bobdina
09-11-2009, 01:14 PM
Kyrgyz president endorses mission at Manas
The Associated Press
Posted : Friday Sep 11, 2009 9:42:17 EDT
BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan — Kyrgyzstan’s president visited a U.S. air base in this ex-Soviet nation Friday to mark the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, and pledged to bolster diplomatic ties with Washington to help fight international terrorism.
Speaking at a remembrance ceremony at Manas Air Base, President Kurmanbek Bakiyev said his government would continue helping the U.S. seek stability in nearby Afghanistan — and acknowledged the importance of the base in that effort.
“In this regard, the transit center should constitute a worthy contribution,” he said.
The United States began using Manas in 2001, two months after the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, and the base has become essential for transportation, refueling and supply for U.S.-led military operations in Afghanistan.
Earlier this year, Kyrgyzstan said U.S. forces would be ordered to leave Manas by mid-August, citing improving security conditions in Afghanistan and dissatisfaction over commercial terms for the base. That eviction announcement came shortly after Russia agreed to grant the country more than $2 billion in aid and loans, and U.S. officials suggested the eviction decision hinged on the Russian aid.
The government later reversed its stance and agreed to a revised one-year deal giving U.S. troops rights to use the facility.
Under the new lease, the air base at Kyrgyzstan’s main airport was designated as a transit center and the rent increased to $60 million a year, from $17 million.
Bakiyev said the deal served Kyrgyzstan’s national interests, a remark that could raise U.S. hopes of eventually securing an extension of the lease.
The Associated Press
Posted : Friday Sep 11, 2009 9:42:17 EDT
BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan — Kyrgyzstan’s president visited a U.S. air base in this ex-Soviet nation Friday to mark the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, and pledged to bolster diplomatic ties with Washington to help fight international terrorism.
Speaking at a remembrance ceremony at Manas Air Base, President Kurmanbek Bakiyev said his government would continue helping the U.S. seek stability in nearby Afghanistan — and acknowledged the importance of the base in that effort.
“In this regard, the transit center should constitute a worthy contribution,” he said.
The United States began using Manas in 2001, two months after the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, and the base has become essential for transportation, refueling and supply for U.S.-led military operations in Afghanistan.
Earlier this year, Kyrgyzstan said U.S. forces would be ordered to leave Manas by mid-August, citing improving security conditions in Afghanistan and dissatisfaction over commercial terms for the base. That eviction announcement came shortly after Russia agreed to grant the country more than $2 billion in aid and loans, and U.S. officials suggested the eviction decision hinged on the Russian aid.
The government later reversed its stance and agreed to a revised one-year deal giving U.S. troops rights to use the facility.
Under the new lease, the air base at Kyrgyzstan’s main airport was designated as a transit center and the rent increased to $60 million a year, from $17 million.
Bakiyev said the deal served Kyrgyzstan’s national interests, a remark that could raise U.S. hopes of eventually securing an extension of the lease.