WASHINGTON, November 17 (RIA Novosti) - Regular transit of U.S. military cargo and personnel to Afghanistan over the Russian territory will start soon after the final logistics issues have been resolved, a U.S government official said.
Moscow and Washington signed the Air Transit Agreement on July 6 during President Barack Obama's visit to Russia.
"We anticipate that regular flights will start as soon as we have worked out the remaining logistical details," U.S. State Department spokesman Ian Kelly told a daily press briefing on Monday.
He said that Richard Holbrooke, President Barack Obama's special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, and a separate group of U.S. military experts "are currently discussing [in Moscow] with Russian counterparts assistance coordination and also implementing modalities" of the agreement.
"I think one of the points that we're trying to iron out is notification processes that have to be in place. We're also working with other countries on the transit routes since anything over-flying Russia to go to Afghanistan would have to fly over other countries as well," the diplomat said.
The Pentagon plans to make at least 4,500 flights to Afghanistan via Russian airspace as the number of U.S. troops deployed in the fight against the Taliban militants and drug-trafficking in the war-torn Central Asian state is expected to swell to some 68,000.
