BISHKEK, June 7 (RIA Novosti) - Kyrgyzstan's Security Council chief said Wednesday that talks with the U.S. on the continued presence of its airbase in the Central Asian republic had entered the final stage.
"We are currently in a critical, final phase of talks," Miroslav Niyazov said. "Both sides realize that the conditions for [the U.S. base's] deployment in Kyrgyzstan should be revised."
A source close to the negotiations said Kyrgyzstan was looking to raise the fee for the Gansi base, located at Manas airport in the country's capital, Bishkek, from the current $2.6 million to $200 million a year. The Americans have reportedly said that the Kyrgyz demand is 2-3 times too high.
The American airbase was deployed in the former Soviet republic in late 2001 under the UN mandate as part of Operation Enduring Freedom conducted by coalition forces in Afghanistan after the September 2001 terrorist attacks on the U.S.
Kyrgyzstan notified the U.S. about proposed changes to the base agreement in early 2006.
