Wednesday, June 2, 2010

AFP: US military suspends refueling at vital Kyrgyz base

AFP: US military suspends refueling at vital Kyrgyz base: "The US military has stopped flying aerial refueling tankers out of Krygyzstan as the government there presses to renegotiate a fuel contract for a major US base, the Pentagon said Tuesday.
The Manas air field, a vital hub for the US-led force in Afghanistan, was 'still operational' but flights for KC-135 refueling aircraft had been suspended amid talks with the Kyrgyz government, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman told reporters.
'We are negotiating with them adjustments under the current fuel contract,' Whitman said. By halting KC-135 flights out of Manas, 'that's a significant way of conserving fuel,' he said.
Asked if Bishkek was demanding a higher price for jet fuel, he said: 'It's sufficient to say they're not proposing reducing the cost of the fuel.'"