Exiled Activist Urges EU Not To Resume Dialogue With Tashkent
October 19, 2006
October 19, 2006 (RFE/RL) -- An exiled Uzbek rights activist who is seeking political asylum in France is warning European politicians against mending fences with Islam Karimov's government.
The European Union is due to decide on November 14 whether to lift sanctions imposed on Tashkent after unrest and a bloody crackdown in Andijon, in eastern Uzbekistan, in May 2005.
In comments made to the independent uznews.net website, Tolib Yaqubov says Europe would be making a "great mistake" if it resumed dialog with Uzbekistan.
"To engage in a dialog with Karimov is like feeding a dragon which only gets fatter, more insatiable, and more bloodthirsty," Yaqubov says, according to uznews.net.
He warns that talks with Turkmen President Saparmurat Niyazov would serve the same purpose.
The EU's current restrictions include an arms embargo and a visa ban on Uzbek officials blamed for the violent death of dozens, if not hundreds, of Andijon residents.