Kyrgyz, Uzbek officials meet over border standoff

Commanders of Kyrgyz and Uzbek border guards met on Friday for the first time since both sides deployed troops and armoured vehicles in a disputed area, Kyrgyzstan's border guard service said in a statement. "The meeting has been initiated by the Uzbek side," it said, adding that the two heads of border guard services met at a border crossing in another, quiet area. It provided no other details.
The border zone, which is not clearly demarcated, is a source of bilateral tension. Uzbekistan stationed two armoured personnel carriers and about 40 soldiers near the Kyrgyz town of Kerben last week, prompting smaller Kyrgyzstan to send two of its own APCs and a similar number of troops. Both sides say the confrontation is taking place on their side of the frontier.