Bush praises authoritarian govt. as 'free nation'

President Bush is pursuing closer ties to oil-rich Kazakhstan despite what human rights observers have said is a disturbing backslide toward autocracy in the former Soviet republic. Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev began a trip to the US on Sept. 25 with a private visit to the Bush family home in Maine to meet his father, former President George H.W. Bush. "The time has come when we can raise our relations to a completely new level," the Kazakh leader said before his journey. Kazakhstan has grown in importance because of its huge oil reserves. The vast Central Asian republic, which is the size of Western Europe, is expected to pump 3.5 billion barrels of oil a day in the coming decade. Nazarbayev has held tight control of his country for 17 years. The leader was reelected with 91 percent of the vote in December balloting that international observers called flawed. At the time, the United States had criticized the election and Kazakhstan's human rights record, but kept its comments mild. The 2004 parliamentary vote produced a legislature without a single opposition lawmaker. Two of Nazarbayev's most outspoken critics were killed over the past year–a worrying signal in a country that had no culture of political murders. On Sept. 29, President Bush praised the authoritarian government as "a free nation" while welcoming Nazarbayev to the White House for lunch. During a brief joint appearance in the Oval Office, Bush said the two presidents pledged to "support the forces of moderation throughout the world," while Nazarbayev, speaking through a translator, said the two nations had "truly become close partners." In July, Nazarbayev signed legislation that sets up new regulations for media organizations. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe called the law "a step backward" for media freedoms. Freedom House, a New York-based thinktank, said the law "will greatly threaten freedom of expression and freedom of the press." "We talked about our commitment to institutions that will enable liberty to flourish," Bush said. "I have watched very carefully the development of this important country from one that was in the Soviet sphere to one that is now a free nation." The White House views Kazakhstan as a critical ally in promoting economic stability and security in that region. One-third of all foreign investment in Kazakhstan comes from the United States, and administration officials say the country has also been a strategic partner in Iraq and Afghanistan. It has a small ordnance removal team working in Iraq, and has given the United States fly-over rights so that military planes can take equipment to Afghanistan. An administration official, granted anonymity to talk about the meeting, said "the issue of democracy was raised" during the visit. The leaders later put out a joint statement in which they agreed to "reaffirm the importance of democratic development" in institutions such as an independent news media and free and fair elections.