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AFP. 16 March 2002. Russia accepts US troops in Central Asia: foreign minister. MOSCOW -- Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov said Saturday that he understood the necessity of basing US troops in the ex-Soviet republics of Central Asia. The deployment of US military forces in the region "was dictated by the necessity to combat the threats of terrorism and drug trafficking that come from Afghan territory," Ivanov told Russian Mayak radio. Further, the elimination of these threats "responds to Russia's interests," he added. Many in Russia expressed concern when the United States began sending troops and equipment to the region as part of its war on Afghanistan. The United States has stationed troops and military hardware in Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan, and most recently announced it would send troops to Georgia as part of its expanding war on terror. The region is widely regarded by Moscow as Russia's "backyard," and President Vladimir Putin's pledge to support the strikes on Afghanistan has drawn consternation in some Russian military circles. The Central Asian bases, taken together with US troops already deployed inside Afghanistan, in the Gulf region as well as on ships in the Arabian Sea, bring the size of the US military force in the region to more than 50,000 soldiers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Barry Stoller http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ProletarianNews --------------------------- ANTI-NATO INFORMATION LIST ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: archive@jab.org EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.a9617B Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
