PRESS CONFERENCE ON INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF MOUNTAINS, 2002

Press Briefing

PRESS CONFERENCE ON INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF MOUNTAINS, 2002

Asylbek A. Aidaraliev (Kyrgyzstan) told a Headquarters press conference yesterday that promoting the sustainable development of mountains was chief among the reasons his Government had proposed the international community dedicate a year to mountains.

The General Assembly, by proclaiming the year 2002 International Year of Mountains on 10 November, had provided the opportunity to consider and study such issues as water resources in the mountains; utilization of soil and forest resources; solar and wind energy, and use of small-scale power stations; biodiversity; land erosion; and human inhabitance of the mountains. The most important thing, he said, was to ensure a high quality of life for people living in mountain areas.

The construction of a self-sufficient and sustainable model mountain village would be a central activity of the Year, he continued. The village -- to consist of 30 to 40 houses; a cultural centre; school house; and, possibly, small companies -- would attempt to produce and process enough agricultural supplies to the inhabitants.

A goal of the village would be to develop techniques for growing the quality and quantity of food to nourish a population living at high altitude, he continued. Crops, such as wheat or other grains, would be planted. While some domesticated animals, such as pigs, would not breed at high altitudes, species of sheep and yak could thrive at those altitudes.

Mr. Aidaraliev noted than an organizational committee for the Year had been established, with the participation of his Government, the International Centre for Mountain Development in Nepal, and a mountain institute in the United States. That committee was involved with planning the model mountain village. Also, a number of interim conferences would be held, including one entitled: "Mountains of Central Asia: Problems and Prospects", in April 1999.

In response to a question from a correspondent, Mr. Aidaraliev said that while living at altitudes up to 2,000 meters above sea level could positively affect health, living at an altitude of 2,500 could negatively affect the human body. He noted that some villages in Kyrgyzstan were at altitudes as high as 3,600 metres above sea level.

In response to another correspondent's question, Zamira Eshmambetova (Kyrgyzstan) said, her country had participated in international and regional initiatives to address the special aspects of mountain inhabitation. Noting that her Government had a "down-to-earth approach to foreign policy", she said Kyrgyzstan believed its interests should be in harmony with those of other States.

Mountains Briefing - 2 - 12 November 1998

To another question, she noted that Kyrgyz authorities had recently intercepted a train carrying humanitarian aid and ammunition, believed to be headed towards Afghanistan, and returned it to its country of origin. She said that the return of the goods had been intended to avoid tension with a friendly country. It was a gesture of goodwill made to help demonstrate that her country was neutral and impartial and had neither political, commercial nor military interests in Afghanistan.

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