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EU offers humanitarian aid to Kyrgystan

The European Union is offering emergency aid to Kyrgyzstan to foster stability after a revolt against the former Soviet republic's leaders, EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton said.

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Source: AFP


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"I welcome the early signs of stabilisation in Kyrgyzstan and an end to the confrontation. I call on all sides to show continued restraint. A rapid return to public order is essential to avoid further loss," she said in a statement.

"The EU stands ready to provide urgent humanitarian assistance if necessary," she said. "We are in close touch with our main international partners in view of a shared approach to the new situation."

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A Kyrgyz health ministry official said 75 people had been killed and over 1,000 injured in riots that swept the central Asian republic on Wednesday.

On Thursday, the new rulers told toppled President Kurmanbek Bakiyev to quit and announced the disbanding of parliament as they shored up diplomatic support following the bloody people's uprising.

Ex-foreign minister Roza Otunbayeva, who has been declared interim leader, said Bakiyev had fled the capital and was trying to rally support in a southern stronghold.

"Kyrgyzstan is now entering a new phase. All sides should be ready to engage in constructive internal dialogue in favour of a united and stable Kyrgyzstan," Ashton said in her statement.

"It is essential to set out how Kyrgyzstan will return rapidly to the democratic and constitutional order and the rule of law," she said.

Kyrgyzstan has been plagued by corruption and chronic instability and the uprising was the culmination of growing opposition anger fuelled by widespread fraud and irregularities in last year's presidential election.


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