Bakiyev Says He Has No Intention to Ask for Political Asylum

Ousted Kyrgyz leader Kurmanbek Bakiyev, who has taken refuge in Belarus after being overthrown in a violent uprising, said on April 23 that he had no intention to apply for political asylum in a foreign country.

At his news conference in Minsk, he reiterated that he did not recognize his resignation, which he said had been proposed by Russia.

"I do not recognize my resignation because the other party has failed to fulfill its condition," Mr. Bakiyev said.

He said that it was Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin who had insisted that he sign an official letter of resignation in exchange for security guarantees for his supporters in Kyrgyzstan.

"But the condition was not fulfilled," he said.

Mr. Bakiyev said that Moscow was irritated by the US air base in Kyrgyzstan, and by the Central Asian country’s foreign policy.

He, however, stopped short of accusing Russia of orchestrating the uprising against him. "I can’t say that Russia’s special services were behind it," he noted. "An international commission should be set up to probe the matter."

"There is still an opportunity today to restore the rule of law," Mr. Bakiyev said. "This so-called interim government should establish constitutional order. But what have they done? They have dissolved the parliament and the Constitutional Court. They have dissolved everything."

He said that he remained the president of Kyrgystan "de jure."

"The thing is that the letter [of resignation] must first be examined by the parliament," he said. "And the parliament must decide whether or not it should accept my resignation."

"One may dissolve the parliament or the court, but one may not revoke the constitution," he stressed.

Mr. Bakiyev suggested sending a UN peacekeeping force to his country to restore order and peace.
"I am not going to return to Kyrgyzstan as president," he added.

Mr. Bakiyev fled Kyrgyzstan last week after the uprising against his five-year rule that left 83 people dead.

In his Tuesday annual address to the National Assembly and the Belarusian people, Alyaksandr Lukashenka revealed that the deposed president of Kyrgyzstan had been staying in Minsk with his family members since early Monday morning. "They are currently under the protection of our state and the personal protection of your president," Mr. Lukashenka said.

The Russian foreign minister said on Thursday that Moscow did not recognize Mr. Bakiyev as the true president of his country.