$18m slap on the wrist for Uzbekistan

[oldhat]

http://atimes.com/atimes/Central_Asia/FG17Ag02.html

WASHINGTON - This week's decision by the US State Department to cut up to US$18 million in aid to its staunchest anti-terrorism ally in Central Asia is a warning for the government of President Islam Karimov, who has ruled Uzbekistan with an iron hand since even before it became independent of the Soviet Union in 1991. Last year, US Congress-approved aid delivered to Uzbekistan was $86 million.

The move should add some credibility to the claims made by President George W Bush's administration that it is serious about supporting democratization in the Islamic world. But at the same time, the decision, which has been expected since Washington issued a warning about Karimov's human-rights performance last December, is unlikely to prompt any major downgrading of bilateral relations, at least for the moment, and even rights groups say Washington should continue to be engaged with Tashkent to encourage reform.