Brussels, 05/03/2007 (Agence Europe) - The foreign affairs ministers of the EU, who are “seriously concerned” by the human rights situation in Uzbekistan, on Monday reaffirmed their intention of pursuing dialogue with Tashkent on these issues. After an initial round of discussions between Uzbek and European experts on the bloody events at Andijan in May 2005, the Council has taken note of the willingness of the country's authorities to hold another meeting of this type. This was the intention stated on Friday by Uzbekistan, which has declared itself ready for a further expert meeting in the near future. The Council reiterates the importance of these exchanges within the framework of the partnership and cooperation agreement between the EU and Uzbekistan, from which it hopes to see “concrete results”. The ministers of the Twenty-Seven decided on Monday to review the current sanctions in place against Uzbekistan next May. In light of any progress made on human rights and of the result of the meetings, they will discuss the possibility of lifting the embargo on weapons and visa restrictions, which had been extended in their previous set of conclusions of November 2006 (EUROPE 9305). (ab)