EU backs Central Asia plan, rights still a concern

BRUSSELS, June 18 (Reuters) EU foreign ministers backed a German initiative to boost cooperation with energy-rich Central Asia today despite concern of activists that it lacks benchmarks for progress on human rights.

The strategy for closer ties with Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan was prompted by worries the European Union was lagging rivals in competition for Central Asian energy supplies.

It was endorsed by foreign ministers meeting in Luxembourg and is certain now to get a final stamp of approval from a summit meeting of EU leaders in Brussels this week.

The plan notes the need for the EU to diversify energy supplies and calls for regular contacts between foreign ministers of the two regions to deepen ties.

It also calls for a ''results orientated'' dialogue on human rights while offering to support educational development and oil and gas exploration with a view to establishing new pipelines.

Lotte Leicht, director of Human Rights Watch in Brussels, welcomed the fact that unlike early drafts the plan incorporated rights and the rule of law as central issues.

But she expressed concern that it did not include clear measurable benchmarks to make better ties conditional on progress on rights.

''Dialogue without benchmarks will not necessarily be that successful,'' she said. ''It's a mixed bag and definitely the test will be in its implementation.'' Rights groups say the records of all five Central Asian states are poor overall and the situation in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan has worsened since they were under Soviet rule.

Last month, the European Union eased sanctions imposed on Uzbekistan for bloodily crushing a revolt in the town of Andizhan in 2005 despite persistent concerns over rights.

REUTERS JK RAI1914