Internet Cafes Tie Turkmenistan to World

Turkmenistan's first Internet cafes opened in the capital Ashgabat, Friday, Feb. 16, 2007. Days after Gurbanguli Berdymukhamedov was sworn in as Turkmenistan's first new leader since the Soviet era amid hints of greater openness following the death of Saparmurat Niyazov, the poor Central Asian nation's first Internet cafes opened to the public Friday. (AP Photo/Alexander Vershinin) (Alexander Vershinin - AP)

Unrestricted Internet access was one of Berdymukhamedov's election promises, which also included education reforms, higher pensions and support for private entrepreneurship. He won an overwhelming victory over five rivals in Sunday's presidential vote and was inaugurated Wednesday.

The vote, however, was tightly controlled and was not monitored by foreign election observers. Berdymukhamedov pledged to follow the general course set by Niyazov, who ruled the natural gas-rich nation for two decades and cultivated a massive personality cult.

Under Niyazov, who called himself Turkmenbashi or Father of All Turkmen, Internet access was tightly restricted to state-run and officially approved organizations, embassies, accredited foreign journalists and international groups. State-run television broadcast persistent paeans to Niyazov and devoted extensive coverage to his travels and ceremonies. Newspapers were all government-controlled.

Niyazov also reduced compulsory education from 10 years to nine _ a change Berdymukhamedov ordered reversed.

In recent years, however, satellite TV dishes have become widely popular, particularly in Ashgabat and other larger cities, giving more affluent Turkmen families access to Russian, Turkish and other foreign television.

Computers and computer gaming centers are not uncommon, but Internet access was limited to a very small proportion of the population; the country's main state university and several scientific organizations have Web access, but visitors had to register with administrators and could call up only officially approved Web sites. Some embassies with public libraries or resource centers, including the United States, allowed approved members of the Turkmen public unfettered access.

Richard A. Boucher, a U.S. assistant secretary of state who made an official visit to Turkmenistan Friday, said he discussed educational reforms with Berdymukhamedov.

"I heard a couple of Internet cafes opened here today," he later told reporters. "It's a good indication of further change."

Turkmenistan is important to both Russia and the West because of its enormous natural gas reserves and its status as a stable, neutral country bordering Iran and Afghanistan.

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Associated Press Writer Mike Eckel contributed to this report from Moscow.