US senators push for Uzbek probe
A group of United States senators is in Uzbekistan to try to press for an international inquiry into the bloody events there two weeks ago.
Then, the army opened fire on a crowd of demonstrators in the town of Andijan, possibly killing hundreds.
But President Islam Karimov has said that no outside country can assist in establishing the facts.
He declined to meet the senators, a sign of how strained the US-Uzbek relationship has become.
Senator John McCain, leading the team, was blunt in his opening remarks.
"We are here today because we are concerned about recent events which entailed the killing of innocent people," he said.
"I believe that the United States must make this government understand that a relationship is very difficult, if not impossible, if the government continues to repress its people."
No comments:
Post a Comment