Kyrgyzstan Open To Air Base Talks With U.S. - BBC

In an interview with the BBC, Bakiyev said `the doors are not closed` for talks.

Kyrgyzstan is ready for talks with the United States on the future of its Manas military air base, which is due to be shut down in six months, President Kurmanbek Bakiyev said on Wednesday.

The Central Asian state's parliament voted last month to close the base, a key staging post for U.S. and NATO operations in Afghanistan. The government then handed a formal eviction note to the U.S. embassy giving the troops 180 days to leave.

In an interview with the BBC, Bakiyev said "the doors are not closed" for talks.

"We are ready for any new proposals from the U.S. government aimed at stabilising the situation in Afghanistan," the BBC quoted him as saying.

The air base closure would be a setback to U.S. plans to boost its forces in Afghanistan.

Bakiyev has said earlier the United States had ignored Kyrgyzstan's previous calls to review the base agreement.

His office could not be reached for comment.