U.S. soldiers return to Uzbek bases
Tashkent (AsiaNews/Agencies) - Uzbekistan has allowed U.S. troops to use the base area of Termez, near the Afghan border, for operations in Afghanistan. Uzbek bases were denied to U.S. soldiers after Washington's criticism of the massacre of Andijan.
Now the United States will be able to use the German installation in Termez. After he was re-elected in December of 2007, President Islam Karimov moved to restore relations with the United States and the European Union. In January, U.S. Admiral William Fallon was in Tashkent to meet with Karimov, as a sign of the resumption of relations between the two countries.
In Andijan, in May of 2005, Uzbek soldiers fired on a crowd of peaceful demonstrators, killing hundreds of people. The exact number of victims is unknown, in part because Tashkent has always refused to permit an international investigation or one by the United Nations.
Western countries have interests in resuming relations with Uzbekistan, which is rich in natural gas and has a strategic position in the centre of Asia. In its turn, Tashkent has an interest in not locking itself into an exclusive relationship with its powerful neighbours Russia and China, which did not participate in the international criticism over the massacre.
Recently, the European Union and Human Rights Watch have spoken of an improvement in the situation of human rights, especially with the release of five activists at the beginning of February. But analysts recall that many other activists are detained for thought crimes, and that the events in Andijan appear increasingly far off and forgotten.
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21/03/2011
