General Staff pledges loyalty to "lawful administration"

TALAS — The General Staff of the State Defense Corps today pledged the loyalty of the armed forces to "the lawful administration" and said the corps would continue to carry out its duties under the law and would take no part in politics.

The statement, issued at the General Staff complex in Talas, did not name any official. It comes two months after Governor Erlan Toktarov's last confirmed public appearance in early July. Later in July the Department of Public Information announced that the Governor had begun an extended health retreat and would continue to work in seclusion; it did not say where. Under the 2007 emergency decree the Governor is commander-in-chief.

Since July Lieutenant Governor Aidar Maksat has chaired cabinet meetings and, according to DPI statements, the ISEZ Security Council, which coordinates the corps with the Gendarmerie and the intelligence services. Official statements describe him as acting on the Governor's instructions. In August he told the diplomatic corps and representatives of foreign companies in Talas that the administration would honor existing agreements, including the arrangements for Talas Air Base, maintain economic stability and pursue "pragmatic dialogue" with the tribal regions. A DPI spokesman said the General Staff's statement "confirms what everyone knows: the government is working". The corps has about 12,000 active personnel.