U.S. Air Force Base in Bishkek Not to Be Used for Military Operation Against Iraq

U.S. air force base at the airport of "Manas" in Bishkek will not be used for the military action against Iraq, Kyrgyz Deputy Foreign Minister Zheenbek Kulubayev told journalists on Thursday.

The Kyrgyz Deputy Foreign Minister recalled that according to an agreement between the Kyrgyz government and the USA, servicemen of fourteen member countries of the anti-terrorist coalition are deployed in Kyrgyzstan exclusively for combating terrorism in Afghanistan.

The Kyrgyz Parliament ratified the agreement in December 2001.