Uzbekistan blocking NATO supplies for Afghan war: Tajikistan

Dushanbe (AFP)

The Central Asian country of Uzbekistan is blocking hundreds of train carriages of supplies for NATO operations in Afghanistan, a railway official in neighbouring Tajikistan said Tuesday.




"Without any reason, Uzbekistan is delaying on its territory hundreds of trucks with cargoes intended for the anti-terrorist coalition in Afghanistan," said Usmon Kalandarov, deputy head of Tajik state railways.

Uzbek authorities were preventing more than 300 train carriages loaded with fuel and building materials from entering Tajikstan, which they must pass through in order to reach northern Afghanistan, Kalandarov told AFP.

The delays began in February and train carriages bound for NATO forces in Afghanistan were continuing to pile up on Uzbek territory, Kalandarov said.

The blockage was part of a broader blockade imposed by Uzbekistan that had cost Tajikistan tens of millions of dollars, and was also preventing the country from exporting its fruits and vegetables, he added.

Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, both of which are former Soviet republics, agreed in February 2009 to permit the overland transit of non-military supplies intended for NATO operations in Afghanistan.

The two countries have repeatedly squabbled over various issues, including hydroelectric power projects in mountainous Tajikistan that Uzbekistan says would negatively impact its water supply.