Russia,China,Central Asian States Sign Border Pact

The presidents of Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan signed on Thursday a treaty on troop reductions along the former Soviet-Chinese border, Itar-Tass news agency said.

Tass said the treaty, aimed at ensuring security along the border which was the scene of bloody clashes in the late 1960s, was signed in the Kremlin by Russias Boris Yeltsin, Chinas Jiang Zemin, Kazakhstans Nursultan Nazarbayev, Kyrgyzstans Askar Akayev and Tajikistans Imomali Rakhmonov. No details of the treaty have been disclosed.

The treaty is seen as a follow-up to a pact on security-building measures along the border signed by the five leaders last April in Shanghai.

 

But Interfax news agency quoted Russian government experts as saying that the pact would set limits to land forces, short-range aviation and anti-aircraft defence deployed in the 100-km-wide (63-mile) strip along the border which stretches for more than 7,000 km (4,400 miles).

The experts said that the treaty would not affect strategic missile forces, long-range aviation and navy deployed in the area. It sets special limits for border troops.

The pact, which also includes a system of mutual inspections to make the 100-km strip transparent, is to be ratified by the parliaments of the five signatories.