US defence secretary visits Kyrgyzstan to discuss military base

[Judi Lynn]

US defence secretary visits Kyrgyzstan to discuss military base

April 14, 2005, 10:43 gmt

BISHKEK (AFP) - US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld arrived in Kyrgyzstan for talks with the new leadership over continued American use of a military base in the Central Asian country.

US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld arrived in Kyrgyzstan for talks with the new leadership over continued American use of a military base in the Central Asian country.
The new government in the former Soviet republic, which came to power in a revolution last month, has signalled to Washington that continued access to the US airbase will be allowed, a senior US defence official said.

"Every signal we've gotten from Kyrgyz ... is that they are satisfied with our current arrangement for access to the base and they have no intention of asking to relook at, or somehow change the terms on which we are using that base," the official said. "The base is very important to us for operations."
(snip/...)

http://www.bakutoday.net/afps/english/shared/int/050414084326.w8hpfycg.html

[rodeodance]

1. "Impoverished and mountainous Kyrgyzstan"--I have to wonder what

'incentives' we are giving them.


..Rumsfeld was meeting with Bakiyev, as well as the acting ministers of foreign affairs and defence.

He was also to visit some of the approximately 1,000 servicemen at the base before returning to Washington.

Kyrgyzstan was the last stop on a tour that also took in Iraq, a stopover in the Caucasus state of Azerbaijan, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Impoverished and mountainous Kyrgyzstan was rocked by a popular revolt late last month that resulted in the ouster of the country's Soviet-era leader, Askar Akayev, and installment of an opposition-led provisional government that has scheduled a presidential election for the summer.

[American in Asia]

2. Help?

Well, outside of support for economic assistance, I suppose we could count the help we gave them in toppling the government and installing one more to our liking? Kinda like in Ukraine and Georgia? Just guessing, but I'd bet it was a deal struck in advance of us deciding who we were supporting in the election and the protests....

[nonconformist]

3. Another link

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A52342-2005Apr14.html

Rumsfeld Reassured on U.S. Base in Kyrgyzstan

By Robert Burns
Associated Press
Thursday, April 14, 2005; 3:44 AM

BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan -- Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, visiting amid political turmoil in this former Soviet republic, won assurances Thursday that the U.S. military will not lose access to a base it established here in support of the war in Afghanistan.

Ganci air base, which is situated at Manas airport outside the capital, is part of a network of facilities in Central Asia that still provides support for U.S. military operations in Afghanistan.

Doubts were raised about the future of the U.S. military presence when Kyrgyz President Askar Akayev fled the country last month after an uprising that has yet to play out.
<snip>
The Bush administration is eager to maintain a military presence in Central Asia, a traditional crossroads and lately a haven for terrorists and Islamic extremists. But it has yet to make final arrangements and faces political uncertainties in countries like Kyrgyzstan.
<snip>

[struggle4progress]

4. kick