Kazakhstan leader promises EU to speed up reform

ALMATY, Oct 21 (Reuters) A top European Union official said Kazakhstan's president had promised to press on with democratic reform as he seeks to chair Europe's top human rights body.

EU Commissioner for External Relations Benita Ferrero-Waldner, speaking after talks with Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev, said the veteran leader had shown a ''strong will'' to implement fundamental change.

''He said he will come up with a very strong reform programme,'' she told Reuters on Thursday. ''For instance, the role of parliament will be reinforced, and (questions related to) the constitution and so on will certainly be reviewed.'' Critics and political opponents of Nazarbayev were deeply sceptical that any tangible reforms were forthcoming despite Ferrero-Waldner's comments.

Kazakhstan, the region's biggest energy producer and the most stable economy, has never held an election judged fair by Western observers, including the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) which Kazakhstan is keen to lead.

Nazarbayev's opponents accuse him of eliminating the opposition, cracking down on press freedom and accumulating sweeping powers.

Kazakhstan wants to become the first ex-Soviet state to head the OSCE in 2009, a post usually reserved for established democracies.

The 56-nation OSCE provides advice, technical aid and independent election observers and has frequently intervened to help prevent or resolve conflicts in trouble spots in Europe and the former Soviet Union.

The Kazakh opposition said the EU commissioner's comments are typical of a rosy Western portrayal of what Nazarbayev's rivals describe as his authoritarian rule.

''We've had a lot of big promises,'' said opposition figure Oraz Zhandosov. ''We don't need big words, we need small actions.'' Nazarbayev sees OSCE chairmanship as a way to bolster his country's weight in the West and distance Kazakhstan from its more volatile ex-Soviet neighbours.

Human rights groups accuse Kazakhstan of applying obscure election laws and harsh media legislation that the opposition believes hurts press freedom. The OSCE is often relied upon to provide independent observers for elections Two opposition leaders, Zamanbek Nurkadilov and Altynbek Sarsenbaiuly, have been killed in mysterious circumstances in the past year. Their supporters say the killings were political.

Rivals also accuse Nazarbayev of accumulating excessive power and placing family members in government jobs.

One pro-Nazarbayev politician has even suggested turning Kazakhstan into a monarchy. Though rejected by Nazarbayev, the idea underscores the extent to which supporters are prepared to display their loyalty.

But at least one opposition politician was more upbeat about Nazarbayev's latest comment.

''Nazarbayev would not dare make empty promises in a high-level meeting like that,'' said Serikbai Alibayev.

''It is, however, true that things have only got worse in terms of democracy here, including human rights, legislation and media freedom.'' REUTERS AD RAI0511