DUSHANBE, July 8, 2010, Asia-Plus -- An agreement between the governments of the United States and Kazakhstan on railway transit of U.S. ‘special cargo’ to Afghanistan came into effect on Thursday July 8, after being published in official newspapers, Kazakh media report.  ‘Special cargo’ means armored personnel carriers without APC without armament.

An appropriate law on ratification of this agreement was signed by Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev.

The railway transit will be commercial; work and goods that will be acquired by the American side during the transit will be paid.

It is supposed that the US-Kazakh deal on ‘special cargo’ transit to Afghanistan will help stabilize the situation in Afghanistan that, in turn, will strengthen the security situation in the region as a whole.

Russia’s RIA Novosti reports the Kazakh parliament, Majilis, endorsed the deal on commercial railway transit of U.S. special cargo through the Kazakh territory in late June.

According to RIA Novosti, Kazakh Deputy Foreign Minister Kairat Omarov said the U.S. agreement stipulated the transit of armored personnel carriers.