Turmoil should not affect US troop presence in Kyrgyzstan: Rumsfeld

GUATEMALA CITY - The political turmoil in Kyrgyzstan should not have an impact on the presence of US troops in the Central Asian state, US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said Thursday.
"I'm confident that there'll be no issue with respect to US forces," Rumsfeld told reporters during a visit to Guatemala.
The United States maintains a major air base in Manas, outside the capital Bishkek, which has an extra-long runway and has been used extensively for operations in nearby Afghanistan.
The US defense secretary also said he could not confirm press reports that Kyrgyz President Askar Akayev had fled the country in the face of anti-government protests.
"I've been following the reports both there and in the press and the intelligence reports do not verify what you cited from press reports," he said.

03/24/2005 18:05 GMT