The United States signed an agreement with Uzbekistan on Friday allowing nonlethal supplies for the war in Afghanistan, including food, building materials & medical supplies, to cross Uzbek territory, the Pentagon said. Militant attacks have increased on the main land supply route through Pakistan & Kyrgyzstan said it would close an American air base in Manas.

The US State Department web site states: "Uzbekistan is not a democracy & does not have a free press. Many opponents of the government have fled & others have been arrested." & "The police force & the intelligence service use torture as a routine investigation technique." 

President Karimov government was awarded US$500m in aid from the bushit administration in 2002. The SNB (Uzbekistan's security service) received US$79m of this sum. But, hey, at least he’s not evil like that terrible Kim Jong-Il ….