Uzbekistan, which sits at the heart of Central Asia and is home to 24 million people, is the last republic Albright will visit on a five-day tour of the region, which included visits to neighboring Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.

The U.S. secretary of state hopes to position Washington as a key player in a 21st-century version of the "Great Game" to influence a region rich in oil and natural gas resources, but fraught with terrorism, narcotics and dictatorial politics.

On Tuesday, Albright will meet Uzbek President Islam Karimov, one of Central Asia's most outspoken leaders who rules with an iron fist in order to combat resistance and terrorism.

Karimov cracked down on opposition members following a series of explosions that rocked Tashkent in February 1999, killing 16 people and wounding 128.

Islamists were charged with masterminding the blasts in trials that international observers charged were unfair and biased.

In November 1999, clashes between government troops and Islamists left 23 people dead near the town of Yangiabad east of Tashkent.

Albright will offer Uzbekistan a $3 million package to improve counter-terrorist training for border guards and provide equipment; such as four-wheel drive vehicles to better pursue Islamists in mountainous terrain.

She provided similar packages to Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. Albright will also visit the famous Silk Road cities of Samarkand and Bukhara before departing for the U.S. on Wednesday.

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