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TAJIK PRESIDENT ALLOWS US AND FRENCH MILITARY PLANES TO USE TAJIK AIR BASE - 2001-12-05


Tajik President Emomali Rakhmonov says he will permit U-S and French military planes to use one of Tajikistan's air bases for the anti-terrorism campaign in Afghanistan.

The Tajik leader told Russia's state-controlled ORT television (Tuesday) foreign combat aircraft will be allowed to use the airfield at Kulyab, some 70 kilometers north of the Afghan border.

Mr. Rakhmonov's decision came after a group of Italian and U-S experts examined the airfield and said it was capable of receiving NATO combat aircraft.

A spokesman for the Tajik Foreign Ministry (Igor Sattarov) says 21 U-S and 38 Italian soldiers are already in the country and 186 French troops are on their way.

Last month, Tajikistan offered three air bases to the anti-terrorist coalition, but said those installations only could be used for humanitarian and rescue operations.

Initially, Tajikistan was reluctant to become too involved in the U-S-led military campaign in Afghanistan, with which it shares a 12-hundred kilometers border.

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