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Turkmenistan Not to Allow U.S. Military to Use Its Soil: President
Turkmen President Saparmurad Niyazov has denied reports that foreign troops would be allowed to move into his country for military strikes at Afghanistan, Interfax reported Tuesday.
In a televised address to the nation on Monday evening, Niyazov said he had agreed with U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell to provide air space and rail service for the delivery of humanitarian cargo in the U.S. retaliatory strikes against Afghanistan.
"This will not be military cargo and this conforms with our law, " he said.
Niyazov also said Powell had pledged delicate work to minimize civilian casualties.
Turkmenistan is one of the three former Soviet republics -- the other two being Tajikistan and Uzbekistan -- bordering Afghanistan, which the U.S. has accused of harboring Osama bin Laden, alleged prime suspect in the September 11 terror attacks.
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