Across Asia: Kyrgyzstan

'No talks with US on base'

Kyrgyzstan's prime minister says the Central Asian nation is not in talks with Washington to extend the US lease of an air base that supports operations in Afghanistan.

Prime Minister Igor Chudinov spoke a day after a Pentagon official said there had been progress in negotiations on maintaining the US presence at Manas air base.

Chudinov said no government officials have been authorized or instructed to conduct negotiations on the base.

(China Daily 04/30/2009 page11)