considers himself the country's legitimate ruler and has no intention of stepping down for the time being.

• March 29, 2005

  Kyrgyzstan: Lawmakers End Parliamentary Crisis

  The lower house of the Kyrgyz Parliament (file photo) The upper house of Kyrgyzstan's outgoing parliament on 29 March voted to dissolve itself, following a similar decision by the lower house. The two votes formally put an end to a legislative crisis brewing since the ouster of President Askar Akaev last week. Interim leader Kurmanbek Bakiev welcomed the lawmakers' decision, saying it is time to restore order in the country. Meanwhile, supporters of the ousted president say they are forming a new political movement and pressing for an investigation into last week's events.

• March 28, 2005

  Kyrgyzstan: Leaders Battle With Constitutional Deadlock

  Deputies from the parliament elected on 27 February and 13 March 28 March 2005 (RFE/RL) -- Late yesterday, Kyrgyzstan's Central Election Commission decided the mandate of nearly all deputies elected in the two disputed rounds of legislative polls on 27 February and 13 March must be validated.

• March 27, 2005

  Kyrgyz Leaders Facing Crisis Over Legitimacy

  (file photo) 27 March 2005 (RFE/RL) -- In a statement late yesterday, the Kremlin said ousted Kyrgyz President Askar Akaev has asked permission to visit Russia and that his request has been granted.

• March 26, 2005

  Kyrgyzstan: Legislators Set New Date For Elections

  Calm has largely returned to the streets of Bishkek. Bishkek, 26 March 2005 (RFE/RL) -- Kyrgyz parliamentarians today took further steps to erase the remnants of ousted President Askar Akayev's rule as they set 26 June as the date for new presidential polls.

• March 26, 2005

  Kyrgyzstan: New Presidential Election Date Set

  Bishkek, 26 March Bishkek, 26 March 2005 (RFE/RL) -- Kyrgyzstan's parliament today set 26 June as the date for an election to replace ousted President Askar Akaev.

• March 25, 2005

  Kyrgyzstan: Eyewitness To The Revolution

  The protests in Bishkek that brought down President Akaev's government Bishkek, 24 March 2005 (RFE/RL) -- RFE/RL correspondent Jean-Christophe Peuch arrived in Bishkek early on 24 March to cover the increasing unrest in Kyrgyzstan. He first went to RFE/RL's Bishkek bureau to write an article on the situation before hearing about a demonstration near the White House, Kyrgyzstan's government headquarters. Here is his account of the events leading up to the storming of the White House and the fall of the government of President Askar Akaev:

• March 25, 2005

  Kyrgyz Opposition Strives To Boost Legitimacy

  Kyrgyzstan's new interim president Bishkek, 25 March 2005 (RFE/RL) -- As the dust is settling on Bishkek, opposition leaders are striving to restore political stability and public order in the Kyrgyz capital.

• March 22, 2005

  Kyrgyz Protests Continue

  The Kyrgyz opposition holds a people's congress, "Kurultai," in Osh on 19 March. Prague, 22 March 2005 (RFE/RL) -- Thousands of protesters have seized control of key government buildings in three cities in Kyrgyzstan as President Askar Akaev has ordered an investigation into alleged parliamentary poll irregularities.

• March 02, 2005

  Moldova: In Search Of Allies, Moldovan President Turns To Georgia, Ukraine

  Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin (file photo) Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili was due to pay an impromptu visit to Moldova on 2 March, just four days before legislative elections in that former Soviet republic. Saakashvili is expected to discuss regional security, and one of his stated goals is to express solidarity with Moldovans in what he called "their struggle for democracy." But the timing suggests the effect might be to bolster Moldova's ability to settle its separatist conflicts without interference from Moscow.

