talking former secret police chief who was freed by protesters from jail last Thursday, says the charges were trumped up for political reasons. The resignation is the latest twist for the country still trying to come to terms with such an abrupt change in leadership whose legitimacy many Kyrgyz question. The lightning speed of the coup appears to have surprised even the former Akayev associates it catapulted to power and some analysts say it could set Kyrgyzstan towards the authoritarianism that is the hallmark of the region. The Kulov aide said the resignation added to concerns about stability. "People say 'we have only just started to believe in stabilisation and already this has started'. It is quite possible his statement could trigger a destabilisation of the situation." Akayev had been fairly well regarded abroad but at home his reform effort was widely criticised for failing to improve the lot of the five million Kyrgyz, most of whom struggle along with a dollar a day. Kulov denied there was any divide in the new leadership: "Bakiyev and I have good relations." But he declined to be drawn on whether he would run against Bakiyev for the presidency on June 26. "It is early yet to start talking about that issue. First of all I have to clear my name (over the embezzlement charges) in the Supreme Court." He said he had offered proposals to bring greater unity to the country whose north-south divide is largely based on economic and ethnic differences as well as a huge mountain range separating them. Kulov is from the wealthier north, and Bakiyev from the poor south where the protests first erupted. The European Union said in a statement it urged the new Kyrgyz leaders to respect democratic values and human rights. "The European Union calls on the new leaders to take all necessary measures to guarantee security and stability in the country."
