tic Party or NDP (formerly Communist Party)
; Self-Sacrificers Party or
Fidokorlar

Political pressure groups and leaders: Birlik (Unity) Movement
; Erk (Freedom) Democratic Party [Muhamd
SOLIH, chairman] was banned 9 December 1992; Human Rights Society of
Uzbekistan ; Independent Human Rights
Society of Uzbekistan

International organization participation: AsDB, CCC, CIS, EAPC, EBRD,
ECE, ECO, ESCAP, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF,
Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, NAM, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (applicant)

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Sadyk SAFAYEV
chancery: 1746 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036
telephone: (202) 887-5300
FAX: (202) 293-6804
consulate(s) general: New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Joseph A. PRESEL
embassy: 82 Chilanzarskaya, Tashkent 700115
mailing address: use embassy street address; US Embassy Tashkent,
Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-7110
telephone: (71) 120-5450
FAX: (71) 120-6335

Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), white,
and green separated by red fimbriations with a white crescent moon and
12 white stars in the upper hoist-side quadrant

@Uzbekistan:Economy

Economy - overview: Uzbekistan is a dry, landlocked country of which
10% consists of intensely cultivated, irrigated river valleys. It was
one of the poorest areas of the former Soviet Union with more than 60%
of its population living in densely populated rural communities.
Uzbekistan is now the world's third largest cotton exporter, a major
producer of gold and natural gas, and a regionally significant
producer of chemicals and machinery. Following independence in
December 1991, the government sought to prop up its Soviet-style
command economy with subsidies and tight controls on production and
prices. Faced with high rates of inflation, however, the government
began to reform in mid-1994, by introducing tighter monetary policies,
expanding privatization, slightly reducing the role of the state in
the economy, and improving the environment for foreign investors. The
state continues to be a dominating influence in the economy, and
reforms have so far failed to bring about much-needed structural
changes. The IMF suspended Uzbekistan's $185 million standby
arrangement in late 1996 because of governmental steps that made