Ousted Kyrgyz leader would be in danger if he returns: foreign minister

Ousted Kyrgyz President Askar Akayev would be in danger if he returns to Kyrgyzstan, the central Asian country's Foreign Minister said Friday in Bishkek.

"We don't want him to be torn apart by the crowds," said Foreign Minister Roza Otunbayeva, adding: "Akayev can live in Kyrgyzstan if his own people accept him."

As to the property belonging to Akayev and his family, Otunbayeva said that "an old car was the only property Akayev ever declared."

"We are ready to send this car to Moscow at any time, let the rest go to the people of Kyrgyzstan," the female minister said.

Akayev, who fled the country amid opposition protests last week, suggested in a Russian television interview Tuesday that he might be willing to submit a formal resignation if his security is guaranteed by the new Kyrgyz parliament. He also said he wants to return home.

However, Kyrgyz Prime Minister Kurmanbek Bakiyev said on Thursday such a return is not advisable in the near future and that "it is hard to give guarantees" as the return could "give rise to mass unrest".