Tatar-Bashkir Report: October 28, 2005

Power Sharing Treaty Draft Promotes Official Status Of Tatar Language
One day before the 28 October parliamentary hearings on the draft power sharing treaty between Tatarstan's and federal governments, State Council deputy and head of Tatarstan's National Library Razil Weliev told RFE/RL's Kazan bureau that the new document will include a provision stipulating that the republic has two state languages. The use of two state languages will be reportedly regulated both by federal and republican laws. The draft treaty also provides that up to 20 percent of higher education will be taught in Tatar language. The draft document also includes a provision saying that Tatarstan's government assists ethnic Tatar communities outside the republic. Before taking force, the treaty will have to pass the procedure of approval by federal authorities.

Shaimiev Receives Kazakh President's Award
President Mintimer Shaimiev visiting Kazakhstan on 27 October told president Nursultan Nazarbaev that he welcomed the local Tatar community's plans to hold a congress in 2007, RFE/RL's Kazan bureau reported the same day. He said that according to his information some 250,000 ethnic Tatars lived in that country, adding "I know that my fellow-country men enjoy living here." During the same meeting President Nazarbaev awarded his Tatar counterpart with Kazakhstan's state premium of peace and progress for his contribution in the development of close and friendly relations between the Kazakh and Tatar peoples.

Vatican Greets Tatar Muslims
Archbishop Michael Fitzgerald, chairman of the Pope's Council on dialogue between the religions addressed a telegram to chairman of Tatarstan's Muslim religious Council Gusman khezret Iskhaqov for greeting the republic's Muslim community with the end of the holy month of Ramadan and Aid Al-Fitr, RFE/RL's Kazan bureau reported on 27 October. The Muslim holiday will take place on 2 November that it has already become a tradition for Vatican to address the Muslim communities around the world since 1991.

Compiled by Iskender Nurmi

2006 Budget Passed In First Reading
Budget deficit will total 3 billion rubles (105,300) in the 2006 budget a draft of which was passed by Bashkortostan�s State Assembly on 27 October in the first reading, RosBalt reported the same day. Budgetary income is planned at 57.3 billion rubles while expenses will reach 60.3 billion rubles. Some 49.3 percent of budget revenues, or 44 billion rubles, will be transferred to the federal budget and 50.7 percent (45.57 billion rubles) -- to the republican consolidated budget. The republic will pay $40 for each barrel of produced to the federal budget in tax on production of natural resources. Current year, the tax rate was $28 for a barrel.

Interior Minister Reports To Legislature
Bashkir Interior Minister Rafail Divaev told a plenary session of the Bashkir State Assembly on 27 October that activities of 125 organized criminal groups involving 573 members have been stopped in the republic in the first nine months of the year, an RFE/RL Ufa correspondent reported the same day. Divaev said 100 units of guns and over 1,500 items of ammunition have been seized from organized criminal groups in the same period and 11 criminal cases on allegations of banditry have been filed against them.

Divaev said the total number of registered crimes increased in the republic by 37 percent to 61,700. The number of crimes in the economic sector grew by 58 percent to 1,400 as compared to the same period of the previous year. Some 3,000 crimes connected to illegal narcotics trafficking have been registered and totally 90 kilograms of narcotics, including 3.5 kilograms of heroin, have been seized. Divaev said 5,000 children being narcotics or alcohol addicts were registered, of which 80 percent suffer from beer alcoholism.
Some 1,200 interior employees, of 5.4 percent of the total staff, have been brought to disciplinary responsibility since the beginning of the year.

Bashkortostan To Build School In Chechnya
A delegation of the Chechen Economic Development and Trade Ministry and Chechnya�s Urus-Martan Raion has visited Ufa to promote implementation of agreements signed between Bashkortostan and Chechnya in September, Groznyi-inform reported on 27 October. Specifically, construction of a secondary school in Urus-Martan capable to accept 250 students was on the agenda. Bashkortostan�s leadership has informed the Chechen side that the 100 million rubles� object will be included into the Bashkortostan�s 2006 investment program. The construction is scheduled to be completed by September 2006.

Compiled by Gulnara Khasanova