U.S. pursues closer ties with Kazakhstan

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met Monday with Kazakhstan’s foreign minister as the U.S. sought closer ties to the oil-rich country despite what critics call its disturbing backslide toward autocracy.

Before the meeting, Rice did not answer when asked whether human rights or energy would top the agenda for the meeting with her Kazakh counterpart. The session on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly sets up a White House invitation for Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev on Friday.

chron