Is it only an instant (MiG) between the past and the future?
The scandal associated with the sales of fighter airplanes ejected from their seats the National Security Committee Chief and Defense Minister of Kazakhstan

On August 9 President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev fired Minister of Defense Mukhtar Altynbayev and Chairman of National Security Committee Nurlan Abykaev. The Prime Minister Nurlan Balgimbayev "was very seriously reprimanded" by the the President. Besides, a number of other top executives were sacked. In the official press all these measures were referred to as punishment " for absence of proper control over military technology realization ". Namely - for the recent scandalous delivery resulted in detention of the Russian cargo-type airplane "Ruslan" at the Baku airport which carried our six fighting airplanes MiG - 21 onboard. The presidential verdict closed with the order: to thoroughly investigate the matter, and to punish those guilty!

However the events that happened not overnight, not over a month and not even a year are behind the avaricious words of this official communication . Since the scandal burst out around the detention of "Ruslan" in Baku is not the first in the history of Kazakhstan. And, probably, not the last.

One should study the background to understand what we are speaking about. For the last four years the reputation of Kazakhstan has been hurt four times thanks to the semi-legal export of weapons:

1) Grandiose scandal associated with delivery of a transport aeroplane with anti-aircraft missile complexes in 1995-96 to Yugoslavia . Then the Kazakhstani government, not without participation of Russia by the way, supplied weapons to the country which had recently survived a civil war and was torn by ethnic conflicts. They blatantly violated the embargo imposed by the international community. And when the international scandal broke out the top officials of Kazakhstan who concluded the deal blamed the executors - General Sapsai and Colonel Sadibekov. As a result the Deputy Defense Minister, General Valery Sapsai was sentenced to 8 years in prison for obeying the order, and he is still serving the sentence. As to the Colonel Sadibekov, who had the order from the then officials of the Ministry of Defense to sign the contract, he was sentenced to 4 years. Having served the large part of it, he was amnestied.

2) Delivery of old guns to Northern Korea in the autumn of 1996 by Kazakhstan. The echelon with air-defence guns was stopped by the Russian customs officers. The bargain turned out to be semi-legal since there were no related customs registration. And I would say it was politically immoral, given the tension on the Korean peninsula. There was no court trial - the Russians hushed up the scandal. The guns reached their destination.

3) Referring to reliable sources in CIA "The New York Times" wrote that Kazakhstan is among the five countries delivering weapons to the states supporting terrorism: to Iran, Iraq, and Northern Korea. The newspaper was speaking about deliveries of airplanes and anti-aircraft missile complexes. According to the newspaper a retired Russian colonel Oleg Senkin and Kazakhstani Intelligence Service chief Zhenis Ryspayev were behind the bargain. The history was over when the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan stated that no deliveries were made by our country. And the Intelligence Service chief said that he had no idea as to who Oleg Senkin was.

4) Today's scandal, as you may remember, has burst out early spring this year. On March 24 the customs and frontier department of Azerbaijan made a statement that at Baku airport they hold back a Russian transport aeroplane "Ruslan", which carried six obsolete, but quite suitable for battle operations fighters MiG - 21. They also held up a group of Russian and Kazakhstani citizens - military experts and advisers. There was a total confusion in the documents accompanying the military cargo - according to one document the destination was Northern Korea, Pyongyang. According another - Slovakia, Bratislava. The third document said the cargo was to be delivered to Czech Republic, the city of Lyuberets. What is most interesting, neither of the above mentioned countries had not the slightest idea that such "happiness" was to fly to them. But the employees of the Ministry of National Security of Azerbaijan which held up the plane, did not conceal that they had conducted the operation basing on the information received from the US secret services, for instance CIA, and even with their participation.. According to the information they have, the destination of "Ruslan" with fighters on board was belligerent Yugoslavia again.

There are some other nuances that are worth to be mentioned in this story that ended up by firing the defense minister and NSC chairman. However for some reason they were not mentioned in the official communication by Kazakh authorities. Apparently, the minister of defense has been blamed without reason. Yes, these MiGs were the property of the Ministry. There are heaps of such metal products at our military warehouses and test ground, they barely brim over with them. And with the aim to get rid of them - either sell or change for something useful, the Ministry gave them to the Urals plant "Metallist (Metal Worker)". The pant turned out to be among some other Kazakhstani enterprises that have license for commercial transactions with the weapons as a weapons-producing plant. One could ask: why the obsolete fighters were not sold the way it was usually done in the country, namely through the "Karu-Zhirak" state military company, specially created for this purpose? Don't ask us this question. And not even the Ministry of Defense and the minister. Since the question as to who, what and at what cost sell things things is solved by the governmental state commission. And the decree is signed by the Prime Minister personally. With his own hand. Please ask him this question... On my part I can only inform that when in March I addressed this question to "Karu-Zhirak" and the Ministry of Defense to clear up the reasons for this unpleasant situation associated with the ill-starred airplanes, they only shrugged their shoulders. Since even the minister himself learned about this military delivery from the TV and from the newspapers. It appears that the wrong person was fired...

