Kyrgyzstan Insists U.S. Base to Close
By MICHAEL SCHWIRTZ, New York Times, June 11, 2009
MOSCOW — Kyrgyzstan appeared Thursday to rebuff an appeal by President Obama for closer cooperation as Washington sought to retain an American air base that provides a key staging area for the war in Afghanistan.
In February, President Kurmanbek Bakiyev gave the United States six months to leave the Manas Air Base, a decision that was seen as influenced in part by Russia, which pledged a $2 billion loan to the impoverished Central Asian country.
On Thursday, Foreign Minister Kadyrbek Sarbayev said there were no plans to reverse that decision, despite the appeal by Mr. Obama, who, according to the Kyrgyz government, sent a letter to Mr. Bakiyev seeking greater cooperation between the two countries. American officials in the region had no immediate public comment on the Kyrgyzstan government’s statement.