Wednesday March 10, 2010
U.S. general's Kyrgyz visit rivals Russian influence
By Olga Dzyubenko
BISHKEK (Reuters) - U.S. General David Petraeus met leaders in Kyrgyzstan on Wednesday, a day after the United States said it would build an anti-terrorism centre for the strategic Central Asian nation near Afghanistan.
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General David Petraeus, head of U.S. Central Command, speaks during a news conference at Camp Victory in Baghdad January 1, 2010. (REUTERS/Saad Shalash/Files) |
The United States and Russia both operate military air bases in Kyrgyzstan. The visit by Petraeus, head of U.S. Central Command, is likely to irritate Moscow which sees the impoverished Muslim nation as part of its sphere of influence.
Petraeus arrived in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek on Wednesday and met Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev.
Both sides said little about the nature of the talks.
"D. Petraeus ... thanked Kyrgyzstan for its support for Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan," Bakiyev's office said in a statement.
"Kurmanbek Bakiyev said that all threats and challenges to security in Central Asia emanate from Afghanistan.
"With this in mind, it is in Kyrgyzstan's interests to maintain security and stability in this country and it will continue to extend its support to help rebuild Afghanistan together with the international community."
On Tuesday, the U.S. embassy said the $5.5 million anti-terrorist training centre would be built in Batken in south Kyrgyzstan -- where Russian and Kyrgyz officials had earlier said Moscow might consider building a similar military facility.
The embassy has rejected speculation that Washington may open another military base in Kyrgyzstan, stressing that the new centre would belong to the Kyrgyz government.
The United States embassy said Petraeus would spend two days in Kyrgyzstan and visit a women's support centre on Thursday.
Kyrgyzstan alarmed the United States last year when it said it would close the U.S. Manas air force base after receiving a promise of $2 billion in aid from Russia.
It reversed its decision after Washington paid $180 million to keep the base, vital for U.S. forces in nearby Afghanistan.
Russia, while saying it does not see Washington as a strategic competitor in Central Asia, has made clear the U.S. military presence is not welcome. The presence of the two bases has come to symbolise Russia-U.S. rivalry in the region.
Analysts say Central Asia, a mainly Muslim but secular region, has become increasingly susceptible to militant ideas in the past few years because of deepening gloom about economic stagnation and poverty.
(Writing by Maria Golovnina; Editing by Janet Lawrence)
Copyright © 2010 Reuters
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