Foreign Correspondence

[Amaunet]

U.S. gains indefinite continued use of air base in Kyrgyzstan

In remarks at the start of his meeting with Bakiyev, Rumsfeld congratulated his government on the conduct of the election.

He said the voting was free and fair, as assessed by international monitors, and that this would bolster relations with the United States and other countries.

This is not true. This was an attempted U.S. takeover of Kyrgyzstan and the U.S. is not finished with Kyrgzstan.

US money and personnel behind Kyrgyzstan’s “Tulip Revolution”
#msg-5871042

-Am

U.S. gains indefinite continued use of air base in Kyrgyzstan
The Associated Press

TUESDAY, JULY 26, 2005


BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan U.S. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld won assurances Tuesday that U.S. forces can continue to use an airbase near the Kyrgyz capital to support U.S. military operations in Afghanistan.

'The base at Manas will stay as long as the situation in Afghanistan requires,' Maj. Gen. Ismail Isakov, the Kyrgyz defense minister, said during a news conference with Rumsfeld.

After his election on July 10, President Kurmanbek Bakiyev had said that in light of progress toward stabilizing Afghanistan it was time to consider a U.S. exit from Manas International Airport, where about 1,000 U.S. troops are stationed.

At the news conference, Rumsfeld declined to comment on the future of U.S. access to Manas, saying it was a matter for the Kyrgyz government to decide.

But as he was approaching his plane to depart, Rumsfeld told a small group of U.S. troops that they should not wonder about the future U.S. presence in Kyrgyzstan, saying they should not be thinking about packing their bags any time soon.

In remarks at the start of his meeting with Bakiyev, Rumsfeld congratulated his government on the conduct of the election.

He said the voting was free and fair, as assessed by international monitors, and that this would bolster relations with the United States and other countries.

The U.S. use of Manas for air support operations in Afghanistan contributes about $50 million (?41.4 million) a year to the Kyrgyz economy, according to U.S. officials.

Rumsfeld aides said he emphasized in meetings with Bakiyev and Isakov that military operations in Afghanistan are not winding down and still require logistics and other support from bases in the region.

At the start of a three-day tour of the region on Monday, Rumsfeld said the U.S. military could sustain its operations in Afghanistan even if the United States lost access to a key air base in neighboring Uzbekistan.

'We're always thinking ahead. We'll be fine,' Rumsfeld told reporters traveling with him from Washington.

The Uzbek government has raised doubt about continued U.S. access to Karshi-Khanabad air base, which has been used as a staging point for operations in Afghanistan since the start of the war in October 2001.

It was Rumsfeld's second visit in four months to Kyrgyzstan, a former Soviet republic of 5 million people that also hosts a Russian base.

A regional organization led by Russia and China issued a statement calling for the United States to set a timetable for withdrawing its forces from Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan.

Tensions in Washington's relations with Kyrgyzstan and other Central Asian nations stem partly from an eruption of violence in mid-May in the Uzbek city of Andijan.

The Uzbek government blamed armed, organized terrorists and said about 175 people were killed, some by government forces. Others claimed that up to 1,500 had died at the hands of government troops, including a large number of innocent bystanders.

When the United States urged the Uzbek government to allow an international fact-finding mission, President Islam Karimov refused and imposed new limits on U.S. use of the Karshi-Khanabad air base.

Some nongovernment experts on Central Asia blame the State Department for not taking the initiative to develop a regional policy that assures Kyrgyzstan and others in the area that the United States' interest in the region goes beyond fighting terrorists in Afghanistan.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/07/26/asia/web.0726kyrgyz.php


Donald Rumsfield discusses military collaboration with Kyrgyzstan

BISHKEK. July 26. KAZINFORM /Vladimir Dobrovolskiy/ - Having arrived in Kyrgyzstan on a two-day working visit, the SA Defense Minister, Donald Rumsfeld, held a meeting with acting Defense Minister of Kyrgyzstan Ismail Iskakov in Bishkek today.

The meeting was devoted to discussion of bilateral military collaboration. In particular they talked about establishment and enhancement of the training base, development of military commands’ infrastructure, and fortification of Kyrgyzstan’s Armed Forces aircraft potential. The parties discussed creation of united Technology Information Center of Kyrgyzstan Armed Forces, development of material and technical basis of Bishkek Higher Military Academy.

The USA Defense Minister will meet with acting Kyrgyzstan President Kurmanbek Bakiyev today. He will also meet with Kyrgyzstan Security Council Secretary Miroslav Niyazov and acting Kyrgyzstan Foreign Minister Roza Otunbayeva. After visiting Kyrgyzstan, Donal Rumsfeld will depart to Dushanbe.
http://www.inform.kz/showarticle.php?lang=eng&id=132542