U.S. has limited operations at Kyrgyzstan base

(Reuters) - A U.S. base in Kyrgyzstan that supplies American forces in Afghanistan is conducting limited operations following an uprising that forced the Kyrgyz president to flee the capital, the Pentagon said on Thursday.

A U.S. official said the United States had not made a decision on the legitimacy of an interim government formed by Kyrgyzstan's opposition, saying the situation was too fluid to make such a determination.

The U.S. stance could put Washington at loggerheads with Russia, which was quick to recognize the caretaker government led by Roza Otunbayeva, and which has vied for influence in Central Asia since the break up of the Soviet Union.

Russia has resented the spread of U.S. influence in the region and, in particular, the United States' establishment of an air base at Manas, which provides crucial support for military operations in nearby Afghanistan.

The United States nearly lost the base last year when Kyrgyzstan's government ordered U.S. forces out but relented to allow them to stay after bargaining for more money.

"Currently there are limited operations at Manas airfield," Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman told reporters, without giving details. "Our support to Afghanistan continues and has not been seriously affected. And we are hopeful that we will be able to resume full operations soon".

The Kyrgyzstan uprising, which began on Tuesday in a provincial town, was sparked by discontent over corruption, nepotism and rising utility prices in a nation where a third of the 5.3 million population live below the poverty line.

A U.S. official said Washington had not decided about the legitimacy of the self-declared interim government, saying the situation was fluid and hinting that its stance would depend on the opposition's willingness to establish democratic rule.

"We are still evaluating what is happening on the ground so it is difficult to make a decision now regarding who's in charge," said the senior U.S. official, who spoke on condition that he not be identified.

"Regarding an interim government, dealing with that government will depend on the course they chart," he said. "Our interest is the restoration of a democratic and constitutional government".

The official said Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Kadyrbek Sarbayev was in the United States for previously scheduled meetings but that U.S. officials had yet to speak to him. He said he did not know if Maksim Bakiyev, the son of the Kyrgyz president, also was in Washington for an investment conference as planned.

Editing by Bill Trott

Reuters