During U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's quick visit yesterday to Kyrgyzstan, the big news was her announcement that the U.S. would help Kyrgyzstan set up an "entity" that could provide part of the fuel supply for the Manas air base there. This, you may recall, has been a big issue with the new government in Bishkek, which wasn't happy when the Pentagon re-awarded the fuel contract to Mina Corp., which is unpopular in Kyrgyzstan because of its alleged ties to the former government of Kurmanbek Bakiyev.
The deal has been in the offing for a while, as my colleague Deirdre Tynan has reported. Clinton and Otunbayeva, in their press conference yesterday, did not give many of the details, but Deirdre reports that it will include Gazprom, as Kyrgyzstan had proposed. That will undoubtedly raise the hackles of Russophobes in Washington, but also should ensure that Russia's opposition to the base will be muted, since they'll have a financial stake in it. Clinton, at her press conference yesterday:
It's an important issue in our bilateral relationship. We are committed to transparency. The fuel contract was a result of an open bidding process, but we recognize that the government of Kyrgyzstan is conducting its own investigation into the fuel company. That is its perfect right. And that investigation is not completed. We will, of course, receive the results of any investigation that is conducted by the government.
At the same time, we are working on a partnership to help establish a Kyrgyz entity that can take over part of the base contract. This is something we discussed at some length, because, although it is primarily the responsibility of the Department of Defense, the State Department will work closely with the Defense Department to expedite the process of helping to create an organization that meets all of the legal standards that you know are in the law of the United States, so that this new entity can be able to compete for and receive a part of this base contract for fuel.
The Washington Post quotes a Mina/Red Star spokesman saying that it would support the new arrangement, as long as it is "transparent and ethical":
John Lough, a spokesman for the group, said the new contract won by Mina includes a provision allowing the Pentagon to introduce an additional supplier for Manas. "Mina is ready to assist the U.S. government in making this happen," he said. But he added that the Defense Department will need to make sure that any newcomer "has a reliable fuel supply chain and appropriate financial capabilities, and can operate in a transparent and ethical way."
Because when one thinks of transparent business practices, Mina/Red Star sets the standard, right?
Joshua Kucera, a senior correspondent, is Eurasianet's former Turkey/Caucasus editor and has written for the site since 2007.
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