Kyrgyzstan's president refuses to resign

MOSCOW - Kyrgyzstan's president, Kurmanbek Bakiyev, has refused to resign after the country's opposition yesterday announced they were in charge - backed by Russia as the legitimate new government.

A day after vicious clashes in the capital Bishkek left up to 100 dead, Mr Bakiyev spoke to The Independent from an undisclosed location in the south of the country and vowed he would not give up power easily.

"I am the president," said the voice of Mr Bakiyev over a crackling phone line. "Nine months ago 77 per cent of the population elected me. Nobody has taken my mandate away, nobody has any right to claim power. This was an armed coup. There is no other way to put it."

Mr Bakiyev was dismissed as irrelevant by the cabal of opposition politicians that has taken power in Bishkek, who charge that he presided over an authoritarian regime. "His business in Kyrgyzstan is finished," said Roza Otunbayeva, an opposition leader who said she would head an interim government that will rule for six months until new elections are held. State television and the army appeared to be under the control of the opposition coalition.

The situation was also presenting new difficulties for Russia and the US, both of which have military bases in the country. Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin spoke to Ms Otunbayeva by telephone yesterday, and his spokesman later said that Moscow now views Ms Otunbayeva's government as the legitimate rulers of Kyrgyzstan. Separately, a top Russian official told reporters on the sidelines of a conference between Russian and US presidents in Prague that the US base in Kyrgyzstan must close. The base is a key link in the supply chain for US forces based in nearby Afghanistan. Flights were at least temporarily halted there last night, while US troops were confined to base.

Residents of Bishkek awoke on Thursday to a city in ruins, with government buildings torched and dozens of shops vandalised and looted. Although the violence had abated in comparison to Wednesday's carnage, gunfire could still be heard in the city. The police, many of whom were attacked during the violence, were nowhere to be seen.

"The police are all in hiding. They have all run away. They know if they are found, people will beat them up," said one middle-aged man near to the ruined parliament building in central Bishkek. Mobs of young men roamed the streets, many drunk and armed with weapons seized from police in Wednesday's clashes. "Look at these young guys. There are a lot of problems, this is a dangerous situation."

"This is not the way to come to power, with weapons in your hands," said Mr Bakiyev. "Who comes to power like that? This was an armed coup, and there were no reasons for it to happen." The ousted Kyrgyz president left the capital after rioters fired on his windows. He refused to give his precise location but said he was in the south of Kyrgyzstan, his main power base. He insisted he was the country's legitimate ruler but could not say how he would consolidate his position.

"At the moment I can't go to Bishkek because the so-called new government can't guarantee my security," said Mr Bakiyev. "They can't even guarantee the security of ordinary people. This madness, violence and Bacchanalia must be stopped."

In Bishkek, Ms Otunbayeva thanked Russia for its support. "We are grateful to the Russian Federation, grateful to the Russian Prime Minister, for the support in recent days in exposing this nepotistic, criminal regime," Ms Otumbayeva told Russia's Ekho Moskvy radio station. The opposition has accused Mr Bakiyev of authoritarian rule and human rights abuses, and was angry that he had given his two sons powerful positions in the government.

Ms Otunbayeva said recognition from Mr Putin was significant. "The fact that he called, spoke nicely, went into the detail, asked about details n generally, I was moved by that. It is a signal." She said one of the opposition leaders would be travelling to Moscow shortly for consultations.

Mr Putin has denied Russian involvement in the planning or execution of the street protests. But Mr Bakiyev told The Independent he was sure that the protests had been coordinated from the outside.

"Look at what happened n so many people on the streets. So well prepared and so well coordinated. This is not spontaneous. This was a provocation organised from the outside," said the Kyrgyz president. He repeatedly refused to name the country he thought was behind the protests but claimed that he had evidence proving outside interference. And he expressed surprise at Moscow's apparent recognition of Ms Otumbayeva's new government.

Some Bishkek residents tried to bring a semblance of order to the lawless city last night. Volunteers tied pieces of ripped white sheets to their arms and formed brigades to protect homes and businesses from looting. But the return of gunfire as night fell suggested that the city is still some distance from normal life.

- INDEPENDENT