The Uzbek Justice Ministry has completed the registration of international NGOs pursuant to new requirements of the law, Justice Minister Abdusamat Palvan-zade told a Friday news conference in Tashkent. He said that out of the 76 applicants, 73 had been registered and are functioning on a lawful basis. \"They will keep all the tax breaks and customs benefits prescribed by the law,\" he said. However, several NGOs were officially warned about breaking the law. In particular, official warnings were given to the offices of the U.S. National Democratic Institute for International Affairs and U.S. International Republican Institute. The minister said they had been maintaining regular contacts with politicized organizations and unregistered parties, namely Birlik and Erk whose operations contradict the current legislation. He said the office of the International Republican Institute took part in organizing the founding congress of the Ozod Dekhkonlar party while Freedom House circulated printed matter and videotapes with \"slanted and subjective coverage of the political, social and economic situation in Uzbekistan and also made anti-constitutional calls.\" \"The Developmental Institute of the Soros Foundation was denied registration due to crude breaches of the law,\" Palvan-zade said. The institute \"concealed many events from the registering authorities, its use of funds was not transparent, it published slanderous materials and engaged in other unfriendly actions damaging the image of the state,\" he added. He dismissed as groundless foreign media claims that his ministry has unjustifiably denied registration to Erk, Birlik and Ozod Dekhkonlar parties. He said Erk had not submitted any registration documents adding that its leader Muhammad Solih had been sentenced to 15 years in prison in absentia for organizing terrorist acts in 1999 among other things. As for the registration documents of Birlik and Ozod Dekhkhonlar, he said that they were not considered because of numerous falsifications of signatures of individuals \"allegedly wishing to form a political party.\" (Interfax)