EU weighs Uzbekistan sanctions

Associated Press October 1 The European Union is set to impose an arms embargo on Uzbekistan Monday and cut financial aid to punish the country for refusing to investigate last May's violent suppression of an uprising. The EU foreign ministers, who will hold talks in Luxembourg, may also ban Uzbek officials from traveling to Western Europe, officials said. In other business, the foreign ministers will debate the situation in the Middle East after Israel's evacuation of the Gaza Strip, review preparations for Tuesday's EU-Russia summit in London, Europe's troubled relations with Iran and the bids by Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia-Montenegro for closer ties with the union. The Uzbek authorities continue to refuse an independent international inquiry into possible human rights violations in May when hundreds died in the eastern city of Andijan, and have "exhausted" the EU's patience, said an EU diplomat. "It was hoped that Uzbekistan would respond to an international call for an independent inquiry," the diplomat added. The 25 EU foreign ministers are expected to cut aid funds, impose a visa ban on senior Uzbek officials and ban sales of arms and other equipment that might be used for internal repression. The EU has frozen meetings with Uzbekistan yet wants to keep "the line of dialogue" open, said the diplomat. Out of the euro8 million (US$9.7 million) originally earmarked for economic and political reform in Uzbekistan in 2005, euro1.5 million (US$1.8 million) will be shifted to non-governmental organizations. Aid for 2006, totaling euro11.25 million (US$13.6 million), is to be cut to euro9.25 million (US$11.2 million) with the savings to be redirected to anti-poverty campaigns in Uzbekistan and neighboring Kyrgyzstan. Security forces violently suppressed the uprising in Andijan that began when militants seized a prison and freed 23 businessmen tried for alleged extremism. Thousands of demonstrators then gathered in an adjacent square to complain of economic conditions and were later surrounded by armed forces. Human rights groups have said more than 750 people died in the May violence and have accused the authoritarian regime of President Islam Karimov of covering up the killings. The Uzbek authorities claim that 187 people died and deny that troops fired on unarmed civilians. On Iran, France, Britain and Germany have sought for two years to persuade Tehran to give up nuclear activities that can be used to make weapons. The foreign ministers will debate a resolution, adopted Sept. 24, by the U.N.'s atomic watchdog agency, that could lead to Iran's referral to the U.N. Security Council for violating a nuclear arms control treaty unless it eases suspicions about its nuclear activities. To avoid that, Iran was told to suspend enrichment activity and give U.N. experts access to certain research and development locations and documentation. The EU ministers will also take stock of last-minute negotiations ahead of Tuesday's EU-Russia summit in London that will be hosted by Britain which now holds the EU presidency. The Russian delegation will be led by Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. The summit will cover economic, trade, political, environmental, energy and human rights issues. Moscow has long demanded that the EU ease visa restrictions. For the EU, that can only happen if Moscow takes back illegal immigrants from the EU plus those from its neighbors who reach Western Europe by crossing through Russia's porous borders. Russia has been opposed to readmitting illegals, saying such a policy would be costly and could violate migrants' rights. The EU foreign ministers will also discuss difficult negotiations with Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia-Montenegro for closer ties with the union. Hampering that is the inability of authorities in Sarajevo and Belgrade to enact political and economic reforms.