The OSCE/ODIHR-hosted Human Dimension Implementation Meeting has concluded its work in Warsaw. The Kazakh official delegation retained the tendency towards quantitative increase, but the qualitative level remained the same.

The proofs of “democracy» in Kazakhstan and counter-arguments against the objections of the opposition and NGOs were still weak and unconvincing. For example, they repeatedly stated that there was a mono-party system in the United States in early 19 century. “Americans started with that, and so do we”, the member of Central Election Commission was saying.

The delegation of public associations was traditionally wide and critical, uniting various people who are not satisfied with the state of affairs in Kazakhstan – followers of Krishna, journalists, lawyers, oppositionists, candidates on the elections and observers.

The HDIM does not make any formal decisions, being merely a battle-ground for discussions of the official delegations and civil activists from the OSCE member states. The voiced suggestions are taken into consideration by the ODIHR and uses in its work and future action plans.

However, from the talks in the corridors it became known that the version concerning repeated postponement of the decision on Kazakhstan’s bid for the OSCE chairmanship up until 2011. Greece, most likely, will take over presidency in 2009 instead of Kazakhstan, although it applied for 2010 or 2011, thus, the Chairmen-in-Office are going to be shifted – but only if Kazakhstan prove its democratic aspirations in the years to come before 2011.

The most unanticipated surprise though is that the suggestion to postpone came from the Kazakh side. Last year in Brussels, they were extremely opposite to the very idea of postponement of the decision for November of this year, and resisted it until the latest moment.