Kyrgyz leader discusses southern situation with senior U.S. official

Kyrgyzstan's interim President Roza Otunbayeva held talks here Thursday with visiting U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Eric Schwartz on the violence-battered south.

Their talks focused on Kyrgyzstan's current situation, the efforts to restore trust among its southern residents and international aid, the interim government said in a statement.

Schwartz congratulated his host on Sunday's referendum that passed a new constitution, paved the way for parliamentary democracy and gave legitimacy to the interim government.

The U.S. official also briefed Otunbayeva on his tour to the southern city of Osh, where a casino brawl on June 10 between ethnic Kyrgyz and Uzbek youths later escalated into weeks-long massive clashes.

Health authorities said that over 290 people were killed and over 2,000 injured during the violence, which followed an earlier wave of riots starting in April with a revolt that ousted former President Kurmanbek Bakiyev.

Source:Xinhua