Secretary-General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said in Brussels Saturday that he is "deeply concerned" about the situation in Uzbekistan.

In a short statement, the NATO chief urged all parties to exercise restraint in order to have the current tensions defused through peaceful means.

"The Alliance expects Uzbekistan, a member of Partnership for Peace (PfP), to honor the principles of PfP, including the peaceful resolution of conflicts," he said. Rioters in the former Soviet republic briefly seized buildings including government offices and educational institutions early Friday in the city of Andizhan before the law-enforcement bodies took action to restore order.

Uzbek President Islam Abduganiyevich Karimov rushed to Andizhan with several senior officials during the day to calm down the situation.

The situation Uzbekistan has sparked worldwide concern after national governments collapsed in three other former Soviet republics -- Georgia, Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan -- in the past year and half.

Source: Xinhua