The United States, Powell told members of the House Armed Services Committee, required “sufficient power” to “deter any challenger from ever dreaming of challenging us on the world stage.” To emphasize the point, he cast the United States in the role of street thug. “I want to be the bully on the block,” he said, implanting in the mind of potential opponents that “there is no future in trying to challenge the armed forces of the United States.” #msg-973942
-Am
Friday July 15, 2005 10:01 PM
MOSCOW (AP) - Russia on Friday rejected accusations by the top U.S. military officer that it, along with China, was trying to bully smaller Central Asian nations out of hosting U.S. troops fighting terrorism.
``We have been bewildered by the comments'' of Gen. Richard B. Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, a Foreign Ministry statement said.
``As is well-known, all decisions made within the framework of the SCO are consensus-based and reflect the collective opinion of all the member-countries,'' the ministry said.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization, a regional alliance led by China and Russia, last week called on the U.S. to set a date for withdrawing forces from bases in the former Soviet republics of Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan.
Asked by a reporter what he thought of the SCO's statement, Myers said: ``Looks to me like two very large countries were trying to bully some smaller countries.''
U.S. forces have used a base in each of the two countries since the early days of the war in Afghanistan. Both governments recently questioned the need for continued U.S. access.
Uzbekistan has imposed new limits on U.S. use of its Karshi-Khanabad air base, after Washington criticized Uzbekistan's bloody crackdown on anti-government rioting in May that killed around 200 people according to the official toll though human rights activists say up to 750 died.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said it wanted to see non-regional forces pull out from Central Asia once the task of combatting the threat of terrorism in Afghanistan was completed.
``As this task is carried out, this military presence should be withdrawn from the region,'' the ministry said.
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Central Asian nation of Uzbekistan has notified the State Department that U.S. military aircraft and personnel must leave an Uzbek air base that has been an important hub for American military operations in Afghanistan, a Pentagon official said Saturday.
Glenn Flood, a Pentagon spokesman, said the notice was received Friday at the U.S. Embassy in the Uzbek capital of Tashkent.
Flood said he did not know whether the Uzbeks stated a reason for evicting U.S. forces from Karshi-Khanabad air base, commonly referred to as K2.
The Washington Post, which first reported the eviction notice, said no reason was given and that U.S. forces would have six months to leave.
The Uzbek government in recent months had tightened restriction on use of the base, including banning night flights.
"We have to step back and look at our options now and see where we go from here," Flood said. "That airfield has been very important for our operations in Afghanistan" _ humanitarian as well as military.
K2 has been a critical staging point for U.S. military operations in Afghanistan since the earliest days of the war, which began in October 2001.
More recently, the base has been used to move supplies, including humanitarian aid, into northern Afghanistan. It also is a refueling point for transport planes.
The eviction notice came just days after Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld returned from a Central Asia visit to two Uzbek neighboring states, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. Officials in Kyrgyzstan affirmed to Rumsfeld that U.S. forces can continue to use Manas air base for as long as the Afghan war requires.
U.S. forces do not use any bases in Tajikistan, which shares a long border with northern Afghanistan. The Pentagon has an arrangement that permits U.S. planes to refuel there under certain circumstances.
During his trip, Rumsfeld said he did not believe U.S. operations in Afghanistan would be hurt if the Uzbek government denied continued use of K2 because there are other air base options in the region.
"We're always thinking ahead. We'll be fine," Rusmfeld said on Monday.
In early July, a regional organization led by Russia and China issued a statement calling for the U.S. 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.
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