Associated Press
October 5

Uzbek President Islam Karimov said Saturday that he is in no rush to see the United States withdraw from former Soviet Central Asia.

"The United States must remain in the region as long as it's needed to guarantee peace and stability ... and to secure peace and mutual understanding in Afghanistan," Karimov said as he arrived in the Tajik capital, Dushanbe, for a summit of the former Soviet republics of Central Asia.

This region, long considered Moscow's sphere of influence, became a major staging ground for the U.S.-led anti-terror campaign in neighboring Afghanistan. About 2,000 U.S. troops are deployed at bases in Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, and coalition forces are allowed to use airspace over Kazakhstan and Tajikistan.

Karimov said that the continuing U.S. presence in the region is needed to ensure that "neighboring countries won't fear Afghanistan, so that Afghanistan could become a zone of peace and accord."

The arrival of U.S. military in the region did not disturb Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has been a strong backer of the anti-terror campaign. But it raised fears among many Russian politicians and military officials that Moscow would lose its influence in the region. The increased U.S. involvement in Central Asia has also irritated Iran, another regional power.

Saturday's summit was bringing together the leaders of Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. The president of Turkmenistan was not expected to attend. The leaders planned to hold one-on-one meetings, followed by a group session, Russia's ITAR-Tass news agency reported.

Regional security and efforts to expand regional trade were expected to top the agenda. ITAR-Tass said the leaders also planned to discuss the fight against drug trafficking. These Central Asian states, with their long porous borders, have become a key route for drugs flowing out of Afghanistan through Russia to the West.

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