Turkmen deputy PM to oversee Niyazov funeral

ASHGABAT, Dec 21 (Reuters) Turkmenistan's government held an emergency meeting today, naming Deputy Prime Minister Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov to head a commission handling President Sapartmurat Niyazov's funeral, state television said.

There was no designated successor to Niyazov. Opposition sources said Berdymukhamedov was a relative of Niyazov, though this has never been acknowledged officially.

Reuters DKA DS1235