Kyrgyzstan: Fresh Twist for the Manas Air Base Saga

Negotiations between the US and the Kyrgyz government over the Manas air base are still ongoing, the US Embassy in Bishkek has confirmed.

"We remain in contact with the government of the Kyrgyz Republic on issues surrounding the base," a spokeswoman told EurasiaNet on March 5.

In an interview with the British Broadcasting Corp. on March 4, President Kurmanbek Bakiyev indicated that the Kyrgyz government was open to "any new proposals from the US government aimed at stabilizing the situation in Afghanistan." To strike any new deal, however, Bakiyev said that the United States would have to show Kyrgyzstan more "respect." Bakiyev signed a bill to close the air base on February 20. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive].

Separately, the US ambassador to Tajikistan, Tracy Ann Jacobson, said in an interview with the Tajik newspaper Events that the United States has "no intention" of opening up a new base in Central Asia. Non-military goods would be delivered to troops in Afghanistan by rail via Latvia-Russia-Kazakhstan-Uzbekistan, she said. The Pentagon is also developing a southern corridor through Poti (Georgia)-Baku (Azerbaijan)-Aktau (Kazakhstan)-Uzbekistan, she added.