re: #88 winston06

Okay, it is now official… Kyrgyzstan president signs the bill to shut down the US air base in Menas.

[Link: news.yahoo.com…]

I thought Dear Leader was going to change the world.

formerspook.blogspot.com

Scroll down …

Done Deal?

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Despite the Kyrgyz decision, Mr. Gates doesn’t seem overly concerned. According to the Associated Press, the defense secretary still believes that Washington can reach a new lease agreement with Bishkek:

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, in Poland for NATO talks, said the United States would consider paying more rent to continue using the strategic base. Speaking after the parliament vote in Kyrgyzstan, Gates said he considers talks still open over the future of the base.

Gates also accused Moscow of pushing Kyrgyzstan to close the base. The Russians have denied that, but Bakiyev announced plans to end the lease arrangement after Moscow promised more than $2 billion in aid—substantially more than the U.S. pays in rent.

Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said the U.S. has “yet to receive any formal notification of a change in status of Manas so our operations there continue as normal.”

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