There is one more detail left, namely the receiver of fighters. As indicated in the documents, the airplanes were to be delivered to Czech company "Agroplast". There is no data available on its business, the way it is related to agriculture and the plastic. But the firm possesses the weapons and military technology license. Amazingly enough, nobody knows about the existence of such a firm in Czech Republic. Not long ago a group of Czech journalists came to Astana specially to find out facts about this "Agroplast" company that cast a shadow on their country. The Czech colleagues have managed to find out the a Russian Oleg Senkin has something in common with this company. The very person, who is unknown to the Kazakhstani special services.

We have managed to find out something too. Oleg Senkin allegedly served on the USSR's National Security Committee, and retired as colonel. A year - two ago he lived in Kazakhstan, had a flat in Almaty and even possessed several large motor salons in the southern capital. He was also the founder of a small cartel that united 5-6 private enterprises. Duly paid taxes. He was a kind person: some people bough from him and some (some high ranking officers) were presented by him a number of luxurious cars. Rumors say that was the way he tried to conclude a contract under which the Kazakh army would no linger use Russian-made "Uaziks" but would buy foreign jeeps.

Every year from the highest chairs we are called upon to exercise tough control over realization of military property. New and new decrees keep being signed, state weapons export companies keep being renamed, licenses of those found guilty keep being revoked. And right after each campaign, like air beads, transport airplanes and trains loaded to the brim by every possible military technology and ammunition scatter far and wide. No wonder every year we face a scandal, since every new governmental decree, bridging an old gap, creates a new one. By the way, the last scandal has triggered a new decree. It can, certainly, be a coincidence or a joke, but when "Ruslan" was held back at the airport of Baku, on March 19, 1999 the Prime Minister Nurlan Balgimbayev signed decree number 278 "On separate problems related to export - import of arms, military production and dual-purpose production". Just the three words, contained in it, "dual-purpose production" (a new term for Kazakhstani governmental documents) allows Kazakhstan to reach a brand-new stage in sales of weapons forbidden for distribution worldwide, weapons of mass destruction and their components. Since these weapons are based on the so-called dual-purpose technologies. We have approached several experts in arms sales for comments.

Gennady Alekseev, deputy general director of the state-run arms sales company "Karu-Zhirak".

- The dual-purpose production is the production that can be used both for peaceful and military purposes.

- For example?

- Well, for example, any nuclear materials.

- You mean the dual-purpose production can be the technologies and components for weapon of mass destruction? Nuclear and bacteriological? Did I get you right?

- Not only nuclear technologies. For example, in the area of power engineering... But we adhere to non-proliferation of these kinds of the weapons.

- And is there any warranty, that no scandal will unexpectedly occur in Kazakhstan, like the scandal with the airplanes, but this time associated with a dual-purpose products deal? One can not rule out a possibility that, like those ill-starred airplanes, some dangerous elements of nuclear or bacteriological weapons will be sold thanks to someone's carelessness, negligence or criminal will. And the buyer will be an unfortunate country like Iraq, Northern Korea, or again Yugoslavia. Or any fanatics?

- I think, this will not happen.

Valery Shlychkov, tank motor engines designer, former director of a defense factory, Majilis deputy:

- Unfortunately, it is very usual and wide-spread in our country: the government is guilty, but the executors are held responsible. It concerns the responsibility of generals. And as to the term "dual-purpose production", it is very blurred. I would never vote for this term. I believe the government should immediately resign after that scandal.

Kanatzhan Alibekov, PhD, colonel, former USSR chief expert in bacteriological weapons, nowadays - citizen of the USA, adviser to the US Congress:

- "Dual-purpose production is a very delocate term, because the term is usually applied exclusively to the weapons. But it is not concrete. I think Kazakhstani government has used it not incidentally. Having written it in such a way, your officials have received the right to sell anything they like. These three words give unlimited possibilities in the area of arms sales - the right to sell technologies, components, and resources. It can cover nuclear, chemical, bacteriological weapons. And there are many of those willing to buy the weapons.