Uzbekistan criticises EU over sanctions

TASHKENT, May 16 (Reuters) Uzbekistan criticised the European Union today for not lifting sanctions imposed on the Central Asian nation after troops crushed a revolt in the town of Andizhan in 2005.

The European Union agreed this week to ease some of the sanctions but it maintained restrictions on military sales.

Uzbekistan's Foreign Ministry called the decision ''unjustified and biased''.

''It is obvious that the decision is counter-productive and cannot help implement programmes of cooperation that suit both EU and Uzbek interests,'' it said in a statement.

The ministry added the EU move ''couched in human rights rhetoric, sought to continue to use the so-called EU sanctions as a measure of systematic pressure on Uzbekistan.'' Witnesses said hundreds of people were killed in May 2005 when troops opened fire on civilians who gathered in a square near a government building seized by a group of armed men.

The Uzbek government says 187 people, all troops or terrorists, were killed in a police action against Islamist extremists.

The European Union said this week it ''remains seriously concerned about the human rights situation in Uzbekistan''.

Germany holds the EU presidency and wants to deepen ties with energy partners in Central Asia such as Uzbekistan, a former Soviet nation. It has backed easing the sanctions but faced resistance from countries including Britain.

REUTERS ABM KN1642