BISHKEK – Kyrgyzstan’s new leadership said yesterday it had control over the armed forces and would do everything to prevent a civil war in the central Asian country, which hosts both US and Russian air bases.
Roza Otunbayeva, who heads a provisional government so far recognised only by Russia, offered Kyrgyzstan’s president, Kurmanbek Bakiyev, safe passage from the country after accusing his supporters of stoking a violent response to an uprising that ousted him. “We have enough resources and capabilities and all the people’s support that we need,” Ms Otunbayeva said. “All armed forces are under our control. We will do everything possible to prevent civil war.”
Ms Otunbayeva led opposition to Mr Bakiyev in Wednesday’s uprising, which has brought the former Soviet republic closer to Moscow and raised doubts about the future of the US Manas air base, a vital cog in Nato military operations in Afghanistan.
“Bakiyev has the opportunity to leave the country,” Ms Otunbayeva told reporters. “We will guarantee his security, only his personal security, if he resigns.”
The US Manas air base resumed normal operations yesterday, a spokesman at the base said, after cutting back on flights because of the violence nearby in the capital, Bishkek.
Personnel have not been allowed to leave the base since the trouble began, a spokesman for the US military’s central command in Washington said.
Pentagon officials say Manas is central to the war effort against the Taliban, allowing round-the-clock flights in and out of neighbouring Afghanistan, with about 50,000 troops passing through last month alone. However, the new Kyrgyz leadership has said it might shorten the US lease.
Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin was quick to offer aid to the new Kyrgyz rulers, who have said Moscow helped to oust Mr Bakiyev.
The uprising was sparked by discontent over corruption, nepotism and rising utility prices. – (Reuters)