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| Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia | |
| America faces steep rise in rent for Kyrgyzstan base | |
| 2006-04-20 | |
The president of Kyrgyzstan, Kurmanbek Bakiyev, has threatened to close a US military base if Washington does not agree to a steep rise in rent. Mr Bakiyev said that if the US did not pay more than the current $2m (£1.1m) annual rent for its airfield at Manas he would terminate the rent agreement, ending the Pentagon's permanent presence in the geopolitical hub of central Asia.
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| Posted by:Steve White |
| #12 Purty quick for a hairy cold-loving hermet. |
| Posted by: 6 2006-04-20 19:30 |
| #11 Mr. Puppet, my concerns are that if the Central Asian supply route suddenly becomes problamatic that the Pakistani one would too. They're not supporting the remnants of the Taliban and Al Qaeda (and giving them refuge) for their health. |
| Posted by: Abdominal Snowman 2006-04-20 16:19 |
| #10 Would Tajikistan be useful? They are certainly amenable to foreign troops and they are cheaper... The Indian Air Force is putting a squadron of MiGs at Aini, 15 km from the Tajik capital. It already operates a base at Farkhor, near the Afgahn border, manned by ARC (Aviation Research Centre) - a department of RAW (India's overseas intelligence-gathering agency) tasked with elint and photorecon. There are rumors that RAW has special forces troops operating from this base. |
| Posted by: john 2006-04-20 15:57 |
| #9 Recommend the Cat D-9 solution. Ruck up and move out! Varoom Varoom, clank, clank clank. ]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]] ]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]] |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2006-04-20 13:19 |
| #8 This may have something to do with it. In the coming days, Russian officials will turn their attention toward Kyrgyzstan, as Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev is scheduled to arrive in Moscow on a state visit April 24-25. The Kyrgyz president is due to discuss "specific economic projects," including the construction of the Kambaratinsk hydropower plant and a natural gas joint venture, the RIA-Novosti news agency quoted Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry spokesman Alikbek Dzhekshenkulov as saying. Putin could also exert pressure on Bakiyev, who is facing rising political opposition at home, to close an American air base in Kyrgyzstan. [For additional information see the Eurasia Insight archive]. Bakiyev said on April 19 that he might order American forces to vacate the air base at Manas, outside the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek, if the US and Kyrgyz governments can not come to terms on a new leasing agreement, RIA-Novosti reported April 19. |
| Posted by: tipper 2006-04-20 12:31 |
| #7 That might prove to be an, um, interesting eviction process... |
| Posted by: mojo 2006-04-20 11:34 |
| #6 Looks like Bakiyev wants to be cozy with the Chicoms. Geopolitics. Take a look at a map of Kyrgystan. The Chicoms are interested in the 'Stans. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2006-04-20 10:17 |
| #5 Might be important wrt China. Not as important to Afghanistan. |
| Posted by: SR-71 2006-04-20 09:02 |
| #4 Looks like over flying Pakistan in route is not a problem currently. Am I wrong? |
| Posted by: SPoD 2006-04-20 04:12 |
| #3 That's nice. What about supply lines to Afghanistan? |
| Posted by: Abdominal Snowman 2006-04-20 04:00 |
| #2 Buh Bye, see you later. It was nice staying while we did. We can base in Afghanistan for free doncha know Kurmnbwek old buddy. |
| Posted by: SPoD 2006-04-20 01:51 |
| #1 UPI: Kyrgyzstan President Kurmanbek Bakiyev wants the United States to pay more than $200 million in rent for an air base or says he could ask the troops to leave. Speaking on television, Bakiyev said there had been no progress in rent negotiations in the past nine months for the facility near Bishkek's main civilian airport. "Kyrgyzstan reserves the right to consider terminating the bilateral agreement of Dec. 4, 2001, should any circumstances prevent completion of the negotiating process by June 1, 2006," he said. About 1,000 U.S. soldiers are stationed at the base, set up in December 2001 to support U.S.-led operations in Afghanistan, the Russian Novosti news agency said. Bakiyev said his country had been generous in allowing the base to open in the first place "despite the fact that our partners in regional and other organizations expressed their concern over the presence of a U.S. airbase on Kyrgyz soil." In February, Bakiyev said the United States should pay 100 times more, or $207 million for the use of the military base, China's Xinhua news agency reported. My feeling is that we'll be moving out. |
| Posted by: Zhang Fei 2006-04-20 01:30 |