Ministers to extend travel ban on Uzbek officials

A ban on senior Uzbek officials travelling to the EU will be extended when the Union’s foreign ministers meet in Brussels on Monday (5 March).

Diplomats say the sanctions, which cover 12 Uzbek officials including the ministers of defence and the interior, will remain in place until May, because of Uzbekistan’s refusal to meet EU demands to improve human rights.

The Union introduced the travel ban and a separate arms embargo following the deaths of hundreds of civilians at the hands of the Uzbek authorities in the city of Andijan on 13 May 2005.

Diplomats say that there is little opposition to extending sanctions among EU member states, as Uzbekistan has shown few signs that it is now willing to address human rights.

The German presidency of the EU had hoped to lift the travel ban this week as part of its plan to boost the Union’s relations with the countries of central Asia.

Germany tried hard in November to convince other member states that sanctions should be dropped as part of an attempt to engage central Asia’s regimes.

Uzbekistan is central Asia’s most populous country and has significant natural gas reserves.

Berlin had hoped that the measures would be scaled-down before top EU officials meet their central Asian counterparts in Kazakhstan on 28 March. But this meeting is likely to be overshadowed by the sanctions, although Uzbekistan looks set to agree to hold a meeting to discuss human rights in March - complying with an important EU demand for lifting the sanctions.

Diplomats expect the visa ban to be scaled back in May, although those directly involved in the events in Andijan are likely to remain on the sanctions list.

The arms ban will remain in effect until the end of November this year.

A ban on senior Uzbek officials travelling to the EU will be extended when the Union’s foreign ministers meet in Brussels on Monday (5 March).