U.S. soldiers open the gates of a military base, which is located within Manas civilian airport, near Kyrgyzstan's capital Bishkek, 04 Feb 2009
Kyrgyzstan says its decision to shut down a U.S. military base is "final."
That word from a Kyrgyz government spokesman on Friday contradicts earlier statements from both Kyrgyzstan and the United States that discussions about the base are continuing.
A U.S. State Department spokesman, Gordon Duguid, reiterated that there has been no official notification from Kyrgyzstan on the status of the base. He said Friday that normal operations continue at the base, along with talks with Kyrgyz authorities on the U.S. presence.
The Manas air base in Kyrgyzstan plays a major logistical role in supplying U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan.
Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev announced plans to shut the base on Tuesday in Moscow, shortly after securing $2 billion in loans and aid from Russia.
Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says his country will allow the United States to cross Russian territory to deliver non-military supplies to Afghanistan.
Tajkistan is also offering help. The U.S. ambassador in Dushanbe, Tracey Ann Jacobson, says the Tajik president is ready to allow transport of non-military supplies to Afghanistan through his territory.
Diplomatic and defense sources say the United States is considering a military deal with Uzbekistan to establish an alternate supply route for NATO forces fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan.
Most U.S. and NATO shipments into Afghanistan have been arriving by road through Pakistan, but those convoys have increasingly come under attack from Taliban and al-Qaida militants in recent months.
The Kyrgyzstan base issue flared as the Obama administration continued a policy review on the Afghanistan conflict that is widely expected to include a big increase in U.S. troop strength there.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Thursday that denial of access to Manas would be regrettable but would not affect U.S. Afghan strategy.
A spokesman for the central Asian country of Kyrgyzstan stated on Friday that its decision to close down a United States military base is "final". The base is an important supply route for NATO and U.S. operations in nearby Afghanistan.

"The decision has been made," said Kyrgyz spokesman Aibek Sultangaziyev. "The U.S. embassy and the Kyrgyz foreign ministry are exchanging opinions on this, but there are no discussions on keeping the base." 

The announcement contradicts statements from both Kyrgyzstan and the U.S. saying that talks about the base are still in progress.

The President of Kyrgyzstan, Kurmanbek Bakiyev, disclosed plans about shutting down the base on Tuesday while in Moscow, soon after receiving US$2 billion worth of aid from Russia. However, the Kyrgyz government says that the two moves are not related.

U.S. State Department spokesman Gordon Duguid said that there was no official word from the Kyrgyz government upon the status of the base.

The U.S. has meanwhile requested to transport supplies through Russia instead. The neighboring country of Tajikistan has offered to allow the transport of non-military goods to Afghanistan.

Currently, most shipments by NATO and the US come into Afghanistan through neighboring Pakistan, but NATO has become concerned about the safety of that route, as transport convoys have become increasingly under attack from Al Qaeda and the Taliban.

The closing of the base comes at a critical time for the U.S., as the nation is planning a large increase in the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan.