New Kyrgyz government to shut US base

New Kyrgyz government to shut US base

People display a Kyrgyz national flag in front of the government building in Bishkek on Thursday. (EPA)

By AGENCIES

Published: Apr 9, 2010 03:15 Updated: Apr 9, 2010 03:15

BISHKEK: Kyrgyzstan's self-proclaimed new leaders thanked Russia on Thursday for helping to oust President Kurmanbek Bakiyev, and said they aimed to close a US air base that supplies forces in Afghanistan.

Their comments set Wednesday's overthrow of Bakiyev, who fled the capital Bishkek as crowds stormed government buildings, firmly in the context of superpower rivalry in Central Asia.

No sooner had presidents Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev signed an arms reduction pact in Prague as part of an effort to "reset" strained relations than a senior official in Medvedev's delegation urged Kyrgyzstan's new rulers to shut the US base.

The official, who declined to be named, noted that Bakiyev had not fulfilled a promise to shut the Manas Air Base, and said there should be only one base in Kyrgyzstan — a Russian one.

Omurbek Tekebayev, a former Kyrgyz opposition leader who took charge of constitutional matters in the new government, said that "Russia played its role in ousting Bakiyev."

"You've seen the level of Russia's joy when they saw Bakiyev gone," he told Reuters.

"So now there is a high probability that the duration of the US air base's presence in Kyrgyzstan will be shortened." Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin denied Moscow had played a part in the turmoil in the former Soviet republic, which Moscow openly regards as part of its own backyard. But he was the first foreign leader to recognize opposition figure Roza Otunbayeva as leader of Kyrgyzstan, and rang her soon after she said she was in charge.

Russia's top general said 150 paratroopers had been sent to Russia's Kant base in Kyrgyzstan, and Medvedev's office said they would protect Russian citizens at its embassy and other diplomatic facilities.

Otunbayeva, who once served as Bakiyev's foreign minister, said the interim government controlled the whole country, except for Bakiyev's power base of Osh and Jalalabad in the south, and had the backing of the armed forces and border guards.

She said the situation of Kyrgyzstan's economy was "fairly alarming" and it would need foreign aid. She said Putin had asked how Russia could help.

"We agreed that my first deputy and the republic's former Prime Minister Almaz Atambayev would fly to Moscow and formulate our needs," she told Russian Ekho Moskvy radio.

Putin had not promised a specific sum, she said. "But the fact that he called, spoke nicely, went into detail, asked about details — generally, I was moved by that. It is a signal." Otunbayeva said Bakiyev was holed up in Jalalabad. "What we did yesterday was our answer to the repression and tyranny against the people by the Bakiyev regime," she told reporters. "You can call this revolution. You can call this a people's revolt. Either way, it is our way of saying that we want justice and democracy."

Washington has used Manas Air Base to supply US-led NATO forces fighting Taleban insurgents in Afghanistan since losing similar facilities in Uzbekistan, apparently after pressure from Moscow.

Bakiyev announced the Manas base would close during a visit to Moscow last year at which he secured $2 billion in crisis aid, only to agree later to keep it open at a higher rent.

The United States said it had not yet decided whether to recognize Otunbayeva's government. The Pentagon said limited operations were continuing at the base, and support to Afghanistan had not been seriously harmed.

Bakiyev, also speaking to Ekho Moskvy, said unidentified foreign forces were likely to have been involved in the unrest, although he refused to name any country.

Himself brought to power by a "people power" revolution in 2005, Bakiyev refused to resign and said he was in southern Kyrgyzstan, but acknowledged he had little control over events.

With rioters roaming the streets and widespread looting after a day in which dozens were killed in clashes between protesters and police, the self-proclaimed new interior minister ordered security forces to fire on looters.

Bishkek awoke to blazing cars and burned-out shops on Thursday after a day in which at least 75 people were killed.

Plumes of smoke billowed from the White House, the main seat of government, as crowds rampaged through the seven-story building. Looting was widespread and shots could still be heard.

Earlier in the day, Otunbayeva said Parliament was dissolved and she would head an interim government that would rule for six months until elections were held.  A US diplomat met Thursday with Otunbayeva and urged calm and respect for "democratic principles," the State Department said in Washington.