U.S. diplomatic messages released by WikiLeaks express concerns about corruption in Uzbekistan and alleged Uzbek government links to organized crime.
The messages speak of one occasion last year where Uzbek President Islam Karimov threatened to cut Uzbek cooperation with U.S. supply links to Afghanistan after Secretary of State Hillary Clinton presented an award to an Uzbek human rights advocate, according to Britain's "Guardian" newspaper.
Other dispatches from the U.S. Embassy in Uzbekistan released by WikiLeaks report on what are called "close connections between organized crime and the government of Uzbekistan," and say that both public and private-sector jobs are routinely "bought" in the country.
The U.S. documents are also reported to mention the Uzbek's president's daughter, Gulnara Karimov, and her alleged connections to efforts to acquire shares of lucrative businesses operating in Uzbekistan.
-- Reuters
The messages speak of one occasion last year where Uzbek President Islam Karimov threatened to cut Uzbek cooperation with U.S. supply links to Afghanistan after Secretary of State Hillary Clinton presented an award to an Uzbek human rights advocate, according to Britain's "Guardian" newspaper.
Other dispatches from the U.S. Embassy in Uzbekistan released by WikiLeaks report on what are called "close connections between organized crime and the government of Uzbekistan," and say that both public and private-sector jobs are routinely "bought" in the country.
The U.S. documents are also reported to mention the Uzbek's president's daughter, Gulnara Karimov, and her alleged connections to efforts to acquire shares of lucrative businesses operating in Uzbekistan.
-- Reuters