Uzbekistan rapped by IMF

The International Monetary Fund has announced that it is withdrawing its representative in Uzbekistan after criticising the government for the slow pace of economic reforms.

The IMF said that its current representative Christoph B.

Rosenberg will not be replaced when he leaves next month.

The IMF had long demanded that Uzbekistan -- in return for financial assistance -- should end subsidies, stamp out corruption and allow its currency to float.

The BBC Eurasia reporter says the IMF has signalled it can no longer do business with the government.

Uzbekistan becomes the third former Soviet republic, after Belarus and Turkmenistan, to have its IMF representative withdrawn.

Cooperation is expected to continue at a lower level.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service