EU agrees to suspend Uzbek travel bans

By David Brunnstrom

LUXEMBOURG (Reuters) - EU foreign ministers agreed on Monday to suspend for six months travel restrictions imposed on leaders of gas-rich Uzbekistan after the crushing of a revolt in the town of Andizhan in 2005.

Those covered by the visa ban were Defence Minister Ruslan Mirzayev and seven others including National Security chief Rustam Inoyatov and several special forces officers.

The visa bans will be automatically re-applied if the Uzbek authorities do not show progress on human rights and democracy, an EU official said on condition of anonymity.

An arms embargo will remain in place.

Human rights groups had called for the sanctions to be maintained arguing that there had been no significant improvement in the situation in Uzbekistan.

A statement from the ministers welcomed an increased willingness of Uzbek authorities to engage in dialogue with the bloc.

"With a view to encouraging the Uzbek authorities to take positive steps to improve the human rights situation...the council decided that visa restrictions would not apply for a period of six months," the statement said.

It said the situation would be reviewed after six months and warned that the restrictions could be reimposed earlier if necessary "in the light of the actions of the Uzbek authorities in the area of human rights".