Military

DATE=7/11/05

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

TITLE=US / KYRGYZSTAN (L-O)

NUMBER=2-325851

BYLINE=STEPHANIE HO

DATELINE=WASHINGTON

INTERNET=

HEADLINE: US Hails Kyrgyz Election as Step Toward Stability

INTRO: The United States is reacting positively to the presidential election in Kyrgyzstan, which acting president Kurmanbek Bakiyev won in a landslide. VOA's Stephanie Ho reports from Washington.

TEXT: State Department spokesman Tom Casey hailed the electoral victory of Kyrgyz president-elect Kurmanbek Bakiyev.

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"We congratulate him and the Kyrgyz people on the election, which we believe marked a significant step toward long-term stability through democracy, via the Kyrgyz people's selection of a legitimate president and a democratic election."

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The U.S. spokesman said Sunday's elections represented what he called a "marked improvement" over parliamentary elections earlier this year. Those elections set off a wave of protests that peaked in March. Demonstrators stormed the presidential administration building, and forced then-president Askar Akayev to flee.

Meanwhile, at a news conference in Bishkek, Mr. Bakiyev said his government will re-examine the presence of a U.S. military base in Kyrgyzstan. His comments echo a recent call by the Shanghai Cooperation Organization -- a group comprising Russia, China and former Soviet republics in central Asia, which said the United States should set a date for the withdrawal of its bases in Kyrgyzstan and neighboring Uzbekistan.

In response to a question on this issue, the State Department spokesman expressed Washington's appreciation to the two Central Asian nations.

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"We're appreciative of the cooperation we have received from a number of countries in the region, including Kyrgyzstan, in terms of support for the U.S. military and military operations that are done in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, in Afghanistan."

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He said the State Department has noted the Kyrgyz president-elect's comments, but said he had no specific comments on future U.S. basing arrangements. (SIGNED)

NEB/SHO/KBK/TW