Kyrgyzstan: Centcom Commander in Bishkek

Gen. David Petraeus, the head of US Central Command, is in Kyrgyzstan for two days of talks.

Petraeus met President Kurmanbek Bakiyev on March 10 to discuss their "ongoing partnership" according to a statement issued by the president's office.

Petraeus's visit comes after Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Kadyrbek Sarbaev refuted US Special Envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke's assertion that he had kicked of the process of securing the lease for the Manas Transit Center for another year.

"It's too early to speak about a prolongation of the agreement," Sarbaev told newspaper Slovo Kyrgyzstan Plus on March 3.