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A senior US envoy on Wednesday praised what he called a political thaw in authoritarian Turkmenistan, a gas-rich ex-Soviet republic being courted by energy hungry Western powers."As Turkmenistan has opened up, our relations have seen steady progress over the past year and we look forward to continuing our cooperation," said US Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher, after what he said were "very positive"talks with President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov.In comments distributed by the US embassy, Boucher highlighted cooperation with Ashgabat in helping war-torn Afghanistan and in developing a "healthy political system and human rights" in Turkmenistan.He also praised cooperation on education and health reform. Berdymukhamedov, 50, has stripped away much of the cult of personality devoted to his predecessor Saparmurat Niyazov since taking over last year, including ridding the country of once ubiquitous presidential busts and statues.He has also courted US and European politicians keen to gain access to the country's huge natural gas resources.However, Berdymukhamedov remains one of the ex-Soviet Union's most authoritarian leaders.Human rights activists, banned inside the country, say Turkmenistan has made only small gestures towards political reform and that key opposition figures remain jailed.Western access to the country's gas has been frustrated by disputes over access to the Caspian Sea as well as the pariah status of next-door Iran. Russia controls most export routes from Turkmenistan.http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=080528150437.pgmw18ej&show_article=1&catnum=0
As in the days of Noah...
