Kyrgyzstan defends US base move

Kyrgyzstan has denied that its plan to shut a key US air base is linked to a big aid package from Russia.

Kyrgyz Prime Minister Igor Chudinov explained that Washington had not paid enough for the use of the Manas base.

The closure plan was announced earlier this week, after Russia had promised Kyrgyzstan $2bn (�1.4bn) in aid. Kyrgyz MPs will vote on the issue this month.

The Pentagon said it was still in talks about the base, which supports US and Nato operations in Afghanistan.

"This is something that the US government continues to discuss with Kyrgyzstan officials," Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said.

"It certainly doesn't make any sense for Russia or any other country in the region to try to undermine the international effort to bring stability to Central Asia," he added.

'Wrong price'

Some analysts suspect Russia influenced Kyrgyz plans regarding Manas, BBC Central Asia correspondent Rayhan Demytrie reports.

Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev announced the closure plan after talks in Moscow, where he was promised the $2bn in aid.

But Mr Chudinov said on Thursday: "Talks on Russian aid have been going on for two years, and they were in no way related to the issue of the removal of the air base from Kyrgyzstan."

The Kyrgyz PM also said the rent paid by the US for the use of the Manas base was too low.

Washington currently pays $63m (�43m) a year, according to the Associated Press news agency.

Diplomatic victory

Manas, near Bishkek, is the only US base in Central Asia and is a vital transit point for Nato and US operations in Afghanistan.

The move to shut the base comes at a critical moment, just as the new administration of US President Barack Obama plans a sharp increase in the number of American troops in Afghanistan.

For Russia, on the other hand, its closure would be a significant diplomatic victory as it seeks to reassert its influence in all former Soviet republics and beyond, correspondents say.

Moscow has given its support for Nato re-supplying its forces in Afghanistan, but has stopped short of agreeing to share a military presence in the former Soviet Union with the US.

The Manas base was set up in 2001 to assist the US military operation against al-Qaeda and the Taleban in Afghanistan.

Under the lease agreement, the US must be given six months' notice to close its operations.

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