Obama, Uzbek leader discuss Afghan supply route

President Barack Obama and Uzbekistan's President Islam Karimov discussed expanding US use of the central Asian country as a route to supply troops in Afghanistan, a US official said on Thursday, amid growing concern about the viability of Pakistan as a transit route.
The White House said Obama called Karimov on Wednesday to congratulate the former Soviet republic on its 20th anniversary of independence and that the leaders talked about shared interests in a "secure and prosperous" Afghanistan. Obama's outreach to Karimov, whose has faced US criticism over his human rights record, came as the United States and Pakistan are locked in a diplomatic crisis over US accusations linking Pakistan's chief intelligence agency to militant attacks on Americans in Afghanistan.
Rising tension between Washington and Islamabad, at times awkward partners in the fight against Islamic militancy, have raised questions about Pakistan's role as a major US supply route for American forces fighting in Afghanistan. That has sent US officials scrambling to consider expanding alternatives to lessen reliance on Pakistan.
A senior Obama administration official said the use of Uzbek territory, which already serves as a key supply route for US war supplies, was an "important topic of discussion" between Obama and Karimov. On Capitol Hill, US senators have also made a clear push for improving ties with Uzbekistan so that more supplies can be moved to and from Afghanistan through the "Northern Distribution Network" that goes through Uzbekistan.
US lawmakers have become increasingly strident in criticism of Pakistan since last week when the top US military officer, Admiral Mike Mullen, accused Pakistani officials of supporting the militant Haqqani network's September 13 attack on the US Embassy in Kabul.
US aid to Pakistan is now under review. The Senate Appropriations Committee last week approved a bill that would allow the United States to waive restrictions on aid to Uzbekistan if Secretary of State Hillary Clinton certifies this is needed to obtain access to and from Afghanistan. Those restrictions had been placed on aid to Uzbekistan out of concern over its human rights record. The measure must still be approved by the full House of Representatives and Senate.