ALMATY, Kazakhstan (AP):

KAZAKHSTAN'S PRESIDENT carried the Olympic torch in the former Soviet republic's economic capital, Almaty, yesterday amid heavy security and lavish ceremonies.

The Central Asian nation was the first of 21 stops for the Olympic flame on its 130-day global tour, which was expected to draw protests against the Chinese government ahead of the August Olympics in Beijing. Thousands of police lined the route, and no demonstrations were reported.

"The fact that the city of Almaty became the first point of the Olympic flame's run proves China's good attitude to Kazakhstan, and Chairman Hu Jintao's good attitude to me personally," said President Nursultan Nazarbayev, dressed in a white sports outfit, before his short symbolic torch run at a mountain resort near Almaty. Thousands of spectators waved flags and cheered.

No disruption

"We are grateful for such good feelings toward Kazakhstan," the 67-year-old leader said.

A crowd in Almaty greeted the chartered plane that brought the torch from Beijing. About 80 runners participated, including Kazakh athletes and government officials.

The cheering crowd mostly consisted of university students who were given a day off to participate in the festivities.

Several said that they sympathised with Tibetans, but chose not to disrupt the ceremonies, fearing detention or expulsion from university.

Performers in national costumes, symbolising the multi-ethnic population of Kazakhstan, participated in a lavish ceremony. Horse and camel riders evoked Kazakhstan's past as a major hub of the Great Silk Road.

About 4,500 policemen were deployed to guard the ceremony, which cost US$2.5 million (€1.6 million), Kazakh media reported.