The US on Monday welcomed statements from the interim Kyrgyz government that it would abide by existing agreements covering a US air base in the country.
US Assistant Secretary of State Robert Blake said the assurances, given by interim Kyrgyz leader Roza Otunbayeva to US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Saturday, would allow the two countries to discuss arrangements on the base, which is an important hub for troop transfers and other support for US operations in Afghanistan.
“It is very good news that Miss Otunbayeva said that they will continue to abide by those agreements and of course the United States is prepared to talk at any time with her and members of the provisional government about these arrangements,” Blake told a news briefing.
Blake spoke before departing for Kyrgyzstan for meetings with Otunbayeva and others. He will be the highest US diplomat to travel there since she claimed power after a crackdown on opposition protesters led to violence that killed at least 81 people.
Blake said the US was not formally recognizing the provisional government, but did not consider it to have taken power in a coup, and offered strong suggestions of support.
“My main goal will be to hear from the Kyrgyz administration about their assessment of the law and order situation, the steps that they plan to take during their six-month interim administration to organize democratic elections and a return to democracy, and how we might be able to help them to restore democracy and economic growth,” Blake said.
He said many victims in last week’s violence were killed by supporters of former Kyrgyz president Kurmanbek Bakiyev, who fled the capital during the upheaval on Wednesday last week.
Blake said there were no plans to meet with Bakiyev, who has been seeking to muster support in the southern part of country, but added that the dispute over power must be handled without violating the Constitution.
Blake would not comment on speculation that Russia, which has bristled at the US military presence in Kyrgyzstan, may have had a hand in driving Bakiyev from power.
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin was quick to call Otunbayeva last week, essentially recognizing her government, and Russian officials harshly criticized Bakiyev.
After receiving a Russian pledge of more than US$2 billion in assistance, Bakiyev last year said Kyrgyzstan would evict US forces from the base. He later reversed course and agreed to keep the base open at a higher price.
After last week’s upheaval, members of Otunbayeva’s government had suggested the base lease would be shortened.
Blake said the US would not push hard now for further commitments on the base.
“They’ve got a lot of other things on their plate that they have to sort out ... so when they’re prepared to talk about this ... we will be glad to have those conversations,” he said.
The expiration of the agreement allowing the US to use the base was not immediately clear, but Kyrgyzstan would have to give six months notice if it wants to evict US forces.
The US Embassy said the transit of troops to and from Afghanistan, halted because of the upheaval, had resumed, but the Pentagon said on Monday that some inbound passenger flights were being sent elsewhere. Past decisions to restrict such flights have been attributed to security concerns.
SEEKING CHANGE: A hospital worker said she did not vote in previous elections, but ‘now I can see that maybe my vote can change the system and the country’ Voting closed yesterday across the Solomon Islands in the south Pacific nation’s first general election since the government switched diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to Beijing and struck a secret security pact that has raised fears of the Chinese navy gaining a foothold in the region. The Solomon Islands’ closer relationship with China and a troubled domestic economy weighed on voters’ minds as they cast their ballots. As many as 420,000 registered voters had their say across 50 national seats. For the first time, the national vote also coincided with elections for eight of the 10 local governments. Esther Maeluma cast her vote in the
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
HYPOCRISY? The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday asked whether Biden was talking about China or the US when he used the word ‘xenophobic’ US President Joe Biden on Wednesday called for a hike in steel tariffs on China, accusing Beijing of cheating as he spoke at a campaign event in Pennsylvania. Biden accused China of xenophobia, too, in a speech to union members in Pittsburgh. “They’re not competing, they’re cheating. They’re cheating and we’ve seen the damage here in America,” Biden said. Chinese steel companies “don’t need to worry about making a profit because the Chinese government is subsidizing them so heavily,” he said. Biden said he had called for the US Trade Representative to triple the tariff rates for Chinese steel and aluminum if Beijing was