UNUnited Nations Economic Commission for Europe

Press Release

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Update on the fact finding mission of the Executive Secretary in Kyrgyzstan

Geneva, 21 April 2010 --


On 8 April, the Secretary-General announced that he was sending Ján Kubiš, UNECE Executive Secretary, as special envoy to Kyrgyzstan following the violence that had erupted in the country in previous days. The Secretary-General had just concluded his visit to Central Asia, including to Kyrgyzstan, where he had delivered several direct messages to the authorities, both publicly and privately, speaking "forcefully" about democracy.

Ján Kubiš arrived in Kyrgyzstan on 10 April. He left for New York on 14 April to report to the Secretary-General.

The following elements are a summary of the transcript of the press briefing he held at headquarters on 16 April.

In order to defuse the political crisis and constitutional stalemate and to prevent further escalation of the conflict, he regularly met with the chairman of the provisional government, Roza Isakovna Otunbayeva, and other leading members of the provisional government, with constitutional representatives of the country and with relevant political forces and civil society representatives. As the only representative of the international community, he maintained regular contacts with deposed President Bakiev and his supporters. He spoke twice by telephone with Mr. Bakiev, who had, by that time, retreated to his home village in the south of the country. For a period, Ján Kubiš was the only conduit for communication between the provisional government and the outgoing President.  Later on, the provisional government started to work with Mr. Bakiev, including through contacts with other international actors

During his mission, Ján Kubiš worked closely with special envoys of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), which Kazakhstan currently chairs, and the European Union, as well as with delegates from the Collective Security Treaty Organization, to which Kyrgyzstan is a member. He also met with representatives of neighbouring countries and diplomats accredited to the country.

In Kyrgyzstan, he used his "conflict prevention mandate", not only to understand the situation and how it developed, but also to press upon both sides -- the opposition and civil society groups on the one hand and the Government on the other -- not to use arms or confrontation but instead to tone down their activities and not allow any excesses. He worked to defuse the constitutional conflict in a manner that would give impetus to the country's future democratic development, better governance and law and order, which were still frequently challenged by rioters and different criminal groups.

Agreement was eventually reached, whereby the chairman of the provisional government, Roza Isakovna Otunbayeva guaranteed immunity for President Bakiev and his family on the basis of the country's Constitution, and, in turn, the President decided to voluntarily leave the country. The President signed his resignation as he boarded the plane that would take him out of the country.

"I would say with the hot stage of the standoff over, that my mission has been basically accomplished. Now it is for others, notably the United Nations Regional Centre for Conflict Prevention in Central Asia taking over," he said, adding that the head of that office, Special Representative of the Secretary-General Miroslav Jenca, would be traveling soon to Kyrgyzstan.

Ref: ECE/OES/10/P05