Uzbek Leaders Round Up Suspects in Unrest

[maddezmom]

ANDIJAN, Uzbekistan - Defying growing calls Friday for an international inquiry into the bloody suppression of anti-government riots, Uzbekistan's authoritarian leadership rounded up suspected participants in the unrest, which witnesses say killed hundreds.


NATO and the European Union on Friday joined U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan in pressuring Uzbekistan to allow an independent investigation into the May 13 bloodshed. But President Islam Karimov continued to refuse, focusing instead on keeping order and rooting out those suspected of responsibility for the unrest.

NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said he was disappointed by Karimov's rejection, saying: "I reiterate my call to the Uzbek authorities to accept this inquiry."

The EU's foreign ministers are expected to approve a resolution Monday calling for a probe and condemning Uzbek authorities for disproportionate use of force, said Cristina Gallach, spokeswoman for EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana.

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more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050520/ap_on_re_eu/uzbekistan

[bemildred]

1. Invade Uzbekistan, he kills his own subjects. nt