• March 01, 2005

  Georgia: Abkhaz Prime Minister Survives Assassination Attempt

  Prague, 1 March 2005 (RFE/RL) -- In Georgia's separatist republic of Abkhazia, Prime Minister Aleksandr Ankvab survived an overnight assassination attempt as he was traveling to the Black Sea resort of Gudauta. In an exclusive interview with RFE/RL, Ankvab said he believes the assassination attempt was carried out by people opposed to policies of the new leadership. He also denied speculation that the attack was connected to growing disagreements among government officials.

• February 25, 2005

  Georgia: President Hints At Possible Gazprom Deal, U.S. Unhappy

  Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili recently indicated that Russia could soon own all or part of the country’s import gas pipeline. The remarks sparked widespread criticism in Tbilisi, with the opposition accusing the government of selling strategic assets to a neighbor that is largely perceived as being hostile to Georgia. Yesterday, the United States entered the fray, urging its South Caucasus ally to not let Russia to deal for the pipeline.

• February 23, 2005

  Russia: North Caucasus Republics Enter Circle Of Violence

  Aslan Maskhadov (file photo) Chechen separatist leader Aslan Maskhadov in January ordered his troops to halt all offensive operations against Russian soldiers. The unilateral cease-fire, which entered into force on 2 February, ends at midnight tonight. As fighting reportedly abated in Chechnya itself, Moscow apparently redoubled efforts to eliminate militants in neighboring republics. Violence is expected to grow further in those areas as Russia and regional governments continue to crack down on purported local Islamist cells.

• February 18, 2005

  Georgia: Frequent Shake-Ups, Politics Hinder Military Reforms

  Reform of the Georgian army will be necessary for the country to join NATO Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has made military reform a high priority of his domestic policy agenda. Experts, however, note little real progress in that direction, notably because of the frequent changes in personnel among the top army leadership in the past 12 months.

• February 16, 2005

  Georgia/Russia: Negotiations On Treaty Hit Deadlock

  Already strained, ties between Russia and Georgia appeared to suffer a new setback last week when talks on a framework bilateral treaty reached a stalemate. Moscow is blaming Tbilisi for recanting earlier agreements, while Georgia has accused Russia of deliberately stalling talks in order to further delay a troop withdrawal from the South Caucasus country. The fresh tensions come as Sergei Lavrov prepares this week to pay his first visit to Georgia as Russian foreign minister.

• February 14, 2005

  Armenia/Azerbaijan: Mediator Sees No Organized Settlement Policy In Occupied Lands

  The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) last week completed an unprecedented fact-finding mission into Azerbaijan's occupied territories to verify claims that Armenian authorities are sending settlers to the area. The mission, which was supervised by the three co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, was the first of its kind since the suspension of the 1988-94 Nagorno-Karabakh war. In an exclusive interview with RFE/RL, France’s Minsk Group co-chairman, Bernard Fassier, discussed the mission’s preliminary findings.

• February 11, 2005

  Russia: Foreign Minister Sees Worldwide Campaign To Restore Cold War Climate

  Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (file photo) Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has denounced what he says are attempts to return his country to the Cold War era by criticizing its policies and exaggerating differences between Moscow and the West. RFE/RL takes a closer look at Lavrov’s comments, which appeared in yesterday's edition of one of Russia’s leading dailies.

• February 09, 2005

  Turkey: Ankara Increasingly Preoccupied By Developments In Northern Iraq

  Turkomans in Kirkuk (file photo) Kurdish ambitions in Iraq have always been a thorn in Turkey's side, and Ankara has long warned that any attempt at creating a federal Iraq with an autonomous Kurdish north would prompt a swift response. Early election results from northern Iraq's predominantly Kurdish areas and persisting ethnic tension in the northern city of Kirkuk have now brought Turkey's concerns to new heights.

• February 09, 2005

  Georgia: President Nominates New Premier

  Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili (file photo) Prague, 9 February 2005 (RFE/RL) -- Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has tapped 40-year-old Zurab Nogaideli to succeed the late Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania, who was found dead of apparent gas poisoning in a Tbilisi apartment last week.

Load more