Washington Post – U.S. Opposed Calls at NATO for Probe of Uzbek Killings: Defense officials from Russia and the United States last week helped block a new demand for an international probe into the Uzbekistan government’s shooting of hundreds of protesters last month, according to U.S. and diplomatic officials.
British and other European officials had pushed to include language calling for an independent investigation in a communique issued by defense ministers of NATO countries and Russia after a daylong meeting in Brussels on Thursday. But the joint communique merely stated that “issues of security and stability in Central Asia, including Uzbekistan,” had been discussed…
…a senior diplomat in Washington said that “there’s clearly inter-agency tension over Uzbekistan. . . . The State Department certainly seems to be extremely cool on Karimov,” while the Pentagon wants to avoid upsetting the Uzbekistan government.