EU extends Uzbek sanctions but renews some contacts

BRUSSELS, Nov 14 (Reuters) The European Union said it remained ''profoundly concerned'' about the human rights situation in Uzbekistan and extended the arms embargo and visa ban it imposed on the central Asian state last year.

But EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels also decided to resume low-level contacts to test Tashkent's offer to discuss human rights and its crackdown on a revolt last year.

The bloc restricted military sales to Uzbekistan, banned the issue of visas to 12 top Uzbek officials and suspended ties a year ago, accusing the ex-Soviet state of using indiscriminate force to quash a revolt in the town of Andizhan in May 2005.

The sanctions were due to expire on Nov 14 and the ministers decided to extend the arms embargo for 12 months and the visa ban for 6 months because they remained ''profoundly concerned'' about the human rights situation, a statement said.

Washington welcomed the European Union's decision to extend sanctions. Earlier, the US State Department added Uzbekistan to a list of nations that severely violate religious freedom.

''We share the European Union's concern about the human rights situation in Uzbekistan,'' said State Department spokesman Sean McCormack in Washington yesterday.

''Respect and dignity for human rights is essential for the future prosperity of the Uzbek people, and a necessary element of successful democratic reform.'' The EU ministers agreed to resume contacts on human rights and to review the arms embargo and visa ban in three months to show they welcomed Uzbek Foreign Minister Vladimir Norov's proposal last week to organise contacts between EU and Uzbek officials to discuss the Andizhan events, diplomats said.

Witnesses said hundreds were killed on May 13, 2005, among them women and children, when troops opened fire on a protest in Andizhan. Uzbekistan blamed the riot on Islamist extremists and said most of the dead were armed insurgents.

''The technical meetings will start again to test out what Uzbekistan tells us about their willingness to talk about human rights and rule of law,'' an EU official said before the meeting.

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