The United States has appealed for calm in Kyrgyzstan and pledged to work closely with Europe, Kyrgyzstan's neighbors, and the ex-Soviet state's new leaders on holding elections there. "We stress the need for the Committee for National Unity to restore order as quickly as possible and prevent any more violence," White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said in Crawford, Texas, where President George W. Bush is spending the Easter holiday. "The United States strongly supports efforts by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to work with the people of Kyrgyzstan to advance democracy and peace in their country," Perino told reporters yesterday. "As part of this OSCE-led effort, we will work with Kyrgyzstan's new government structures as they implement steps to develop transparent democratic processes that meet international standards in preparation for presidential and parliamentary elections," Perino added. Kyrgyzstan's new self-proclaimed leaders cemented their grip on power on Friday, naming an acting head of state and top ministers and announcing new presidential polls while seeking to restore calm and reassure allies. The uprising follows similar popular revolutions in Georgia in November 2003 and Ukraine late last year.
