U.N. tells Security Council Kyrgyz tensions persist

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - A top U.N. official warned the Security Council on Thursday that ethnic tensions in Kyrgyzstan continue, along with fears that there could be another wave of violence in the strategic Central Asian state.

As expected, the 15-nation Security Council took no action. But diplomats said the council's decision to discuss the ethnic bloodshed in Kyrgyzstan that has killed hundreds and sparked a wave of refugees reflected the growing international concern.

At the start of the closed-door meeting, council members received a briefing on the crisis from U.N. assistant secretary-general Oscar Fernandez-Taranco.

"While the situation in Osh and Jalalabad cities has calmed, inter-ethnic tensions and rumors of impending violence persist," the U.N. press office said in a summary of Fernandez-Taranco's remarks to the council.

"As refugees and displaced persons are beginning to return, (Fernandez-Taranco) stressed the importance of guarantees for their safety and avoiding provocations that could reignite the violence," the summary said.

He voiced "concern about the impact any renewed violence could have for Kyrgyzstan and the wider region," it added.

U.S. and U.N. officials have called for an independent investigation of the violence in Kyrgyzstan.

Russia's U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin told council members that the crisis was ultimately an internal matter that the Kyrgyz government would need to work out, a view that other council members generally agreed with, U.N. envoys told Reuters on condition of anonymity.

There was also some discussion about the need for an investigation, though there was no formal endorsement of any specific proposal for a probe of the violence, they said.

"We're keeping our eye on the situation but there's no plan at the moment for any formal action by the Security Council," a Western diplomat said. "The Russians clearly don't want this to become a matter for the Security Council."

As a permanent council member, Russia has veto powers and can block any proposed Security Council action.

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Human rights workers in Osh, the epicenter of three days of killing this month that sparked an exodus of ethnic Uzbeks, have said that the raids were accompanied by looting and more violence in the run-up to a crucial referendum on Sunday on how Kyrgyzstan will be governed.

Fernandez-Taranco said the United Nations was providing technical assistance to the Kyrgyz electoral authorities to ensure an "inclusive and technically sound referendum, in which internally displaced persons could vote."

There was no mention in the summary of Fernandez-Taranco's briefing about whether the United Nations was encouraging

Kyrgyz authorities to ensure that tens of thousands of ethnic Uzbek refugees who fled to neighboring Uzbekistan can vote.

Diplomats said the issue of Kyrgyz refugees was raised, though one said there was a "general agreement that going ahead with referendum was a decision for the interim government."

Three days of killing began on June 10, when coordinated attacks by unidentified individuals in balaclavas sparked fierce fighting between ethnic Uzbek and Kyrgyz, who have populations of roughly equal size in southern Kyrgyzstan.

About 400,000 mainly ethnic Uzbeks fled the killing in Osh and other parts of southern Kyrgyzstan. About a quarter of them went to Uzbekistan, where they have lived for nearly two weeks in tents, reliant on humanitarian aid for food and water.

Mainly Uzbek households were attacked and locals have said state troops, mainly ethnic Kyrgyz soldiers, did little to protect them and in some cases took part in assaults.

(Editing by Mohammad Zargham)