The United States is not looking to re-open a key military base in Uzbekistan that was shut in 2005 in a diplomatic row, a US envoy said Sunday as he ended a rapid tour of former Soviet Central Asia. Uzbekistan, which shares a border with Afghanistan, evicted US troops from the Karshi-Khanabad base after Washington condemned it over a violent crackdown on a protest in the town of Andizhan in May 2005. Relations have since improved, and some diplomats have suggested Washington may try to re-open the base. Speaking after a visit to Uzbekistan, Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke ruled out the possibility when asked about it in neighboring Kazakhstan.“No,” he said. “But Uzbekistan does provide us with a valuable opportunity to transit materials to Afghanistan and that is important. (As for) the military base - no.” Keen to restore its sour relations with the West, Uzbekistan – Central Asia's most populous and ethnically divided nation –has agreed to host the new NATO supply route for Afghanistan. Holbrooke met Uzbek President Islam Karimov Friday and has also visited Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan during his first trip to the region in his current capacity. The US, which has a military air base in Kyrgyzstan, has stepped up its presence in Central Asia.
