U.S. Troops Get OK to Stay in Kyrgyzstan

BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan —  American troops can stay at a Kyrgyz air base for as long as they are needed to bring stability to Afghanistan, officials told Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld on Tuesday.

The remarks came at a time when the future of the U.S. military presence here and elsewhere in Central Asia has come into question. A July 5 statement by the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, of which Kyrgyzstan is a member, called for a timetable for eventual U.S. withdrawal.

Maj. Gen. Ismail Isakov, acting Kyrgyz defense minister, told reporters after Rumsfeld met with him and newly elected President Kurmanbek Bakiyev that a U.S. exit would eventually take place.

“The deployment of American forces in the Kyrgyz republic totally depends on the situation in Afghanistan,” Isakov said. “Once there is stabilization, there will be no need. But now I agree with Mr. Secretary, who mentioned that the situation in Afghanistan is far from stable.”

Rumsfeld did not say publicly what the United States might offer in exchange. But Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Roza Otunbayeva told reporters that Rumsfeld had pledged increased military assistance.

About 1,000 U.S. troops use a portion of Kyrgyzstan’s Manas International Airport as a base.