Kazakh Defense Minister Daniyal Akhmetov says he will work with Russian officials to draft a plan within a month to reorganize the Kazakh armed forces.

Since the May 1994 cease-fire that effectively froze hostilities in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Azerbaijan has paid scant attention to reforming its armed forces.

The Prime Minister of UK Tony Blair flew into the Royal Marines Commando Training Centre yesterday (Thursday 11 January) as part of his whistle stop tour of South West establishments, prior to his Key Note address at Plymouth.

President Bush is spending the long Christmas weekend in seclusion with his family at Camp David - the presidential mountain retreat. VOA's Paula Wolfson reports on Christmas Eve, he paid tribute to the men and women of the U.S. military.

NATO is due to open a Military Liaison Office today in the Serbian capital, Belgrade.

The army in Ivory Coast has said some of its officers have been contacted to join a coup against President Laurent this week. Franz Wild has the details for VOA from Abidjan.

South Ossetian leader Eduard Kokoity said he is ready to start cutting the breakaway region's troops by 30% with the hope for a reciprocal move by the Georgian side, the South Ossetian Press and Information Committee reported on December 11.