From DefenseNews

 

Kyrgyzstan Moves To Shut Key U.S. Base

By TOLKUN NAMATBAYEVA, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

Published: 4 Feb 07:40 EST (12:40 GMT)

 

BISHKEK - Kyrgyzstan's government on Feb. 4 approved the closure of a U.S. airbase on its territory used as a vital supply route for Western military operations in Afghanistan.

 

The decision by the Central Asian state came as a snub to the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama, who has singled out Afghanistan as the main front in U.S. military operations overseas and plans to deploy 30,000 more troops there over the next 18 months.

 

Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev announced the closure a day earlier in Moscow, fuelling widespread opinion that the decision came under pressure from Russia, which has been irritated by the U.S. presence in ex-Soviet territory.

 

On Feb. 4, the Kyrgyz government rapidly approved a bill ordering the base's closure and was to submit the text to parliament for a debate Feb. 5, government spokesman Marat Kydyraliyev said.

 

The bill "is about the cancellation of the agreement with the United States on the presence in Kyrgyzstan of the American air base," he told AFP.

 

In the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek, the U.S. Embassy said it had not received any notice that Kyrgyzstan was ordering the closure of the base, which is located outside Bishkek at Manas and is home to over 1,000 foreign troops, most of them American.

 

U.S. embassy officials were Feb. 4 trying to hold talks with the Kyrgyz presidential administration but so far such requests were not being met, officials in the presidential administration told AFP.

 

"Discussions will continue," the embassy said in a statement. "We have a broad range of programs and interests we will continue to pursue with the government and people of Kyrgyzstan."

 

In Moscow a top Russian government official denied Moscow had played a role in Bishkek's decision.

 

"This is the decision of the Kyrgyz leadership, not the Russian leadership," Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov said in an interview with AFP. "It is a sovereign state."

 

The base was set up to assist coalition forces fighting to oust the Taliban from Afghanistan in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks.

 

After the ejection of another base from Uzbekistan in 2005 it became the only U.S. base in the Central Asian states.

 

Kyrgyz officials had voiced frustration that the base had remained so long, even as some analysts suspect Kyrgyzstan would like to secure higher payments from Washington.

 

The announcement came after growing public calls and petitions seeking the base's closure by local residents, angered by such incidents as the 2006 shooting of a Kyrgyz truck driver by a U.S. guard. U.S. officials said the man was shot in self-defense.

 

According to the lease, Kyrgyzstan must give six months' notice of any decision to shut the base.

 

Bakiyev announced the closure as Moscow promised Bakiyev more than two billion dollars in loans and aid to assist his nation struggling in the face of the global economic crisis.

 

Despite Russian denials, observers say Moscow made it clear the financial assistance would come only on condition of the base's closure.

 

"It has not been an easy decision and it's directly connected to cooperation with Russia," Iskhak Masaliyev, a Communist lawmaker in Kyrgyzstan, said.

 

After the Kremlin talks, Bakiyev complained that the United States had been less than forthcoming in giving aid to compensate for Bishkek's hosting of the base.

 

Alexei Malashenko, a Central Asia expert at the Carnegie Moscow Centre, questioned Bakiyev's readiness to follow through on his announcement, suggesting he was trying to get the best possible deal for his impoverished nation.

 

"Bakiyev wants to have his cake and eat it," he said.

 

Russian officials also emphasized that a final decision on the aid to Kyrgyzstan had yet to be made.

 

"Terms for the main loan have not been agreed upon so far," RIA-Novosti news agency quoted a source in the Russian finance ministry as saying.

 

Nur Omarov, a Bishkek-based political analyst, cited sources as saying representatives of the U.S. State Department were expected in Bishkek later this week.

 

"Bakiyev will have to make a difficult choice between Russia, the United States and China. Because China, just like Russia, is also interested in seeing this base shut down."

From Defense Aerospace

 

Potential Closure of Manas Air Base Won’t Disrupt Afghanistan Ops

(Source: U.S Department of Defense; issued February 4, 2009)

 

WASHINGTON --- The United States hopes to continue operations at Manas Air Base in Kyrgyzstan, but would use other means to support troops in Afghanistan if the Kyrgyz government goes through with plans to close it, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said today.

 

Neither the State Department nor the Defense Department has received official word that Kyrgyzstan plans to discontinue its three-year arrangement with the United States, Whitman told Pentagon reporters.

 

But Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev reportedly announced plans to close the base yesterday after meeting with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in Moscow. News reports said Medvedev promised debt forgiveness and extensive financial aid to Kyrgyzstan during the session.

 

The United States pays $17.4 million a year to use the air base, a major logistical and refueling hub supporting international troops in Afghanistan, Whitman said. The United States and Kyrgyzstan signed a “protocol of intentions” in 2006 that allowed the United States to renew the arrangement in one-year increments through July 2011.

 

Overall, U.S. government assistance programs for Kyrgyzstan total about $150 million a year, Whitman said.

 

The closure plan, if implemented, would affect about 15,000 people and 500 tons of cargo that transit through Manas each month, Whitman said. About 1,000 troops, most of them American, but some from France and Spain, are assigned to the base.

 

“It is a hugely important air base for us,” Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said during yesterday’s Pentagon news briefing. “It provides us with a launching-off point to provide supplies to our forces in Afghanistan. We very much appreciate the support the Kyrgyz have given us in the use of that base, and we hope to continue using it.”

 

The State Department is leading discussions with the Kyrgyz government, but U.S. military officials also have weighed in with their support. Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, commander of U.S. Central Command, and Air Force Gen. Duncan J. McNabb, commander of U.S. Transportation Command, both have urged the Kyrgyz government to authorize its continued use.

 

“We are actively involved in discussions with the Kyrgyz government about the continued use of Manas,” Morrell said yesterday.

 

Whitman said Manas Air Base contributes to the security and stability not only of Afghanistan, but also Central Asia. The base hosted earthquake relief and supply efforts for Pakistan in 2005.

 

Should Kyrgyzstan close Manas, Whitman said, the United States will use other means to support U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan.

 

“While we value the relationship we have and the arrangements we have with Manas, the United States would certainly be able to continue operations in Afghanistan if we did not have that facility,” he said. “We are talking about the United States military -- the most flexible, adaptable, capable, innovative military in the world.”

 

Manas is the only U.S. air base in Central Asia. Uzbekistan closed its base, Karshi-Khanabad --– known as “K-2” -- to the United States in 2005. K-2 had supported military and humanitarian operations since just after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.