U.S. Diplomats Welcome Kazakhstan's Strides Into Civil Society

Elizabeth Jones, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Europe and Eurasia, and Lorne Craner, Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, on a two-day visit to Kazakhstan, met with senior government officials, leaders of human rights organizations, members of the opposition parties and representatives of the OSCE.

WASHINGTON, (PRWEB) November 16, 2003 -- Elizabeth Jones, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Europe and Eurasia, and Lorne Craner, Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, on a two-day visit to Kazakhstan, met with senior government officials, leaders of human rights organizations, members of the opposition parties and representatives of the OSCE.

At a news conference in Astana on November 12, that ended the visit, Elizabeth Jones, a former U.S. Ambassador to Kazakhstan, noted progress has been made in building a civil society since she concluded her posting in the late 1990s. "I was very encouraged by the active development of the civil society in Kazakhstan," she said. "Today, the civil society is much bigger and bears much more responsibility."

Ambassador Jones noted: "These changes allow Kazakhstan to make the next step and become the first country in the region that will fully correspond to OSCE requirements in relation to the civil society and to how it is developing and regulated."

During meetings in Astana, the U.S. visitors several new pieces of legislation currently under consideration in Kazakhstan, including the bill on elections. Ambassador Jones said she was "pleased with how the Central Election Commission approaches debates" of the draft election legislation. She welcomed the CEC's request to the OSCE to review the draft to make sure it corresponds to international practices.

Ambassador Jones said: "This is a very good initiative. As a result, a good law will be developed in Kazakhstan."

The new law is important because it is expected to be in effect for the next parliamentary elections in the fall of 2004.

The Ambassador also said President George Bush and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld are "especially" grateful to Kazakhstan "for assistance in the war on international terrorism and in rebuilding Iraq and Afghanistan."

On the same day, visiting U.S. diplomats took part in the formal opening of the U.S. Embassys branch office in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan since 1997.
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