World>Terrorism & Security
posted July 26, 2005 at 12:30 p.m.

Rumsfeld secures temporary deal in Central Asia

Kyrgyzstan agrees the US can use key base as long as needed for Afghan operations.

By Matthew Clark | csmonitor.com

"I wouldn't pack your bags," Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld told US troops at a key base in Kyrgyzstan Tuesday.

The secretary gave this confident message after receiving assurances from Kyrgyzstan that the US could keep its base to support military operations in Afghanistan – at least for now.

Mr. Rumsfeld is on a three-day tour of Central Asia designed to shore up commitments for important military arrangements that have come under increased pressure of late.

"The main aim of [Mr. Rumsfeld's] mission is stopping the erosion of United States' strategic position in Central Asia," according to a report by EurasiaNet, a New York-based organization that provides information and analysis about developments in the countries of Central Asia and the Caucasus, as well as in Russia, the Middle East, and Southwest Asia.


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The Washington Post reported Monday that Rumsfeld urged Central Asian countries to " make up their own minds" about allowing US military bases to remain in the region. His message comes "despite recent pressure from Russia and China for a withdrawal deadline," according to the Post.

The Post explains the function of the US bases this way:

The US regional presence includes two key air bases that have handled tens of thousands of US flights -- Ganci air base north of Bishkek [Kyrgyzstan], where 1,000 troops are stationed, and the Karshi-Khanabad air base in Uzbekistan -- as well as overflight rights, "gas and go" refueling agreements and emergency landing agreements.

On July 5, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) - which includes Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, China, and Russia - issued a joint statement saying the active military phase of the Afghan operation was coming to an end and calling on the US-led coalition to agree to a deadline for ending the temporary use of bases and air space in member countries.

"Considering that the active phase of the military anti-terrorist operation in Afghanistan has finished, member states ... consider it essential that the relevant participants in the anti-terrorist coalition set deadlines for the temporary use" of bases in Central Asia, the declaration read.

US defense officials accompanying Rumsfeld on this trip, however, "came prepared to argue that antiterrorism operations in Afghanistan are far from over," reports the US-supported RadioFreeEurope (RFE).

"In the end, their Kyrgyz counterparts appeared to agree," reports RFE.

But BBC reports that the Kyrgyz defense minister said US forces would no longer need to stay in the country once the situation in Afghanistan improves.

The future of the US base in Uzbekistan, however, "appears to be in far greater doubt [than the base in Kyrgyzstan]," according to EurasiaNet, which also points out that "a stop in Uzbekistan ... is conspicuously absent from Rumsfeld's itinerary."

Relations between Uzbekistan and the US have cooled since the deadly government crackdown against protesters in the city of Andijon in May. Human rights groups have called the incident a massacre, but the Uzbek government insists its security forces were acting to prevent a revolt by Islamist extremists.

Uzbekistan imposed restrictions on US forces at the base in Khanabad following US criticism of the Andijon events.

The rift in US-Uzbek ties appears to be growing, reports EurasiaNet.

As tension has mounted in US-Uzbek relations, Tashkent has moved aggressively to bolster security cooperation with Russia. Of late, Uzbek media have published stories that appear designed to prepare public opinion for the termination of the strategic partnership between Washington and Tashkent.

After his time in Kyrgyzstan, Rumsfeld flew to Tajikistan to meet with senior officials. Although the US does not have any troops in the country, it has "negotiated an arrangement allowing US military aircraft to refuel and fly over Tajik territory on missions relating to Afghanistan," reports BBC.