MOSCOW, May 13 (RIA Novosti) - If the Uzbek government does not take prompt measures disorders may begin in other towns of Uzbekistan, said Russian State Duma deputy, director of the Institute of CIS Countries Konstantin Zatulin. The parliamentarian does not rule out that the disorders in Andizhan were caused by some domestic factor.
"Supporters of radical Islam in the Fergana valley are the main opponents of [Uzbekistan's or Islam] Karimov," Zatulin stressed.
However, he does not rule out some external factor. "Uzbekistan recently gave up the US support and started pursuing careful policy. After the events in Kyrgyzstan they [the Uzbek government] decided that Americans did not back local interests," the deputy said.
In his opinion, repressions against the opposition can be following the suppressed rally in Andizhan. "It will cause ambiguous reaction in the regions where Karimov is very unpopular. External forces, including the US Congress, may try to make use of the situation," Konstantin Zatulin noted.
