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| quote: | Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan (CNN) -- The chief of staff of the interim Kyrgyz government, which took over after President Kurmanbek Bakiev fled the capital, accused the president Friday of stealing the country's money when he left.
"The state coffers are almost empty," Edil Baisalov told CNN. "Some funds have been transferred somewhere, which is why we've frozen the banking system, because we are anxious that the banks controlled by the former President Bakiev might take the funds out of the country."
Baisalov said all that's left in the country's bank accounts is the equivalent of 16 million euros ($21.5 million).
Government officials in Kyrgyzstan had earlier declared Friday and Saturday days of mourning as relatives began burying victims of anti-government riots that killed 76 and forced the president to flee the capital.
At the same time, criminal charges were brought against the two sons of President Bakiev, as well as his brother, who used to be the chief of security, acting Prosecutor-General Baytemir Ibrayev said.
It is believed the president's brother gave orders to open fire on the demonstrators, he said.
Criminal charges have also been brought against the mayor of Bishkek, Ibrayev said. More details about the charges weren't immediately clear.
Overnight, hundreds of men joined vigilante groups to help fight looters here. At least 60 people were injured in the Thursday overnight clashes, none of them seriously, the Health Ministry said.
The latest injuries were in addition to 520 people hospitalized since the protests started Tuesday.
Sporadic bursts of machine-gun fire and police sirens rang out through the night Thursday. It was not immediately clear where the shooting was, but police said looting remained a challenge.
Local health authorities reported Friday that the death toll from the riots had reached 76, after one person in critical condition died.
Bakiev, who fled to his stronghold in the south of the country, said he was not giving up power despite claims by a former foreign minister that she was in charge.
"Realizing my responsibilities as president of the Kyrgyz republic, I am confident the country where the government comes to power through blood can lose its statehood," Bakiev said in a statement posted on 24.kg, a well-known Kyrgyz Web site.
"I am urging the instigators of the riots to think again. I am stating that, as president, I did not abandon my duties, and I am not abandoning my duties. Irresponsible actions of the opposition could only cause more escalation of tensions."
Former Foreign Minister Roza Otunbayeva declared herself the country's interim leader Thursday and said the opposition had taken over the reins of government and driven Bakiev from office. Otunbayeva said at a news conference that the former president was in the south of the country with his entourage.
Opposition leaders had accused Bakiev of consolidating power by keeping key economic and security posts in the hands of relatives or close associates.
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe sent a special envoy to Kyrgyzstan, and he met Friday with interim Deputy Foreign Minister Nurlan Aytmurzaev about ways to restore stability, the OSCE said.
The envoy, Zhanybek Karibzhanov, said he was discussing "the situation on the ground, how public safety, stability and respect for citizens' rights can be urgently restored and ensured, and how we in the OSCE can contribute to the process."
The OSCE and United Nations have expressed concern about the situation in Kyrgyzstan, a Central Asian country on China's far western border.
The protests began Tuesday in the northern city of Talas. They were sparked by increases in electricity and fuel rates, which had gone up at the first of the year as Bakiev's government sold public utilities to companies controlled by his friends.
Demonstrations spread to the capital Wednesday after the government arrested opposition leaders in Talas.
Kyrgyzstan, a former Soviet republic, houses the Manas Transit Center that forms an important link in the supply line for United States and NATO forces in nearby Afghanistan.
The new government denied reports that it was planning to shut down the air base, but said it intends to review the issue. In Washington, a senior Pentagon official told CNN that the turmoil has interrupted flights into and out of that facility, and it was unclear when those flights would resume. But the U.S. military has contingency plans to deal with the situation, the official said.
The United States has closed its embassy in Bishkek, a senior State Department official said Thursday, and the country is contemplating moving dependents to the Manas base for a few days.
"We have concerns about the situation on the ground," U.S. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said Thursday.
Crowley said the United States is not taking sides.
"Our interest here is with the people of Kyrgyzstan and a peaceful resolution of the situation," Crowley said. |
http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/a...dex.html?hpt=T1
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| quote: | Originally posted by bas
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