Uzbek president cites 'double standards' in reference to Western criticism

Associated Press June 17 Uzbek President Islam Karimov on Friday criticized what he said were "double standards" in a reference to Western condemnation of his bloody crackdown on opponents last year. "I'm perplexed by the universal use of double standards" in world politics, Karimov said at a security summit in Kazakhstan that was attended by the presidents of Russia and China. Karimov, ostracized by the West for the massacre of hundreds of mostly unarmed demonstrators in the eastern city of Andijan in May 2005, slammed a practice of "when what is allowed to one country isn't allowed to others." Karimov maintains that the Andijan revolt was an act of terrorism by Islamic radicals and says less than 200 people, mostly armed militants, died in the crackdown. Rights groups and witnesses say the revolt was triggered by authoritarian policies and poverty, and that more 700 protesters were killed when government troops opened fire without warning. After international criticism of the Andijan violence, Karimov expelled U.S. troops from an air base in the country's south that they had used since 2001 for operations in neighboring Afghanistan. Karimov also deplored unidentified countries for "ignorance" and disrespect for other cultures by "linking international terrorism to the scared religion of Muslims, Islam." He cited the publication last year of Prophet Mohammed caricatures by some European newspapers, which sparked violent protests in Muslim countries. "Such antics bring to nothing the uneasy, continuous and consistent work on strengthening mutual understanding in the world," Karimov said.