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Agreement on using Manas base by U.S. can be reconsidered: analyst

Politics Materials 15 May 2009 12:16 (UTC +04:00)

Azerbaijan, Baku, May 15 / Trend , E. Ostapenko, V. Zhavoronkova/ The presence of the U.S. forces in Manas airbase in Kyrgyzstan can be reconsidered only under the following two terms: significant increase in rent and change in the format of using the base, Kyrgyz expert Nur Omarov said.

The U.S. Senate committee approved $30 million in financial assistance for Kyrgyzstan to help the country to improve air transport system in a bid to preserve Washington's access to country's airfields, RIA Novosti quoted Reuters as reporting.

Representatives of the Democratic Party in the Senate say U.S. presidential administration will allot $30 million to develop Kyrgyzstan's air transport system if they agree to maintain American presence in local airfields.

However Kyrgyz expert says allocating $30 million for Kyrgyzstan will not impact this issue.

"The proposed amount of $30 million is not very large compared to sufficient funds Kyrgyzstan expects to receive from the Russia which are tenfold higher than the amount of this finance", doctor of historical sciences Omarov said to Trend over telephone from Bishkek.

He said this question could be positively resolved only under two conditions - increasing the rent for the presence of Americans on the base and change the format of its use.

"The first condition is a substantial increase in rent for the use of the Manas airport," Omarov said.

He said the amount originally was $2.5 million. But later was increased up to $17.5 million. If the amount is further increased, it can have a good impact on resolving the issue of in the favor of the U.S.

"The second condition is the change the format of the base," Omarov said.  "It will not any more exist in the form in which it existed on the territory of Kyrgyzstan, so far, that is, on the basis of direct bilateral agreements between Kyrgyzstan and the coalition."

Omarov said another diplomatic way out of this "impasse" may be offered that is the conclusion of the treaty between Kyrgyzstan and, for example, the UN, which gives the UN a mandate to maintain the infrastructure of the base of the leading representatives of Western countries, in other words, the United States and EU countries.

"In this case, the presence of U.S. forces in Kyrgyzstan airfields may be reviewed," he said.

Non-recurrent allocation of the same small amount of current standards does not address problems, Omarov said.

Anti-terrorism coalition forces in Afghanistan used Manas airbase in Kyrgyzstan on the mandate of the UN since 2001 under Operation Enduring Freedom. Now thousands of U.S. troops and other coalition countries, military transport aircraft and tanker aircraft are in the base.

On Feb. 3, President of Kyrgyzstan Kurmanbek Bakiyev announced the decision to close the American base. Mean time Russia provided $2billion in loan to Kyrgyzstan and the financial assistance of $150 million.

The decision to close the base was ratified by Parliament. According to the document, the anti-terrorist coalition troops must leave the base within 180 days after the termination of the contract in mid-August.

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