BISHKEK DECIDES TO CLOSE MANAS U.S. AIR BASE

PanARMENIAN.Net
06.02.2009 15:09 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Kyrgyzstan’s government has submitted a decree
to parliament for the closure of a key U.S. air base in the Central
Asian state, Kyrgyz officials say.

The move was prompted by popular disapproval of the base, government
spokesman Aibek Sultangaziyev said.

U.S. officials say they have received no notification of the closure,
and are talking to the Kyrgyz government.

The air base supports U.S. and Nato operations in Afghanistan and is
the only U.S. base in Central Asia. Its closure is reported to be a
major blow for those operations.

The announcement comes at a critical moment, just as the new
administration of U.S. President Barack Obama plans a sharp increase
in the number of American troops in Afghanistan.

"A draft decree on terminating the agreement on the U.S. airbase
has been sent to parliament," said Aibek Sultangaziyev. "It is up to
parliament now to decide when to hold discussions on this."

President Bakiyev made his announcement on Tuesday in Moscow, where
he was promised more than $2bn (£1.4bn) in Russian aid.

He said the Manas base – set up in 2001 to assist the U.S. military
operation against al-Qaeda and the Taleban in Afghanistan – was only
meant to be open for two years at the most, BBC reports.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton described the decision as
regrettable but said that it won’t affect the U.S. military effort
in nearby Afghanistan.
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