CA-NEWS (UZ) - Radio stations in Uzbekistan have received orders not to air songs of Sting or Julio Iglesias after the former called President Islam Karimov "dictator" and the latter gave an interview to the Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Uznews reported.

In October 2008 the president's daughter Gulnara Karimova sang in duet with Julio Iglesias at the Style.uz fashion week, organised by Gulnara, and Sting performed in Uzbekistan a year later.

Their performances at Style.uz aimed to show the international recognition and scale of the event and present Uzbekistan as a modern and successful country, stressing the achievements claimed by Gulnara.

Like Cinderella, whose beautiful dress and carriage disappear at midnight, Karimova will shine only until her famous guests realise that they are dealing with the woman who has made her wealth and influence thanks to her president father, who is one of the world's most brutal dictators.

After British newspapers reported on Sting's trip to Tashkent, the singer was forced to make a statement that Karimov was a dictator, who "is hermetically sealed in his own medieval, tyrannical mindset".

Several days ago Julio Iglesias gave an interview to Radio Liberty's Uzbek Service and insisted that he had been invited to Uzbekistan by the Uzbek people. In response to repeated suggestions that the invitation might have been sent by Gulnara, Julio hanged up the phone.

The singers' behaviour was interpreted differently in Tashkent. According to unofficial orders from Gulnara, radio stations are now banned from airing their songs in the country.

The ban was first imposed on Gulnara's Radio Maxima and was later extended to popular youth radios, like Grand and Ekho Doliny (the Echo of the Valley).

DJs said that they warned people who phoned radio station during live broadcast in advance that they should not request Sting's or Julio Iglesias's songs.

Even newspapers, including tabloids, were insistently requested not to mention the names of the singers.

Meanwhile, Gulnara Karimova is continuing to occupy the front pages of local newspapers. The country's main tabloid, Darakchi, carried her photo on its front page ahead of International Women's Day, marked in Uzbekistan on 8 March, to celebrate her as the model of modern Uzbek women.

Her interview was titled: "The woman that hurries to live." Gulnara seems to have been enraged by Sting's comments that she hurried to live at the expense of the people.