Washington briefing: U.S. squeezed by Russia in Central Asia, by Iran in space

by Emil Sanamyan

Published: Thursday February 05, 2009

At the Manas Air Force base in Kyrgyzstan on Sept. 11, 2008, a remembrance of the September 11, 2001,  terrorist attacks. U.S. Air Force

Washington - Russia offered massive financial incentives to Kyrgyzstan, apparently on the condition that its government close a U.S. air base on its territory, news agencies reported. The base, which takes up a portion of the Kyrgyz capital's main airport, has been there since December 2001, serving to facilitate the delivery of supplies to U.S. forces in Afghanistan.

Kyrgyz president Kurmanbek Bakiyev announced the closure of the base during a visit to Moscow this week. Concurrently, Russia announced a $2 billion aid and loans package to the country.

Senior U.S. officials were apparently assured as recently as two weeks ago that the base would stay open, and are still hoping to use the facility for the anticipated "surge" in U.S. forces in Afghanistan.

At the same time Russian and Kyrgyz leaders promised to continue to cooperate with the United States on stabilizing Afghanistan, which has seen an increase in insurgent attacks in the last few years.

Meanwhile, Iran marked the 30th anniversary of its Islamic revolution by launching its first domestically built satellite into space. U.S. officials expressed concern over the launch, since the same technology can also be used to deliver missiles.

According to RFE/RL, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Iran's growing presence in space is aimed at "expanding monotheism, peace, and justice." Iran has previously launched its satellites through the Russian and Chinese space programs.