LUXEMBOURG, Oct 13, 2008 (AFP) - The European Union on Monday formally scrapped its travel ban against senior Uzbek officials, despite continued concerns over human rights abuses in the central Asian country.

EU foreign ministers, meeting in Luxembourg, took the move in view of 'progress achieved in Uzbekistan last year with regard to respect for the rule of law and protection of human rights,' particularly the release of a number of human rights defenders.

The sanctions had been suspended a year ago but are now lifted definitively, the ministers said in a joint statement.

The European Union imposed economic sanctions on Uzbekistan, including an arms embargo and a visa ban on eight top officials, after Tashkent rejected a demand for an international probe into a deadly uprising in Andijan province in 2005.

Uzbek authorities say that 187 people were killed in Andijan, all due to the actions of Islamic insurgents, while international rights groups say hundreds of mainly unarmed protesters were killed.

The EU arms embargo remains in place.

The European foreign ministers called on the Uzbek government 'to release all imprisoned human rights defenders' and to stop harassing others.