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Kyrgyz delegation seeking ousted president's resignation
A delegation of Kyrgyzstan lawmakers arrived in Moscow on Sunday for talks with ousted President Askar Akayev that they hope will lead to his formal resignation. Parliament speaker Omurbek Tekebayev, who heads the delegation, said Akayev had given a verbal agreement that he would resign, 10 days after protesters stormed the presidential administration building. Akayev fled to Russia after the storming, leaving the country in control of an interim government. A meeting with Akayev was to be held in the Kyrgyz Embassy, Tekebayev said. ``We hope to return to Kyrgyzstan tonight with his resignation,'' he told The Associated Press on the flight from the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek. At the embassy, an assistant to Tekebayev, Bermet Bukasheva, told AP that Akayev was meeting with his advisers to draft a resignation letter. Akayev's formal surrender of power would likely be a significant step toward solidifying a sense of political order in the country following last month's chaos. The interim authorities have scheduled a new presidential election for late June, but its legitimacy could be called into question if he does not step down. ``I think it's a truly historic mission,'' Tekebayev said. Kyrgyzstan's interim authorities have said the law providing immunity from prosecution to Akayev as president would be observed and that Akayev would not be persecuted if he returned to the ex-Soviet Central Asian state. Akayev is widely alleged to have engaged in corruption while president. However, Tekebayev suggested Sunday that a near-future return for Akayev would be inappropriate because of anger among the populace against him relating to the corruption allegations and obstruction of opposition political groups. ``The majority of people do not support our actions; they want immediate revenge,'' Tekebayev said. ``I hope that in time, they will understand that we did the right thing.'' Still, he said, Akayev's resignation would ease conditions in the country. ``We think that the voluntary handover of power will create a new political situation in Kyrgyzstan. We want to create a new tradition for Kyrgyzstan, to lay the foundation for clean, honest elections,'' he said. The delegation flew to Moscow after Kyrgyz leaders appeared to resolve a dispute over whether Akayev could resign outside the country, even though the constitution specifies that the president must resign at a parliament session in Kyrgyzstan. Tekebayev said his delegation included a notary who would validate Akayev's resignation. Acting Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev had repeatedly stressed that Akayev's security could not be guaranteed in Kyrgyzstan and that his return could spark new unrest. ``As ex-president, he can always return, but I think in reality he can come back only after the presidential elections, when the people have calmed down,'' Tekebayev said on the plane. |
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