Uzbek President Islam Karimov said on Saturday that outside elements were behind recent ethnic clashes in southern Kyrgyzstan that claimed some 200 lives.

"These disruptive actions were organised and managed from outside," Karimove said, quoted by Uza news agency.

The president said neither Uzbeks nor Kyrgyz are to blame for the unrest in southern cities of Osh and Jalalabad, accusing the forces behind the riots of attempting to drag the Central Asian country into conflicts.

At least 191 people were killed and nearly 2,000 injured in the riots, authorities said.

It is important for the Uzbeks and Kyrgyz to stay level-headed, Karimov said.

He strongly opposed retaliation actions following the riots, adding that ignorance and cruelty will never bring about any good results.

Following the clashes starting from last Thursday, the Kyrgyz interim government declared a state of emergency in the unrest areas in south.