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U.S. Troops Asked Out of Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiev stepped in with an ultimatum yesterday. Bakiev said Washington would have to pull out the military from Manas air base should it fail to seal a new agreement for it till June 1. In Kyrgyz capital Bishkek, they think the hasty move of the president could be triggered by two reasons. Bakiev could be aiming at the 100-fold increase in the rent or just willing to please Moscow before the visit.
Bakiev’s speech broadcasted by Kyrgyz TV lasted just for two minutes, all of them dedicated to the future withdrawal of the U.S. military from Manas.
U.S. troops moved into Kyrgyzstan, when the hunt for Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan started in 2001. Past July, Bishkek suggested clinching new agreement on Manas, but the decision hasn’t been made so far. June 1 is the deadline to complete negotiations. If no result is attained, Bishkek stands ready to consider unilateral termination of the agreement of 2001.
Bakiev’s agitation could be easily understood. The United States annually pays just $2 million for Manas under the agreement, while the aggregate costs incurred to maintain the U.S. base reached $163 million already in 2004.
Nevertheless, there could be one more reason that prompted Bakiev’s ultimatum. “The statement is a bit hasty and is aimed at solving a short-term task – to please the Kremlin before Bakiev’s visit to Russia, which is slated for April 24-25,” said Muratbek Imanaliev, former foreign minister of Bashkortostan.
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